Almost a year ago, we highlighted the See & Spray technology from John Deere. At the time, it was mostly being used on the fallow ground of the Northern Plains. It allowed the sprayer to use a camera that was able to identify a weed amongst the vegetation and spot spray it in the time it takes to blink an eye. After I talked to the John Deere rep about the technology, I remarked that if they could figure out a way to make it work in row crops like corn and soybeans, they will have made a revolution.
The only comment I got was, ?I guess we?ll have to see.?
Well, now we see.
Just before Commodity Classic, John Deere announced the See & Spray Ultimate technology. It allows farmers to do machine-controlled spot spraying in row crops of various varieties. Erik Ehn of John Deere tells us more.
For people, it is easy to determine the difference between your crop and a weed. We have known that for generations. With broadcast spraying, you cover everything and let the genetics protect the crop. However, when you are talking about a machine, it makes things a little more interesting as to how it can tell the difference. Ehn explains how the machine learns.
Not only is that see & spray technology eradicating weeds, but it is also creating weed maps that can be used by growers and agronomists to tweak future plans.
For more information on See & Spray Ultimate, visit your local John Deere dealer.
