CORVALLIS, Ore. — There’s a shout from across the field.
“Who’s got the remote?”
Growers gathered at the Oregon State University North Willamette Research and Extension Center are watching a large, square-shaped machine navigate deftly between rows of beets.
“It needs no remote,” said Dane Watson, one of the company experts demonstrating the technology.
Heads nod as the machine moves steadily down the field.
Meet FarmDroid, a solar-powered agricultural technology from Denmark recently introduced to Oregon growers through a field demonstration led by Kristie Buckland, a vegetable and specialty seed crop specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, and Pete Berry, an Oregon State weed scientist.
How the FarmDroid works
The machine, which sells for about $70,000 to $90,000, can seed, weed and spot-spray fields using a pattern established by its onboard software. It responds autonomously to hazards such as rocks and muddy patches — a key feature for Western Oregon’s long, rainy season.
Buckland is leading research comparing fields managed by the FarmDroid with those using more traditional practices.
She was awarded nearly $175,000 through a Specialty Crop Block Grant from the Oregon Department of Agriculture to support the next three years of research. The project also includes collaboration with Berry and Cindy Ocamb, an Oregon State plant pathologist, to examine the potential of drone technology as a fungicide applicator.
Oregon State’s partnership with FarmDroid and initial research was funded by the Specialty Seed Growers of Western Oregon and the Oregon Processed Vegetable Commission.
Reducing labor and field passes
“The FarmDroid is astoundingly impactful,” Buckland said.
Unlike other weeding equipment that relies on cameras or artificial intelligence to identify weeds — often requiring multiple passes over a field — the FarmDroid weeds based on the precise GPS location of the seeds it planted. The result is fewer weeding events, no emissions, reduced soil compaction and significantly less human labor, Buckland said.
Addressing grower challenges
Buckland said her interest in the technology grew from conversations with growers over her six years at Oregon State.
“The hardest part for me in this job has been not being able to solve some of the problems in the system that are not horticulture-related,” she said. “Things like labor availability, the cost of labor and the price differential between imported foods and locally grown foods all affect whether growers stay in business.”
Growers who have seen the FarmDroid in action say the technology could help.
“What I’ve heard from growers is, ‘Wow, I could significantly reduce the weeding costs on my farm,’” Buckland said.
A local test bed for advanced technology
Having the FarmDroid at the North Willamette center gives growers access to what Buckland calls one of the most advanced technological approaches to farming challenges — without traveling long distances to trade shows.
“Growers don’t have to travel to an agriculture show in the Midwest to be able to see this,” she said. “It will be right here.”
Buckland views the technology as a potential win across the board, offering economic benefits while reducing chemical use, improving soil health and decreasing emissions.
“It’s a revolution,” she said.
Previously titled Oregon growers: This might be the droid you are looking for
