We’re constantly told that artificial intelligence (AI) is going to transform farming. There’s no shortage of tech companies, startups, and big ag players developing AI-powered solutions for farmers. But very few people have stopped to ask: what do farmers actually want or need from AI? More importantly, what tools already exist, and how can we …
The British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) encourages farmers to ‘lead the field’ in agricultural innovation by taking part in Defra-funded projects that are changing the shape of the industry. Here we catch up with the latest updates across its collaborative projects. SLIMERS project advances in the battle against slugs Farmers involved in a major slug …
Written by John Dobberstein and originally publish in No-Till Farmer USA Plough it, spray it, crowd it, fry it – There are many ways to kill weeds, pests and diseases – and there’s a new technology emerging that allows farmers “dry clean” their fields, so to speak. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) recently …
New Technology Lets Farms ‘Steam’-roll Weeds & Pests Read More »
As the pressures on agriculture mount—from climate instability to rising input costs—farmers are increasingly turning to smarter, more sustainable technologies to protect both yields and margins. Among the most promising of these is Variable Rate Application (VRA), a precision farming approach revolutionising how crop inputs are managed. With its ability to fine-tune inputs like fertilisers, …
Variable Rate Application: The Economic and Agronomic Edge for Modern Spraying Read More »
As farms across the UK grapple with mounting labour shortages, rising input costs, and tighter sustainability expectations, automation is becoming less of a novelty and more of a necessity. Leading the charge is US-based agri-tech firm Carbon Robotics, whose latest developments in autonomous tractor control and laser-based weeding solutions are rapidly redefining how arable operations …
New Standard for On-Farm Autonomy and Laser Weeding Read More »
Erdal Ozkan; Professor and Extension State Specialist—Pesticide Application Technology; Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering; The Ohio State University Direct Driller Note – this is the most comprehensive guide to different types of drone spraying and although is written in the US, they are also significantly ahead of the UK in terms of adoption …
Drones for Spraying Pesticides—Opportunities and Challenges Read More »
With increasing regulations and the development of resistance, alternative technologies are becoming more and more important in the crop care sector. HORSCH works intensively on various alternatives and carries out its own tests. Theo Leeb gives an overview of the methods and the tests that are carried out. Herbicide – SpotSpraying In the sector of …
Alternative technologies in the crop care sector Read More »
John Deere See & Spray uses AI machine learning and computer vision to identify weeds during each pass precisely. Early adopters in the US of See & Spray say they’ve increased savings, reduced herbicides and reached ROI faster than expected. Which is rare in the ag tech sector. Farmers know spraying applications can vary from …
More Farmers Are Adopting John Deere’s See & Spray in the USA. Here’s Why… Read More »
There is a common saying around the industry that “Farmers are slow to adopt technology.” It’s a long standing perception and it’s linked to my last article on step verses incremental change. Step change is difficult. But I do think this is used by companies to explain away slow adoption of their products to their …
Huntapac’s parsnip crop, grown without human machinery operation, used Skippy Scout drone monitoring operated by Agrii’s technical experts in the world’s first instance of entirely autonomous vegetable agronomy and production. Huntapac, in collaboration with Autonomous Agri Solutions, AutoSpray Systems and Agrii, funded by the Marks and Spencer Plan A Accelerator Fund, successfully grew a crop …
Parsnip Pioneers: the world’s first autonomously grown parsnip crop Read More »
