Our work
Demonstrations, research trials and grower service across California’s strawberry regions.
State demonstration in Santa Cruz County
In 2026 the California Department of Pesticide Regulation funded a field demonstration of steam as an alternative to soil fumigation in Santa Cruz County. The project includes 25 acres across 5 fields that sit near schools and other sensitive sites, where fumigant use is most restricted.
High Degree is running the machine, working with the Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner’s office.
CDFA BIFS Grant
Since 2025 our machines have steamed the plots in a 4 year research project. The project is funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Biologically Integrated Farming Systems program and led by UC Santa Cruz, with support from UC Davis, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, UC Cooperative Extension and the California Strawberry Commission.
The goal of the project is to evaluate steam performance against fumigation and untreated ground. The project measures yield, weed pressure, and takes extensive soil samples to measure pathogen load before and after treatment.
Past Steam Sites
Example 1
The left side of this image was steamed by High Degree, and the right side of this image was unsteamed. The same variety was planted in all beds and this field contained fusarium.
Steam successfully controlled the fusarium, allowing the strawberries to thrive, while the strawberries in the unsteamed beds were affected by the disease.
Example 2
The left side image was unsteamed.
The right image was steamed.
The stream treatment resulted in increased vigor in the plants in right image. These berry plants grew faster and thicker than the unsteamed plants.
These are the same variety planted on the same day.
Example 3
The left side image was unsteamed.
The right image was steamed.
The stream treatment resulted in increased vigor in the plants in right image. These berry plants grew faster and thicker than the unsteamed plants.
These are the same variety planted on the same day.
