How Niceforo Farms is using the Burro Grande to drive smarter, safer and more sustainable mango production
Niceforo Farms is one of Australia’s leading mango producers, specialising in the Calypso® variety and operating large-scale orchards across Darwin, Katherine and Mataranka. Led by second-generation brothers Daniel and Ryan Niceforo, the business is known not just for its premium fruit, but for its commitment to doing things smarter. Innovation has always been at the centre of how they farm, and they’ve built a reputation for embracing technology long before it becomes mainstream.
“The technology is there, it’s functioning, it’s reliable, it works. The hardest part is getting it set up properly,” Daniel says. “Once it clicks, you won’t go back.”
Their packhouse is already a showcase of what modern horticulture looks like, full of digital systems that streamline sorting, packing, and crop flow management. In recent years, that same innovative mindset has moved out into the orchard. Niceforo Farms has been actively partnering with research organisations to trial robotic flower and fruitlet scanning systems, along with ongoing work in autonomous harvesting technologies.
So when the opportunity came to add the Burro Grande to their automation fleet in early 2025, the decision made perfect sense. It’s the first autonomous platform they’ve deployed directly in the orchard and it’s already proving to be a valuable part of the team.
Putting the Burro Grande to work
One of the first major tasks assigned to the Burro Grande was carrying Niceforo Farms’ high-tech scanning system during night operations. Previously, this work was entirely manual, slow, labour heavy and expensive. Now, the Burro provides a consistent, autonomous platform that frees staff for higher-value jobs while collecting far more orchard data than was ever possible before.
“I can survey about a third of the farm with just one unit,” Daniel says. “Before, we were doing manual counts on about 5% of the farm. Now the Burro can cover around 33% and actually give us a meaningful overview. It’s a huge time and labour saver.”
Spraying has been another standout application. The Burro Grande now tows their herbicide sprayer fitted with WEED-IT green-on-brown technology, allowing them to precisely target actively growing weeds. The wet season has boosted weed pressure this year, and Daniel admits they’re still playing a bit of catch up. “With the rainfall and the season being what it has, the weed pressure is definitely higher,” he explains. “But once the second Burro arrives, we can move from catch up to actual maintenance, and that’s when we’ll really drop the pressure back.”
Even with the tough season, the results are already strong. “We’re already seeing around a 25% reduction in herbicide use,” Daniel says. “But moving forward, once we’re maintaining instead of chasing weeds, we’re anticipating a 60–70% reduction. That’s a big win for costs and for the environment.”
Beyond scanning and spraying, the Burro Grande has also taken on mowing duties across the orchards. Daniel has been using the platform to tow a lightweight mower, keeping inter-row grass under control without tying up a tractor or an operator. “Mowing is one of those constant jobs that chews up a lot of hours,” he says. “Having the Burro handle it means we can keep the orchard tidy without pulling someone off other important tasks.” The electric setup has been especially valuable during peak season, where every saved hour matters and low cost operation keeps expenses down.
Reliable help, anytime, anywhere
Working with Cam and the Agri Automation team has been a standout part of the Burro Grande experience. “It’s been really good working with Cam directly,” Daniel says. “He really cares about the product, the business, and the customer. He’ll pick up the phone at four in the morning on a Sunday if we need him.”
With remote tech support available outside normal hours, the team can troubleshoot issues or adjust settings even when it’s the middle of the night in the Northern Territory. Daniel adds, “that support is unreal. Without it, no matter how good a product is, people would drift away. Knowing we have that reliability, especially as we expand to a larger fleet, is a huge advantage, even from our remote locations.”
A natural fit for their sustainability and innovation goals
For Daniel and Ryan, the Burro Grande aligns perfectly with their long term direction: smarter, greener, tech powered mango production. “Instead of taking away jobs, it frees up our team to focus on the tasks that really matter,” Daniel says. “It’s not about replacing people, it’s about allowing our team to do higher priority work.”
By reducing chemical inputs, cutting labour demands and running on highly efficient electric power, the Burro supports their goal of minimising environmental impact while boosting orchard productivity. And because it integrates easily into their existing workflows, it’s helped the team continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in modern horticulture.
Looking ahead, Niceforo Farms is already expanding its automation fleet. In 2026, they’ll be adding a second Burro Grande to further increase efficiency, along with a GoTrack autonomous tractor to advance their orchard management even further. Together, these systems will play a major role in the next chapter of their innovation roadmap.
As Daniel puts it, the Burro Grande delivers “so much power for its size”- a compact machine that’s becoming an increasingly valuable part of their orchard operations.