Weeds are one of the biggest challenges farmers face today, especially organic growers who cannot rely on herbicides

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Red Barn Robotics Incorporated $174,922 on September 15, 2025, under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (Assistance Listing 10.212) to develop and test a low-cost autonomous robotic weeding system.

Red Barn Robotics will design a camera and software-based system to distinguish between crops and weeds, then remove weeds using simple mechanical tools. The recipient will test the system on real farms in Washington, train it to recognize common crops and weeds, and evaluate different weeding frequency strategies. The work targets weed management for organic and regenerative farms, particularly small and mid-sized operations that lack affordable herbicide alternatives and sufficient labor for hand-weeding crews.

The period of performance runs through May 14, 2027, with performance taking place in Kent, Washington. The SBIR Phase I program funds projects demonstrating technical feasibility of high-risk innovations with significant commercial potential or societal benefit, with the goal of bringing innovations closer to commercialization.

While all farmers struggle with weed management, small and mid-sized farms are HIT hardest because they often cannot find enough workers for hand-weeding crews or afford the high cost of specializedtractor equipment. This raises the cost of healthy, sustainable food and makes IT harder for organic and regenerative farming to expand. Our work is dedicated to developing a practical, affordable way to manage weeds – one that sustains farmers' bottom lines while also protecting the soil, water, and climate resources that benefit everyone.to address this problem, we will develop and test a low-cost autonomous robotic weeding system. The system will use cameras and software to distinguish between crops and weeds, then remove the weeds with simple mechanical tools. We will test our solution on real farms in washington, train the system to recognize common crops and weeds, and compare different strategies for how often weeding should occur. By the end of this project, we expect to demonstrate that a robotic weeding system can reliably reduce weed pressure affordably, without chemicals, and without harming crops. The ultimate goal is to make organic and regenerative farming more affordable and reliable, benefiting farmers, consumers, and society through healthier soils, reduced environmental impact, and more resilient food production.