RISE OF THE TRACTOR BOTS

MONARCH CEO PRAVEEN PENMETSA WANTS TO SAVE AMERICA'S FARMS WITH ROBOTS. CAN OLD MACDONALDS LEARN NEW TRICKS?

- Amy Feldman

On a sunny early summer afternoon at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, California, Monarch Tractor cofounder and CEO Praveen Penmetsa is deep into his robot-tractor spiel.

He reels off the benefits of his $89,000 vehicle: It’s all-electric. It’s self-driving. It can mow. It can weed. Even though it costs about 80% more than a similar diesel-powered machine, it will ultimately save farmers money, increase their farms’ efficiency and make their operations less reliant on outside labor and fuel. “If there’s one thing that farmers like more than guns, it’s being self-sufficient,” he says with a laugh. “We need to change so that farmers don’t feel like there’s no future in farming.”

The potential buyer, Bartley Walker of Pacific Ag Rentals, whose Salinas, California-based firm rents equipment to farmers, listens intently. He’s concerned about how farmers will be able to keep the tractors charged in the fields but is impressed with the self-driving features. “We understand this is the future,” he says.

On any given day, Penmetsa, 45, who spent nearly two decades working on electric and self-driving cars before pivoting to agriculture, is fighting to convince farmers, investors and lawmakers that making the switch to electric, self-driving tractors is both important and viable. Diesel tractors are a major source of pollution in agriculture, and farmers have long struggled to hire enough workers. Monarch’s machines promise to solve both problems.