Organic vegetables are in high-demand, and for good reason; vegetables free of pesticides and herbicides are naturally healthier. However, organic farms often hand-weed their fields, which is very labor-intensive and time-consuming. This adds to the costs at the supermarket.
Up until now, a reliable mechanical vegetable weeder has been unavailable. But, with the advent of AI technology and high-definition cameras, that’s changed. Smart cultivators use high-definition cameras and software to differentiate between weeds and crop plants. Once identified, a blade is deployed to cut the weeds.
Today, organic farmers can use a smart culitivator, an all-in-one machine that can till the soil, plant, and weed, all at the same time. Despite all of the high-tech hardware and software, a smart cultivator is a sturdy, robust piece of farm equipment, built to last. It can also be pulled behind the tractor that’s already on the farm. It can till, weed and plant simultaneously, one to two acres per hour. While a smart cultivator is not cheap, it’s an investment that will pay for itself on a large farm.
The size of an organic farm ultimately decides the method of weeding. While a large farm can benefit from a smart cultivator and vegetable weeder, small farms may not. If you are simply cultivating a few acres to sell at a farmer’s market, hand-weeding will still be cost-effective. But, if you are cultivating dozens, or hundreds of acres of vegetables, a mechanical weeder is a smart investment. Check out the smart cultivator by Stout Industrial Technology today.