MACHINERY

Turn Daily Farm Work and Data Into a Custom Podcast With Help from AI

Fri, 08 May 2026 20:19:19 GMT

Instead of listening to music or making calls on his way to work, Mitchell Karstetter tunes into his favorite podcast. It’s not a celebrity or news pundit; it’s two digital hosts, powered by artificial intelligence, talking about data from his farm during harvest season.

“I like that it’s breaking down everything that we’re doing,” says Karstetter, the owner of RJK Farms. “It’s giving me real-time data that I can use to make decisions faster.”

A grower pulls up his HarvestReplay dashboard. HarvestReplay provides operational insights in the form of daily, updated intelligence briefing to inform real-time decision making, like where to shift a harvest crew or when to start them, based on a grower’s own data such as daily harvest labor and on-farm weather sensors.

(Innov8.ag)

Karstetter is using Innov8.ag’s HarvestReplay system to collect data and make decisions based on their workforce. Each day, it gathers data from the farm and then synthesizes and relays it to growers in the form of an audio podcast.

“ With HarvestReplay, they now have access to the kind of operational insight they have gotten used to having on the row crop side of their business,” says Steve Mantle, CEO and founder of Innov8.ag .

He says right now, this new technology is helping specialty crop growers due to the labor-centric nature of the business, but there are plans for growth into other areas of farming.

How HarvestReplay Scanners Provide Real-Time Insights

For the HarvestReplay to work, they need an automated labor and tracking system. FairPick and FairTrak , which have two ways to track how much a single employee has harvested throughout the day, are examples of these systems.. The first option is for employees to put their harvested product on a scale-like scanner, where it tracks work output, such as pounds per hour picked. The second option is to have their badge scanned by a phone-like handheld scanner to report their statistics. At RJK, they are currently using it on around 600 acres of apple and cherry trees. This allows farmers to track and follow worker’s efficiency and ultimately their productivity.

“It gives you something where you can go, ‘Why is this guy, who’s normally my best guy, not performing as well,’” Karstetter explains. “It helps you identify problems faster.”

Field laborers weigh their cherry bins using Innov8.ag’s FairPick harvest scales, ruggedized, legal-for-trade field scales that record every pick weight, time, GPS location and picker ID, creating automated, real-time harvest labor data used to inform HarvestReplay.

(Innov8.ag)

The HarvestReplay also tracks future weather conditions to help make important decisions, such as when the best times are to harvest or spray. It uses on-farm or state-operated weather sensors, such as AgWeatherNet .

It can also incorporate a grower’s harvest data from previous years to help provide insights into the farm’s historical trends. Adding it all together, AI hosts can then educate farmers on things like how early frost impacts crop volume and quality.

“It’s giving me insights into fields that were not as productive as I thought they were on cost, labor or efficiency,” says Ellie Norris, owner and CEO of Oregon’s Norris Blueberry Farms.

The Three-Tiered Power of HarvestReplay’s Data Ecosystem

The system produces three types of podcasts, depending on who’s listening and their role in the operation:

CFO/owner podcast focuses more on economics, such as comparing orders from different buyers.
The farm manager podcast can be either in English, Spanish and/or other languages. It discusses what happened on the farm and offers advice on decision-making for the upcoming day or season.
The crew lead’s podcast is typically in Spanish. This revolves around recommendations for improving operational efficiencies that affect the bottom-line economics of the farm.

It’s part of a bigger smart data interface. The podcast is only one-third of the HarvestReplay system:

Replay History looks to turn multi-year harvest and labor records into reports and goals. This shows the past performances and economics of previous harvest decisions.
Replay Live gives same-day feedback using GPS labor tracking. It can raise or flag issues such as congestion, slowdowns or misallocated crews so managers can adjust.
Replay Podcast is an AI-generated audio briefing built from the grower’s own harvest data.

“Farms don’t have data analysts, IT teams or CTOs,” says Mantle. “HarvestReplay handles the heavy lift of data aggregation and integration while keeping their data private and the decision-making customized to their operations.”

Leveraging Real-Time Data to Protect Farm Profitability

In 2025, there was a 46% increase in U.S. farms declaring bankruptcy from the previous year. HarvestReplay’s goal is to target areas where farms lose money such as labor, crop production and decision-making.

The system uses the data it collects to recommend changes in order to provide a path for growers to save money. Karstetter shares an example of quickly using the HarvestReplay’s information to switch things up.

“We can go into a block and see that some cherries have been on the smaller side, so we need to prune heavier,” Karstetter explains.

It also allows him and his managers to make decisions on the crews that are working. Karstetter says that in the latest podcast entry, it shared that one group was being more productive than the other. Now he can use this information to see what one group is doing differently and how it sets them apart.

“It’s giving you a kind of like a real-time look at what you’re doing and where you’re at,” Karstetter says. “We really don’t have that unless you sit down and input all this stuff manually.”

2025 Farm Journal Corn and Soybean College: Making A Stand

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 22:40:25 GMT

A record-breaking harvest of corn or soybeans is built on the foundation of a good stand. That concept is the focus for the 2025 Farm Journal Corn and Soybean College.

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie and team will be addressing some of the key agronomic practices and tools farmers use to accomplish high yields during the two-day event – slated for July 22 through July 23 – near Heyworth, Ill.

“We’re going to focus on what the elements of a good stand are in corn and soybeans and how you can achieve them through agronomic decisions and the tools you use,” Ferrie says.

