We’re headed to the Flickner Innovation Farm in Moundridge, Kan., where John Deere dealer PrairieLand Partners is teaming up with local farmer Ray Flickner on a See & Spray Ultimate Trial.
Product Innovation Specialist Bryan Berggren is conducting the trial. He says smart spraying technology is gaining traction, with as many as 50 See & Spray units being used in his coverage area. That’s 30 more than last year and 46 more than 2 years ago.
Berggren says a change in John Deere’s pricing structure could move the needle even further.
“John Deere changed their strategy as far as the pricing structure. Right now, this season and moving forward, you’re only getting charged for the savings, which means you’re getting charged for the acres it does not spray. What that does is, is that gets the price way down to an acceptable price point. ”
“People want this technology, they want to be able to use this to save money on chemicals and to be responsible a little bit with what they’re doing with the land. Nobody wants to spray chemical all the time. This is gaining a lot of traction in the industry as a whole. There are lots of other companies developing this type of technology. Personally, I was very skeptical from the beginning because I ran a sprayer for 20-30 years and worked for some commercial applicators. It never ceases to amaze me how sensitive it is. It sees mor than we can see with our own eyes and even moving 12-15 mph through the field, recognizing a crop vs. a weed, it’s unbelievable.”
Berggren is also looking forward to testing Predictive Ground Speed Automation on the combine this fall at the Flickner Innovation Farm.
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