In conjunction with the World Ag Expo, Monarch Tractor has announced a “landmark accomplishment” in the ag robotics space. For the first time, a fully autonomous feature in a driver-optional tractor (EV or diesel) is commercially available for dairies, according to the creator of the MK-V electric, driver-optional, smart tractor. Company specialists and engineers are hosting an in-person Autodrive tractor demonstration at a working dairy today at 3 p.m. in Tulare, CA.

“This is a monumental moment for Monarch Tractor and the entire agriculture industry,” said Praveen Penmetsa, CEO and Co-founder of Monarch Tractor. “We’re delivering on our promise to provide farmers with cutting-edge technology that solves real-world problems. Autonomous feed pushing offers immense value to dairy farmers by improving operational efficiency while increasing milk production. It allows the dairy farmers to focus on what matters most—the health and well-being of their animals.”

Dairy farmers are tasked with keeping their cows full of their special-blended feed. In their eagerness to eat, cows push their food down and out into the aisle where they eventually can’t reach it. As often as 12-18 times per day, a dairy farmer must push the food back up. This task is one of the more important roles of a tractor on a dairy farm. The more a cow can access her food, the more milk she will produce.

The MK-V takes a conventional tractor’s ability to perform multiple operations and stacks on fuel and emissions savings from electrification and labor optimization through autonomy. For dairy farmers, autonomous feed pushing helps solve labor shortages, making it a game-changer for maximizing milk output and fiscal viability. The ability to monitor feed pushing remotely while tending to other critical tasks ensures cows can be consistently fed every hour.

“Enabling our tractors to autonomously perform a complex task like feed pushing was a significant technical achievement,” said Saurabh Gupta, CPO of Monarch Tractor. “Replicating the nuanced decision-making of a human driver in a dynamic farm environment demands an incredibly sophisticated AI system. This launch demonstrates the power of our technology and its potential to transform agriculture.”

With the electric MK-V tractor, dairies save significantly on fuel expenses. It runs quietly with zero emissions, resulting in a calmer, healthier environment for both cows and farm workers.

The smart tractor’s Wingspan Ag Intelligence (WingspanAI) energy and digital platform technology stack tracks performance metrics while 360-degree cameras record video footage for real-time and historical insights.

The MK-V Dairy is also a mobile power source with 12-, 110-, and 220-V plugs. Stored power gives a farm greater security against power outages.

Founded in 2018, Livermore, CA-based Monarch Tractor is on a mission to elevate farming and land management practices to enable clean, efficient, and economically viable solutions. The company set a blistering off-highway vehicle development pace by bringing the MK-V tractor from concept to market entry in just four years. Less than a year later, it released Row Follow, making autosteer available to specialty farms for the first time.

In July 2024, the company announced what it said was the largest fundraising round in agricultural robotics history. The history-making $133 million Series C means the company has raised over $220 million in its effort to create the MK-V, the WingspanAI platform, and expand into various agricultural markets such as vineyards, dairy, berries, orchards, and land management across 12 states and three countries.

The funding was co-led by global impact investor Astanor and HH-CTBC Partnership, with additional support from prominent investors including At One Ventures, PMV, and Welvaartsfonds. It will support the expansion of Monarch’s digital solutions and AI applications including the development of Autodrive, Monarch’s autonomous operations feature, for new global markets and crop sectors—and enable the company’s path to profitability.

Monarch says that the MK-V is the world’s first fully electric, driver-optional, smart tractor that combines electrification, automation, machine learning, and data analysis to enhance farmers’ existing operations, cut overhead costs, reduce emissions, increase labor productivity, and improve safety.

Being a single hardware platform capable of automation in a variety of markets sets the MK-V apart from other manufacturers, according to Monarch. This innovation allows the company to scale its hardware platform at a competitive cost, with software packages providing differentiation in automation and digital insights for each of its markets.

With the launch of Autodrive, Monarch claims it is the first tractor manufacturer to take an autonomous operation from beta testing and release it to the market. With their predictable, flat ground, broad lanes, and generous headland space, outdoor dairies proved to be an excellent environment to transition the feature to commercial availability.

Autodrive for the MK-V Dairy currently works in outdoor feed lanes and outdoor lanes covered with shade cloth. The company is actively testing it for partially covered and indoor dairies, and it anticipates releasing the feature in the near future. Additionally, company engineers are refining the technology with robust testing on VT (vertically trellised) farms including vineyards, apples, and cherries, as well as berries, sod, and solar.

Reservations for the Autodrive demonstration at a working dairy can be made here. Dairy farmers can also set up a demonstration at their farms.