Why the future of weed control is about precision, not more product
Harvest has a way of exposing inefficiencies. The combine rolls through a field, the yield map lights up, and suddenly the questions start. Why was that patch so poor? Why is kochia showing up there every year? Why am I spending thousands of dollars spraying areas where there are barely any weeds at all?
For decades, herbicide programs have largely followed a simple rule: if there are weeds in the field, spray the field. But what if weeds are only present on 20%, 30%, or even 50% of the acres? Should every acre still get sprayed?
WHAT IF THE SPRAYER COULD MAKE DECISIONS?
Traditional spraying systems don’t know the difference between a weed and bare ground. They don’t know if they’re spraying green volunteer canola, a patch of thistle, last year’s stubble, or a wheel track. If the boom is on, product is being applied.
That’s why post-harvest weed control can become expensive in a hurry. Many fields contain scattered patches of volunteer cereals, perennial weeds, and late-season flushes rather than uniform infestations. Some parts of the field need treatment. Other areas don’t. Yet the entire field gets sprayed anyway.
INTRODUCING WEED-IT
Spray only what needs controlled with WEED-IT technology, supplied exclusively through your Johnston’s Regenerative Agronomist in Canada. WEED-IT is a precision spot-spraying system that can be installed on new or existing sprayers. Using optical sensors mounted along the boom, the system scans the ground thousands of times per second, looking for chlorophyll in living plants. When green plant tissue is detected, individual nozzles are activated. If no green plant is present, the nozzle stays off. It’s that simple.
Plants contain chlorophyll. Stubble doesn’t. Soil doesn’t. Rocks don’t. WEED-IT turns blanket spraying into a precision spot application by making hundreds of small spraying decisions every second.
Save money on pre-emergent, post-harvest and desiccation passes by only putting product where it brings value to your operation. Spray weeds. Don’t spray dirt. Save money. Build soil.
THE REGENERATIVE CONNECTION
One of the principles of regenerative agriculture is applying only what is needed, where it is needed. We already think this way about fertilizer. We’re increasingly thinking this way about biological products. Why wouldn’t we think this way about herbicides?
Precision spraying doesn’t eliminate herbicides. It eliminates unnecessary herbicide. Less product. Less water. Fewer tank refills. Less time filling. More acres covered. And ultimately, a lower cost of control.
In suitable applications, WEED-IT reports herbicide reductions of up to 90% because product is only applied where living plant material exists. And what’s more regenerative and sustainable than the farm’s cash flow being positive?
DESICCATION & POST HARVEST WEED CONTROL
Most producers think of spot spraying as a burn-off tool, but precision technology can create opportunities during harvest too. In desiccation applications, many fields contain a mix of mature crop, green weeds, and patches of uneven growth. Rather than applying product cross every acre, the majority of which don’t benefit, target only the actively growing green tissue that’s delaying harvest. And when harvest windows are tight, efficiency matters. Saving product is one benefit. Saving trips to the water truck and keeping the sprayer moving can be just as valuable.
And once the combine leaves, WEED-IT re-enters. Fall is one of the best times for spot spraying. Volunteer cereals emerge, perennial weeds like Canada thistle and quackgrass begin storing nutrients for winter and those pesky winter annuals like narrow-leaved hawk’s beard, cleavers and flixweed start rooting. Every weed controlled this fall is one less weed competing with next year’s crop.
The question becomes: Do you want to spray weeds? Or do you want to spray acres?
GOOD DECISIONS START WITH GOOD INFORMATION
Harvest isn’t just the time to evaluate yields. It’s the time to evaluate management decisions. Where were the weed escapes? Where are resistant populations showing up? Where are weeds repeatedly costing bushels? Where can precision technologies improve profitability?
This is why harvest and the weeks immediately following are some of the most important times for your Johnston’s Regenerative Agronomist to be in the field with you. Alongside post-harvest soil sampling, Advanced Fertility™ recommendations, yield analysis, and regenerative planning, these conversations help build a more efficient and profitable management strategy for 2027.
| READY TO BOOK A FIELD VISIT? Talk to your Johnston’s Regenerative Agronomist about trying WEED-IT on your farm this fall! Don’t forget to book your fall soil samples to maximize next year’s crop, begin and improve the profitability for years to come. 1-844-324-7778 johnstonsregenerative.com |
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