Taking Technology to the Next Level for Growers: Q&A with John Deere’s Greg Christensen

John Deere is an instantly recognized name and company synonymous with high-performing production equipment. The company was founded in Illinois in 1837 by blacksmith John Deere, who developed the first self-cleaning steel plow.

Although much of its storied history has revolved around agriculture, the company has successfully segued into other business sectors including lawncare, construction, and forestry.

We’re talking to Greg Christensen, Go-to-Market manager for High-Value Crops, about John Deere’s newest innovations under the Sense & Act technology umbrella, including Smart Apply and GUSS, as well as other applications that use cameras, edge computing, and machine learning to bring customized, real-time precision solutions to growers.

Tell us about Smart Apply and how it works.

Smart Apply is a precision spray technology that uses lidar (light detection and ranging) and independent spray nozzles developed from over a decade of research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and various universities.

In 2018, Smart Apply, Inc. was selected by the USDA as the sole company to commercialize this technology. John Deere partnered with Smart Apply in 2020 and fully acquired the company in 2023.

This system can be added to nearly any air-blast sprayer, enabling machine automation and precision application without the need for a new sprayer. Smart Apply has demonstrated average applied product savings of up to 50 percent, helping growers optimize inputs and achieve a quick return on investment.

What is GUSS, and how does it work with Smart Apply?

The origin of GUSS (Global Unmanned Spray System) autonomous sprayers was borne out of necessity when founder Dave Crinklaw had grown his small commercial application business to a point where it was a challenge to find workers to operate the sprayers.

He sat down on the shop floor and sketched out what an ideal autonomous blast sprayer could look like, based on his 40 years of application experience, and set out to bring that drawing to life.

Today, GUSS is now manufacturing multiple variants of its sprayers with over 450,000 hours of runtime, having autonomously sprayed over 2,000,000 acres globally. 

One operator can now remotely manage and monitor up to eight GUSS sprayers at once from a laptop as the autonomous sprayers maneuver themselves through an orchard or vineyard rows. This helps growers and commercial applicators optimize their workforce and focus existing labor on more valuable tasks.

John Deere formed a joint venture with Kingsburg, CA-based GUSS Automation, LLC in 2022. With both Smart Apply intelligent spray systems and GUSS automated sprayers being sold through select John Deere dealers, we’ve been able to combine the technologies into one solution.

What are Smart Apply’s top attributes and how do they help growers?

Smart Apply offers three main benefits to growers. First is applied product and water savings. As the sprayer moves through an orchard or vineyard, the lidar technology creates a digital profile of individual trees and vines.

It can then adjust the spray volume based on the size and density of foliage, optimizing protection while avoiding over-spraying. The system can sense gaps between trees and vines and will shut off the spray nozzles without human intervention.

Growers simply need to turn Smart Apply on and drive through the rows, or have the sprayer drive itself when installed on a GUSS.

Second is labor and time optimization. By reducing the amount of applied product by up to 50 percent on average, operators can extend their tank mixes, resulting in fewer refills and allowing them to cover more acres in less time.

The savings in chemical costs alone can pay for the system; when combined with the labor and time savings, it significantly enhances the return on investment. Additionally, the Smart Apply system is user-friendly and operates similarly to a smartphone app, eliminating the need for specialized training.

Third is job and data documentation. Beyond precision spraying, Smart Apply captures a wide range of data that can be synced to the John Deere Operations Center for analysis, regulatory reporting, and operational planning.

Growers can access detailed maps showing what was applied, when, where, and in what quantity. This wealth of information helps growers gain a deeper understanding of their orchard or vineyard’s productivity, profitability, health, and sustainability.

Together, these attributes make Smart Apply a powerful tool for growers, enabling them to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance their overall agricultural practices.

Can Smart Apply be tailored to specific fruit or vegetable crops?

Smart Apply is designed to work with air-blast sprayers, which are commonly used in fruit and tree nut orchards, grape vineyards, and various types of berry fields.

While both GUSS and Smart Apply are specifically built for use in orchards and vineyards, other John Deere technologies exist to help growers today, with more in research and development for the future. All are focused on helping growers optimize inputs and labor and streamline management and logistics.

What types of equipment have Smart Apply technology? Can it be added to older farm equipment?

The beauty of Smart Apply’s Intelligent Spray System is it can be added to virtually any blast sprayer, new or used, and most any make or model, making it the ultimate precision technology upgrade growers can add to their existing equipment. 

Is Smart Apply technology dependent on a wireless network?

The Smart Apply system can work and operate independent of a wireless network, or even in areas where rural broadband is limited or unavailable.

What typically occurs in these scenarios is the Smart Apply operators complete their jobs, bring their tablets back to a home or shop with a wireless signal, then upload their recorded spray data to John Deere for analysis and documentation.  

What else would you like our readers to know?

These are just a few ways John Deere technology can help growers. For more information, visit these sites: www.deere.com, www.smartapply.com, and www.gussag.com.   

This article was originally published in the November/December 2024 edition.