John Deere’s new ExactShot

Jan 06, 2023

John Deere unveils new ExactShot robotic planting technology at tradeshow.

During CES 2023—the so-called proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators—held in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 5-8, 2023, John Deere revealed new planting technology.

During its keynote address at the event, the company said that its new ExactShot sensor-driven robotic technology will help reduce fertilizer requirements—by as much as 60 percent. And it’s all about the delivery system.

Conventional fertilizer systems will deliver a stream of fertilizer into the soil—over seeds as they are planted.

However, the ExactShot will send out what John Deere described as timed bursts of fertilizer to coat individual seeds only, leaving the soil between the seeds dry and fertilizer free.

The timing of the bursts is done by the precision ag tech using sensors to see exactly when each individual seed is in the process of going into the soil. As this occurs, a robot will spray only the amount of fertilizer needed, about 0.2 ML, directly onto the seed at the exact moment as it goes into the ground.

Not only does the company say this is a money-saving delivery system, but the efficiency will also prevent fertilizer out of the soil where it could cause weeds to grow which could in turn pull nutrients away from the crops.

And then there is also the avoidance of any fertilizer waste, which we know can sit a season or more in the field until it is used, or it can run off the crop field into the air or into waterways.

Deanna Kovar, the Vice President of Production and Precision Agriculture Production Systems for the company said: "Precision is key in agriculture because we're operating in huge quantities of acres and plants per acre. Eventually, we will literally treat every plant on an acre of a field differently based on what we're learning through our computer vision and machine-learning tech."

John Deere said that for the US corn crop alone, the ExactShot could save over 93 million gallons of starter fertilizer annually.

Not just a concept, John Deere said that the ExactShot will be available in time for the 2023 planting.

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.