Steven Pistoresi Shares How Semios Is Transforming Pest Control, Irrigation, and the Future of Farming

The November 19 edition of the AgNet News Hour delivered one of the most insightful tech-focused interviews of the season as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill welcomed Steven Pistoresi, General Manager of On-Farm Solutions for Semios. What followed was a deep dive into pest control, water management, automation, and how Semios’ suite of products is helping growers tackle today’s toughest challenges while preparing for tomorrow.

Pistoresi, a familiar name to Valley sports fans from his standout baseball days at San Joaquin Memorial and Cal Berkeley, has taken his competitive drive straight into ag innovation. He told listeners that Semios’ mission is simple: make farming more predictable, more profitable, and more sustainable using real-time data and smart automation.

Semios, which manages over 100 million acres globally across its family of brands, is best known on the West Coast for its mating disruption technology—a pheromone-based system that prevents pests like navel orangeworm, vine mealybug, California red scale, and codling moth from reproducing. “It’s exactly what it sounds like,” Pistoresi said with a laugh. “We make it very hard for the pests to find each other. It’s sustainable, effective, and it reduces chemical reliance.”

Each orchard or vineyard receives one emitter per acre, installed and serviced by Semios’ own field team. “Growers don’t have to do a thing,” Pistoresi said. “We handle installation, mapping, monitoring, and maintenance. It gives growers peace of mind and removes labor headaches.”

Beyond pest control, Semios is now a full-stack on-farm technology company through partnerships with brands like WiseConn, Agworld, Alltrack, and Greenbook. Weather stations, soil moisture probes, irrigation automation, frost control tools, and pest monitoring all feed into the Semios platform, giving growers a complete real-time view of their fields.

“You can sit in your truck and run your entire irrigation system from your phone,” Pistoresi said. “We’re giving growers the ability to use water more efficiently, reduce labor, and make decisions based on live data instead of guesswork.”

Nick and Josh noted how dramatically farming has changed since Pistoresi’s grandfather grew mushrooms in the Valley. “You can’t farm like grandpa did,” Pistoresi agreed. “There’s too much at stake now—water shortages, labor costs, environmental rules. Today’s farmer has to be smarter, faster, and more innovative.”

What makes Semios stand out, he said, is its people. “Our field team takes pride in their work. Everything we install—every emitter, every sensor—affects a real family farm. We know that.”

He encouraged growers curious about cutting costs, improving sustainability, or upgrading their technology to reach out. “We love talking to growers. Even if you’re not sure what you need, we’ll help you figure it out,” he said.

The interview wrapped with Papagni praising the Semios team. “Every time we see them at shows, everyone is smiling. That tells you everything you need to know.”

Pistoresi laughed, saying, “We just love what we do. Agriculture is who we are. Helping growers succeed is the whole point.”