May/June 2023 - 28

TECHNOLOGY
The " See & Spray " technology
from Blue River Technologies
applies herbicides or other
inputs on specific targets.
Photos: John Deere
Precision Agriculture
It's all about meeting the needs of each plant or tree
BY CHRIS KOGER
MANAGING EDITOR
P
recision agriculture tools are moving crop
management away from treating all plants or
trees in a field or orchard the same, said Chris
Myers, a former John Deere executive and an advisor to
a venture capitalist firm specializing in ag tech.
" The whole idea is that one of the most important
changes is coming to our industry is this movement of
crop production management from the field/block to
the tree/plant level, " Myers said during a session on
precision agriculture at the Southeast Regional Fruit &
Vegetable Conference in January in Savannah, Georgia.
" It's going to happen, and it's going to be great for
growers and marketers and packhouses. This is a sea
change in how we approach our business in order to be
more efficient and more profitable. "
Myers spent a majority of his life in agriculture. His
childhood was spent on a 120-acre apple and peach
farm and he worked for almost 30 years at John Deere.
In 2021, he retired from John Deere as vice president of
advanced technology and engineering and is an ag tech
advisor with Trailhead Capital.
Startup Collaborator program
He discussed John Deere's Startup Collaborator
program, established in 2019. Although the company
does not primarily serve specialty crop production, its
28 | MAY/JUNE 2023
precision agriculture tools can be used to boost efficiency
in specialty crops.
When developing new products, John Deere's tech
concentration includes autonomy, connectivity and
automation, Myers said. Technology capabilities,
however, have grown dramatically, Myers said,
sporting remote sensors, artificial intelligence and
machine learning.
A major drawback to electric farm vehicles, he
said, is the lack of new battery technology to improve
electrification of more vehicles with longer charges.
John Deere acquired a majority stake in Austriabased
Kreisel Electric in early 2021, and announced in
September 2022 it was investing in two more Kreisel
locations to expand the company's production capacity.
The tractor company plans to invest in battery assembly
in the U.S.
Electrification storage is preventing electrification
moving into higher horsepower vehicles, Myers said.
" Storage is not economical, it's not lightweight; there's a
lot of disadvantages, " he said.
John Deere is targeting 2026 as the year it will offer
electric or hybrid options on all smaller tractors and
other vehicles.
Embracing technology
" Sense and act " automation allows growers to
increase efficiency in many ways. These include sensors
alerting growers about numerous events, from warning

May/June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2023

Editor's Letter
Feature: Exiting the wholesale market
Weather Update: Extreme weather challenges
Cover Story: The survey shows…
Cover Story: Farm market pricing guide
CA Storage: Taking control
Plant & Soil Health: Steam controls weeds, pathogens
Food Safety: Ionized gas used for food safety
Technology: Precision agriculture
Farm Market & Agritourism: Seven takeaways from benchmark market survey
Ag Labor Review
Classifieds
Ad Index
May/June 2023 - 1
May/June 2023 - 2
May/June 2023 - 3
May/June 2023 - Editor's Letter
May/June 2023 - 5
May/June 2023 - Feature: Exiting the wholesale market
May/June 2023 - 7
May/June 2023 - Weather Update: Extreme weather challenges
May/June 2023 - 9
May/June 2023 - 10
May/June 2023 - 11
May/June 2023 - Cover Story: The survey shows…
May/June 2023 - 13
May/June 2023 - 14
May/June 2023 - 15
May/June 2023 - Cover Story: Farm market pricing guide
May/June 2023 - 17
May/June 2023 - CA Storage: Taking control
May/June 2023 - 19
May/June 2023 - 20
May/June 2023 - 21
May/June 2023 - Plant & Soil Health: Steam controls weeds, pathogens
May/June 2023 - 23
May/June 2023 - Food Safety: Ionized gas used for food safety
May/June 2023 - 25
May/June 2023 - 26
May/June 2023 - 27
May/June 2023 - Technology: Precision agriculture
May/June 2023 - 29
May/June 2023 - Farm Market & Agritourism: Seven takeaways from benchmark market survey
May/June 2023 - 31
May/June 2023 - Ag Labor Review
May/June 2023 - Classifieds
May/June 2023 - Ad Index
May/June 2023 - 35
May/June 2023 - 36
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