When Farming Becomes Smarter (Not Harder) with Geco

Farming has always been a balancing act: pushing for better yields, managing costs, and protecting the land that keeps everything going. 

For generations, farmers have always managed weeds through a mix of experience, intuition, long days in the field, and a deep feel for their soil and seasons.

That knowledge is still the foundation of good weed control, but today, the job is getting tougher. The weather is less predictable. Herbicide costs are rising. Herbicide resistance is growing. And at the same time, there’s more pressure than ever to farm sustainably.

That’s where Geco comes in. They give farmers better information so they can predict weed growth before it happens. 

 
The Problem: Uniform Spraying in a Non-Uniform World

Ask almost any grain farmer and they’ll tell you: herbicides are a big line item.

But here’s the thing, much of that spraying happens without truly knowing where it’s needed the most.

Weeds rarely show up evenly across a field. Most farms deal with patches that return in roughly the same spots year after year. Yet, the current norm is to spray the entire field the same way (wall to wall), because missing a patch can create bigger problems later.

So farmers end up spraying “just in case”, treating everything the same.  That approach is safe though, but not always efficient:

• Some areas get treated when weeds aren’t really there yet
• Other areas might already be building herbicide resistance
• And the amount of chemical going into soils and groundwater keeps rising
  
  From the farmer’s point of view, it’s not about never spraying… It’s about using herbicides smarter: at the right time, in the right place, and in just the right amount.

Resource: Geco

Here’s the simple version of how it works:

• Look back – Geco pulls in several years of satellite imagery and crop data for a farm
• Learn the patterns – Their models identify consistent “hot spots” where weeds tend to show up and how they spread over time
• Predict ahead – A preseason map highlights where weeds are most likely to show up and where they won’t.
• Plug into existing tools – Farmers receive that map as a prescription file that works with equipment they already use. No new hardware. No cameras. No drones. 
  
  Just insights that save time, money, and product.

What Farmers Can Do With This Information

With a predictive weed map in hand, farmers can make more intentional decisions across the field. That might mean targeting residual products only in the areas where weeds are expected to break through, instead of applying them everywhere.

It can also mean increasing seeding rates in high-pressure zones to help the crop establish early and outcompete weeds.

Because Geco tracks recurring patches over multiple seasons, farmers can also take a more coordinated, multi-year approach: combining seeding, residuals, and targeted follow-up passes so those persistent zones steadily decline rather than cycle back.

In short, it’s a bit like having a weather forecast… but for weeds, and planning the season with far more clarity.

From a Handful of Fields to 100,000 Acres

Geco’s progress has been fast, especially for an agtech company working in such a complex, seasonal industry.

Back in 2023, they were running pilots on just a handful of fields in Alberta. Fast forward to today, and the picture looks very different:

• Geco has now analyzed 360+ fields, supporting weed management decisions on roughly 100,000 acres of farmland in Western Canada.
• Farmers are applying the tool across a wide mix of rotations, soil types, and herbicide programs, and the early results have been consistently promising.
  
  Geco is also strengthening their place in the industry. They recently partnered with Gowan Canada to bring predictive weed mapping into multi-season weed management programs: combining digital insight with practical, product-backed recommendations farmers can actually use. 

Reference: https://ca.gowanco.com/news/gowan-and-geco-partner-bring-strategic-weed-management-canadian-growers)

And the momentum doesn’t stop here. Beyond Canada, Geco is running pilot work in Australia, the United States, South America, and Europe, helping tailor the model to different crops, geographies, and weed pressures around the world.

For us, this combination of real farm adoption, international pilots, and meaningful partnerships reinforces something important: Geco isn’t a research concept, it’s a practical, farmer-ready tool that’s already making an impact.

The Team Behind the Tech

Geco is led by founder and CEO Greg Stewart, who brings nearly 25 years of experience building digital and data products across industries including pulp and paper, diesel engine control, oil and gas refining, and manufacturing. Over time, it became clear to him that agriculture was still early in its digital journey compared to other industries.

Greg saw an opportunity to take proven digital tools and apply them to a sector where even small improvements can create meaningful value across millions of acres.

And just as importantly, he understood that farmers don’t have time to become data scientists or deal with complicated technology, which is why Geco is intentionally software-only, easy to adopt, and designed to fit seamlessly into existing workflows.

Supporting Greg is a small, focused team based in British Columbia. The technical work is led by Senior Data Scientist Devin Kirk, who specializes in modeling biological systems and understanding how patterns emerge and spread over time. The team also collaborates closely with weed scientists and agronomy experts to ensure the models reflect real field conditions.

Together, they’re building something farmers can trust: technology that respects their time, fits the realities of their day-to-day work, and helps them make better decisions season after season.

Why We Invested

At Cindicates, we look for companies that bring together:

• real, grounded value for the people they serve

• meaningful traction and the potential to grow

• and a positive long-term impact on communities, industries, and the planet
  

  Geco brings all of that… and more.

  What stood out to us wasn’t just the technology, but how practical and farmer-first it is. It fits the way growers actually work, and it solves a problem they feel every season. 

At its core, Geco helps farmers make smarter decisions, save money where they can, and protect yield where it matters most. It’s simple, thoughtful, and built with real respect for the people who work the land.

This is exactly the kind of grounded innovation we love to support: created locally, shaped by real farmer needs, and ready to scale far beyond our region.

Looking Ahead

Farming will always rely on the experience and judgment of the people who work the land. But as climate pressures rise and margins get tighter, “farming the way we’ve always done it” just isn’t enough anymore. Information becomes just as important as intuition… especially when every pass, every input, and every acre matters.

Tools like Geco help bridge that future. By giving farmers a clearer picture of where challenges are likely to appear, they can operate with more confidence, more precision, and more control over one of the most persistent pressures in crop production.

We’re proud to support a company that’s helping farms make smarter decisions, not harder ones, and we’re excited to see where they go next, from Prairie fields to farms around the world.

If you’d like to learn more about how we invest in B.C.-grown innovation with global impact, visit cindicates.com. We’d love to connect.