Autonomous Sprayer Brand GUSS Fully Mergers with John Deere

John Deere has fully acquired GUSS Automation LLC, a California-based crop autonomy company that was named to the World Ag Expo’s Top-10 New Products Competition on several occasions in recent years. GUSS, which stands for Global Unmanned Spray System, unveiled the world’s first autonomous orchard sprayer in 2017 and has since created additional agricultural technology around driverless herbicide applications.

The acquisition builds on an existing venture between the two companies that was established in 2022. GUSS sprayers will continue to be sold and serviced exclusively through John Deere dealers, as they are today. The business will also retain its name, brand, employees, and manufacturing facility in Kingsburg, California.

“GUSS brings a proven solution to a fast-growing segment of agriculture, and its team has a deep understanding of customer needs in orchards and vineyards,” said said Julien Le Vely, director, Production Systems, High Value & Small Acre Crops, at John Deere. “We’re excited to have them fully part of the John Deere team.”

Founded by Dave Crinklaw of Crinklaw Farm Services, GUSS manufactures autonomous sprayers that can be remotely supervised by a single operator who can manage up to eight machines at once. Using GPS, LiDAR and proprietary software, GUSS machines use multiple precision sensors designed to detect, target, and spot spray weeds. They can navigate vineyards and orchards with precision to help reduce operator error, labor costs, and material waste. To date, more than 250 GUSS machines have been deployed globally, accounting for 2.6 million acres sprayed over 500,000 autonomous hours.

Herbicide GUSS is 23.5 feet long, 6.5 feet tall, and ranges from 8.3 to 19 feet wide depending on the boom extension. The hydraulic-controlled, height-adjustable booms accommodate 18- to 22-foot row spacing and tilt for varying berm sizes. The breakaway booms prevent damage to trees and crops.

As recently as 2023, GUSS deployed the world’s first electric autonomous herbicide orchard sprayer, which lines up well with some of the latest initiatives from Deere. Back in February of this year, Deere showcased it’s new battery-fueled E-Power tractor prototypes to coincide with the World Ag Expo. These prototypes were the first such machines built fully built from the ground up in three different configurations: an orchard, vineyard, and livestock tractor with a loader.

John Deere said it intends to support GUSS in expanding its global reach and accelerating innovation, including continued integration with other Deere precision agriculture technologies, such as Smart Apply, which enables targeted spraying that offers the opportunity for up to 50 percent savings on crop protection products and water use.

“Joining John Deere enables us to tap into their unmatched innovative capabilities in precision agriculture technologies to bring our solutions to more growers around the world,” said Gary Thompson, chief operations officer at GUSS. 

The acquisition also allows Deere to use GUSS’ manufacturing operations to expand its U.S. manufacturing footprint to the heart of the country’s high-value crop production market.