A Queensland agricultural company is leveraging AI, drones and USB sticks to help farmers combat a major challenge – over spraying of herbicides.

InFarm has developed a drone to tractor solution called Fallow Weed which harnesses technology to give farmers precise guidance on where to apply herbicide and how much to spray.

The cutting-edge solution also eliminates the need to invest in expensive equipment to target weeds. Incredibly, it can process data equivalent to three-quarters of the Netflix library without the internet.

The innovative solution is currently being fast-tracked through the 2024 GRDC GroundUp program, which aims to accelerate solutions for Australia’s grains sector.

InFarm CEO Jerome Leray says Fallow Weed will be a game-changer for the sector and wider agricultural industry.

“Fallow Weed calculates the exact amount of spray needed, reducing overfilling and consequently cutting down herbicide costs,” Mr Leray said.

“When deployed across a 750-hectare paddock in the Goondiwindi region, it resulted in a 97.5 per cent saving in chemical usage.

“It also results in substantial time savings for farmers, with its spot-spraying approach significantly reducing the frequency of tank refills.”

The technology works by using drones to capture high-definition images of a paddock. These are then uploaded to InFarm’s processing platform, which applies a unique weed-identifying algorithm.

The result is a tractor-ready file that can be uploaded into a standard variable rate tractor via a USB. The data then controls the nozzles and sections on existing spraying machinery, turning them on and off depending on the identified presence of weeds. 

Mr Leray said this eliminated the need for farmers to invest in expensive target and hardware for spot spraying.

“Through our innovative approach, any farmer can transform their existing machinery into a precision spot sprayer, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs,” he said.

Supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), GroundUp is a 12-week accelerator program run by the Agtech and Logistics Hub, which is powered by AgriBusiness Connect.

It was launched to drive innovation in the Australian grains sector, with a grower-led focus to find real solutions to improve productivity.

AgriBusiness Connect CEO Thomas Hall said the innovators selected for this year’s GroundUp program offered a host of remarkable solutions.

“We are incredibly excited about the 10 innovators in this year’s cohort, who were selected from a large number of quality applicants from Australia and beyond,” he said.

“It’s great to see InFarm focusing on solving a major challenge in the grains industry and the wider agriculture sector – over spraying.

“We look forward to seeing how they progress their solution throughout the program.”

Mr Leray said he joined the GroundUp program to engage and learn from growers about their challenges, with the goal of officially launching and scaling the Fallow Weed platform.

InFarm will be among the participants who will showcase their solution to potential investors and end-users at the 2024 GRDC GroundUp Showcase Day on August 29.

Held at the Agtech and Logistics Hub, the event will also feature other leading innovators with technologies to complement supply chains.

This piece was originally published in the August 2024 edition of Queensland Farmer Today.