The specialty crop industry’s expansion of robotics is laying the groundwork for alternative management options which could help row crop farmers reduce labor costs and inputs.
Weed extension specialist Steve Fennimore at the University of California, Davis works on weed control and robotics in about four dozen different types of specialty crops.
“We can reduce the labor input per acre between 35 and 50 percent,” he estimates.
He’s says that can be a significant amount when considering hand weeding costs $300-500 per acre and there continues to be a declining number of farm workers.
