Synchronous operation has two machines – one with an on-board operator and another autonomous – working together doing the same job and following the same field map. With close supervision of the robot, this could be the system that introduces large-scale robots to Prairie fields.

The Canola Council of Canada surveyed 330 agronomy providers from across the Prairies in August 2022. When asked “What canola agronomic risk factors are likely to be the greatest concerns for your farmer customers over the coming five years?”, the top answer was herbicide-resistant weeds.

Hungry hoards of tiny flea beetles are part of the brassica crop landscape. Damage the past few years, particularly for the Eastern Prairies, is beyond normal and has farmers looking at lower action thresholds, later seeding dates and steps to improve the efficacy of insecticide sprays.