The program includes a variety of both in-the-field sessions as well as inside, classroom sessions.

Planter Selection For Your Farm

One of the key topics being addressed this year for corn growers is the planter and how to select one that’s a good fit for your specific farm.

“There are so many different systems out there today, and when it comes to making planter purchases, add-on purchases and such, you have to think through the whole process and how they will work for you,” Ferrie says.

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer will also be on hand to help farmers identify the impact of planting practices on corn and soybean stands.

“Missy will be talking to us about how to identify a good stand and also what contributes to a poor stand,” Ferrie notes. “We’re going to talk about hybrid characteristics and different aspects of the rooting structure of corn. We’ll then blend that information all in with farmers’ tillage practices, including strip-till, no-till, and also cover crops.”

Success With Early-Planted Soybeans

On the soybean side of the two-day program, Ferrie and team will be addressing early-planted soybeans and how to build a systems approach to growing them – from variety selection and planting preparation through harvest.

“We want to talk about row spacing, population, soybean characteristics, when can we stress plants and when to not stress plants,” Ferrie says. “We want to help farmers adopt a systems approach to early soybeans versus just planting them early and then trying to treat them like you would normal beans.”

In addition to these topics, the in-field and classroom sessions at the event will address:

Science behind spray nozzles: selecting the right nozzles for the job and making sure they perform well in the field.

Establishing corn ear count: examining the differences in rooting depth and stand establishment across a variety of tillage practices.

Closing systems: analyzing a variety of systems in different agronomic conditions to demonstrate how such systems impact stand establishment.

Put everything together, corn edition: evaluating everything from hybrid characteristics, leaf orientation, ear flex and how plant height affects light interpretation to ear development and plant stress in conventional corn and short corn.

Put everything together, soybean edition: looking at planting date, variety characteristics, tillage system, plant nutrition, row spacing and population all play a hand in bean stand establishment, overall light interception and yield.

The two-day event brings together presenters, farmers, and industry personnel that are passionate about raising the bar in farming, Ferrie says. “This is an unsponsored event making more time for our agronomists to spend with attendees, getting their questions answered, and more time to spend in the field,” he says.

Day 1 of the Farm Journal Corn and Soybean College starts at 8 a.m., Tuesday, July 22, and runs through happy hour/dinner.

Day 2 starts at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 23, and sessions will go through lunch.

“We will finish the second day with a Q & A following lunch. Our agronomists will be available to answer questions until your questions run out, so be sure to come with your list,” Ferrie says.

Price: $625 (includes access to one-day virtual event in January 2026).

Get the complete agenda details and register here .

Tennessee Farmer Penalized by County for Parking Ag Equipment in Soybean Field

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 19:52:11 GMT

Farm equipment, parked on a farm, is illegal?

“It’s as crazy as it sounds,” says Danny Kitzman, “but it’s happening to me right now.”

In rural western Tennessee—Kitzman’s trailers, tillage implements, and track hoe sitting alongside a soybean field are a threat to code, claim officials in Madison County, a locale consistently ranked among the highest in the nation for per capita crime.

“Just when you think you’ve heard it all, you haven’t,” Kitzman adds. “We’ve got murders and robberies in serious numbers in this county, but I’m the one facing fines or seizure or who knows what, all because I parked my agriculture equipment on my own land. This could happen to you, too.”

Hell of an Irony
Soybean production, farm equipment auctions, land sales, and house construction, Danny Kitzman, 34, keeps a lot of irons in the fire. “I’m just a guy trying to make a living in agriculture and I’m willing to do anything and everything. I’m a small, small farmer, but I hope to farm fulltime somewhere down the road.”

“I love farm life. I do whatever it takes to make a buck and I don’t get in anyone’s business. Every time I save a dollar, it goes into equipment or land.”

As the first half of a historically wet 2025 rolled along, Kitzman—mirroring thousands of Mid-South producers in Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi—had major planting issues. On a particular 11-acre soybean field parallel to Highway 70, a stone’s throw from the boundary line between Madison County and Haywood County, Kitzman threw in the towel on a small portion of the acreage.

“Maybe it’ll end up getting planted this year; maybe not. I took a tiny bit of the field, put down some gravel, and parked some vehicles—equipment I use for or in all my agribusiness operations. I live and have my business headquarters in Crockett County, so this was a great overflow location for me. It’s a rural parking spot so far out that it’s almost not in Madison County.”

Surrounded by cultivated fields, a requisite Dollar General, a house just visible through a tree line six acres distant, a sawmill across the highway, and flanked by an approximately 200-acre solar farm, Kitzman placed an assortment of agriculture machinery atop his gravel strip, from dirt buckets to tillage equipment.

Beyond the equipment, his acreage contained no buildings; no signs; and no electricity.

On March 18, Kitzman’s mailbox clinked with a letter from Madison County officials referencing a code violation. Essentially, Kitzman was ordered to remove all agriculture machinery from the farmland.

“I got a call from the codes department and they said the presence of the equipment was violating their code and I was running a business. I said, ‘Farm equipment on a farm is breaking code? What the hell are yall talking about? I use this machinery in my farm income every year, one way or another.’”

“Long as I live, I’ll never forget their reply: ‘You don’t farm enough or make enough money for that amount of equipment, so you have to move it from the side of the highway.’”

