Farm groups seek new autonomous tractor regulation

By Caleb Hampton

California farm advocates feel they may be closer than ever to achieving regulatory changes that would clear the way for wider adoption of autonomous tractors in the state. 

Despite entrepreneurs from the Golden State leading the way in developing cutting-edge technology used on farms around the world, the use of autonomous equipment is largely prohibited on California farms.  

“In every other state, we operate freely,” said Tim Bucher, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Bay Area-based company Agtonomy, which develops software for agricultural equipment manufacturers. Some states, added Bucher, who is a lifelong farmer from Sonoma County, have implemented policies to incentivize automation on farms. 

In California, however, a 1977 regulation from the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, requires that all “self-propelled equipment shall, when under its own power and in motion, have an operator stationed at the vehicular controls.”

Conceived long before the first driverless vehicle existed, the regulation has prevented California farmers from taking advantage of various types of autonomous equipment—from driverless tractors and blast sprayers to carts used to shuttle trays of grapes or berries—developed in the past several years.    

“The regulation is obviously out of date,” said Bryan Little, senior director of policy advocacy for the California Farm Bureau and chief operating officer of the affiliated Farm Employers Labor Service. “Something needs to change.”

In recent months, following years of advocacy from the Farm Bureau and other groups, industry leaders expressed optimism that change may be on the horizon.

In August 2024, Cal/OSHA issued a memorandum clarifying that driverless tractors and other agricultural vehicles may be used when no humans are present. When employees are absent, the memo stated, the location does not qualify as a worksite under the agency’s jurisdiction.

The directive allowed farmers to use autonomous equipment in some contexts, though advocates said the regulation itself must be amended to eliminate barriers California farmers continue to face when it comes to integrating autonomous technology into their operations. 

During the past year, Bucher and Little both played a direct role in educating regulators about autonomous farm technology and pushing for regulatory change.  

In November 2024, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, which has the authority to revise the regulation, impaneled an advisory committee comprising various stakeholders to examine the issue. 

“We’ve been meeting regularly, and we’ve definitely shared our perspective on changes that could be made to the regulation,” Bucher said. “I believe we need to work with regulators and not against them, because we want the same thing, which is worker safety.”

Labor advocates have raised concerns that autonomous tractors could pose a danger to nearby workers, and that the widespread adoption of autonomous equipment could result in job losses, though the latter issue does not fall under Cal/OSHA’s authority.  

Agricultural technology leaders have emphasized that autonomous technology can improve occupational safety on farms. 

Bucher said the issue is personal for him. After growing up on a dairy farm, then working in Silicon Valley with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, he said farm safety was part of what motivated him to go into the field of agricultural robotics. 

“I have personally rolled tractors. The last time I did, the tractor flipped several times, and I got a severe concussion,” Bucher said, adding that friends of his were killed in tractor accidents. 

Government data show that tractor rollovers are the leading cause of fatal accidents on farms. 

“If you can get the operator out of the seat, you’re already saving lives,” Bucher said. 

While researchers are working to develop robots that can pick fruit and accomplish other labor-intensive tasks, such jobs are still largely done by hand.   

For now, industry leaders said, the return on investment offered by autonomous farm technology often does not involve saving on labor costs. Rather, automation helps farmers maximize efficiency in the use of fuel, pesticides and other materials, as the technology can operate with greater precision than human operators. 

“The machine is doing the work exactly how you tell it to,” said Greg Christensen, go-to-market manager for high value crops at John Deere, which has begun trials for an autonomous tractor designed for use in tree crops. “That is where a lot of the savings will come from.”

Industry leaders said persistent labor shortages and opportunities for upskilling reduce the risk of the current workforce being displaced from jobs. In states where Agtonomy technology has been implemented, Bucher said, he has not seen a reduction in the amount of human labor required.  

“There just isn’t enough labor in general in high-value crops,” he said. “We need everyone.”

The farmer and tech entrepreneur met last month with members of the standards board at the FIRA USA agricultural robotics conference in Woodland, where autonomous tractors showed off their capabilities in live demonstrations.  

The standards board is expected to release a report later this month summarizing the work of the autonomous tractor advisory committee. 

“It will tell the public what the standards board staff believe the advisory committee developed in the course of these meetings,” said Little, the Farm Bureau director and FELS executive. “At that point, the standards board will be free to take some action with respect to autonomous tractors.”

Whether the regulatory body will amend the rule and allow wider use of autonomous equipment on California farms remains to be seen.

“I believe the regulations will change in the near future,” Bucher said. “In the meantime, we work together and continue to educate.”

Caleb Hampton is editor of Ag Alert. He can be reached at champton@cfbf.com.

See related news stories...
• On the Record: Stavros Vougioukas talks labor and robotic harvesting
• Agriculture is at a critical juncture, farm leaders warn
• California robotics startup battles for innovation prize