Kresten Bjerre lives in South Funen, Denmark, where arable crops stretch across the region's rolling agricultural landscape. Kresten manages 650 hectares of farmland, including a portion dedicated to spinach production. However, growing spinach has become increasingly difficult in recent years due to tighter regulations on crop protection products. As a result, Kresten has reduced his spinach area from 110 hectares to 80.

 

One of the biggest challenges is weed control. Because spinach grows slowly during its early stages, young plants are more vulnerable to aggressive weeds that can quickly overtake the field, requiring early intervention. In the past, Kresten used the herbicide Asulox, which provided effective long-term weed control. However, regulatory restrictions removed this herbicide as an option.

 

"Since then, managing the weeds has become a real challenge," says Kresten.

 

Circumstances like Kresten's are a major reason why equipment dealer Ag Precision offers Ecorobotix's ARA™ Ultra High Precision Sprayer to Danish farmers. For Ag Precision, ARA is a solution that can help farmers adapt to changing regulatory requirements.

 

"The ARA represents the kind of innovation that Danish agriculture has been waiting for. Instead of treating an entire field the same way, it enables farmers to apply crop protection only where it is actually needed. This not only reduces input costs but also supports more sustainable farming practices without compromising productivity," says Ag Precision.

 

With the help of Ag Precision, Kresten implemented ARA into his own operation. This provides him with an effective weeding solution that fits into his existing farming practices.

 

"We can manage that [weeds] now that we have the ARA sprayer here. It's actually going really well," he adds.

 

Kresten uses ARA alongside his 36-meter boom sprayer. The conventional sprayer applies the first herbicide treatment. After that, ARA keeps the fields clean with just two highly precise passes, one using Betanal and the other using Roundup.

 

One of ARA's greatest advantages is its ability to spray weeds located close to the spinach crop without touching the plant itself. This allows Kresten to use a non-selective herbicide, such as Roundup, in ways that would not be possible with a traditional broadcast sprayer. This results not only in highly effective weed control, but also in a significant reduction in crop protection product use.

 

When operating in clean fields with a strong crop rotation, Kresten estimates that his first pass with ARA only requires about 30% of the herbicide volume typically used. The second application may require as little as 15%.

Even in fields with higher weed pressure, where product savings may not be as dramatic, Kresten still sees benefits. Since using ARA, he has been able to eliminate mechanical weeding in his spinach fields. This means less time dedicated to field activities and the ability to roll the soil earlier. This adjustment ensures stones are pressed below the soil before the crop grows, minimizing the number of stones that end up beneath the crop at harvest.

 

"When we do mechanical weeding, the stones end up right under the plants, and that doesn't sound very good in the combine harvester," he explains.

 

ARA has delivered immediate value in Kresten's fields, but most importantly, it has given him the confidence to continue growing high-value crops despite increasing production challenges.

 

"We can go ahead and grow more hectares of high-value crops because we can still manage the weeds," says Kresten.

 

For Ag Precision, helping growers like Kresten maintain and even expand their operations despite rising agricultural challenges is exactly why the dealership offers technologies like ARA. As growers face increasing pressure to reduce crop protection products while maintaining profitability, Ag Precision believes ARA offers a practical path forward for Danish farmers.

 

Additional information about the ARA™ UHP Sprayer can be found at www.ecorobotix.com