“Kinda odd, when you consider what’s in eyesight of my soybean field,” Kitzman continues. “That 200-acre solar farm, which sure as hell isn’t farming and sticks out as an eyesore like nothing else—that meets all the county’s zoning requirements. I’d bet everything that if I had solar panels sitting on my farm instead of farm equipment, the county would be in full support and make certain I had full code approval. That’s what I call a hell of an irony.”

By the Code
Move the machinery or else. Or else what? Per a Madison County attorney: “Failure to comply may lead to my office taking legal action, seeking an injunction and a judgment against you for all costs related to enforcement of the Zoning Resolution, including possible civil penalties set forth under the law.”

(The Madison County Property Code Enforcement Department did not respond to Farm Journal interview requests.)

The threats stunned Kitzman. “What? There are farmers all around me with dozers and track hoes and cultivators, and I’ve never heard of the county dictating anything about equipment matching acreage. Bottom line, according to my countless calls with county officials: I don’t have a real agriculture business by the code.”

“This is nuts,” says Danny Kitzman. “There’s nothing out here in any of these fields to begin with—except farm equipment.”

(Photo courtesy of DK)

Kitzman dove into the code book. On May 19, he emailed Madison County officials a listing of code justification: To further support our status as an agribusiness, I am providing the relevant Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes that correspond to our primary activities:

Farming Operations: SIC 01: Agricultural Production — Crops; SIC 011: Cash Grains (e.g., Wheat - 0111, Corn - 0115, Soybeans - 0116); SIC 013: Field Crops, Except Cash Grains (e g., Cotton - 0131); SIC 02: Agricultural Production — Livestock (e.g., Beef Cattle - 0212, Dairy Farms - 0241)

Farm Equipment Auctions: SIC 3523: Farm Machinery and Equipment (including auction and sales of agricultural machinery)

Farm Real Estate Auctions: SIC 6531: Real Estate Agents and Managers (covering real estate sales and auction services for farm properties)

These SIC codes demonstrate that our business is fundamentally engaged in agricultural production, farm equipment sales, and farm real estate transactions, all of which are recognized components of the agribusiness sector.

On May 30, Kitzman received a certified letter from the county: Move it all within two days or face legal action.

Except Farm Equipment
As the legal clock rolls, Kitzman asks multiple questions .

“Is the county going to try and ruin me because I parked tractors in my soybean field? How did we get to a point where the county gets to decide how many pieces of equipment I can park? Does the county want my land? Is someone else pushing this?”

He offers a warning to landowners and agriculture producers: “Who’s to say you won’t be next with some code violation for putting seed equipment or a spray trailer or bin storage beside your turnrow?”

“This is nuts,” he concludes. “We’re talking about rural Tennessee. There’s nothing out here in any of these fields to begin with—except farm equipment.”

For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:

Ghost Cattle: $650M Ponzi Rocks Livestock Industry, Money Still Missing

Game of Horns: Iowa Poacher’s Antler Addiction Leads to Historic Bust

How a Nazi-Fighting Oklahoman Rejected NFL Draft and Went Home to Farm

Sisters of Farm Fraud: How 4 Siblings Fleeced USDA for $10M

Tractor Terrorist: How a Forgotten Farmer Attacked Washington with Fertilizer Bombs

Farmer Unearths Lost Treasure, Solves WW2 Mystery

How The Deep State Tried, And Failed, To Crush An American Farmer

Organic Implosion: How Two Grifters Cooked $50M In Fake Fertilizer and Rocked Agriculture

Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told

CNH, Starlink Announce Satellite Connectivity Expansion To Case IH And New Holland Machines

Fri, 16 May 2025 03:52:38 GMT

CNH has an agreement in place with Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, to bring industry-leading satellite connectivity to farmers.

The company says this new collaboration will provide customers of Case IH, New Holland and STEYR, with robust high-speed connectivity – further unlocking the benefits of a fully connected fleet – even in the most remote rural locations around the world.

“We’re thrilled to offer our customers access to industry-leading satellite connectivity, enabling them to maximize the potential of our full suite of precision technology in even the most challenging rural environments,” said Stefano Pampalone, Agriculture Chief Commercial Officer at CNH.

(CNH Industrial)

Starlink’s Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellite network offers reliable, low-latency internet. This enables today’s smart machines to communicate and coordinate efficiently , enhancing productivity. The connectivity module will seamlessly integrate with CNH’s FieldOps digital platform, giving farmers visibility of their machines and providing data from anywhere, anytime. It also enables greater data streaming capabilities by keeping farm management devices consistently connected, regardless of location.

CNH says this collaboration underscores it’s ongoing commitment to equipping farmers with reliable, tailored solutions that meet the unique demands of agriculture, while amplifying the capabilities of precision technology.

You can read the full announcement here.

Leap of Faith As Farmer Miraculously Escapes Burning Chopper

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 14:45:28 GMT

Burn in fire or die by electrocution? Stranded on the catwalk of a corn chopper engulfed in flames and wrapped in the deafening hum of 140,000 volts, J.P. Koop leaped into a crackling halo of current. Crashing into a smoking row of freshly cut stalks on super-heated ground, Koop’s body went to jelly on impact, electricity surging through his limbs. On hands and knees, the Michigan farmer made the crawl of his life—a bid to escape a deathtrap.

His incredible survival has no room for chance, Koop insists. Five hours prior, his crew sought protection: “We prayed for safety. We asked God to watch over us with full expectation that He’d meet our genuine need. That’s exactly what happened and I’m here to bear witness because there is no other explanation.”

