STEVE manages four hundred hectares of cabbages, lettuce, celery, kale and wombok across eight sites in Queensland's Lockyer Valley, a region known as Australia's “Salad Bowl” for its reputation as one of the country's premier vegetable-growing areas. However, the valley has long been associated with time-consuming and costly weed control challenges.

“Weed pressure is a big issue for us, and we have been looking at various options for several years. We settled on this machine [ARA] due to its ability to cover the ground fast and efficiently,” Steve says.

Using advanced camera systems and AI to identify crops and weeds individually, the ARA applies product only where it is needed, helping growers reduce crop protection product use and improve efficiency.

Since introducing the ARA, Steve has seen cleaner paddocks, healthier crops, and significant savings in both chemical and labour costs. The machine has become an essential part of his operation, with nearly every planting now treated using the ARA.

“Before we had the ARA, we were mechanically weeding everything, doing a lot of hand weeding and using more pre-emergent herbicides, which can have a stunting effect on crops and reduce yield,” Steve says.

Through the ARA's precision spraying technology, Steve has reduced his reliance on pre-emergent herbicides. Rather than blanket spraying entire fields, the ARA treats only the target weed. This has helped produce more uniform, cleaner crops while minimizing herbicide build-up in the ground, supporting long-term soil health.

Another significant benefit has been finding a weeding solution that avoids damaging the drip tape irrigation running throughout Steve's crops.

“Avoiding the tape while removing weeds is very challenging,” he explains. Focused on maintaining weed-free fields, Steve previously invested heavily in mechanical cultivation and hand weed chipping.

Now, with the ARA, the hours required for weed control have been significantly reduced, saving both time and resources across the farm.