Electric Vehicles

Meet The Forge: Kelly Hills Unmanned Puts New Spin on Ag Tech Field Testing

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 21:37:17 GMT

Over the weekend, Kelly Hills Unmanned, a company that says it is dedicated to accelerating multimodal technologies in agriculture and autonomy, announced the launch of The Forge.

It’s being described as a deployment-centered program designed to meld best-in-class ag technologies into new tools that farmers, ranchers and service providers can trust and use for decades to come, according to a press release from the group.

The Forge’s inaugural cohort hopes to bring together a “powerhouse group” of innovators and operators from across the ag technology landscape into a coordinated, systems approach to help growers identify and overcome agronomic issues before they become yield robbers.

The cohort members, or pillars, are:

Precision AI: Developers of real-time drone-based precision spraying systems that reduce chemical inputs and deliver hyper-targeted agronomic action.
Pyka: Builders of autonomous electric aircraft designed for aerial applications, logistics and mission-critical crop operations.
ScanIt Technologies: Experts in using early detection of airborne pathogens to maximize yields and minimize costs.
Heinen Brothers Agra Services: One of the nation’s largest aerial applicators and ag services companies, offering deployment scale and deep field expertise.
Yamaha Precision Agriculture: Pioneers of robotic and aerial technology for small scale, high-efficiency farming.
Drop Flight: Providers of droplet characterization and aircraft calibration tools to optimize spray accuracy and compliance in real-world operations.
Taranis: Global leaders in ultra-high-resolution aerial scouting, delivering precise field-level insights to boost agronomic decision-making.

For more information, head to www.kellyhills.us/the-forge .

Farm Journal reached out to Lukas Koch to pick his brain about this new, novel entrant to the ag tech ecosystem. We first met Koch last year during the Kelly Hills Unmanned summer field day near Seneca, Kan., where his group unveiled the Pyka Pelican Spray drone — at the time the largest, highest-capacity ag spray drone on the market (280-liter capacity). This year Kelly Hills is integrating the Pelican 2 (300-liter capacity, up to 222 acres per hour at 60-foot swath rate) into its aerial application arsenal.

Farm Journal: Would you call this an ag tech incubator or accelerator type of program, and if not, what’s makes The Forge different?

Lukas Koch (LK): “(The Forge) is neither of those, because we’re not taking a cash influx to create an R&D program. What we’re doing is creating new tools with existing technology — if they’re part of plug and play that’s fine, but we don’t care about that. We want to know if the tech has merit and does it fit on the acre, but maybe something with it is not fully there just yet? So, what are we supposed to do with it then? You have a technology and, for example, it can take high-res pictures and identify areas of your fields that need attention, but today the most likely options are using a ground rig or hiring an airplane to manage that in a meaningful way. For that example, we think there’s an opportunity to do that with a small spray drone, but then again the logistics are tough; you have to come back and land and swap out a battery or refill the tank so often. We’re going to take a bunch of existing technologies that already exist, ask them to change nothing and put them to the test — and we’ll push the bounds of what they can do, to make these all work together in a system.”

FJ: How will this all kind of come together and take shape this summer as the program rolls out?

LK: “We have a few drone companies (in the cohort), and there’s a droplet analysis program involved — I thought that was an important piece in analyzing the spray coverage we get. Right now, we have the in-field sensors out in the field to help us ground truth the data we get from overhead. And then the remote sensing piece gives us situational awareness; it tells us where we should be focusing our efforts. And overall, I think, OK, that’s great, but now you still have to make a treatment with either a ground rig or hire an airplane.

(www.KellyHills.us)

“But with our FAA test range (pictured above) that we were approved for last summer within Kelly Hills, now we can autonomously fly to those spots with a drone, either in line of sight or Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), and we can make those treatments autonomously. This year, the tool we’re focusing on is true spot spraying BVLOS in corn and soybeans, and then next year hopefully we can make more tools or take that technology that already exists and make it into a tool for a grower, who can sign up for this subscription and buy one of these drones, and now I have a full encompassing suite of tools and I can know for sure what works and what does not work.”

FJ: How can farmers in Kansas learn more and possibly sign up to work with you guys?

LK: “There’s really two ways right now. For anything specific they might want to do, maybe there are some projects they are thinking about, go ahead and ping us on the website , and we’ll get back to you. And the other way is, once we’re done with a set tool or we wrap up our summer series of projects, we plan to make the results and findings available online, kind of like Beck’s Hybrids does with its farm applied research studies. We want people to see what we’re doing and to reach out with their ideas on how we can make better tools inside of The Forge and showcase some of these technologies together in one new product, and growers are very interested in this and would love to understand if they can package these technologies together and make an ROI.”

FJ: You already have this inaugural cohort in place, but are you already thinking about what’s next?