Walk The Wire

On a Thursday morning, Sept. 12, 2024, Lucky 7 Dairy, helmed by Koop, approached harvest kickoff: corn was ready. Featuring 3,000 acres of light, fertile soil and 2,000 Holsteins set in the hilly topography of upper Michigan’s Missaukee County, Lucky 7 prepared for an ideal day of fieldwork: bright and breezy, low humidity, and a high expected in the upper 70s.

Just before tucking into a homemade breakfast, roughly 14 members of the harvest team—truck and tractor operators—gathered beside the Lucky 7 shop for a safety meeting and final emphasis on awareness. At the conclusion, Koop asked neighboring farmer Mike Bosscher to lead a safety prayer.

At the touch of chute to power line, 140,000 volts welded metal on metal and ignited a hail of sparks.

(Photo by Lucky 7 Dairy)

“We bowed our heads and Mike prayed in a sincere manner for God’s hand to be over all of us,” Koop recalls. “We asked in full expectation and we meant every word.”

A relative newcomer (six years) to the dairy industry after a lifetime spent around machinery as a long-hauling veteran and a 130-truck business carrying produce between California and Michigan, Koop had never experienced a major accident. He was about to walk a wire.

Ride Lightning

In work boots and Wranglers, Koop, 58, climbed the ladder of a forage harvester crowned by a distinctive, arched chute, and drove toward 80 acres of green corn to start the field opening process and cut enough space to ensure loading trucks had room to receive silage.

On its northern side, the field was rimmed by a main road and parallel power line suspended roughly 14’ high. “Every field is different,” Koop says, “but most everyone deals with frequent power poles and power lines, whether on the side or even in the middle of a field. You’ve got to stay alert to exactly where they’re at, but on this day, I reacted too late.”

“There was no rotating or getting away,” describes Koop. “I spun around and saw the chute sparking, and the heat just made it stick to the wire even more.”

(Photo by Lucky 7 Dairy)

Rolling at 5 miles per hour, Koop completed an outer pass of the field, and began a second revolution, with the power line directly to his left, and operator Denny Kamphouse driving a tractor and wagon to his right.

Koop’s two-way crackled: “Hey, you’re getting close to that line,” Kamphouse warned.

At roughly 16’ in the air alongside the low-lying power line, Koop’s chute bobbed like a crow’s nest. He tried to adjust. Too late.

Time to ride lightning.

Volts or Flames?

Supernova. At the touch of chute to power line, 140,000 volts welded metal on metal and ignited a hail of sparks, blowing the chute’s hydraulic cylinder and igniting the chopper tires.

“I should have died,” emphasizes Koop. “Cracking. Popping. Booming. Buzzing. The chopper was gone, burnt up.”

(Photo by Lucky 7 Dairy)

“There was no rotating or getting away. I spun around and saw the chute sparking, and the heat just made it stick to the wire even more.”

Koop shut off the chopper and took stock, his ears drowning under an overwhelming hum of surging electricity.

Seconds. Flashes. Family. Decisions. Calculations. Questions. Risk a step onto the steel catwalk? Dare to remain in the cab? Descend the ladder? Wait for the power line to short out?

As the back tires blew and the chopper rocked, Koop opened the cab door to his left and scrambled onto the platform, enveloped by smoke and the heat of expanding flames. “I didn’t know where to go or what to do, but I knew once those back rims were touching the ground, I’d be electrocuted. Think. Think. Think. Seconds were going by as I stood there and tried to gather my options. It was a major power line so it had no breaker and wasn’t going out. Also, I couldn’t go down the steps because sparks were flying out of them.”

Remains of a flames—Koop’s burnt-out YETI cup.

(Photo by Lucky 7 Dairy)

Looking down, Koop stared at cut corn rows belching smoke from pulsing current. Looking behind, Koop eyeballed a silage harvester in meltdown. Volts to the front; flames to the back.

Koop made his choice. He didn’t want to burn.

Dead Man Walking

In a frozen moment beyond the incessant buzzing and mounting heat, Koop found clarity. “Images were flashing across my mind and heart, but all of a sudden, in the middle of all that chaos, I hung on one clear thought. If I died, and no matter how I died, I knew where I was going because Jesus saved me from my sins and had given me the grace to stand before God.”

“That split second recognition came in a freeze frame that settled everything and took away my fear. I’ll jump. I’ll push out as far as my body will let me and maybe get far enough away from the current’s ripple effect to survive.”

“I’m blessed with my wife, Suzanne, who took such good care of me,” says Koop. “I have seven wonderful kids. I have a story to tell about how God protected me.”

(Photo by Lucky 7 Dairy)

Koop climbed on the handrail, balanced on the metal bar almost 10’ high, bent his legs, and pushed off with the kick of every muscle fiber in his 58-year-old body.

“I hit the ground, fell forward, and felt my body getting electrified. I couldn’t stand up or control my legs, but I could move on 100% adrenaline and I started crawling, trying to get out of the ripple effect before it killed me. It was such a weird sensation to feel the current blowing through me. I could feel it especially in my hands and knees, but it wasn’t painful.”

Roughly 20’ later, Koop crawled out of the ripples to safety. He stood up, ran around the chopper to get away from the power lines, and collapsed in an adjacent ditch, from where he was carried by Lucky 7 crew members to a neighbor’s yard.

