An AI-powered software tool being tested at EMILI’s Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert uses predictive mapping to identify where weed zones will occur before they emerge.
When EMILI began working with Geco Strategic Weed Management (Geco) in 2023, it was being tested on three farms in Western Canada. Fast-forward three years, it is now commercially available in North America, and being used on over 160 farms in seven countries.
“EMILI has been there right since the beginning,” said Greg Stewart, Geco founder and CEO.
Custom prescription map provides insight into emerging weed patches
In the first season on Innovation Farms, EMILI provided Geco with historical crop data on two fields with herbicide-resistant kochia and wild oat. From this data and an array of satellite imagery, Geco created a custom prescription map that could easily be loaded into existing farm equipment.
Through the first season, EMILI scouted these same two fields by foot and drone, confirming Geco’s AI-powered predictions on weed species and density were accurate. At the same time, Geco was gathering satellite data, and modeling it against EMILI’s drone and field scouting data.
“We didn’t know if we could see weeds with a satellite back then,” said Dr. Devin Kirk, Geco Senior Data Scientist. “Some said it couldn’t be done, but when we compared EMILI’s data to our own satellite models, the satellite could reliably pull out the patches.”
This was good news for Geco, allowing them to create an accurate prescription map using easily accessible satellite data instead of relying on a drone or an optical spot sprayer which they didn’t have access to on every field. Analyzing five years of data from more than 100 satellite images provides insight into what has been happening in specific fields, allowing Geco to predict emerging weed patches.
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