LK: “I have a couple companies that I need to further engage with now that they can see what The Forge is all about. A couple of those are involved in year-over-year (data) modeling technology that can say, OK, help me start to determine this is my pattern, and this is what I did last year; now can you tell me what to do next year and how to create more ROI? And then I think soil is a huge key right now, too. I don’t have any any soil type products in there, and soil sampling is great, but there are some neat companies that are focusing on soil-sensing technology that I think would be interesting to package in there, too. You know, in due time I think we’ll get there.”

Koch says the plan is to unveil many of the insights and results from The Forge at this summer’s Kelly Hills Unmanned Field Day. That event is set for Aug. 19, and you can get registered for it here.

And, just for fun, here’s a video breakdown of the Pyka Pelican 2:

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BREAKING: FTC Files Right to Repair Lawsuit, John Deere Issues Statement

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 18:37:23 GMT

It is bone-chillingly cold throughout the Midwest, yet the Right to Repair issue is heating up once again.

Farm Journal Washington correspondent Jim Wiesemeyer learned early Wednesday morning that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is filing a lawsuit against Deere & Co. for allegedly violating U.S. competition laws.

The lawsuit was filed on Jan. 15, 2025, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Western Division. You can review the redacted filing by clicking here.

Update (6:31 pm CST): John Deere has released a statement vowing to fight the lawsuit, characterizing the FTC’s claims as “baseless” and “meritless.” It can be viewed here.

Wiesemeyer shared the following summary of key points from Deere’s response:

Commitment to repair access: John Deere emphasized its long-standing dedication to customer self-repair, noting its history of publishing manuals, selling parts directly, and providing digital tools like Customer Service ADVISOR.
Defense of innovation: The company stated that the lawsuit “punishes innovation and pro-competitive product design.”
Settlement efforts: John Deere disclosed ongoing settlement negotiations with the FTC prior to the lawsuit and criticized the agency for relying on “inaccurate information and assumptions.”
Recent initiatives: Highlights included the launch of Equipment Mobile in 2023, upcoming upgrades to the John Deere Operations Center, and a pilot program to enhance farmer’s repair options.

RELATED: What Does Right to Repair Really Mean?

What happens next?
According to a post at FTC.gov, once the agency files a lawsuit the respondent – in this case, John Deere – has the right to contest the charges. FTC may then issue a final order, which can be appealed to the courts. The agency may also seek civil (i.e. financial) damages or request an injunction against Deere.

According to the Jan. 15 filing, Plaintiff’s counsel has asked for an injunction against John Deere. The lawsuit requests “a permanent injunction and other equitable relief against Deere to prevent its unlawful conduct in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the FTC Act” along with several state statutes in Illinois and Minnesota.

Farm Journal has reached out to its contacts in the ag law realm to find out what the implications are if an injunction is granted against Deere in Illinois and Minnesota, and what that would mean for Deere customers in those states. We’ll update with more information as soon as we have it.

Why is FTC filing against Deere?
Reuters and other news sources confirm the agency has been actively investigating John Deere since 2021 .

Weisemeyer has been following the situation closely. He has learned the agency claims Deere’s equipment design often necessitates proprietary software available only to authorized dealers, which in turn limits farmers and independent repair shop’s ability to perform repairs.

Deere had previously agreed in January 2023, through an accord with the American Farm Bureau Federation, to expand access to its repair tools, but according to Weisemeyer and reporting from Bloomberg, concerns over compliance with that agreement persist.

According to reporting from online publication Agriculture Dive, a court last year ruled against the heavy equipment giant’s bid to dismiss a similar lawsuit from a group of farmers.

In yet another twist in this ongoing saga, FTC Commissioner Andrew N. Ferguson has issued a dissenting opinion, which is cosigned by FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak. President Trump announced on Dec. 10 that Ferguson will serve as the new Chair of the FTC under his administration.

You can review that dissenting opinion here.

Deere’s news release on expanding self-repair solutions
On Jan., 14, 2025, John Deere issued a news release outlining its commitment to expanding access to various digital tools and resources to help independent repair technicians and farmers diagnose equipment and make repairs.

The full statement is posted to Deere’s online newsroom.

The statement details what Deere calls its “Commitment to Repairability” and includes a list of tools that are available today to “support customers throughout their machine ownership and repair journey.”

Deere also writes that a “latest addition to Deere’s suite of digital solutions will further empower customers and independent repair technicians by, among other things, enabling them to reprogram Deere-manufactured electronic controllers.” The new capabilities are being integrated into the John Deere Operation’s Center, Deere adds, and will “offer more comprehensive solutions for diagnosing and repairing equipment while ensuring machine reliability, safety, and compliance.”

The manufacturer also says it will have additional announcements regarding a “customer and independent repair technician pilot” which is due to launch in the U.S. and Canada by the second half of 2025.