No wounds or burns from electricity or flames. Miraculous, Koop insists. “I should have died. Cracking. Popping. Booming. Buzzing. The chopper was gone, burnt up. All the liquids superheated. All the aluminum melted and pooled on the ground. The cab exploded and blew glass everywhere. Tires gone. Steel was the only thing left behind.”

With a heart rate pumping off the charts and a heel sore from the jump impact, Koop was taken to a hospital. “The power company guys wanted to meet me before we left. They said they’d never seen anyone walk away from this kind of accident.”

“We prayed for safety,” says Koop. “We asked God to watch over us with full expectation that He’d meet our genuine need.”

(Photo by Lucky 7 Dairy)

Four hours after arriving, Koop was released from the hospital. He used the next day to rest and ease muscles sore from intense flexing during voltage conductivity. Two days after tapping 140,000 volts, he was back in a chopper (Thursday to Saturday).

Lucky 7 notwithstanding, Koop does not believe in luck. “There was nothing random about my survival. If chance was involved, I’d be a dead man right now.”

The Witness

Koop’s near-death accident has elevated safety concerns to the top rung of daily farm activity. “See something, speak up, and question it, regardless of your role. We all feel the fragility of life on a farm, and my mistake has increased our awareness to the highest level where it has to stay. I can say it simply, ‘I now know where all power lines are at all times.’”

Koop attributes his survival to Providence: “I’m here to bear witness because there is no other explanation.”

(Photo by Lucky 7 Dairy)

Why was Koop spared?

“I only know I’m supposed to bear witness. For the rest of my life, I’ll use this to talk about God’s Providence,” he adds. “I’m blessed with my wife, Suzanne, who took such good care of me. I have seven wonderful kids. I have a story to tell about how God protected me.”

For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:

Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told

Cottonmouth Farmer: The Insane Tale of a Buck-Wild Scheme to Corner the Snake Venom Market

Bagging the Tomato King: The Insane Hunt for Agriculture’s Wildest Con Man

Ghost in the House: A Forgotten American Farming Tragedy

Priceless Pistol Found After Decades Lost in Farmhouse Attic

Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved After 40 Years

American Gothic: Farm Couple Nailed In Massive $9M Crop Insurance Fraud

Evil Grain: The Wild Tale of History’s Biggest Crop Insurance Scam

Fleecing the Farm: How a Fake Crop Fueled a Bizarre $25 Million Ag Scam

The Arrowhead Whisperer: Stunning Indian Artifact Collection Found on Farmland

Skeleton In the Walls: Mysterious Arkansas Farmhouse Hides Civil War History

Autonomy in Farming: What Manufacturers and Tech Companies Are Working On

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 13:28:11 GMT

A bold, new era marked by mass adoption of autonomous machines is nearing realization. Farmers are more interested than ever in the shift to full automation.

Ohio State University professor John Fulton points to the current farm economy as one catalyst driving interest. He believes challenges in recruiting skilled labor and an increasing comfort with technology will continue to advance buy-in from growers.

“You’re going to see more of it being embedded into machines, and we’re right on the cusp of seeing more autonomy adopted by farmers,” Fulton says.

Let’s dive in and explore what some companies developing autonomous solutions have been working on.

Retrofitting Robotics

Sabanto is developing retrofit kits to convert existing tractors into autonomous machines. The approach is grounded in founder and CEO Craig Rupp’s belief the next generation of highly capable, high horsepower tractors – what he deems the “Swiss Army Knives” of farming – are already in farmers’ machine sheds.

Rupp says rather than buying a new tractor with the latest autonomy features, farmers should first explore upgrading their current machines. Installation of Sabanto’s retrofit autonomous tractor kit is available today on John Deere’s 5E and 6E Series, as well as Kubota and Fendt models.

Sabanto is focusing on integrating farmer feedback into its autonomous tractor kits.

One potential low-hanging fruit is autonomous field-to-field traversal. This would shuttle the tractors autonomously between fields connected by a private drive, and someday do the same on public roads. Autonomous machines today are trailered from field to field.

In early summer 2024, Sabanto implemented the first virtual Field Operator (vFO) position.

(Sabantoag.com)

Sabanto is also forming a team of virtual field operators , made up of young people with experience in farming simulators, Rupp says. These operators will remotely oversee and control Sabanto machines across the country. After a farmer trailers a tractor to a field and unloads it, the virtual operators will manage tasks and oversee in-field operations in real time.

Rupp says Sabanto engineers are also improving in-field path planning and extending active hours with the goal of running robotic tractors around the clock.

From his viewpoint, the former electrical engineer turned ag entrepreneur is convinced autonomous farming will happen at a large-scale.

“We’ve gone beyond the when and if, and we’re at the stage where it comes down to how it is going to be done,” Rupp says.

2030 or Bust?

John Deere has released autonomy-ready packages for its tractors and tillage tools.

(John Deere/Bill Krzyzanowski)

John Deere’s transition from equipment manufacturer to data and ag tech innovator plows ahead at full steam. The manufacturers’ model year 2025 class of machines showcased more factory-installed autonomy features than any previous class in its long history.

A recent key development is the release of John Deere autonomy-ready packages for its tractors and tillage tools. The aftermarket kits include all of the necessary hardware and safety features for autonomous operations. To unlock full autonomy, farmers will only need to add a perception system, which consists of cameras and vision processing units.

In the future, Michael Porter, go-to-market manager – large tractors, says the perception system will be available alongside its retrofit precision ag technology kits through John Deere’s Precision Upgrades program.

