Haggerty AgRobotics helps farmers transfer into the world of autonomous farming technology with field testing.
By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com
For every farmer involved in the precision ag technology field, there are some trying t o figure out which product might work best for them, and even more wondering just what all the fuss is about.
Like it or not, autonomous farming technology can be confusing to decipher at the onset. And because it is a major capital expenditure for any farm, many farmers opt to avoid the hassle altogether.
But what most autonomous technology neophytes are unaware of, however, is that regardless of the size of one’s farm or what or where they farm, there is a practical solution that will work within their budget while providing better results over the more “traditional” farming methods.
That solution—knowledge—is what Haggerty AgRobotics Company, Ltd. of Bothwell, Ontario has been offering customers since the business was founded in 2021. Privately owned by Chuck Baresich, the company is under the auspices of his parent company Haggerty Creek Ltd.
“Basically, Haggerty AgRobotics is the consolidation of the activities of Haggerty Creek and myself into a more streamlined organized structure,” explained Baresich. Covering Ontario and the northeast United States, the company currently has three employees but is expanding to seven by the summer.
“We are an autonomous solutions provider for agriculture, focusing on field crops,” he added, “to address chemical resistance, provide alternative methods to weed control, reduce labour challenges, and improve productivity.”
According to Baresich, farmers may choose to lease an autonomous solution from Haggerty AgRobotics or purchase a robotic solution directly.
The company also provides parts, service and training on autonomous equipment, and a wide range of precision agriculture equipment.
But not just a leaser/seller of precision ag technologies, Haggerty AgRobotics is directly involved in field-testing OEM (original equipment manufacturer) machines to see how it stacks up in real-world situations—and not just rely on what the brochure says.
Because, said Baresich, there is always a lot of pressure on farmers regarding labour and weed control issues, the utilization of autonomous robotics and other precision ag technologies have become a key issue in agriculture.
It’s been Baresich’s experience that, for the most part, farmers have been quite excited to hear about the autonomous technologies, and—rightly so—others are quite skeptical of it and want to see machines running to ensure it is both reliable and makes sense for their operation.
“For 2022, our primary focus is on Autonomous Weeding,” related Baresich. “We’ll be field-testing four different robotic technologies on farms to examine practicality and to provide feedback to the OEM.”
- The Nexus GOAT, built in Montreal, weeds carrots, lettuce, onions and other crops using camera AI and mechanical fingers that physically pull the weeds out of the field, leaving the crop intact. Baresich said that two of these will be deployed;
- The FarmDroid FD20, built in Denmark, one has been outfitted to seed and weed onions, sugar beets and other crops;
- The Naio Dino, built in France, will be used for autonomous weeding of carrot fields and other crops;
- The Naio Oz, also built in France, is used for small market garden operations for weeding and other tasks.
Outside of autonomous weeding trials, Baresich said they also have a pair of Raven OmniPower units (formerly DOT - see image above) outfitted with high accuracy fertilizer spreaders, which will be used for spreading fertilizers and lime.
Baresich explained how these field tests work.
“The farmer is always in control of the equipment,” he stated. “Haggerty AgRobotics will be assigning field technicians for all of the machines to assist the farmer in the startup phase to make sure things go smoothly. We expect that there will be some bumps in the road with the technologies, but we are comfortable that we can provide the means to overcome them.”
Haggerty AgRobotics expects that the successful planning of 2022 will continue and enable it to double its offerings in 2023—in anticipation, it has already begun to increase its staffing efforts with plans to get even more robots into field trials.
“We want to help farmers help themselves,” explained Baresich. “We know that precision ag technologies can help farmers improve the way they go about their day-to-day operations in the field, both in time saved and yield gains which will improve overall financials.
“Along with providing great ROI and fuel savings, as well as speed of job completion and fewer labour requirements, these technologies also allow farmers the time to concentrate on other duties that may need attention,” he summed up.
“We believe that autonomous robotics have a key part to play in the ag sector, and we want to ensure farmers see the all the benefits it can bring to them.”
This article originally appeared in the March 2022 issue of the Precision Agriculture Digital Digest, a Farms.com publication. To subscribe to the digest, visit: https://secure.campaigner.com/CSB/Public/Form.aspx?fid=1812658&ac=gapc