The news release directs interested parties to visit Deere.com/repair for more information.

Your Next Read: 5 Tech Companies Embracing Electrification, Autonomy

5 Tech Companies Embracing Electrification, Autonomy

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 22:02:42 GMT

Tractors and robots powered by electrification and autonomously tasked using Artificial Intelligence were without a doubt the main points of emphasis among the handful of farm tech companies exhibiting at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Here’s a brief rundown of what some ag tech and ag tech adjacent companies showed off:

John Deere – After wowing attendees last year with a remotely operated tractor exhibit where users stopped and started a large 8RX tractor doing tillage work thousands of miles away at Deere’s Austin, Texas, test farm, the manufacturer extended its autonomous capabilities across a wider breadth of its machine portfolio to include lower horsepower tractors and autonomous spraying technologies for tree, fruit, and nut growers , as well as an autonomous lawn mower for commercial landscapers and a massive articulated yellow-and-black dump truck for construction firms. Deere also debuted a 130 hp, fully electric battery powered, autonomous-ready concept tractor at the show.

RELATED: John Deere Introducing Next Generation Perception Autonomy Kits

Behold, the hustle and bustle of John Deere’s CES booth:
Kubota – the Japanese firm captured a CES Innovation Award for its KATR robot (video clip below), a four-wheeled all terrain, multi-functional field robot that maintains a level deck across rugged terrain and operates autonomously and in “follow me” mode to help specialty crop producers get more done in a day. However the stars of the show at the Kubota booth, in this author’s humble opinion, were Flash, a plant health imagery solution that uses AI for analysis, and the Smart Plant Imager that bolts onto the top of the KATR robot and enables acquisition of hyperspectral plant health data in real-time. Both products spit back management recommendations to help high value crop growers know where to focus management and labor efforts to make the biggest impacts on yield and quality. Also new this year: the Agri Concept 2.0 autonomous tractor that debuted last year at CES has been outfitted with an operator cab, giving farmers the choice between direct oversight or autonomous tasking.

Spoiler Alert: Those peach baskets don’t fall off or spill. Good job, KATR:
Kioti – the South Korean midsize equipment innovator displayed a multi-functional, modular field robot it is calling the AI Agri Robot RT 100 (pictured top of page). Electrically driven and featuring three driving modes – manual, follow me, and fully autonomous, the helper robot can be outfitted with an orchard spray kit to apply pesticides into the plant canopy as it travels between permanent crop rows. Kioti also showed off a fully electric RX 7340 smart tractor (video clip below) that features integrated soil sensing technology that measures soil moisture, organic matter, and other soil health metrics and sends that data up through the AWS cloud for processing and then back to the grower’s preferred FMIS solution, helping provide the farmer with greater insight into soil conditions in real-time.

That’s an eye-catching small utility tractor, I must say. And it’s “Smart” - beauty and brains:
Caterpillar – The heavy equipment manufacturer kicked off its 100-year anniversary at CES. Like its ag industry brethren, Cat debuted solutions around electrification and autonomy, starting with the center piece of its booth: a gigantic, electrified 55,000-pound Cat 972 Wheel Loader (pictured top of page). Cat also featured its Cat Command autonomous live remote operation capability (video clip below) by having CES attendees sit in a pilot seat and take the controls of an excavator located on a job site in Tijuana Hills, Arizona.

Space-age technology coming soon to a rock quarry near you. Freddy Flintstone and Barney Rubble approved:
The future is here: you can finally put your lazy, do-nothing barn roof to work generating free power from the sun for your electrified machines! Very cool.
(Matthew J. Grassi )

Jackery – With all of the focus on electrification from the ag side at CES, it makes sense to look at what solutions are out there for portable, sustainable power generation and storage. Jackery made a big splash with its lightweight, portable solar generators and collapsible solar panels, and an even bigger hit its solar roof shingle technology (pictured inset). One can imagine a future where growers with electric machines decide to replace their barn roof with solar roof shingles to capture all of that energy from the sun and use it to power power electrified equipment around the farm. Something tells me that Jackery is going to be relevant in the ag world should the shift to electrification continue on at the farm gate.

Stay tuned to AgWeb.com for more ongoing coverage of what we saw and heard at CES 2025 in the days and weeks ahead!

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Electric Vehicles Face Bumpy Road to the Back 40

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 14:26:32 GMT

There is one place in America where electric vehicles are glaringly absent — the back 40. Today, electric tractors and other farming equipment are hard to find on showroom floors, let alone in the field.

The outside pressure on agriculture to park its diesel-powered horses for climate-friendly all-electric alternatives is quickly reaching a boiling point. Seven states have opted to ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, and six major auto manufacturers have pledged to end gas car sales globally by 2040.

But hold your horses. The hurdles EVs must clear to be viable on the farm are incredibly high from both an engineering and an economic standpoint. Powering such massive machines by a battery alone adds even more weight and mass.

