Reservoir Farms is expanding its on-farm technical community model to Washington State, with a new location expected to open in spring 2027 in the Yakima Valley, the company announced. The region produces more than $3 billion in high-value crop agriculture, and Washington leads the nation in apples, pears, sweet cherries, and blueberries—crops that are labor-intensive to harvest and difficult to mechanize without damaging fruit.
The expansion is part of Reservoir’s broader effort to advance rugged physical AI in agriculture. Reservoir Farms are described as the world’s first on-farm technical communities, where startups work alongside researchers and growers on working farms to build, test, and refine technology under commercial conditions. The Washington site will follow the same partnership model used at Reservoir’s other locations, which began in the Salinas Valley and have expanded across California and Arizona.
Initial work at Reservoir Farms – Washington will focus on tree fruit and blueberries, with additional testing in wine grapes and hops. The company also plans to extend into row crop systems over time. The announcement highlights the constant disease and pest pressure facing these crops, adding to the complexity of automating harvest and management.
The new location matters because it places AI development directly in the fields where the technology must perform. By combining research and development space, hands-on grower input, and early-stage capital through Reservoir VC, the organization aims to turn promising ideas into tools that growers can use. Reservoir VC backs startups solving real problems in agriculture that can compound to other outdoor industries and across the rugged physical AI stack.
For growers in the Yakima Valley and beyond, the arrival of Reservoir Farms – Washington could accelerate access to automation and sensing technologies tailored to high-value specialty crops. The full announcement, including downloadable images and bios, is available click here. More information about Reservoir can be found at https://reservoir.co.
