Share Your Views: Grower Survey on Precision and Emerging Weed Control Technologies

August 25, 2026

Share Your Views: Grower Survey on Precision and Emerging Weed Control Technologies

By Ankit Yadav - Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Amit Jhala - Professor and Associate Department Head, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

Cornfield with tall, green stalks and scattered sunflowers under a bright blue sky.

From precision sprayers to laser and electric weed control, new technologies are changing the weed management toolbox — and UNL researchers want growers’ input on where research should go next

Shutterstock

Weeds remain one of the costliest challenges in crop production, and the tools growers use to manage them are changing fast. New precision and non-chemical technologies, including camera-guided “see-and-spray” sprayers, laser weeders, electric weeders and autonomous machines are entering the market alongside the herbicides growers rely on today.

Weed scientists want to hear directly from producers and industry. We invite growers, crop consultants and other agricultural professionals to complete a short, anonymous survey about your weed management practices, your views on emerging weed control technologies and the research priorities you would like to see addressed.

How Survey Responses Will Be Used

Your input will help guide future weed science research and Extension programming, helping ensure our work reflects the real needs, concerns and priorities of the people managing weeds in the field. Survey results will also be shared with the agricultural community and published so the broader industry can benefit.

The survey will ask about your: 

  • most difficult-to-control and suspected herbicide-resistant weeds.
  • awareness of and interest in targeted spraying technologies (e.g., See & Spray®, Greeneye®).
  • perspectives on non-chemical tools, such as lasers and electrical weeding.
  • views on herbicides, costs and resistance management.
  • research and extension priorities you want UNL to focus on.

Who Can Participate

The survey is open to anyone 19 years of age or older who is involved in farm operations, crop scouting or agribusiness decision-making. 

It takes about 10–12 minutes to complete and is completely voluntary and anonymous. No names or identifying information are collected, and you may skip any question or stop at any time.

Take the Survey

Complete the survey online through a secure link, or scan the QR code to open the survey on your phone or tablet:

Black-and-white QR code on a white background.

Questions

For questions about the survey, contact Amit Jhala, Nebraska Extension weed management specialist. 

Thank you for helping shape the future of weed management research and extension.

This study has been reviewed by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Institutional Review Board (IRB: 20260725919EX; 402-472-6965; irb@unl.edu).

Explore our full collection of CropWatch articles.

Explore Articles