John Deere’s website shows its 8R tractor has a starting base weight of 25,200 lbs. Current engineering assessments say an all-electric version would weigh more than twice as much.

Roadblocks for Adoption
Soil compaction already weighs heavily on how modern farm equipment is designed. Increasing the weight and mass of such machines may end up creating more, not fewer, emissions.

Compacted soil releases greenhouse gasses such as methane and nitrous oxide, which are much more potent than a tractor’s exhaust.

Another issue is lack of battery life. The all-electric tractors slated to come to market can only work four to eight hours per charge. Although those numbers are likely to improve significantly, the downtime needed to recharge such massive batteries could be several hours.

Lack of charging infrastructure is one of the bigger bumps in the road. Deploying a large fleet of all-electric, heavy-duty agricultural vehicles will require multiple heavy-duty super-chargers — an expensive and potentially unrealistic endeavor.

All other issues aside, cost may be the biggest factor. Right now, low-horsepower tractors are approximately 30% more expensive than their diesel-powered equivalents. That may work on an all-electric garden tractor but not a half-million dollar Quadtrac.

The secret is commercial EV sales have soared due to federal rebates. But unlike with cars, there’s no federal program to ease the burden of an electric tractor. If bureaucrats and consumers really want to turn Old MacDonald’s farm all-electric, then they better put their money where their mouth is.

CES 24: 4 Stand-Out Smart Farming Solutions

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 22:38:08 GMT

A handful of firms brought ag tech products to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this past week.

The ag-focused exhibitors at CES seemed focused on unlocking the potential of artificial intelligence and data aggregation in farm tech, vehicle automation and electrification, and using technology to enable more sustainable production.

Here’s a quick roundup of how ag was on display at CES:

Bobcat AT450X enabled by Agtonomy Articulating Utility Tractor. Autonomous and electrified operation are at the heart of the concept. What really makes that heart tick, though, is an intuitive mobile app that unlocks and simplifies the tasking and management of these space-age looking tractors. The giant swappable rear-mounted battery pack is another key feature, as the concept autonomously returns to the farm shop and swaps out a drained battery for a fresh one before returning to its tasks.

Infinitum Aircore Mobility Liquid Cooled Engine Tech. By swapping the iron core design common in most motors today with a rotating layer of solid “stators” (they look like circular plastic circuit boards), Infinitum has reimagined a more efficient, longer lasting, smarter and lighter engine. Aircore is commercialized and available today, and Chief Strategy Officer Bhavnesh Patel says the company is working with an undisclosed Midwest-based ag equipment manufacturer to get the smart motors into corn country. They also make great irrigation pump motors, Patel says.

John Deere Tech Stack for Cotton Growers. At CES, John Deere’s focus was threefold: a practical application of advanced technology at each stage of the cotton production cycle (most if not all would also apply to corn and soybean farming); the application of said technology to truly enable smarter, faster decision making; and a continued focus on showing the tech world that ag technology enables sustainable production. The remotely drivable tractor display drew the most interest among the tech set media crowd that covers CES. John Deere also showcased an interactive “weeds in the field” LED floor in their See & Spray display, and plugged a “get paid for my sustainability practices” Easy Button into its Operations Center mobile app.

Kubota Agri Concept Electric Vehicle Utility Tractor. Besides its sleek factor, the electrified concept tractor has a suite of smart farming tech on board. It offers fully autonomous operation – which seems to be the box to check with any new EV tractor intro – as well as the ability to connect, or swarm, multiple tractors into a unified field task crushing force. In addition to the ability to autonomously return to base and fast charge, Kubota leadership claims it has charge times down to a lighting quick 10% to 80% full in just 6 minutes, which is big for productivity and uptime. The concept shown at CES was more of a specialty crop/utility tractor, but perhaps the concept has legs for row crop someday?

Q&A with Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 14:28:24 GMT

On the heels of launching the CR11 combine at Agritechnica 2023, Carlo Lambro gave Farm Journal a one-on-one interview to talk about the brand’s global footprint, its segments of focus in North America and the future of New Holland.

You used the world’s largest indoor farm machinery show, Agritechnica, to unveil the CR11 combine. How did the event go?

For us at CNH, and New Holland, it was good show. There were a lot of expectations of new products and new launches. We are continuing our strategy to show our products linked to our brands’ positioning. Each of the three brands – New Holland, Case IH, Steyr – have different positioning. New Holland is more full line — livestock to row crop. The star was the new CR Combine, a Class 11 combine with the New Holland legacy of the Twin Rotor design. This machine has been in the works for more than 10 years, and we brought the idea of the largest machine with the technology embedded in the machine. We ran several test units in the U.S. and Canada, and the tests were all very good.

What’s your outlook for the machinery industry?

