ExactShot hits the spot
New technology reduces amount of fertilizer needed
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Two years ago, John Deere launched its ExactShot technology designed to allow farmers to reduce the amount of starter fertilizer needed during planting by more than 60%.
According to the company, the technology uses sensors and robotics to place starter fertilizer precisely onto seeds as they are planted in the soil, rather than applying a continuous flow of fertilizer to the entire row of seeds.
ExactShot uses a sensor to register when each individual seed is in the process of going into the soil. As this happens, a robot will spray only the amount of fertilizer needed, about 0.2 milliliters, directly onto the seed at the exact moment it goes into the ground. Farmers can switch between dosing and continuous mode from the tractor cab.
"Paired with ExactEmerge BrushBelt technology, the system tracks each seed from the meter to seed trench, synchronizing each dose with the exact timing of the seed drop. Placing the solenoid and nozzle tip, below the row-unit, directly above the seed trench adds an additional level of accuracy with each dose. ExactShot can save farmers up to two-thirds of in-furrow input costs by applying nutrients directly on the seed to be used most efficiently.
With this technology, farmers can switch between dosing and continuous mode from the cab. Since this technology reduces in-furrow usage it also allows farmers to go further between fills so they can get more acres done in a day," said Jenni Badding, a spokesperson for the production and precision ag division of John Deere.
Across the U.S. corn crop, ExactShot could save more than 93 million gallons of starter fertilizer annually and prevent wasted fertilizer from encouraging weed growth or increasing the risk of running off the field into a waterway, John Deere stated. ExactShot is available from the factory or as a precision upgrade.
"We're putting that much less fertilizer out, which reduces the chances for runoff and other things that are negatively impacting the environment," the company stated.