Farm Bill debates this year have been riddled with pesticide fights. While the House was passing its farm bill, the Supreme Court was gearing up for a major case that could change how pesticide companies are held liable for their labeling. At the heart of these debates is one chemical in particular: glyphosate.
The MAHA movement, known for its stance on alternative health, regenerative agriculture, and fighting against modern pharmaceuticals and chemicals, has singled out glyphosate in particular. To the movement’s surprise, the President recently signed an executive order expanding access to glyphosate-based herbicides, citing national security concerns and stating that “there is no direct one-for-one chemical alternative to glyphosate-based herbicides.”
While chemically this may be accurate, what if there was an alternative that didn’t rely on chemicals at all?
Carbon Robotics is leading the way with a solution dubbed “LaserWeeder.” This AI-driven tractor attachment identifies weeds in real time and eliminates them with lasers rather than herbicides. The approach has drawn praise from HHS Secretary RFK Jr., who described it as “the light at the end of the tunnel” in the ongoing herbicide battles.
Founded in 2018, the company has rapidly grown into a global operation, generating $100 million in annual revenue and serving customers in 15 countries. The company claims to reduce farmers’ weed-control costs by up to 80 percent, including by reducing the need for manual labor and safeguarding against labor shortages. They estimate a 1 to 3-year payback period for a machine that lasts 7 to 10 years. For the past three years, Carbon Robotics has made it on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list, signaling serious momentum.
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Innovations like these reflect a broader shift in both consumer attitude and agricultural progress.
A growing number of Americans want food and agriculture systems to revert to what they were before we were increasingly reliant on technology and modern agricultural science. From an environmental standpoint, a greater focus on regenerative agriculture, building soil health, and reducing unnecessary chemical use can absolutely be beneficial. And, we’ve already begun reducing our unnecessary input use through tools like precision agriculture.
But returning to more traditional agriculture cannot mean a dramatic decline in productivity.
Modern farmers still need ways to protect crops from weeds, pests, and disease at scale. If eliminating effective tools leads to lower yields, higher food prices, or significantly greater food loss during the growing season, the environmental benefits become harder to justify.
A recent study published in Pest Management Science provides evidence that laser-based weed-control systems, such as “LaserWeeder,” can actually rival chemical-based herbicides, at least for the few vegetables studied. The study showed significant reductions in weed cover, density, and biomass with minimal crop damage. Crops treated with the laser weeder even saw increased biomass compared to untreated controls, suggesting increased growth is an added co-benefit. While the effectiveness of these systems on major commodity crops such as corn, wheat, or soy still requires further research, the initial results for vegetables are promising.
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Carbon Robotics is already working to close that gap with their recently launched Large Plant Model, an AI system trained on 150 million labeled plants that allows the LaserWeeder to recognize new crop species from a single image and adapt to new fields in minutes. The company also sells a “LaserWeeder” model designed for organic corn, grain, and soybean farms.
The herbicide debate will likely remain, and tools like this aren’t a signal that chemicals are out the door. But innovations like this show that higher yields and fewer chemical inputs do not always have to be at odds