“These elements are a key step in preparing farms for autonomous operations, and making those tools available [aftermarket] demonstrates the commitment we have to helping farmers at every phase along the autonomous journey,” Porter adds.

John Deere’s runway to bringing its machines to life without an operator at the helm is short: The company is in a race against the calendar, having pledged to delivering a fully autonomous fleet of machines in corn and soybeans by 2030.

The next opportunity to learn what John Deere is planning for its row-crop technology stack looks to be the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January 2025. Last year, the company showcased its 8R autonomous tractor and Furrow Vision seed furrow sensing technology.

Specialty Crop Starting Line

CNH-owned New Holland recently announced a tie up with ag robotics startup Bluewhite. The partnership will enable collaboration on distribution, manufacturing and integration of Bluewhite’s autonomous technology with New Holland tractors in North America.

According to Paul Welbig, director of precision technology, New Holland, the Bluewhite kits consist of many common components, such as front-facing LiDAR and various arrays of connected sensors around the tractor. Cursory mechanical drive components, as well as software to link everything up and make it all “talk”, or work in concert, are also included.

New Holland and Bluewhite will partner to deploy Bluewhite’s autonomous solutions for New Holland tractors used in orchards, vineyards, and other special crops.

(Photo courtesy of New Holland)

New Holland has also started building out its autonomy portfolio in row crops, starting with its driverless grain cart technology, Raven Cart Automation, that links up a grain cart (pulled by a tractor) and combine autonomously, removing the need for an additional driver during harvest.

“The practicality and return on investment [for that system] come in when you run more than one machine with only one operator,” Welbig explains. “That’s really how you start to see value; we can support multiple combine and tractor combinations – up to six machines total – today.”

Welbig and the New Holland executive team see autonomy as a five-step journey. The first step is auto guidance and GPS, and step two is ensuring all machines are connected and exchanging data. The highest level of autonomy, step five, represents a complete removal of both the driver and the farmer from the field altogether. At that level the farmer sits in a central location, managing and tasking multiple machines from a computer or tablet.

“Steps two, three and four in between, there’s still a lot of meat left on that bone,” Welbig admits. “As autonomous technology continues to evolve in the future, we’ll continue to evolve with it.”

Fully Cycle Autonomy

AGCO’s newest joint tech venture, PTx Trimble, is now solidly off the ground, and the company is advancing its autonomous grain cart tech heading into 2025.

The group’s vision of bringing autonomy to the full ag production cycle is also coming to life, although like its competitors, it’s going to take time for the full vision to come to fruition.

PTx Trimble’s automated grain cart system, OutRun.ag, will be available for purchase in 2025. For year one, single cart configuration is unlocked. The next evolution is enabling swarming of two autonomous grain carts around the same combine.

PTx Trimble also has an autonomous tillage system currently in development. The company figures many farmers will happily give up running a tillage tool across the field to a robot.

A clear differentiation point is PTx Trimble’s use of cellular connectivity and edge computing over low orbit satellite connectivity. This allows for operation in remote areas with sub-par connectivity.

RELATED: Planting A Flag: AGCO All-In On Mixed-Fleet Aftermarket Ag Tech

One limiting factor to adoption is farmer sentiment toward field work, and the types of tasks they’ll agree to give up to a machine. Ultimately, it will be up to the technology to fully prove its worth.

“As you automate you have the option of pulling the operator out [of the cab],” says Eric Hansotia, AGCO CEO. “But where is the farmer going to feel comfortable giving up that control? And can we find an autonomous solution there and build up farmer trust?”

Your Next Read: Making Purchases for 2025: All You Can Do Is Your Best!

Planting A Flag: AGCO All-In On Mixed-Fleet Aftermarket Ag Tech

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:29:10 GMT

Farmers have long self-segmented solely on the paint color of their favorite brands of farming equipment.

Oh, you’re a green guy? You prefer John Deere tractors, combines and sprayers.

Or maybe you overheard someone make an offhand remark that your farm is “all red.” That’s not a shot at your political party affiliation. It means Case IH is your preferred brand of equipment.

No matter how you slice it, if you spend any time hanging around farmers it’s clear: they value loyalty and relationships. These long-standing, dyed-in-the-wool equipment allegiances do not die fast. They’re passed down like coveted family heirlooms from grandfather, to father, to son and daughter, and so on.

It’s rather fitting then that AGCO Corporation, a major farm equipment player long left out of these pigment-based affinity groups, has signaled another evolution in its go-to-market strategy.

How is AGCO shifting gears?

The company is planting its flag as the farmer-first, mixed-fleet leader for aftermarket and OEM precision ag technology and data solutions .

This new game plan correlates with what AGCO has been up to of late: The Duluth, Ga.-based manufacturer built its precision technologies segment via big dollar acquisitions, the same way Manchester City football club built its Premier League soccer dynasty.

AGCO acquired aftermarket solutions innovators such as Precision Planting (2017) and more recently Trimble (2023), the latter being the single largest ag tech acquisition by dollar amount to date. Trimble cost AGCO upward of $2 billion, to be exact. The company has a storied history of acquiring machinery brands since its inception in the 1990s.

That’s all a long way to say that today, this AGCO – a legacy equipment company most known for its Gleaner combines and RoGator self-propelled sprayer series – says it no longer gives a rat’s you-know-what the color of equipment farmers want to use.

