John Deere unveiled new sensor and robotic technology during CES 2023 that connects to the cloud to limit farmers' use of starter fertilizer and its associated greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) as enterprises across industries use cloud computing and data analytics to prioritize environmental sustainability.

The new Exact Shot technology is compatible with Deere's autonomous, cloud connected agricultural vehicles, which the self-proclaimed tech company plans to connect and automate by 2026 using a novel satellite connectivity solution.

When farmers plant seeds, they tend to apply starter fertilizer to jumpstart the growing process. "Today, based on technology available to them, they spray the fertilizer continuously down each row of seeds, even though only the seed needs the jolt," Deanna Kovar, John Deere VP of production and precision for the company's ag production systems, said during a keynote. "This is going to change."

The agricultural giant's new fertilizer system lets farmers "apply starter fertilizer precisely at scale with speeds up to 10 miles per hour and only where the seeds are planted," she explained. During planting, sensors register when each individual seed goes into the ground, and the robotics spray the exact amount of fertilizer needed – about two-tenths of a milliliter – directly onto the seed as it's planted. This results in a 60% reduction in starter fertilizer use without compromising on speed, Kovar said.

To that point, Deere's new fertilizer technology offers farmers significant cost savings and environmental impact reduction. "In the process of growing corn today, fertilizer accounts for a large portion of total greenhouse gas emissions. That means Exact Shot can have an immediate, measurable impact on our environment today," Kovar explained.

Traditional fertilizer methods result in excess product sprayed on the fields, which then runs off into waterways or is broken down by soil microbes to release potent nitrous oxide. Although this GHG is one of the less common in the atmosphere, its ability to raise global temperature is 300-times stronger than the more prevalent GHG carbon dioxide.

"This is the real purpose of our technology: to help farmers grow more with less through precision and data-driven decisions while ensuring the land is cared for the next year and the next generation," Kovar said.