About the Farm
Advancing agricultural research through technology and collaboration
Our Mission
The Experimental Smart Farm (ESF) is a 40-acre precision agriculture research facility operated by UC Merced's VISTA (Valley Institute for Sustainability, Technology, and Agriculture).
In 2022, UC Merced became one of the first new Agricultural Experiment Stations (AES) in over 50 years, joining UC Berkeley, Davis, and Riverside in this prestigious designation. Our mission is to advance sustainable farming practices, build climate resilience, and develop cutting-edge agricultural technology for the San Joaquin Valley and beyond.
ESF is currently funded by the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Farms Food Future (F3) initiative, an agricultural technology hub connecting farmers across the San Joaquin Valley to industry partners and next-generation AgTech solutions.
Located adjacent to the UC Merced campus in California's Central Valley, ESF serves as UC Merced's largest living laboratory where technology meets agriculture to address the challenges of modern food production.
Core Research Infrastructure
Advanced technological foundations for precision agriculture research, from field equipment to automated sensor networks.
Smart Irrigation
Support for subsurface drip, surface drip, sprinklers, and flood irrigation using automated valve control, pump scheduling, and moisture-linked sensor networks
Agricultural Robotics
Researching autonomous weeders, robotic arms for automated sensing, and versatile mobile platforms for task-specific implements or equipment hauling
Agrivoltaics
Researching the use of solar arrays in farm field settings to see the viability of planting more sensitive crops under the panels to expand crop type options due to shading
Remote Sensing
Regularly utilizing multispectral imagery (including thermal) and LiDAR flights for high-resolution farm mapping and analysis
Data Systems
A unified platform for managing IoT sensor data, remote sensing imagery, and research activities, enabling seamless sharing of high-quality agricultural datasets.
Soil Health Mapping
Large-scale, multi-depth soil sampling surveys integrated with precision mapping of EC, pH, and organic matter (OM) distribution.
Our Team
ESF is supported by a dedicated team of researchers, engineers, and agricultural specialists from UC Merced and partner institutions, with leadership from the Agricultural Experiment Station faculty.
Our interdisciplinary team brings expertise in mechanical engineering, environmental science, precision agriculture, and data analytics to support research in areas including robotics, sustainability, water management, and climate resilience.
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