2024, for the big cash crop segment, will still be a good business, but maybe not like 2022, which was a very high year. The livestock business is still suffering a little. Next year (2024), we expect business down globally about 5% to 10% – Asia/Pacific is flat, Europe is down, Latin America is probably down 7% to 10%. One of the most resilient businesses is in the U.S. and Canada.

What is New Holland’s strategy in North America?

We have four pillars we are focused on: brand, product, technology and network.

We are refreshing our brand, which has a legacy of more than 120 years. In North America, our brand is stronger in Canada than the U.S. – but we are working on that.
Our product lineup will continue to be full line. And we are making new agreements, such as with LS, via a joint venture where our products are made at our plant in India in addition to their South Korean plant. And we’re not forgetting the large cash crop segment. Very soon, we’ll launch a new 4WD with tracks. In all, in the next four years, we will launch 50 new products globally.

The third pillar is technology, where we have hired a lot of engineering talent. And with Raven, we are creating more products and technology linked to the farmer.

The fourth pillar is the network, which is important because our mission is to produce and give technology to the farmer through our dealers. We believe the dealers are central in our strategy in being close to the customer. We consider the customer like a family, and our dealers are ready to help the customer and support them all while representing the value of the brand.

What is your overall supply outlook?

We still see some areas where the supply isn’t where we should be — mainly on the big machines. The rest of the product offering is back to normality; we recovered back in April and May (2023). By the middle of 2024, we will be back to normality.

How is New Holland approaching technology?

Our mission is to make farming easier, more efficient and more sustainable. With the acquisition of Raven, we are creating one complete division for precision technology and New Holland PLM. As for its application in North America, we will keep pushing to get the farmer the best technology possible. Also notable, through CNH Ventures, we’ve made acquisitions, for example with Augmenta. And we’ve acquired Hemisphere to have our own satellite connections.

What does it mean for New Holland to position itself as the Clean Energy Leader?

It’s in our DNA to be the Clean Energy Leader. We started the journey a long time ago in 2007, and we were the first to run with 20% biodiesel. Then we started an innovation project with NH2, a hydrogen-powered prototype. We are continuing our roadmap focusing on methane and biomethane. We just launched the T7 Methane Power LNG at Agritechnica. The limitations on the technologies so far have been on the infrastructure, rather than the products themselves. We are trying to give some vision for the infrastructure to support these products. And we continued our journey on sustainability with hybrid and electric. Two years ago, we partnered with Monarch, and we continue to collaborate with them jointly, together developing optimization on electric tractors. Today, we have two R&D centers: one in Detroit and one in Modena, Italy — the heart of the motor valley of Italy. The electric journey is starting, and with the launch of the T4 Electric Power, we plan to have around 100 units for next year. The plan with Gen 2 is to be something like Tesla where it’s all run by battery – both propulsion and transmission.

What does the future hold for New Holland?

I like to see the glass as half full. We are very serious about the theme of “sustaining the next generation.” You can expect to see more regionality – think globally but act locally. For example, we are doing more in the regions with universities and engaging the next generation. For us at CNH Industrial, one plus one equals more. The brands are well-positioned, and customers can expect excellence. Season after season, we will work to be closer to the customer.

6 Concept Technologies To Watch In 2024 And Beyond

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 19:00:07 GMT

Being on the early edge of the product development curve has its benefits and its drawbacks.

For one, concept technologies can be exhibited with the caveat that what you’re seeing today is not the products’ final form. Opportunities to refine and tinker and improve before full commercialization remain.

On the other side of the coin, most farmers are less inclined to devote brainpower to tech that is five, ten, sometimes even 20 years down the pipeline. Show me what can help my farm today versus what might help my farm in two decades.

Yet, we believe there is intrinsic value in foresight.

If farmers stay apprised of technological advancements and envision how they’ll be applied to crop production in the years ahead, they can plan now for the future.

Here are six technology and machinery concepts that show potential to improve efficiency and sustainability:

Bondioli & Pavesi Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) PTO driveshaft

A farmer cannot manage what cannot be measured. Enter German-outfit Bondioli & Pavesis’ concept PTO driveshaft.

The concept “smart” component logs and displays performance data from the implement PTO drive system to the controller in the cab. It sends predictive maintenance alerts into the tractor cab so that the operator is aware of any potential maintenance or performance issues.

Its embedded sensors stream real-time data on torque, speed, axial force as well as vibrations, and it monitors the degree of overlap of the two PTO shaft halves. Productivity is optimized and machine upkeep costs and downtime are reduced, according to the company. The EDI PTO shaft was future-proofed, so it will be able to interface with both today’s conventional and the coming wave of driverless tractor platforms.

As of this writing, the EDI PTO driveshaft is not yet available for purchase in the U.S.

