Smart Sprayers Are Rewriting Farm Economics

John Deere's AI-powered See & Spray technology covered five million acres in 2025, slashing herbicide use nearly 50% while boosting crop yields

8 Nov 2025

Artificial intelligence is reshaping pesticide use in US agriculture, as farmers adopt targeted spraying systems that cut chemical inputs while maintaining crop yields.

John Deere said its See & Spray technology was used across more than five million acres during the 2025 growing season, an area larger than New Jersey. Farmers using the system reduced non-residual herbicide application by nearly 50 per cent on average, eliminating about 31 million gallons of herbicide mix.

The results came in a season marked by heavy rainfall and elevated weed pressure, conditions that would typically increase chemical use.

The system relies on cameras mounted on spraying equipment and onboard processors that scan crop fields in real time. Machine learning models identify weeds and trigger nozzles to spray only where needed, rather than applying herbicide uniformly across a field.

John Deere expanded the system’s capabilities in 2025, increasing operating speeds to 15 miles per hour and enabling spraying above the crop canopy. This allows use later in the growing season, when dense foliage has historically limited visibility.

Evidence on yield gains remains mixed. Company-sponsored soybean trials across seven states showed an average increase of 2 bushels per acre. A separate study by Beck’s Hybrids reported a smaller gain of 0.5 bushels per acre, though it also confirmed lower herbicide use.

The variation reflects differences in trial design and local farming conditions, as well as baseline agronomic practices.
Even modest yield improvements, combined with lower input costs, may strengthen farm margins. Herbicides are a major expense in row-crop production, and reducing application volumes without harming output could offer protection against volatile commodity prices.

To encourage uptake, John Deere introduced a pricing model in 2025 under which farmers pay only when savings are achieved. Charges are set at $1 per fallow acre and $5 per in-crop acre. An unlimited annual licence option has been added for 2026, targeting larger operators.

Wider adoption of such systems could accelerate a shift from uniform field treatment to plant-level decision-making, with implications for both farm economics and environmental management.