John Deere's See & Spray camera-targeted weed-control technology treated 5 million acres during the 2025 growing season, according to industry reporting.

The figure covers the combined footprint of John Deere's two See & Spray product lines, Select and Ultimate, across U.S. row-crop operations. Hitting the five-million-acre mark in a single calendar year marks a step up from earlier pilot and early-adopter use.

What does the five-million-acre figure signal?

The milestone answers a recurring question from growers and agronomists: can targeted spraying scale? Camera-based weed detection has stood for years as one of the most defensible applications of agricultural artificial intelligence. Five million acres of in-field use shows the hardware, software and dealer-service network can sustain nationwide deployment.

Five million acres equals roughly 3% of the U.S. corn, soybean and cotton acreage base. That share is small in relative terms but large in absolute terms, and it represents a fast climb from earlier adoption levels. It also lands at a moment when growers are dealing with herbicide-resistant weed species, narrowing application windows and rising scrutiny of total chemical load.

How does the technology reduce herbicide?

Forward-facing cameras mounted on the sprayer boom scan the ground ahead of each nozzle section. When the system identifies a weed, it triggers an individual nozzle pulse directly over the target.

Where the camera sees only crop or bare soil, the nozzle stays closed. The result is a blanket-to-spot reduction in spray volume, with the saving per acre tied to weed pressure and weed-species mix.

The volume reduction matters on three fronts. It lowers input cost per acre. It cuts the total active-ingredient load applied to the field. And it reduces tendering trips to refill the tank, freeing up spraying windows during tight application timings.

What drove adoption in 2025?

Three pressures converged during the 2025 season. Herbicide-resistant weeds, particularly Palmer amaranth and waterhemp, continued to spread across the Midwest and South. Spray windows shrank as weather patterns grew more variable. And generic glyphosate prices stayed volatile, lifting grower interest in any practice that promises a measured reduction in volume.

Against that backdrop, a camera-based system that sprays only weeds fits directly into integrated weed-management programmes. It also gives growers a documented, machine-recorded log of where individual nozzles fired, which feeds into sustainability reporting required by some grain buyers.

What about the operational side?

Targeted spraying changes the daily rhythm of a spray operation. With broadcast applications, a typical spray tank covers a set acreage before refill. With targeted spraying, the same tank stretches across a larger footprint because total volume is lower. Operators should plan for different fill cycles and recalibrate tendering logistics.

Data logging is a second operational change. Each See & Spray pass generates a coverage map showing exactly where nozzles fired. That record supports compliance documentation, sustainability audits and end-of-season cost analysis. Operations with multiple sprayers can compare performance across machines and fields.

What should farmers weigh before buying?

Buyers need to check sprayer model compatibility, the local dealer's service coverage and the herbicide programme on their own farm. The cost case improves as weed pressure rises and as the labelled tank mix matches what the system is designed to detect. Growers in low-pressure fields may see a longer payback curve.

Some U.S. conservation programmes subsidise precision-spray retrofits, shortening the payback window for operations looking to upgrade existing self-propelled sprayers. Growers should confirm specific model years and tank-mix compatibility before signing a purchase order.

What's next for See & Spray?

Deere is expected to continue work on additional crop types and improved weed-species recognition ahead of the 2026 application season. Growers should watch for compatibility announcements, dealer-service expansion and any extension of state-level cost-share support. The five-million-acre 2025 baseline now sets the bar against which 2026 adoption will be measured.