Sabanto Retrofits Old Tractors Into Autonomous Farm Equipment

An Illinois-based startup has developed technology that transforms conventional tractors into autonomous farming equipment, offering a practical solution to agriculture's deepening labor crisis.

Sabanto, headquartered in Itasca, sells retrofit kits that enable existing tractors to perform time-intensive tasks like seeding, weeding, and mowing without human operators at the controls. The company currently has 300 units operating across farms in the United States and Australia.

From prototype to product

Founder Craig Rupp, a serial entrepreneur who grew up on an Iowa farm and previously worked at Motorola and Monsanto, launched Sabanto in 2018 specifically to address agricultural labor shortages. His approach began with hands-on development: Rupp spent a winter coding hardware and software to automate a heavy-duty tractor, then obtained a commercial trucking license to haul his prototype across the country for farmer demonstrations.

That direct feedback loop proved essential. After a nationwide tour gathering input from potential customers, Rupp raised a $2 million seed round in 2019 and hired engineers to refine the technology. By 2021, Sabanto had developed a working retrofit model ready for commercial sale.

How the technology works

The system uses LiDAR remote-sensing technology similar to autonomous vehicles like Waymo, but optimized for agricultural environments rather than urban streets. Without pedestrians or traffic to navigate, the tractor systems don't require the 360-degree awareness needed by self-driving cars on public roads.

What sets Sabanto apart is its ability to manipulate farm equipment controls. The retrofit technology can operate the levers and gears that make tractors till, aerate, spray, and perform other agricultural functions—capabilities that go beyond simply steering.

"This takes a bare-bones tractor and elevates it to the most technical tractor in the industry today," said Mike Burdick, Sabanto's vice president. "It probably quadruples output and capability."

Why it matters

The agricultural sector faces a documented labor crisis that threatens food production capacity. The president of the Farm Bureau stated in April that workforce shortages are "holding agriculture back, and threatening the future of our American-grown food supply." Sabanto's approach addresses this challenge without requiring farmers to replace expensive equipment—they can upgrade machinery they already own. By allowing tractors to operate autonomously, farmers gain time to handle the countless other tasks that modern farming demands.

The company now employs approximately 50 people and continues expanding its retrofit operations. Details were first reported by Fast Company.