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Robotic cover crop seeder shows promise

A digital ag specialist with the University of Illinois Extension says robotic cover crop seeders are showing promise.

Dennis Bowman says the technology allows cover crops to be seeded much earlier in the season.

“A lot of our cover crop seed doesn’t get put out until after harvest, and if it doesn’t get a rain on it then it doesn’t really start to grow.”  He says, “And so with this robot, it gives us the opportunity to get out in the standing cornfield starting in July.”

He tells Brownfield it sees it’s way down the corn rows.

“It has a big hopper on it that will hold about 90 pounds of cover crop seed.”  He says, “It has GPS, but it also has a vision-based system that works really well in the corn field. So even if there’s winding or twisting rows, it will follow the rows through the field and it’s spreading the cover crop seed as it goes, probably about 5 rows at a time.”

Bowman says he’s been impressed with early results at the U of I’s “Farm of the Future.”

“It was all in corn this year.”  He says, “It’s divided into nine plots right now, and so six of those have cover crops that were robotic seeded on it. Those fields will actually get grazed this spring. This is an alternative that gives you a much bigger window to work with.”

Bowman says research with the robotic seeder, which is being developed by EarthSense, is ongoing.

AUDIO: Dennis Bowman – U of I Extension