Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Autonomous spraying is already working on Australian cropping farms. On this Western Australian farm, a SwarmFarm robot works when spray conditions are right, supports the existing team and helps one operator achieve around 40% more work.
Brad explains why his farming business adopted autonomous machinery, how the robot works alongside a conventional self-propelled sprayer, and where the real productivity gains are coming from.
Rather than replacing people, the system has allowed the farm team to develop new skills while taking repetitive and fatigue-sensitive spraying work away from the operator. The robot can monitor weather conditions, stop when spraying parameters move outside acceptable limits, resume when conditions improve and navigate around obstacles while working within designated operating boundaries.
We also look at the practical business case: machinery capacity, labour efficiency, safety, maintenance, spraying windows and where autonomous machinery still has limitations compared with a larger self-propelled sprayer.
The spraying setup also uses technology capable of green-on-green and green-on-brown weed detection, allowing weeds to be targeted rather than automatically treating the entire paddock.
For farmers researching autonomous farm robots, robotic spraying, autonomous tractors, precision agriculture, farm automation or precision weed control, this is a real-world look at how the technology works on an Australian cropping property—what it does well, why it matters, what farmers can learn from it and where conventional machinery still has an important role.
Watch next on Farm Learning:
• Precision spraying and weed-detection technology on farms
• Cropping systems and practical farm technology
• Farm machinery, tools and real-world equipment reviews
Subscribe to Farm Learning with Tim Thompson for practical agricultural education from farms, paddocks and rural businesses.
If you are already using automation, precision spraying or autonomous machinery, let me know what is working—and what still needs improvement.
Share this with a farmer, contractor or agricultural operator considering where automation might fit into their business.
VIDEO DETAILS
Location: Western Australia
Farmer/property owner: Brad
Guest: Jemma from SwarmFarm Robotics
System: Autonomous farm robot configured for spraying
Key topics: autonomous spraying, agricultural robotics, farm automation, precision agriculture, labour efficiency, spray timing, obstacle avoidance and machinery capacity
This video was made possible by RegenWA through funding from the Western Australian State Government's NRM program. regenwa.com/projects/make-your-hectare-count-empowering-peri-urban-landholders-to-practice-regeneration
#AutonomousFarming #PrecisionAgriculture #FarmRobotics #AustralianAgriculture #FarmLearning
00:00 Farm Robots Are Already Here
01:29 Why This Farm Adopted Autonomous Machinery
02:09 Robots Without Replacing Farm Workers
02:38 Are Farm Robots Going Mainstream?
03:18 Australian-Built Farm Robotics
03:34 How Obstacle Avoidance Works
04:18 Weather Sensing and Automatic Spray Windows
05:29 Engine Size and Fuel Efficiency
06:22 Farmer-Repairable Modular Design
07:43 The Autonomous Spraying Setup
08:28 Targeting Weeds Instead of the Whole Paddock
08:51 Solving Night Spraying and Operator Fatigue
09:31 Robot vs Self-Propelled Sprayer
10:09 One Operator, 40% More Work
10:42 Where the Robot Still Has Limits
11:10 Costs and the Business Case
12:28 Starting the Robot From a Phone
13:01 Productivity, Boundaries and Safety
13:29 The Kangaroo Problem
14:03 What Farmers Can Take From This
14:24 RegenWA and NRM Program Support
Autonomous spraying is already working on Australian cropping farms. On this Western Australian farm, a SwarmFarm robot works when spray conditions are right, supports the existing team and helps one operator achieve around 40% more work.
Brad explains why his farming business adopted autonomous machinery, how the robot works alongside a conventional self-propelled sprayer, and where the real productivity gains are coming from.
Rather than replacing people, the system has allowed the farm team to develop new skills while taking repetitive and fatigue-sensitive spraying work away from the operator. The robot can monitor weather conditions, stop when spraying parameters move outside acceptable limits, resume when conditions improve and navigate around obstacles while working within designated operating boundaries.
We also look at the practical business case: machinery capacity, labour efficiency, safety, maintenance, spraying windows and where autonomous machinery still has limitations compared with a larger self-propelled sprayer.
The spraying setup also uses technology capable of green-on-green and green-on-brown weed detection, allowing weeds to be targeted rather than automatically treating the entire paddock.
For farmers researching autonomous farm robots, robotic spraying, autonomous tractors, precision agriculture, farm automation or precision weed control, this is a real-world look at how the technology works on an Australian cropping property—what it does well, why it matters, what farmers can learn from it and where conventional machinery still has an important role.
Watch next on Farm Learning:
• Precision spraying and weed-detection technology on farms
• Cropping systems and practical farm technology
• Farm machinery, tools and real-world equipment reviews
Subscribe to Farm Learning with Tim Thompson for practical agricultural education from farms, paddocks and rural businesses.
If you are already using automation, precision spraying or autonomous machinery, let me know what is working—and what still needs improvement.
Share this with a farmer, contractor or agricultural operator considering where automation might fit into their business.
VIDEO DETAILS
Location: Western Australia
Farmer/property owner: Brad
Guest: Jemma from SwarmFarm Robotics
System: Autonomous farm robot configured for spraying
Key topics: autonomous spraying, agricultural robotics, farm automation, precision agriculture, labour efficiency, spray timing, obstacle avoidance and machinery capacity
This video was made possible by RegenWA through funding from the Western Australian State Government's NRM program. regenwa.com/projects/make-your-hectare-count-empowering-peri-urban-landholders-to-practice-regeneration
#AutonomousFarming #PrecisionAgriculture #FarmRobotics #AustralianAgriculture #FarmLearning
00:00 Farm Robots Are Already Here
01:29 Why This Farm Adopted Autonomous Machinery
02:09 Robots Without Replacing Farm Workers
02:38 Are Farm Robots Going Mainstream?
03:18 Australian-Built Farm Robotics
03:34 How Obstacle Avoidance Works
04:18 Weather Sensing and Automatic Spray Windows
05:29 Engine Size and Fuel Efficiency
06:22 Farmer-Repairable Modular Design
07:43 The Autonomous Spraying Setup
08:28 Targeting Weeds Instead of the Whole Paddock
08:51 Solving Night Spraying and Operator Fatigue
09:31 Robot vs Self-Propelled Sprayer
10:09 One Operator, 40% More Work
10:42 Where the Robot Still Has Limits
11:10 Costs and the Business Case
12:28 Starting the Robot From a Phone
13:01 Productivity, Boundaries and Safety
13:29 The Kangaroo Problem
14:03 What Farmers Can Take From This
14:24 RegenWA and NRM Program Support
