2025 - Volume #49, Issue #1, Page #27
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Retrofit Advanced Precision Spraying Boasts Fast Payback
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Farmers using the new technology reported an 87 percent reduction in non-residual herbicide use and a 92 percent reduction in pre-emergence applications. They also reported average savings of 84 percent and 82 percent in corn and soybeans, respectively. Depending on farm size and herbicide program, typical cost savings of $25 to $35 per acre translate into a 6 to 18-month return on the $250,000 investment.
“What mattered most was performance and efficacy,” says Nadav Bocher, CEO of Greeneye Technology. “Our customers saw the 84 percent reduction in corn acres, but they also saw clean fields. That’s how we measure our success. It’s been the clear focus of our company.”
Greeneye Technology was founded in Israel in 2017 with the goal of making an impact with artificial intelligence where it mattered. Agriculture quickly became the focus. Initially, the company founders considered developing data analytics that used data captured by drones. However, that didn’t provide a clear value to farmers.
“We decided to move to decision software,” says Bocher. “Applying chemicals is very inefficient. We saw we could offer a real-time solution with a clear profit for farmers.”
The company focused on row-crop agriculture in the U.S. to develop a software/hardware system that could be retrofitted on any large field sprayer. The first step was to use AI to instantly identify weeds by species. The next step was to assemble the hardware to utilize the information and apply the herbicide.
By 2022, they had prototypes in the field. By 2024, they were retrofitting sprayers for customers. Every spray boom is equipped with 24 high-resolution cameras and 72 pulsing high-intensity lights, enabling the capture of 4,000 frames every second. A dozen graphic processing units use AI to identify weeds instantly and spray them in 10 by 10-in. windows, using 144 independently controlled spray nozzles.
In May 2024, Greeneye Technology signed up their first dealer/retrofitter, Boeck Farm Outfitters. Several dozen Greeneye systems will be in the field this coming year in eight states. “We’ll have systems operating in very wide and diverse field conditions, crops, tillage and topography,” says Bocher. “Most are individual machines we’ve retrofitted. The second group is custom applicators and ag retailers. They offer a different point of view.”
Both groups will likely share a perspective gained by initial users. Reducing herbicide use is important, but it’s only the beginning. One customer suggested that chemical savings represent “a very small fraction of capabilities.”
“We see that narrative from most, if not all, our customers of potential way beyond savings in herbicides,” says Bocher. “We see tremendous value in precision application of other pesticides and micronutrients. There’s also analysis of data collected in the field. We offer detailed maps of fields where we sprayed and what was sprayed and why. We can build layers of early indicators of disease and crop stress.”
In late November, a limited number of orders were still being taken for retrofitting existing sprayers. Bocher says turnaround can be as quick as a few months, depending on the sprayer model and timing.
“We also have a few ready-to-go sprayers that are already retrofitted for farmers looking to upgrade their sprayer and need a quick delivery,” says Bocher.
The $250,000 price includes the 120-ft. aluminum boom, dual tank and installation. Bocher notes that the price can vary between different models. Unlike many new technologies, there’s no start-up fee or subscription.
“No subscription or one-off purchase is something that sets us apart from a lot of technology companies,” says Bocher. “You buy and retrofit, and there are no additional charges. There’s a data interface where the customer logs in and gets all the data gathered at no charge. We believe farmers think this is the right way to buy technology, and we accommodate them.”
Greeneye Technology is already adding to its product line. “We’ll be announcing a 90-ft. system in 2025,” says Bocher. “We have a very robust product development pipeline. We’ll be unlocking the system to work with other inputs. When you buy the system today, it’s for herbicide application. As we add other capabilities, the customer can choose what they need. We have a very agronomic mindset and understand the intersection of savings and efficacy.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Greeneye Technology, 801 R St., Suite 1, Lincoln, Neb. 68508 (info@greeneye.ag; www.greeneye.ag) or Boeck Farm Outfitters, 2313 Road 22, Exeter, Neb. 68351 (ph 402-418-0803; fieldview@boeckfo.com; www.boeckfo.com).
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