Breaking new ground with drones and robots

A black drone flies slowly over a vegetable field on Nøtterøy. Equipped with a specialist camera, it is on an important mission: to identify where weeds are growing in the field. The GPS coordinates are sent to the spraying tractor, telling it exactly where to activate the crop protection nozzles.

The farm on Nøtterøy is one of three run jointly by the Freberg brothers through a shared operating company: Bernt is based on Nøtterøy, Anstein in Toten and Edvart in Stokke. Together, they manage around 650 hectares of vegetables and grain, while in Toten they also grow apples and cut flowers.

'We have been fortunate to have parents who made farming exciting and always involved us. That inspired all of us to become farmers. Running the farms together also means we can share some of the equipment,' says Bernt.

The brothers are the first in Norway to test the innovative drone solution, working closely with the Norwegian Agricultural Extension Service (NLR). They have also received support from Bionova through a grant for climate- and environmentally friendly technology. This grant helps test and introduce new technology in agriculture, with the aim of making production more profitable and environmentally friendly.

‘We would not have been able to do this without the grants we received. As well as the high cost of purchasing the drone, a great deal of time is needed for training,’ the farmer points out.

Although much of the work is automated, the new tool also requires a high level of agronomic expertise.

'We need to be absolutely certain about the challenges we face in the field, so that we enter the correct information about what we want to eliminate,' Bernt explains. Like his brother Anstein, he holds a master's degree in plant science from Ås.

In recent years, an autonomous spraying robot has covered their fields with the same precision. The drone and the 36-metre-wide crop sprayer will make it possible to do this on a much larger scale. The hope is that applying smaller, more precise amounts will also make it possible to use more effective crop protection products.

'New environmental requirements mean we can no longer use certain products. As a result, we sometimes need a large team to weed by hand. We cannot recover that cost through the sale price, which is a challenge across the agricultural sector. We are seeing turnover increase while profits remain flat or decline,' the farmer points out.

The brothers have also received funding to test an old method in a new way: so-called strip-tillage, or ‘stripe cultivation’ in Norwegian. Their brand-new strip-till machine from France was recently put to work in the fields of Nøtterøy.

'Instead of harrowing the entire field, this method only cultivates narrow strips of soil. The rest of the field is left undisturbed,' Bernt explains.

This can offer several benefits: the soil retains moisture better, while crop residues on the surface can protect against both evaporation and erosion. As water soaks into the soil more effectively and fertiliser is applied more precisely, nutrient run-off is also reduced.

‘The method has long been used in the Midwest because it improves soil health and reduces costs by requiring less fertiliser. More recently, the strong results have also led to its widespread adoption in places such as New Zealand,’ says Bernt.

In Norway, the method has been tested on cereals, but not on vegetables, which Freberg will now begin trialling – initially on cauliflower.

The aim is for the method to help meet new environmental requirements for agriculture around the Oslofjord.

'The County Governor is monitoring the project closely, and if it works as expected, the regulations may eventually be adapted to this method,' says the farmer.

In addition to its positive environmental impact, the method could deliver significant financial benefits, with fertiliser use expected to fall by 30 per cent. This would save the Freberg brothers NOK 1.5 million a year.

'It will be incredibly exciting to see whether the method can work just as well here. The agricultural sector must take responsibility for the green transition, while ensuring that it is economically sustainable,' he says.

He emphasises that support from Innovation Norway is crucial to bringing higher-risk projects to life, such as the drone and the strip-till machine.

- In agriculture, we do not have the liquidity to fund research projects like these ourselves. They involve significant risk, as we do not yet know whether they will work. That is why this support is essential.

In addition to the grant from Bionova, the brothers have previously received IBU funding and low-risk agricultural loans from us.

Having previously supplied only bulk produce, the Freberg brothers have increasingly invested in building their own brand. Their vegetables are sold in packaging designed and printed in Vestfold, using Nordic Swan Ecolabel-certified cardboard that stands out in the freezer aisle. Hvasser asparagus has earned a reputation far beyond Vestfold, and many have developed a taste for the ‘drinkable apples’ from Toten. The Freberg brothers share glimpses of their business and life as farmers on the Frebergs.no Instagram account, which has several thousand followers.

'We’ve had great feedback on being honest and open about both the highs and the lows – with a touch of humour,' they say.

Kari Holm Totland, our customer advisor for Brødrene Freberg, is pleased that we can support farmers like the Freberg brothers.

The farmers work closely with local businesses and are part of MENY's Matskatter initiative. Together with the Geitmyra Food Culture Centre in Tønsberg, they help teach children where vegetables come from and how they form part of a healthy diet. With more than 40 people working on their farms, they are also an important local employer.

'Agriculture also generates significant ripple effects for the wider business community, something many people do not realise,' Bernt points out.