New Holland – CR Twin Axial Rotor Combine Harvester

Developed in response to transportation regulations around the globe, this new harvesting implement features a unique drivetrain mounted horizontally. This innovative design enables maximum power density while keeping the implements’ footprint within generally accepted road transport widths.

It also features a centrally mounted implement gearbox, enabling a considerable increase in the width of the chassis and threshing channel. The wider threshing channel dramatically increases harvesting capabilities, according to New Holland, meaning users can expect to efficiently harvest just under 2,500 acres in one season with the new combine.

Pesky in-field blockages are cleared via automated forward-reverse thrusting, and the patented cleaning system is optimized for more efficient grain load out by a network of pressure sensor and cameras that measure and automatically adjust parameters for optimal output.

The implement is available today. New Holland advises those interested to contact your dealer for more information.

New Holland – T4 Electric Power Tractor

New Holland seems to have struck a balance between improved efficiency and operator safety with its new battery powered T4 Electric Utility tractor. The company claims it is the first electrically driven tractor with autonomous features.

Increased operator efficiency is accomplished via two common operating modes that those familiar with unmanned technologies will likely recognize. Follow-Me Mode allows the tractor operator to accomplish field tasks outside of the cab as the tractor continues operating autonomously. It also enables the tractor to follow its operator and respond to various hand gestures telling it to stop, go, turn, etc. Route Mode allows for driverless operation along predefined guidance lines (A-B lines, field boundaries, waypoints on a map, etc.), as well.

Alongside these intriguing features, the tractor’s enhanced safety features – such as 360-degree field of vision sensing via front mounted sensors, and automatic detection and coupling/uncoupling of implements at the rear PTO shaft – combine with a unique configuration that one day could prove quite useful for smaller tasks around the farm.

New Holland says that units are available now and to reach out to your New Holland dealer for more information.

Nexat – Holistic Crop Production System

Nexat stands for Next Generation Agriculture Technology, and the German startup has brought to life its own intriguing vision for the future of farm machinery.

Holistic Crop Production System is a diesel powered, electrically driven wide-span carrier vehicle with swappable implements that can perform field tasks with onboard modular attachments. Implements can be switched out in under 10 minutes by a single operator.

Nexat has built and sold between 18 and 20 carrier vehicles this year, according to Hannah Ovelheey, marketing manager.

“We have machines running in Ukraine, Romania, Germany, United States and Brazil,” she shared, noting increasing interest from farmers in Eastern Europe and Canada.

As with most ag innovations of late, it’s all reliant on a sophisticated network of advanced sensors feeding real time data into AI/ML algorithms. Autonomous operation is in the offing, but for now, a uniquely positioned operator cab offers 320-degrees of protected oversight.

“This machine is built to work 24-hours, so compared to a person working 8-hours, you have quite high throughput,” Ovelheey added.

Saphir - GrindStar implement

This new implement is the result of a joint development project among three German equipment manufacturing peers. The collective collaborated on a design that creates optimum field conditions for the germination of volunteer cereals, cover crop seeds or a subsequent intercropping in the first post-harvest pass.

Passively rotating rotors till soils ultra-flat, resulting in a uniform dispersion of tilled fine earth. Enhanced separation of soil from stubble (residue) as well as further processing of field residues creates ideal conditions for residue decomposition.

This process can occur at speeds of up to 11 mph, thus the operator is able to cover more ground while consuming less fuel. And its power requirements are comparable to that of a common harrow, yet GrindStar achieves similar output to that of a more powerful pull-behind mulching implement. As a result, the collective claims post-harvest residue processing is sped up and increased germination rates are achieved, with less groundwater and fossil fuel needed compared to field cultivation with conventional discing implements.

As of this writing GrindStar is not available commercially in the U.S.

Steyr/Case IH – Hybrid CVT Tractor

This hybrid diesel-electric concept tractor was developed to reduce Co2 emissions as well as offer an energy efficient alternative.

A 260-hp rated diesel engine is fitted in a redesigned front end alongside two integrated electric motors. The diesel engine powers an on-board generator that transfers power to the electric motors. Electricity is then converted to mechanical energy and rerouted back through the front axle differential. Onboard “superconductors” bank extra generated energy until it is ready to be released.

Braking energy recovery systems also capture and transfer power to the tractor’s power distribution system, like Tesla’s regenerative braking technology in automobiles. Other noteworthy features include electric steering and an “E-Eco” drive mode that enables diesel-to-electric driving at low speeds.

The Hybrid CVT Tractor is still in prototype phase and is not available for purchase yet.

Editor’s Note

Clinton Griffiths, AgDay host and Farm Journal editor, gathered information on the above technologies while attending Agritechnica 2023 back in November. He joined 400,000-plus attendees from around the globe at the biannual event in Hanover, Germany. Read more of Clinton’s on-the-ground coverage from Agritechnica here.

