An AI-powered software tool being tested at EMILI’s Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert uses predictive mapping to identify where weed zones will occur before they emerge.
When EMILI began working with Geco Strategic Weed Management (Geco) in 2023, it was being tested on three farms in Western Canada. Fast-forward three years, it is now commercially available in North America, and being used on over 160 farms in seven countries.
“EMILI has been there right since the beginning,” said Greg Stewart, Geco founder and CEO.
Map shows number of farms using Geco technology, as of January 2026 (Photo credit: Geco)
Custom prescription map provides insight into emerging weed patches
In the first season on Innovation Farms, EMILI provided Geco with historical crop data on two fields with herbicide-resistant kochia and wild oat. From this data and an array of satellite imagery, Geco created a custom prescription map that could easily be loaded into existing farm equipment.
Through the first season, EMILI scouted these same two fields by foot and drone, confirming Geco’s AI-powered predictions on weed species and density were accurate. At the same time, Geco was gathering satellite data, and modeling it against EMILI’s drone and field scouting data.
“We didn’t know if we could see weeds with a satellite back then,” said Dr. Devin Kirk, Geco Senior Data Scientist. “Some said it couldn’t be done, but when we compared EMILI’s data to our own satellite models, the satellite could reliably pull out the patches.”
This was good news for Geco, allowing them to create an accurate prescription map using easily accessible satellite data instead of relying on a drone or an optical spot sprayer which they didn’t have access to on every field. Analyzing five years of data from more than 100 satellite images provides insight into what has been happening in specific fields, allowing Geco to predict emerging weed patches.
Image demonstrates presciption map over a field (Photo credit: Geco)
Geco’s technology is different from systems like See & Spray which use cameras to identify and spray existing weeds. Instead, it evaluates historical satellite imagery to identify weed patches before they emerge.
“We aren’t looking at what weeds are germinated right now. We are trying to estimate what’s going on with that weed as a population on the field,” Stewart said. “We’re trying to take a step back and look at fields on a multiple year basis at the strategic level in order to help people start to correct the weed seed bank, to diminish it on their farms.”
Increased seeding rate reduces weeds, increases ROI
Over three seasons on Innovation Farms, Geco has experimented with different use cases to better understand how the tool can help farmers and agronomists make crop decisions.
When an agronomist working with Geco began using the software to define zones for variable rate seeding, the team saw an opportunity to evaluate whether this approach could benefit other farms.
To explore this use case, Geco and EMILI evaluated the agronomic and economic impacts of residual herbicides and variable rate seeding by weed zone in a field. In 2025, an increased seeding rate was applied in three 120-foot wide strips across a field on EMILI’s Innovation Farms. The results were impressive.
“Where we bumped up the seeding rate, we ended up with a 7x ROI on the investment in that seed while also suppressing the weeds,” Stewart said.
While agronomists have long observed that higher crop competition can suppress weeds, EMILI was able to provide field data demonstrating how Geco’s weed-zone maps can help target those actions effectively.
“Working with EMILI allows us to quantify, agronomically and economically, the benefits for doing targeted actions,” Stewart said.
EMILI’s 2025 project summary showed that while the cost of seeding at an elevated rate is higher, the increase in yield resulted in a higher net profit. Overall, a 25 per cent increase in seeding rate was associated with a seven per cent increase in yield and a 29 per cent reduction in weeds.
“To get statistically significant results over a larger number of fields, that’s been fantastic for us,” said Stewart. “Working with EMILI allowed us to have somebody walk out there and count the weeds and that’s how we got that 29 per cent reduction number that we would never have gotten otherwise. This is how we start to quantify the benefits.”
Expanding on this experience, EMILI and Geco plan to continue the experiment in 2026 by testing the combined effect of increased seeding rate and residual herbicide application on weed populations.
Stewart says it’s very satisfying to see Geco’s prescription maps help farmers combat problem areas on their farm.
“Most of the time people are using Geco to do something extra to beat down those problem areas,” he said. “It can help them decide where to use a premium herbicide or an elevated seeding rate that you don’t want to do everywhere because it’s expensive.”
The software is compatible with all colours of equipment, and easy to use.
“You just tell us where the field is, what crops were in there over the last five years, and we will provide you with a prescription that drops into your existing equipment tomorrow,” he said.
For Stewart, partnership is key to success.
“Nobody should be relying on one technique,” he said. “More and more people are looking at a coordinated approach where they combine actions. So not only does it mean rotating and choosing your good herbicides with the right mode of action, but other things like variable rate seeding and harvest weed control.”
Being one of over 30 agtech innovators collaborating with EMILI on Innovation Farms over the season provides opportunities for Geco to intersect with complementary technologies, such as Redekop Manufacturing’s Seed Control Unit. Stewart hopes to collaborate with them in the future.
“The promising thing about combining Geco and Redekop is that generally when they run their equipment over the field it may be beneficial to to change the intensity of the action that they’re taking depending on if it is a weedy area, so they’re looking at running a lighter mode in the areas where there’s no weeds, and a heavier mode in the areas where there are weeds.” explained Stewart.
Testing technology at EMILI’s Innovation Farms has been extremely valuable for Geco, allowing the company to scale much faster than initially expected.
“What EMILI does is really important for a Canadian ag company like us, ” he said. “They are flexible and available. They include us in demo days and introductions to people, and provide experimental data that we would not have been able to get otherwise. It has made such a difference to how we developed as a company.”
Visit EMILI’s Innovation Farms to learn more about this project and other activities. EMILI hosts field tours and demonstrations on Innovation Farms throughout the season to showcase new agricultural technology, expand innovation opportunities, and increase understanding and adoption of digital tools.