GUSS Automation
About
About GUSS Automation
GUSS Automation is a Kingsburg, California manufacturer of autonomous sprayers and a wholly owned John Deere subsidiary. Its Orchard GUSS, Mini GUSS and Herbicide GUSS machines serve commercial orchards, vineyards and high-density crops. GPS, lidar, vehicle sensors and proprietary guidance support navigation beneath tree canopies, while an operator supervises up to eight machines from a laptop and responds to safety or diagnostic alerts.
The business developed from Crinklaw Farm Services, where Dave Crinklaw built equipment for commercial spraying operations. GUSS Automation was founded in 2018 and began customer deliveries in late 2019. Its machines combine autonomous driving with configurable spray equipment: canopy application on Orchard and Mini models, and sensor-triggered weed treatment on Herbicide GUSS. Following the 2025 acquisition, GUSS retained its brand, employees and Kingsburg factory; sales and service continue through John Deere dealers.
Products
Operations
Operating milestones
- Operating milestone
2025-08-27 - GUSS machines had accumulated 500,000 autonomous operating hours globally. - Cumulative GUSS autonomous operating hours
Source - Operating milestone
2025-08-27 - GUSS machines had sprayed 2.6 million acres globally. - Cumulative area sprayed by GUSS machines globally
Source
Deployments
- Operating use
2025-08-27 - John Deere reported more than 250 GUSS machines deployed globally. - GUSS machines deployed globally
Source
Supply
Supply chain relationships
- Ouster
Inbound - Perception - Ouster Rev8 OS0 lidar selected for GUSS next-generation autonomous orchard machines
Source
Team
- Dave Crinklaw - Founder and Chief Executive Officer - Crinklaw leads GUSS autonomous orchard sprayer development and commercialization for high-value crop operations.
Resources
Curated durable documents and official technical references.
- John Deere Operations Center connection guide
PDF · Connecting GUSS operating data to John Deere Operations Center · GUSS Automation
Source
Timeline
Events
- 2026-08-26 - Partnership - GUSS selects Ouster Rev8 OS0 for next-generation orchard fleet
The planned integration covers Orchard GUSS and Mini GUSS machines operating in orchards and vineyards. Rev 8 OS 0 adds dense 3 D depth and native-color sensing for dust, spray, vegetation and variable lighting. Ouster and GUSS described the integration as planned for the next-generation fleet; no deployment date was announced.
Source - 2025-08-27 - Acquisition - John Deere fully acquires GUSS Automation
GUSS retained its name, employees and Kingsburg manufacturing facility. Sales and service continued exclusively through John Deere dealers. The business had deployed more than 250 machines, accumulating 2.6 million sprayed acres and 500,000 autonomous hours.
Source - 2024-02-15 - Product Launch - GUSS unveils electric herbicide sprayer and Smart Apply upgrade
Electric GUSS used Kreisel batteries and chlorophyll-based weed detection for selective herbicide application. Australian orders for the electric sprayer were planned to open through selected dealers. Smart Apply was offered both factory-installed and as an upgrade for existing diesel Orchard and Mini machines.
Source - 2022-04-21 - Partnership - GUSS Automation forms John Deere joint venture for high-value crops
The partnership focused on orchards, vineyards and other high-value crops. GUSS retained responsibility for developing its sprayer technology. John Deere brought its agricultural-equipment distribution and customer network.
Source
Relations
Relationships
- John Deere
Acquirer - John Deere fully acquired GUSS Automation, retaining its brand, employees and Kingsburg manufacturing operation.
Context
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Shared workflows
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Context tags
- Agricultural robot development - Workflow - https://gussag.com/technology/ — Supervised autonomous orchard and vineyard sprayers, crop-protection application and selective weed treatment.
- Precision spraying robotics - Peer Group - https://gussag.com/technology/ — Defines and manufactures supervised autonomous crop spraying machines; exact canopy and selective weed spraying portfolio.
- Agricultural robotics workflow - Workflow - https://gussag.com/technology/ — Supervised autonomous orchard and vineyard sprayers, crop-protection application and selective weed treatment.
- Precision crop spraying - Workflow - https://gussag.com/technology/ — Supervised autonomous orchard and vineyard sprayers, crop-protection application and selective weed treatment.