First Monarch Electric Autonomous Tractor Lands in the Midwest

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:20:14 GMT

California is already seeing electric autonomous tractors at work, but until this month, the Monarch tractor hadn’t ventured east. That all changed earlier this month when the University of Missouri became the first college to land a Monarch tractor, which marks the first of its kind in the Midwest.

“This is the first one at a university, and it’s also one of the first ones, if not the first one, outside of the state of California,” says Dan Downing, who works on Ag Engineering extension programs at the University of Missouri.

The first thing you notice about the tractor is how small it is, but once you start watching the tractor work, you realize how quiet it is. However, Downing says don’t underestimate its size or power.

“It’s about a 40-hp tractor, weighs about 5,000 lb., but one of the sleepers is that it performs a little bit better than you would think of a 40-hp internal combustion engine because the torque from the electric motors,” Downing says. “It is instantaneous torque.”

The other impressive piece, to Downing, is how the Monarch tractor is loaded with software and technology at the top of the tractor.

“One of the major things is the data acquisition and data management side of it. The top piece, the canopy of this tractor, is loaded with computer technology. And it has sensors in it to detect everything from wind speed to temperature to ground speed, I believe tire slippage, battery optimization, all those kinds of things are potential that can be done with this,” he says.

Driving Research, Teaching and Extension into the Future

The goal is to use the equipment for research, teaching and extension. And as professors and Mizzou extension gathered outside to watch the equipment at work, it was clear there’s excitement surrounding the Monarch tractor as it will also be used as a teaching tool to drive Mizzou’s program into the future.

“From a teaching perspective, to use the tractor in classes as showing modern, up-to-date, cutting edge, sensory technology and integration with precision ag implements,” Downing says. “There’s even some movement also towards some of the major equipment distributors in the Midwest. They are looking at similar technologies or about potentially working with this company on some of it.”

The electric monarch tractor is on the smaller side, so Downing knows it may not be a fit for larger row crop farms. But considering the machine can also run autonomously, he says it’s a potential game changer for specialty crop and smaller livestock operations. Through his extension work, his goal is to see how the new technology can work on different operations.

“One of the programs I work with is the sustainable ag research and education program, which kind of caters to small farmers, beginning farmers and vegetable and fruit production. And these tractors coming out of California, that’s where they’re mainly being implemented right now,” he adds. “So, there’s a direct application there. And for the folks that are in organic production, with this tractor, there isn’t pumping out any hydrocarbon emissions as they go through their organic operation. So that’s a big plus on that.”

He says also from an extension standpoint, he thinks it will be a great way to create awareness of the sensory technology and how it’s evolving.

“We think of the drones and drone use coming into play, and the data collection when you do field mapping and yield mapping,” says Downing. “All that can be advanced with this tractor. Another piece, just creating the awareness of the evolution of electronic tractors for our crop producers and our farmers out there. The manufacturers are working on some smaller implements, such as a blade to go on the front of it, and some other devices where it has potential application for use in livestock operations, and even indoor operations with no emissions. You can operate it inside of a closed building without having to worry about that.”

Manual or Autonomous Applications

Downing says with the cutting-edge technology equipped on the Monarch tractor, the fourth generation all electric, with autonomous capabilities, but it could also be a great option for someone who’s disabled.

“A disabled person could be potentially able to operate this tractor remotely, or with the joystick operation if they have some mobility,” Downing says. “It can even be driven off a joystick or driven conventionally using hand and foot controls.”

As Mizzou begins to uncover the various applications of the new Monarch tractor, it’s a possible glimpse into the future for farms where it’s the right fit.

Future on Wheels: 3 Smart Farming Trends, 5 Coolest Vehicles at CES

If it’s futuristic and cutting edge, it’s being shown at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

This was my second time attending the all-things-tech-Super Bowl, where farm equipment companies like John Deere, Kubota, and others have set up shop to help educate consumers on all the cool and useful technologies that our nation’s farmers are using to help them harvest and put a healthy crop in the bin each year.

RELATED: 5 Farm Tech Companies That Wowed The Masses

You can see my coverage of what most of the manufacturers focused on ag unveiled at the show at the link above. There were also several underlying themes among what was shown on the farm tech side that I’ll discuss further below:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere and its becoming what Big Data was a decade ago: While the tail end of 2024 saw a growing trend of digital platforms that use Generative AI to help farmers get general agronomic advice faster than having to ring up a local agronomist – Taranis, Syngenta, and others dropped GenAI portals specifically for farmers – a lot of the talk at CES went beyond GenAI to look at the coming wave of AI Agents and Physical AI. And consumer facing companies like Samsung and LG were making the case for the democratization of AI across all walks of like.

