Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:This planning grant facilitated engagement activities to identify grower weed control needs and interest in novel weed control technology. This included a hybrid (in-person and virtual) organizational meeting at the 2022 Southeastern Fruit and Vegetable Expo conference in Savannah, GA, where representatives from the robotic weeding industry (Farmwise, Stout, Nexus, and Clearpath Robotics) engaged with Eastern cole crop and leafy greens growers, cooperative extension personnel, university weed scientists, agricultural engineers, and sociologists to describe and demonstrate novel equipment. It also included a presentation from a European expert in non-chemical weed control, Dr. Davide Rizzo, who presented on the progress of autonomous weed control in Europe. This information was valuable as European farm size and cropping system dynamics are analogous to Eastern diversified vegetable farms. A second meeting occurred in Salinas, CA, where Dr. Steve Fennimore hosted a robotic weed control field day to highlight the operation and performance of the technologies underproduction conditions. More than a dozen companies, which included the aforementioned manufacturers, as well as Mantis Ag, Carbon Robotics, and Naio Technologies, among others, participated in this event which drew more than two hundred growers, crop consultants, and other interested parties from across the western US. While at this meeting, the grant investigators met individually and collectively with stakeholders to obtain feedback about the benefits and limitations to the equipment on display. These observations and interactions were used to finalize an electronic stakeholder survey focused on describing current weed management practices and weed control needs, elucidating factors influencing weed control success, determining the interest in novel technology, and identifying the barriers to the adoption of robotic weeders. Surveys were distributed, nationwide, to cole crop and leafy greens growers, crop consultants, and extension personnel, and other industry affiliates. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?See section in target audience. Multiple education sessons that included growers and agents as well as a field day were synthesized in this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of the survery were disseminated at the Weed Science Society of America National meeting in Washington DC. Growers were able to work with members of the robotic weed control industry at the field day in Salinas, CA. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A survery with over 140 respondents from across the country was analyzed and presented at theNational Weed Science Society meeting. Furthermore, PIs, collaborators and stakeholders participated in a robotic weed control field day. These activities supported the submission of an SCRI full preproposal submission. .
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period the group has met in a hybrid format at the Southeastern Fruit and Vegetable and listened to presentations from robotic weed control companies as well as experts in Europe who focus on non-herbicide based systems in specialty crops. Extension agents and growers were also present. After the presentations, we began to develop a survery that was targeted to determineinterest of leafy green and cole crop growers regarding robotic weed control. A 2nd meeting was hosted in person in Salinas CA. At this meeting the group was able to interact with dozens of robotics companies at a robotic weed control field day hosted by UC Davis. We finalized the growers survery after the meeting in California. After going through the Clemson IRB office we submitted a Qualtrics survey to leafy greens growers throughout the US on August 25th. Changes/Problems:The Savannah meeting was hyrbid as opposed to in person and several of the companies were not able to attend. Using the hybrid format we were still able to begin planning for a field day that was ultimately successful and begin identifying parameters to use in the grower survey, which was distributed across the US at the end of August. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The whole group was able to gain valuable experience by seeing the autononous weeders in person. The PD received some training in qualtrics survey development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The survey was submitted to horticultural extensionagents and cole crop and leafy greens growers througout the US on August 25th. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will report the results of the survey and begin writing a full USDA-SCRI proposal for 2023. Several of the scientists will also be attending the FIRA AG Robotics and TEchnology forum to revisit with members of the agricultural robotics community.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We were able to meet virtually with members of the robotics industry as well as experts in autononous weed control from Europe in January of 2022. In June of that year we met as a team in Salinas California for a roboics field day. At the field day reps from a dozen companies were able to test their robotic weeder on a raised lettuce bed. We were able to inspect the weeders and talk to the engineers from each company. Many of the company reps expressed an interest in conducting field days in the midwest and eastern regions of the country. After the field day we met in person and then virtually to develop a survey to send to growers to gauge their interest in robotic weed control as well as demographics relating to farm size, economics and geography.
Publications
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