John Deere launches precision planting tech at CES 2023

ExactShot claimed to reduce the amount of starter fertiliser needed during planting by more than 60 per cent

John Deere has unveiled a series of innovations at leading tech event CES 2023, including its latest planting innovation, ExactShot, to help farmers plant more efficiently and effectively.

The technology uses sensors and robotics to place starter fertiliser precisely onto seeds as they are planted in the soil, rather than applying a continuous flow of fertiliser to the entire row of seeds.

By only spraying the exact amount of fertiliser the seeds need to grow, which is approximately 0.2ml each time, John Deere claims the technology can reduce the amount of fertiliser needed during planting by more than 60 per cent, helping farmers reduce costs.

Across the US corn crop, ExactShot could save over 93 million gallons of starter fertiliser annually, John Deere estimates, and prevent wasted fertiliser from encouraging weed growth or running off the field into a waterway.

In addition to ExactShot, John Deere also released a new electric excavator, powered by a Kreisel battery, at CES 2023, which ran from January 5 to 8 in Las Vegas.