12 Agronomy Artificial intelligence on the farm CAN DATA POWER WEED CONTROL? Barb Keith AS FARMERS CONTINUE TO ENCOUNTER NEW OR RESISTANT WEEDS in their fields, they are looking for alternative ways to win the battle against these unwanted plants. A new company on the scene believes they have a solution. Through agronomic models and artificial intelligence (AI), Geco Strategic Weed Management has created predictive weed control technology to help farmers identify areas of their fields that may be susceptible to increased weed pressure before the weeds even push through the soil in the spring. This mapping technology can be used with current equipment, such as sprayers, fertilizer spreaders, or planters on the farm and has the potential to reduce herbicide application by up to two-thirds by allowing multi-rate application in-field, spraying only where necessary or even increasing plant populations in these specific areas to thwart weed growth. When asked what led the company to create this technology, founder and CEO Greg Stewart says he was “fascinated by what goes into growing crops, and he wondered how farmers could leverage the data available to them to deal with weeds.” Before starting Geco, Stewart had worked in the greenhouse industry, using data management to support growers by using analytical tools to determine when pest infestations would occur. He saw an opportunity to transfer that knowledge to the grain industry. HOW DOES IT WORK? By analyzing data such as satellite imagery from the previous five growing seasons, soil test results and information from the farm (i.e. seeding and spraying records, personal knowledge of prior weed issues, etc.), Geco can create a standard prescription map to predict where weed infestation will be the heaviest, often with a 24 hour turn-around time. While the map can be used with GPS systems, Stewart says almost half of the farmers using this technology are not using it with GPS. When asked about limits on field size, Stewart said the technology can be used in fields as small as 10-20 acres. Starting costs are approximately $5 per acre, with farmers usually trialling the technology in a couple of fields, expanding annually. As more acreage is added, the price decreases. Geco’s goal is to have farms running on an annual subscription rather than per acre fees. AWARD-WINNING TECH As the winner of the Innovative Farmers of Ontario (IFAO) and Foresight Sustainable AgTech for Profitability Innovative Challenge, Geco’s technology had to meet a variety of criteria, including demonstrating it could be profitable within the first year of use, had been tested on farms, was environmentally beneficial, and could be used across a variety of farming conditions. By reducing the need for blanket application of herbicides, cost savings are immediately realized, and the impact on the environment is lessened. ““Winning the Sustainable Agtech for Profitability: IFAO Challenge is a thrilling achievement for Geco, and it underscores our dedication to transforming control of weeds in field crop farming,” says Stewart.
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