A new contest is inviting Ontario high school students to rethink how robotics could transform farming—by designing machines that make fieldwork safer, more efficient, and more competitive. The **AgRobotics Ontario Challenge**, launched this month, tasks student teams with developing robotic solutions for real-world agricultural problems, from labor-intensive harvesting to persistent weed management.
Each participating school will receive a robotics kit from Studica, a technology supplier, while the six finalists—selected in December—will get $500 to build a prototype. Their designs will be showcased at the **London Farm Show** in March 2026, hosted by the Western Fair Association, giving students a platform to present their innovations to industry professionals.
The challenge arrives as agricultural robotics gains global momentum, with billions in investment flowing into technologies that could reshape how food is grown. Chuck Baresich, president of **Haggerty Robotics**—a company already deploying solar-powered, autonomous seeders and weeders—sees the contest as a way to bridge student interest in tech with farming’s pressing needs. “Weeds aren’t fun to deal with, and labor shortages make harvesting tough,” he said. “Robots can work 24/7 without supervision, freeing up workers for other tasks.”
While greenhouses have seen significant automation, field crops like apples and strawberries remain largely untouched by robotics. Baresich hopes students might approach these challenges differently. “Sometimes we get stuck in old ways of doing things,” he noted. “Fresh perspectives could lead to breakthroughs.”
For Bridget Mahon, agribusiness manager at the Western Fair Association, the contest also introduces students to agriculture’s tech-driven future. “Many schools have robotics clubs, but few focus on farming,” she said. “This could spark new ideas—and maybe even careers—in agri-tech.”
Submissions close in late November, with finalists announced in early December. The contest’s emphasis on practical, field-ready solutions reflects a broader shift: as farms face labor shortages and climate pressures, robotics isn’t just a novelty—it’s becoming a necessity. Whether it’s a drone that spots pests or a machine that picks fruit without bruising it, the next generation of farm tech might just come from a high school workshop.