Two of FarmDroid’s dedicated customers, Peter Bay Knudsen of Skiftekær Ecological Farm and Karl Henrik Hansen of Skovly Kål, have been featured in The Natural Farmer magazine.
These pioneering Danish organic farmers are leading the way in sustainable agriculture, using FarmDroid’s high precision technology to reduce manual labor, boost efficiency, and promote eco-friendly farming practices. Their stories highlight the transformative role of our autonomous seeding and weeding robot in advancing organic farming towards a more sustainable future.
The article describes how Peter Bay Knudsen leads sustainable farming at Skiftekær using a no-till system and fixed tramlines, with the help of FarmDroid’s RTK GPS system.
Since converting his family farm to organic production over a decade ago, Peter has championed natural pest control, crop rotation, and integrating cattle into his farm to enrich the soil without synthetic chemicals. FarmDroid has been crucial in helping him overcome challenges in organic farming, and his dedication has made him an inspirational community leader and a key figure in Denmark’s shift toward more sustainable farming practices.
“I’ve got a really lush soil with a lot of life. Investing in the FarmDroid FD20 seeding and weeding robot has been a great help. It has reduced manual weeding by 90% and the more I learn to work with it, the better the results. As a bonus, the machine runs 100% on solar energy, so it fits nicely into my organic concept.” –
Peter Bay Knudsen, Skiftekær Økologi
From transplanting to seeding kale
Similarly, at Skovly Kål, Karl Henrik Hansen initially struggled with the labor-intensive kale production. However, turning to FarmDroid for assistance revolutionized their farming operations by cutting labor and fuel costs while improving crop uniformity and weed control.
“With the addition of the FarmDroid, we could switch from transplanting to seeding directly. It has saved us a lot of time! Our result with the FarmDroid is better than when we transplanted the kale. Before FarmDroid, a manual mechanical row cultivator removed weeds and a lot of kale. We had to do it three times a season and spent a lot of time doing it. With our FarmDroid, we just push a couple of times on the buttons and then it starts weeding between the plants. The kale is untouched and sits nicely in the field.”
“You should not just look at the cost of the machine itself. You also must consider fuel economy. The robot is solar-powered, so there is no fuel expense. It saves time – it runs by itself. You get a message on your phone if the FarmDroid stops or there are any problems. Furthermore, it is economic. You only have expenses on weeding wires and wear parts, and they are minimal.”
Karl Henrik Hansen, Skovly Kål
The recognition of our customers’ success stories in The Natural Farmer is a testament to the positive change FarmDroid brings to organic farming. Embracing automation helps farmers improve efficiency, reduce their environmental impact, and thrive in sustainable agriculture. We at FarmDroid remain committed to empowering farmers through robotics toward a greener, more sustainable future. We are proud to be part of their success and look forward to continuing this transformative partnership.
Read the full article on the Natural Farmer website here: https://www.thenaturalfarmer.org/post/farm-efficiency-automatic-seeding-and-weeding