Stout’s smart weeder: 8,000 hours in 5 years, a robust and efficient weeding solution
Stout Industries, a specialist in automated weed control, has rapidly gained recognition for its Smart Cultivator, with more than 50 machines deployed worldwide. CNH’s recent investment has enabled Stout to extend its reach via the Group’s global network, notably in Australia and Europe. Today, we return to Tanimura & Antle, the farm where this machine was invented, designed and tested, to understand how it has evolved to become an essential tool in precision agriculture.
Farmers forced to find a solution for weed control
Tanimura & Antle (T&A) has played a key role in the development of the Smart Cultivator since 2018. For over 5 years, Erick has witnessed the machine’s evolution firsthand. In this time, he has reduced his workforce from 6 crews of 20-30 people to just 2, as labour availability continues to shrink. His aging workforce is not replaced, with younger generations showing little interest in fieldwork. Organic farming, which requires even more labour, leaves farmers with no choice but to adopt smarter weed control solutions. T&A, which holds shares in Stout, has been involved in the project for 5 years now, and some operators have been with the machine since its inception. Over this time, the Smart Cultivator has made tremendous progress.
Organising the weeding operation
Tanimura & Antle currently operates 8 Smart Cultivator machines, some of which are used for in-house weeding, while others provide weeding services to their growing partners. The highest demand for their Smart weeder’s operation is on the organic market, they manage about 15 acres of organic crops per week. The biggest challenge is handling the peak weeding periods across their four locations—Salinas, Yuma, Huron, and Oxnard. Their focus is mainly on leafy greens rather than brassicas, because it is in these configurations, with 8 or 6 rows per bed, that the machine has no equal in terms of efficiency. With just 1 pass per crop, the machine can eliminate 90-95% of weeds, leaving the soil and roots to dry out for a few days to prevent regrowth. To tackle any remaining weeds, hand crews are occasionally sent in to finish the job.
To streamline operations, Erick and his team have dedicated specific machines to certain bed configurations, making setup easier at the start of each field.
Priority to fleet work
Daily, Erick prefers to operate the Smart Cultivator in fleets of 2 machines. With fields typically around 8-10 acres, the goal is to complete them as quickly as possible. Setting up the machines can take 30 minutes to an hour each day, with the biggest challenge being adjusting and maintaining the right depth to match the terrain. Often, one operator helps the other with setup, and they switch roles as needed. When working solo, the rear camera proves invaluable, providing real-time feedback on adjustments and control.
Operators work a maximum of 8-9 hours a day, averaging 1 acre per hour, or about 8 acres per day (3.2 ha/day). Each machine has its own custom weeder, washing station, and fuel supply, with one trailer per Smart Cultivator to handle logistics efficiently.
Maximising machine efficiency quickly
T&A charges around $200 per acre for weeding services to its partner farmers. The goal of this weeding as a service model is not to make a profit, but to provide access to cutting-edge innovations, helping partners better manage their weeding costs. The Smart Cultivator saves between $500 and $1,200 per acre, with an efficiency rate of 90-95% over approximately 1,500 acres annually, depending on the season. This translates into savings ranging from $450,000 to $1.5 million per year.
For Erick, each machine used for weeding as a service across 1,500 acres generates around $300,000 in gross revenue. These impressive figures can vary greatly depending on the season—a dry year, ideal for mechanical weeding, can be highly profitable, while wetter years, where accessing fields is more challenging, complicate operations. In both cases, it is important to note that net profits decrease during downtime, and additional costs, such as maintenance and logistics, must also be considered.
When we ask Erick if he was thinking about investing in a 3-bed machine, he told us that even with a higher productivity rate, this machine would not be cost efficient for them, since they are way more expensive, cause more soil compaction, and complicate logistics. It’s also crucial to match the weeding operation closely with the planting process for maximum precision. Not all farmers plant or seed in three-bed configurations, so aligning one bed for seeding and one for weeding avoids misalignment issues.
Support and improvements
The Smart Cultivator has proven reliable, with some machines accumulating over 8,000 hours of use. Maintenance and support are fully managed by Stout, including remote assistance for software updates, and there is no subscription required for these services. However, when it comes to hardware repairs, the farmer is responsible for the costs. For example, blades need to be replaced approximately every three months, and other components, acting as safety fuses in the actuators, may also require replacement.
The machine’s True Vision AI system, which handles plant and weed detection, is constantly evolving. While it already performs well, there is still room for improvement, particularly in the precision of plant and weed recognition. Additionally, further advancements are being explored in terms of extracting valuable field data, which could offer farmers deeper insights into soil conditions, crop health, yields or productivity.
Although the machine is robust, it remains more delicate than traditional tillage equipment, requiring careful handling and regular maintenance to ensure longevity. Nonetheless, training new operators is relatively straightforward. The machine takes a few meters to realign, with each component working independently. Operators can adjust the machine to be more aggressive on weeds, improving weeding efficiency, though this increases risk. In case the machine needs more time to react, a safety feature.
What’s Next?
T&A plans to continue expanding its fleet of Smart Cultivators until it fully meets the farm’s weeding needs across all regions. A key challenge is transferring knowledge and expertise from one region to another while continuously improving operational efficiency. The team is focused on refining dashboards, enhancing weed control, and optimizing workflows to handle peak seasons more effectively.
Data collection and analysis will play a critical role in this evolution. The system already tracks important metrics such as the number of acres weeded, plant density per acre, weed types, and their geolocation. In addition, GPS data, remote monitoring, and error reporting are being fine-tuned to further enhance machine performance and decision-making on the farm.
