Caruthers farm eliminating diesel fuel costs with electric tractor

CARUTHERS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Local growers are always searching for ways to make their farms more sustainable.

Rhett Williams uses an electric tractor to disc the vineyard at his farm in Caruthers.

"Yeah, it's amazing. I can listen to my news like a typical young person and do this. And it's very quiet and calming. I mean, as you can hear, there's nothing out here," explained Rhett.

Rhett's great grandfather bought this plot back in 1908.

Rhett is a 4th generation Sun Maid raisin grower.

"It's fun to add that to such a nostalgic crop. for over 100 years we've had this in our family so trying to take it to the future and eliminate costs," Rhett said.

"The decision to want to go electric was in part, my background, I'm in software engineering and information technology work," said Randy, Rhett's father.

The vehicle is made by Monarch Tractor. The company has delivered more than a dozen electric tractors to enthusiastic Valley farmers.

"It's kind of like Christmas right, when you're opening that present and you don't know what's in it but when you see it, you're just like, 'Oooh,'" said Ricardo Salcedo, a Monarch Product Field Specialist.

"I was very fascinated with not only the electric portion of it but the potential for autonomy, for autonomous driving," said Randy.

Many farmers say it can be difficult to find enough workers during harvest.

Labor costs continue to rise.

At some point, the tractor will be able to run on its own at night without anyone behind the wheel.

Rhett already uses a drone to map the farm and gauge water efficiency.

"It's just the way of the future of farming. it checks all the boxes," Rhett said.

The Valley is home to one of the dirtiest air basins in the US.

But at Williams' family farm, they're no longer sending diesel exhaust into the air.

"Yeah absolutely, we're not contributing anymore to that. We're actually reducing by doing this," explained Randy.

That Monarch tractor isn't fast like a Tesla.

But it has plenty of power to handle any chores on the farm.

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