Reservoir Farms Opens as Agricultural Robotics Living Lab

Reservoir Farms — a new "living lab" for agricultural robotics — has opened in Salinas, California, welcoming over 300 growers, ag leaders, federal and state officials, and investors to its grand opening.

The agtech incubator is the vision of Danny Bernstein, founder, CEO, and investor, who appeared on The Robot Report Podcast to highlight his goal of advancing agricultural robotics. The site broke ground on August 25, 2025 and has been upgraded with office space and workshops for its first cohort of tenant startups.

"From our early days, Reservoir listened intently to partners to understand where innovation in agriculture was stuck," said Bernstein. "Once our vision to create an on-farm innovation center was clear, we worked relentlessly with partners across the industry to bring the energy, focus, and skills necessary to manifest the space and people necessary to make this vision a reality."

The living lab provides a real farm environment where robotics startups can test and develop their technologies alongside working agricultural operations — a critical need for agtech companies that often struggle to access real farmland for testing.

Agricultural robotics is a growing sector addressing labor shortages in farming and the need for more precise, sustainable agricultural practices. The Salinas Valley is a major agricultural region known as "the salad bowl of America."