WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.--Purdue Agriculture and Gerrish Farms are hosting the fourth annual agBOT Challenge on May 16, 17 and 18 at the Agronomy Center for Research and Education (ACRE).

The international competition will showcase autonomous robots that are capable of performing farming tasks.

The competition will begin with an all-ages agricultural innovation showcase that will feature exhibits in farm management, agronomy, robotics, crop production, soil health, engineering, botany, and computer rural broadband.

Groups of all ages can register for a free STEM field trip at the NextGen Expo on May 16 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The Weed and Feed event on May 17 will allows attendees to watch teams from universities and high schools show their autonomous robots in action, navigating rows of corn, identifying plants and delivering fertilizer.

For the event on May 18, teams will be challenged to create an agBOT that specifically gathers soil samples and prepares them for diagnostic evaluation or microorganisms.