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Onion grower tells committee AI sprayers cut pesticide use by up to 91 percent
Summary
Brian King of Fagerberg Farms told lawmakers that plant‑by‑plant AI sprayers and laser weeders sharply reduced pesticide use on his 3,000‑acre operation and can yield rapid payback for specialty producers — but high costs limit adoption for commodity crops.
Brian King, farm manager at Fagerberg Farms in Eaton, told the Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee that precision AI sprayers and laser weeders have materially reduced pesticide use on his operation.
King described using an EcoRobotics Aura sprayer that uses cameras and AI to detect plants and weeds and to individually operate 156 nozzles across a 20‑foot swath. "The first pass across our crop this year resulted in 53% less pesticide use. Our second pass resulted in 91%…
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