Sabanto Steward: status and timeline

Milestones

Next · Commercial deployment across North American row crops

Sabanto foundedOct 2018Complete.
Retrofit kit development completed2021Complete.
Retrofit kit for Kubota M5 tractors approved19 Jan 2023Complete.
Verdant Robotics integration announcedJul 2026Complete.
Series B funding led by Leaps by BayerJul 2026Complete.
Commercial deployment across North American row cropsTarget 2027Not yet reached.

Payback period against manual labor costIn regions with low seasonal labor cost, the kit's upfront price must be offset by improved efficiency, reduced waste or premium crop yields.
Regulatory and insurance approvalAutonomous farm equipment faces undefined liability, insurance and operating-permit frameworks in most states.

GNSS accuracy limits autonomous precisionField navigation relies on RTK-GNSS (real-time kinematic GPS), which has ~2 cm accuracy in open fields but degrades near trees, structures and power lines.
Implement complexity grows software burdenEach implement (sprayer, planter, spreader) has different hydraulic interfaces, control codes and sensor feeds, multiplying the integration work.

3 parts

Bolt-on retrofit

Attaches to steering, hydraulics and power without welding. Farmers can remove it anytime.

App planning

Farmers use a mobile app to plan field operations: draw coverage zones, set spray or seed rates, and monitor progress in real time.

Implement control

The system communicates with attached booms, spreaders and seeders to automate application rates and adapt to field maps.

Spec	Sabanto Steward
Installation time	4 hours^R (reported)
Compatible tractor models	Kubota M5 and others^R (reported)
Field operation capability	24/7 autonomous^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

The team behind Sabanto Steward

Sabanto

Autonomous tractor retrofit, field automation

Retrofit autonomy kits for existing tractors. Chicago-founded 2018; Series B from Leaps by Bayer in July 2026.

Sabanto's retrofit kit converts existing tractors into autonomous machines in four hours, with no permanent modifications.
In July 2026, Sabanto raised an oversubscribed Series B led by Leaps by Bayer to scale production and commercialization.
Verdant Robotics integration (July 2026) adds precision spraying to autonomy.

Spec

Sabanto Steward

Installation time

4 hours^R (reported)

Compatible tractor models

Kubota M5 and others^R (reported)

Field operation capability

24/7 autonomous^R (reported)