5th Small Farm Tech Expo: How Equitable Is Our Tech?

By Richard Santiago, Feb 2026

The Small Farm Tech Expo 2025 represents an important opportunity to examine how practical, appropriately scaled technologies are shaping the future of small – scale farms. As the event enters its fifth year at UC Merced, it continues to serve as a space for meaningful exchange among farmers, innovators, and ag-tech providers focused on efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. Through hands-on demonstrations, educational workshops, and farmer-led discussions, the expo highlights appropriately scaled solutions applicable across a wide range of farming operations. 

Taking place on December 2, 2025, the Small Farm Tech Expo is a free, full day event that brings together small-scale farmers, agricultural innovators, researchers, and the general public. Unlike large trade shows that often focus on the large size scale farmers, this expo is centered on practical technology that fits the needs, budgets, and solutions of small and diversified farming operations. 

Assessment Questions: 

An assessment was conducted to identify the most appropriate technology for small producers. Participants were asked a series of targeted questions, and an evaluation chart was used to compare and assess the response. Some of the questions included: 

• What type of farm does your technology help? 

• Will the technology be cost effective?

• Can farmers either maintain and repair the technology on their own or easily get it serviced affordably and locally? 

• How will farmers learn about and experiment with the technology?

• How will the new technology increase sales, access to market channels, capabilities for farm business management, and/or access to desired inputs? 

• What are some of the advantages and disadvantages? 

AgTech Demo – Outdoor Showcase  

Some standout less-known demos included Rotate8, Sutton Ag, and Andros Engineering’s Ultra CTR Binder for recycling drip tape. Classic standouts included the BCS tractor and their numerous implements. The general public had the chance to interact “one-on-one” with representatives to learn more about the demonstration.

Rotate 8 – Rover Platform – Rotate8 is a solar powered, modular, and repairable farming technology designed for small farmers. It’s highly customizable to meet specific farm needs, and supports the right to repair. This is a general-purpose platform built to hold farming implements such as category 3 three-point hitch and a utility trailer. Rotate 8 can be used for soil preparation, seeding, weeding, harvesting, mowing, and on-farm transportation. The starting price for the Rotate 8 platform is $10,000. 

We can imagine the Rotate 8 being used for soil preparation, harvesting support, and on-farm transportation by pairing a single power unit with interchangeable Cat 3 implements and a utility trailer. This flexibility allows farmers to complete multiple field tasks with one modular platform, reducing equipment costs while maintaining functionality throughout the growing season. 

Sutton Ag – Wizard E-Series Eco-Planter 

The Wizard E-Series Eco Planter is a walk-behind, electric vacuum seeder designed for small-scale and diversified farms that need precision without complexity. It can plant both small and large seeds using the same machine, with quick, tool-free adjustments to seed plates, spacing, and depth made directly in the field. Its self-propelled design, adjustable handle, and easy seed clean-out reduce physical labor and save time during planting. The planter is compact enough to fit in the bed of  a pickup truck, and capable of covering up to two acres per day and offers a maximum battery life of up to eleven hours. The starting price for the Wizard E-Series Eco-Planter is $4,000. 

GOAT

Open and collaborative approaches to agricultural technology are becoming increasingly important, especially for small- scale farming systems. One organization supporting this work is GOAT (Gathering for Open Agricultural Technology). Goat is a community-based initiative focused on advancing open source hardware, software, and data in agriculture. Its core principle is that the tools and information  shaping our food systems should be accessible, transparent, and guided by the needs of the farmers and communities who use them. 

By bringing together farmers, developers, researchers, and technologists, GOAT creates space for shared learning and collective problem solving. These values closely align with the goals of the Small Farm Tech Expo, where practical, farmer-centered solutions and open exchange of knowledge are central to the experience. Some of the open sources that provide free information to small farmers are SoilStack –  https://www.soilstack.io/ , farmOS https://farmos.org/ – , Good Agriculture –  https://goodagriculture.com/, PSA – https://precisionsustainableag.org , LandPSK – https://landpotential.org/, LiteFarm – https://www.litefarm.org/, and IoT4Ag – https://iot4ag.us/ 

What Makes This Expo Different

What sets the Small Farm Tech Expo apart is its emphasis on hands-on learning and farmer-driven conversations. Rather than sales-focused presentations, attendees were able to walk the demo fields, observe equipment and tools in use and spoke directly with both innovators and fellow farmers. Also workshops and panel discussions were covered with a wide range of topics relevant to small-scale agriculture, with a focus on particle application rather than theory alone. 

Why the Small Farm Tech Expo Matters 

In the San Joaquin Valley, small-scale growers play a critical role in local food systems, yet it often operates with limited access to capital, labor, and equipment. Farmers managing 20 acres or even a quarter acre need tools that are efficient, adaptable, reliable and affordable like the large-scale farmers do. The Small Farm Tech Expo was created to address these needs small farms are seeking for directly by highlighting appropriately scaled technologies that reduce labor demands, improve efficiency, and support long term farm resilience. 

Rather than emphasizing emerging technologies for its new trend which is mostly targeted to the large scale farms, the expo focuses on solutions that are already being implemented and used in the field. Attendees have the opportunity to learn and interact not only what a tool does, but how it performs under real conditions and whether it makes sense for their specific needs. Bringing together participants from different backgrounds and stages of experience, the expo creates a space for meaningful exchange where questions are encouraged and solutions are discussed honestly. Seeing equipment operate in real time, asking detailed questions, and learning from others who have already integrated these tools into their operations provides a level of insights that brochures and online videos cannot.

About Richard:

Richard Santiago supports small farmers in the San Joaquin Valley by empowering them with clear, reliable technology support. A business owner with experience across small to large agricultural operations, he provides hands-on technical assistance and works closely with growers to identify challenges, implement practical solutions, and build strong working relationships. Richard holds an educational background in Agricultural Business from CSU, Fresno, and Plant Science from Madera College. In his free time, he enjoys exploring national parks and spending time on the golf course.