John Deere Looks for Leaps in Automation and Digitalization
John Deere hosted an analyst day on Thursday called “Leaps Unlocked,” where costs and shortages in labor and inputs echoed throughout both farmer and employee testimony.
The company’s plans to mitigate these costs and shortages come in the form of digitalization and autonomy, according to Julian Sanchez, Deere's director of emerging technology.
“The more technology we can develop to allow farmers to get productivity out of their land without having to spend so much money on fertilizer and inputs, the better off everybody is,” he said.
Digitalization growth
Doug Sauder, John Deere director of product management, says his team has been working on enhancing digitalization through connectivity in real time.
According to Sauder, John Deere previously used machine data to predict alerts and reduce machine downtime. Now, he says his team is shifting its focus to use analytics from the 300,000 machines connected in the operations center to provide agronomic data to the user.
Clint Reese, Kansas row crop farmer, says his 18,000-acre operation faces many variables that are mitigated with precision technology and agronomic data — issues he wouldn’t have been able to overcome even just a few years ago.
Jahmy Hindman, chief technology officer, says this collected data will lead the company to a $150 billion opportunity in the technology market.
Automation opportunities
Artificial intelligence and autonomy are high priorities on Deere’s list, according to Jorge Heraud, vice president of automation and autonomy.
With 36 cameras on each Sense and Spray, and 12 cameras on every autonomous tractor, Heraud says autonomy options will put Deere on track to sell 1 million cameras through equipment sales each year.
The long-awaited autonomous features will be released in the 8R tractor, set to hit sales floors in Fall 2022. The tractor will offer a solution to labor shortcomings through algorithm-enabled technology, according to Sauder.
The $500,000 piece of machinery will not feature autonomy straight from purchase — buyers seeking autonomy will have to purchase the feature separately. Deere says they’ve chosen the separate purchase route in all autonomous equipment to maintain their software-as-a-service model.
Deanna Kovar, vice president of production and precision ag production systems, says technology is critical, but the “hot iron” is rooted in how technology is used.
“There is a lot of investment moving into ag tech, but ultimately solutions need to be paired with equipment that execute in the field,” she says.
More on autonomy:
> John Deere Teases Autonomy Launches
> Leading Ag Retailers Walk Before They Run With Autonomy
> Autonomy in Action: These Machines Bring Imagination to Life