For ag usage specifically, most of the talk focused around hyper-focused AI Agents that aggregate billions of data points that will soon be available on-demand to help farmers make informed management decisions. One example is a farmer relying on a specific AI Agent for soil health advice, and then having another one for tank mix recommendations, and then yet another agent that helps them with seed variety selection.

Physical AI refers to the use of AI in automated driving applications – like John Deere’s Next Generation Perception Kit that automates the function of a large 9RX tractor as it pulls new John Deere tillage implements – to give farmers the option of getting field work done without a dedicated operator in the cab. Physical AI is already here in agriculture in many forms and machines, and farmers will start to see more and more of it as equipment OEMs help them tackle the labor crunch with automated machines and robotics.

Aside from AI Agents that give advice and Physical AI to control and automate machines, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang shared during his keynote speech that everyone in the near future will need what he is calling “AI Supercomputers” and that of course includes farmers. Huang also talked about AI Agents, which you can read more about here.

Digital Twins of your farm could be your next plot trial testing ground: Ag companies at the show were also talking about the coming wave of digital twins, where farmers use AI-based software to create exact digital copies of their fields and farms. They can then run a multitude of simulations revealing how various products/technologies/management practices will affect yield and the farmer’s financial bottom line. The main benefit being that it’s all done in a digital environment before the farmer fully commits to spending money on products and devoting the time and expertise that it takes to setup real world field trials. It sounds almost like having a cheat code in older Nintendo games that allowed you to skip some of the less exciting levels and go right to the final boss.

Augmented vs. Full Autonomy: Farmers that are comfortable with technology and automation are more and more comfortable handing over machine controls for some of the less-technical field tasks, like tillage work or pulling the grain cart alongside the combine during fall harvest. And there’s also something to be said for autonomous technology that helps a new, less skilled operator complete field work to the spec the farmer requires. But talk with any farmer and they’ll tell you they still enjoy driving the tractor during spring planting, or driving the combine and seeing the yield monitor data come in.

Before farming reaches full autonomy – augmented autonomy, or autonomous machines that work alongside of the farmer and make his/her workflow more efficient, is where the companies creating autonomous machines in agriculture today are seeing the most farmer interest. That holds particularly true in high value crops like berries, nuts, and other fresh produce crops, as well as in regions where manual labor is expensive and not widely available like California or overseas in England and Australia. Small, multipurpose field work bots like Kubota’s KATR and Kioti’s AI Agri Robot RT 100 are just a small sample of how multipurpose, modular “helper robots” will be relevant in specialty crop farming.

Okay, now that we have those trends fleshed out, here’s what you really want to see: the 5 coolest vehicle technologies that I saw at CES 2025.

Aptera’s Solar EV car: Its design looks like something straight out of the Jetson’s cartoon, but Aptera says its Solar EV car uses integrated solar panels on the car’s body to harness the power of the sun. The car is equipped with 700 watts of integrated solar cells, which Aptera says enables a user to drive up to 40 miles per day completely off the grid and enjoy 400 miles of range per full charge. Learn more here.

Xpeng AeroHT Land Aircraft Carrier Concept Vehicle: This was certainly one of the wildest concept vehicles on the show floor and it drew a crowd all week. A six wheeled compact van (pictuted top of page) that can store and deploy a two-person fold up eVOTL (electric vertical take-off and landing) drone. The drone automatically recharges when it is docked in the back of the van, which the company says has a 600-plus mile range. Learn more here.

Sambo Motor Group’s eVOTL Air Taxi: The South Korean automotive manufacturer unveiled a two seat, hydrogen-electric air taxi at the show. As much as I love drone technology, something tells me most of us would jump at going around in circles for five minutes in a malfunctioning Waymo ground taxi versus jumping into something like this for a quick ride-share trip back to the hotel. Learn more here.

Manta M4 Lightweight Personal eVOTL drone: the sleek $300,000 flying device uses three propellers to take off from land or water, and can fly at 65mph for up to 30 minutes using its electric battery. And get this: because it only weighs 250 pounds it is considered an “ultra light” craft under FAA regulations and therefore can be flown without a commercial pilot’s license. Manta reps said they will begin shipping units in the next month. Learn more here.

Honda Motor Company 0 SUV and Sedan: These two EVs look like something straight out of the movie Tron, but its not Sci-Fi. Both are real EVs that Honda plans to begin manufacturing in 2026 in my home state of Ohio. The sedan and SUV both feature an Asimo operating system (OS) onboard, which is based off the same AI platform that is in Honda’s Osimo robots. The cars will feature autopilot capabilities rated up to SAE Level 3 – which means they will be fully autonomous with a human in the driver’s seat but still have the option of the human taking over full control if needed. Learn more here.

Bonus Video: This fun soccer playing robot from the Hamilton Beach booth. It’s no Kevin De Bruyne or Messi, but it was fun to have a bit of footy with this little guy in between booth visits. In the words of Dani Rojas, Futbol is Life!

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