OK, so that’s not entirely true. The company still intends to sell plenty of machines from its family of large equipment brands such as Fendt, Massey Ferguson and others, to farmers.

But when it comes to precision ag technology, AGCO is done rowing upstream against the green and the red guys. Now it’s time to play nice and make sure the only kid in the sandbox AGCO says it cares about – the farmer – is content.

That means taking a different approach: Gone are the days, in AGCO leadership’s minds, when you must buy new to get the latest and greatest technology. As long as the equipment is 10 years old or newer, you can bolt this aftermarket kit onto your tractor and experience similar smart farming capabilities as the guy up the road who just plunked down half a million on a brand new 2024 model.

According to AGCO, there are a lot of users who see value in the hole it’s trying to fill: a brand agnostic technology partner. Its recently unveiled PTx Trimble, AGCO’s newly imagined precision ag tech brand, intends to be just that for farmers going forward.

Setting the Scene

The company detailed its new tactics last week at its 2024 Tech Days event, held at Ade Farm, a 3,300-acre soybean and wheat operation outside Salina, Kan., that runs its own mixed fleet of machines and is a loyal AGCO customer.

AGCO says globally it has 55,000 active users across 158,000 connected ag machines planting, spraying and harvesting across 84 million acres worldwide annually.

“It’s about having one comprehensive solution across all brands,” says Corey Buchs, senior director – data cloud, PTx Trimble. “We see an opportunity, a missing piece in the market we think will help our farmers by helping them manage their operations in a mixed fleet environment, regardless of make, model or age of the machine.”

Full Cycle Autonomy – Coming Soon

The concept on display at Ade Farm was visually intriguing: laser precise planters equipped with the latest fertilizer application technologies, smart sprayers that can target tiny weeds in a field full of crops and driverless tractors pulling tillage tools and grain carts. It was all there to showcase the potential of upgraded autonomous machines in an ag environment challenged by labor woes along with razor-thin profit margins.

Even the farm office data management process – shown in a small but spacious converted shipping container replete with flat screen monitors and multiple computing terminals – was accounted for.

At each stop, product managers in crispy white polo shirts made their presentations as the various machines worked autonomously off in the distance. It would have been nice to get closer to the machines, and you can bet farmers will want to look inside the cab and see some of the components of these aftermarket kits up-close before they buy, but apparently that would have triggered the safety features on the autonomous tech, stopping the machines dead in their tracks.

Another 2030 goalpost?

Unlike some of its counterparts, AGCO is not putting a 2030 finish line in front of the project. Many of the concepts we saw in Salina were just that: concepts in the alpha (which is PTx Trimble’s internal description for its earliest stage of product development) or beta stages. Once a solution hits beta stage, AGCO says it is ready to be tested with real farmers on real farms, such as the Precision Planting Vision System we saw working on a John Deere sprayer, making the 2018 sprayer a selective spraying “smart” machine. The new Vision System is PTx Trimble’s green-on-brown aftermarket kit – able to tell small weeds from corn or soybean plants at an impressive 25 mph, AGCO says.

Perhaps most notable was the automated grain cart system PTx Trimble showed in beta stage. Dinen Subramaniam, product and marketing manager, PTx Trimble, says there will be 10 Outrun.ag autonomous grain cart units testing on farms throughout the Midwest this harvest season. Plans are to have it available for purchase in 2025. The first target is single cart configuration, while the next logical evolution is enabling two autonomous grain carts.

The autonomous tillage system PTx Trimble has in alpha stage also appeared quite capable. Many farmers would happily give up running a tillage tool across the field to a machine. Running the PTx Trimble system and connecting your Panorama FMIS app in the cab will also capture that elusive-yet-critical data layer that Farm Journal ag tech columnist Steve Cubbage talks about from time to time: tillage data.

One clear differentiation point that emerged is AGCO/PTx Trimble’s reliance on cellular connectivity and edge computing versus the growing-in-popularity low orbit satellite connectivity offerings that others are putting forth to connect and control machines. Once fully autonomy is unlocked, satellite connectivity will likely be a requirement, according to PTx Trimble reps, but the company says it can connect machines and provide comparable performance without the need for high-cost satellite subscription services.

Questions Remain

Chiefly among them, will farmers buy in?
Historically, AGCO has been pigeonholed as the third or even fourth option when it comes to OEM ag tech solutions, so that begs the question: Will farmers in large numbers get on board with PTx Trimble’s tech stack?

PTx Trimble reps attempted to address those concerns by stressing:

quick, year one ROIs on most of its hardware solutions.
a 3% to 5% average increase to net farm income for farmers who adopt its autonomous technologies, based on how the machines performed on Ade Farm during it’s pilot phase.

While that sounds good on paper, farmers know each farm is different, and what pencils out on a wheat and soybean farm in central Kansas might not be a dollar to donuts fit elsewhere. PTx Trimble acknowledged that fact, and, again, keep in mind the bulk of what we saw in Salina is still in development and will likely evolve further before hitting the market.

It is a bit perplexing, though, that attendees of the 2024 Tech Day weren’t provided the opportunity to meet or hear from the actual farmer that runs Ade Farm, where all this autonomous technology has been field tested. His perspective – if it were a positive one – could have hammered home the message AGCO worked very hard to convey. Maybe he was just too busy that day? Farmers will always put more stock in hearing it straight from another farmer, so that was a bit of a missed opportunity, if I’m being honest.

