Home Grown: Preview of AgTech event demonstrating automated weeding

News 11's April Hettinger previews the event and how students can earn college credits

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - In today's Home Grown, Growers are getting ready for the University of Arizona's AgTech event at the Yuma County Agricultural Center.

This Thursday, October 21, local growers will give a demonstration using robots that will change the way fields are weeded.

Weed control is a big problem in vegetable crops which is why ag-techs are transitioning to automated weeding, according to Dr. Mark Siemens.

"There's a limited number of herbicides that we can apply to the crop and control the weeds" Siemens explained. "As a consequence to that, our vegetable crops are hand weeded, and labor is not only becoming more and more expensive, but it's also becoming very difficult to find."

The ag event is free and anyone is welcome.

UofA encourages high school and college students specializing in agriculture or engineering to attend.

Students can earn continuing education units (CEU).

Registration begins at 7 a.m. with breakfast burritos followed by demonstrations until 11:30 a.m.