How Robotic Dogs are Guarding Ag Assets

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 23:30:18 GMT

According to the National Equipment Register, $300 million to $1 billion in heavy equipment is stolen every year. Other threats such as feral hogs can rob the ag industry of $1.6 billion in a single year as well, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. However, a new four-legged, robotic companion could help solve these issues.

Taking the form of a dog, the Asylon DroneDog , a robotic and autonomous security system, is stepping up to the plate.

“They do the dull, dangerous, dirty tasks that humans don’t like to do and don’t do as well when they get mundane and repetitive,” says Dennis Crowley , chief growth officer for Asylon Robotics .

Monitoring Farms and Fields from the Palm of Your Hand

Instead of owning the robots, farmers purchase Asylon Robotics services. To put into action, the company will manually patrol a route. Once the route is established, the robot dog will autonomously monitor the area. It can also be controlled from a remote location.

Farmers have live access to whatever the dog is seeing and detecting, such as intruders, a wild animal and even damage to fences via a phone or other device. Asylon’s command center receives the same view.

“DroneDog takes advantage of the things that a traditional human can do and adds to that the capabilities of a machine,” Crowley explains. “It still requires a human in the loop on the back end who is monitoring, working and getting the information to have situational awareness and make a good decision.”

Apart from security, Crowley says the technology could potentially be used for other areas in agriculture in the future. Collaborating with farmers, he sees potential for equipment and pressure gauge inspections.

Why the Four-Legged Design Conquers Tough Terrain

Crowley explains constructing the robot in the shape of the four-legged animal has plenty of advantages. It can handle various terrain and ground materials with stability. With legs instead of wheels, it can go places where the latter cannot.

“If it does fall over, it’s able to right itself and get back up. It doesn’t need anyone to go out and help it,” he explains.

He also adds that aerial drones might not be able to get you into tight corners and spaces like the DroneDog.

How Bayer Uses DroneDog for Security Detail

Bayer Global has used DroneDogs for about two years to guard seed corn fields and equipment in Hawaii and California from human, animal and natural threats, including thieves, vandals, feral hogs, deer, flooding and wildfires.

Matthew Paschoal, corporate security lead for the western U.S. and the Pacific regions of Bayer, says the technology has been a “game-changer” as he tries to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to security.

“These dogs checked all the boxes,” he says.

One of Bayer’s sites spans 387 acres, and the DroneDog and humans split the security detail.

“It’s not a replacement; I look at it as a supplementation. It’s a force multiplier for our teams,” Paschoal explains.

This extra reinforcement allows the company to raise its patrol frequency and footprint. The DroneDog takes the graveyard shift patrolling fields in Kihei, Hawaii, after the day shift goes home, and can work 16-hour days.

Security staff can be difficult to keep because of the schedule and work itself, Paschoal shares. However, with this new technology the company does not have to worry as much when they are down employees.

“We’re able to gain efficiency by not having to rehire anybody because we have the dog,” Paschoal explains.

Judge: Hawaii Counties Can't Regulate GMOs and Pesticides

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 05:14:35 GMT

A federal judge has ruled that three Hawaii counties can’t enact their own bans or regulations on genetically modified crops and pesticides, handing a victory to the major agriculture companies that fought the regulations.

Circuit Judge Consuelo M. Callahan on Friday upheld a lower court’s decision that said Hawaii law prohibits counties from regulating agricultural matters.

The cases stemmed from a decision by Maui voters to ban the cultivation and testing of genetically modified crops in 2014 and related movements on other Hawaiian islands.

Kauai County had imposed pesticide notification requirements and mandated pesticide buffer zones, and Hawaii Island had enacted an ordinance banning open air testing of genetically engineered organisms, among other things.

But the court held that the county laws are pre-empted by state laws that regulate potentially harmful plants.

“This is good news for local agriculture in Hawaii, as it clears up potential confusion over who has jurisdiction in regulating agricultural operations, leaving that responsibility with the appropriate government agencies,” said Bennette Misalucha, executive director of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, in an emailed statement. The association’s members include major agriculture companies Dow AgroSciences, DuPont Pioneer, Monsanto and Syngenta, which fought the regulations.

“We will continue to stand and fight with the people of Hawaii against these chemical companies, and part of that is going to be demanding action at the state level to protect the people and the environment,” said George Kimbrell, senior attorney for the Center For Food Safety, which pushed for the bans. “We’re considering all legal options, including appeal.”

Monsanto, which farms genetically engineered seeds to be used by farmers around the world, was part of a group that fought the Maui GMO ban. Monsanto Hawaii employs approximately 1,000 people on Maui, Molokai and Oahu, Dan Clegg, Hawaii business operations lead for Monsanto, in an emailed statement.

“We’re listening and we’ve heard the concerns some people have about GMOs and today’s farming practices,” Clegg said. “Our commitment to ongoing dialogue with our neighbors doesn’t stop today.”

Those who pushed for increased regulation of pesticides and GMOs in Hawaii vowed to introduce new legislation in the state’s upcoming session.

“What the decision makes clear is that it is the state’s responsibility to meaningfully protect against undue harm from pesticides, whether it’s to workers on a field or to kids in schools nearby, and we have an obligation to make sure that safety is paramount,” said Rep. Chris Lee, chairman of the Hawaii House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection. “And looking forward, I do think there’s a middle road that can satisfy everyone that ensures public safety and doesn’t put an undue burden on anyone.”

Kimbrell was pleased the judge also said according to federal law, state and local governments can regulate some commercial crops, namely those that have been deregulated by the federal government after they’ve gone through testing. Even so, allowing counties to do that would require a change in state law. He was disappointed the ruling stated that only the federal government could regulate experimental field trials of commercial crops.

The Maui case ruling said scientific studies have not shown that food produced from genetically engineered crops pose any inherent risk to human health. But it said “the cultivation and testing of GE plants raise several well-documented concerns,” including harm to plants and animals caused by the increased use of pesticides sometimes associated with testing and growing genetically engineered crops, the proliferation of “superweeds” and pests resistant to pesticides and contamination of traditional, non-genetically modified plants during pollination.

“As a mother and a resident of Kekaha, Kauai, I will continue to stand up and protect my family and my community,” said Malia Kahaleina Chun, a mother, educator and Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner, in an emailed statement. “It is our responsibility to insure that our keiki (children) have access to clean air, clean water and to aina (land) that sustains them.”