Smart Spraying

Answers to frequently asked questions about precision sprayer technology.

- By Adrienne HeldAgronomy

When Chase Sailer decided to transition from having his local co-op apply pesticides to on-farm application, he decided to “go all in” on a John Deere See & Spray Ultimate sprayer. Sailer farms with his dad and brother in the southern Illinois community of Carmi, where they raise corn, soybeans, and canola.

Smart-spraying systems promise precision, efficiency, and considerable cost savings. Sailer has found that See & Spray delivers on that promise: He said he used it across his soybean acres in 2024 and realized a $15,000 savings in one day alone. “We sprayed 650 acres that day and filled up twice,” he said.

Scott Arthaud farms with his dad and son in Cimarron County, in the west end of the Oklahoma Panhandle, where they raise dryland wheat along with irrigated corn, wheat, milo, sunflowers, and sesame. For Arthaud, battling resistant weeds in no-till was becoming cost prohibitive due to broadcast treatments with expensive herbicide mixes at higher rates. He said using Weed-It, a product of the Dutch company Rometron, and Israeli-originated Greeneye Technology sprayers for multiple seasons has helped him stay in his desired no-till rotation.

1. What Is the Technology Behind Precision Sprayers?

Precision sprayers use a combination of GPS, sensors, and control systems with the goal of ensuring that every droplet hits its intended target, reducing waste and maximizing yield. Weed-It sprayers employ a green-on-brown spot-spray technology used primarily on chemical fallow or orchards and vineyards, said Aelin Herrington, national director of business development for Agritech America, Weed-It technology’s U.S. distributor. “Ours is an infrared chlorophyll detection,” she said. “When it detects chlorophyll, it triggers one or more nozzles, depending on the size, to spray the individual weed.”