First-of-its-kind on-farm incubator offers real-world testing and farmer insight
Salinas, CA (May 14, 2025) — Reservoir and Western Growers today announced the opening of applications for membership at Reservoir Farms, the pioneering on-farm robotics incubator in California’s Salinas Valley. This first-of-its-kind facility empowers California growers and agtech startups to co-develop, test, and scale advanced automation and robotics solutions for specialty crops in real-world farming environments, addressing the industry’s demand for practical, scalable agtech innovation.
Despite increased investment and interest in agricultural technology, many startups struggle to achieve commercial adoption due to a disconnect between technological development and growers’ operational needs. As the world’s first on-farm robotics incubator, Reservoir Farms bridges this gap by connecting startups directly with the 2,500 members of Western Growers. This collaboration ensures that new technologies are shaped by real-world challenges and validated by the farmers who will ultimately use them.
“From the inception of Western Growers’ Agtech Initiative more than a decade ago, our vision to more quickly bring advanced technology to the specialty crop industry rested on the premise that technology startups could only succeed with guidance from growers rather than by making assumptions in the dark about field-level challenges,” said Dave Puglia, President and CEO of Western Growers. “Reservoir Farms represents a new kind of research and development model, putting growers in the driver’s seat and accelerating practical innovation that fits the real-world complexity of our farms. I am excited that we are helping launch the working farm-labs that can deliver on our original vision for agtech in the specialty crop industry.”
Designed to help accelerate innovation from an early stage, Reservoir Farms is now accepting applications for its inaugural Salinas cohort of 12 startups, with a focus on:
- Robotic harvesters, including strawberry, broccoli, iceberg, and romaine
- Rugged mobility for uneven terrain
- Machine vision for crop maturity/quality
- Lightweight end effectors for delicate crops
- Modular field robotics components
- Edge AI for cloud-free autonomy
- Precision soil & bed analytics
Startups will have access to custom-planted specialty crop fields, fully equipped R&D workshops, and flexible shop space, without the burden of multi-year leases.
“Our mission is to move breakthrough technologies off whiteboards and out of labs—into the field, where they solve real-world problems. Reservoir Farms accelerates this journey by grounding innovation in the daily realities of production agriculture,” said Danny Bernstein, CEO of The Reservoir. “Our partnership with Western Growers is key—it gives startups early access to grower insights and connects them to WG’s rigorous validation process, which has become the standard for evaluating impact in specialty crop agtech.”
Through the Western Growers’ validation process, participating startups will receive a quantitative “scorecard” measuring scalability, efficacy, and financial viability. This rigorous validation provides startups with actionable feedback and a critical stamp of approval, streamlining the path to commercialization and building trust among growers and investors.
The first Reservoir Farms members will be announced in August 2025. Inquiries can be submitted through https://reservoir.co/contact
About The Reservoir
The Reservoir is a nonprofit startup incubator and venture capital fund focused on helping agtech startups succeed where agriculture happens—in the field. Reservoir Farms is the world’s first on-farm robotics incubator, starting in the Salinas Valley and expanding to other key regions like the Central Valley. Reservoir Ventures backs startups solving real problems in specialty crops. By combining R&D space, hands-on grower input, and early-stage capital, the Reservoir helps turn promising ideas into tools for the growers who feed the world. Learn more at https://reservoir.co
About Western Growers
Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Western Growers’ members and their workers provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including half of America’s fresh organic produce. Connect and learn more about Western Growers on Twitter and Facebook.