Then there’s this: PTx Trimble is hoping to lock farmers into one single data management log in, via what it is calling the PTx Data platform, which includes elements of Precision Planting’s Panorama app, PTx Trimble Ag Software, and AGCO Connect. Reps at the event claimed to have research that shows 65% of farmers are using digital technology such as FMIS software and apps. Our own Farm Journal Smart Farming research report from earlier this year, however, shows a much lower level of farmer adoption of those tools.

Consider the crowded company this campaign to lock farmers in to one single agronomy and machine data platform places AGCO in: battling it out with the Climate FieldView’s, Corteva’s and the SMS’ of the world. Will farmers ultimately believe in and switch all their data management to this new software package? And potentially pay for it, too?

That seems like a tough mountain to climb.

Will Farms Be Able to Depend on Automation?

Another roadblock that AGCO might run up against (this isn’t exclusive to AGCO/PTx Trimble) is a general skepticism of advanced technology – fully autonomous tech is about as high-level as it gets – being reliable and dependable when the farmer needs it the most. Where some see tractors motoring around fields with empty cabs and think ‘Wow, that’s some amazing technology’, there are farmers who just see more things that can go wrong, more potential troubleshooting headaches and more downtime waiting for a service technician to get you back up and running again. That’s the KISS crowd, not that I must spell that acronym out for anyone here, and they will likely stick with humans over autonomous tech for as long as they can afford to.

AGCO has an answer there, too, it says. Its new FarmerCore mobile service network and the recently announced same day direct-to-farm delivery of parts campaign will be crucial enablement pieces in delivering the timely service that could put farmer minds at ease and get them to adopt.

“The feedback we’ve gotten so far – not only do the farmers like it, but the dealers like it a lot – because it’s a much more flexible way for them to grow with these mobile truck service units, instead of having to put up brick-and-mortar,” says Eric Hansotia, AGCO president and CEO .

Questions were also raised around the recurring subscription revenue model that AGCO/PTx Trimble is eyeing for some of the aspects of its autonomy stack. The good news there is the company does have ideas for ensuring farmers are billed fairly – they detailed a metric called “active task hour” that measures when the actual autonomous capability is engaged and only charges farmers for that time – but AGCO executives did acknowledge that farmers historically have not taken kindly to technology that requires annual subscription fees.

Still, all that being said, what AGCO showed last week in Salinas could potentially raise it up on a parallel track with its competitors, all of whom are chip, chip, chipping away at the autonomous farming future. Deere and CNH both are on record with 2030 as the goal in demonstrating a fully autonomous production system in row crops.

PTx Trimble is eyeing that same deep pool, although right now it appears to be dipping its toe in to check the temperature versus sending it with a full-on cannonball. Automating things such as tillage passes and grain carts are relatively simple at this point in the game. It’s those ultra-important practices such as planting and spraying where building farmer trust in the technology will drive adoption by the tech skeptics.

“We’ve got an evolution [in mind] and we think it’s a combination of two things. One is, how automated is that process? Because you’ve heard us talk for a number of years about applying smart features to a machine so we can automate that feature, and as you automate more features you can have the option of pulling the operator out, so one is tech up,” Hansotia says. “Another one is farmer back. If you look at our planter, it’s super automated, so it checks that box. But where is the farmer going to feel comfortable giving up control? Tillage is like ‘Well, if I get it wrong I can go back and fix it,’ but getting planting wrong? There’s nothing I can do to catch that back up. It’s not a technology problem but one of farmer confidence. So, we’ve got these laid out at the intersection of those two critical questions: Where can we find an autonomous technology solution and where can we build farmer trust fast?”

Key Takeaway

Building farmer trust in its newly imagined tech stack should be priority numero uno moving forward at PTx Trimble. How that work fares will likely have a huge impact on whether this latest transformation garners farmer buy in and, ultimately, increases its relevance in the future of autonomous farming.

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Is This John Deere? Rare Photo Discovered of Agriculture Icon

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:08:04 GMT

History reborn. Lost for almost 175 years, a striking photo of John Deere, the most famous craftsman in the annals of agriculture, has been found, according to the Middlebury Museum.

Muscled neck, heavy jaw, and impatient pose, Deere is captured in a 3” x 4” daguerreotype taken between 1851 and 1856. Currently on display in Middlebury, Vermont, the image is remarkable, particularly considering Deere largely is absent from the historical photo record—beyond stodgy, chest-high pictures or statesman-like profiles.

“It’s incredible and definitely him,” says Frederick Rock, renowned antique expert and owner of Westchester Fine Art . “That is the man. That is John Deere. That picture speaks and tells its own story.”

“Who In The Hell Else?”

There were two.

On Oct. 5, 1994, a pair of Deere daguerreotypes, valued at $10,000-15,000, went under the gavel at Sotheby’s, listed as: Portrait of Man in Frock Coat and Cravat, and Portrait of a Man Posed with Plow Handles. The same man featured in both pictures, with a change of dress and apparel between shots. Adios to the coat and tie, and welcome to a whip and straw hat.

The second John Deere daguerreotype sold by Sotheby’s.

(Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s)

As noted by Sotheby’s in its accompanying sale catalogue: The forthright gaze and aggressive pose of the man posed with plow handles indicate an individual of considerable ambition and tremendous purpose.

The daguerreotypes, described by Sotheby’s as, “both possibly portraits of John Deere,” were taken by an “anonymous American photographer,” between roughly 1851-1856. “If this is indeed John Deere (1804-1886),” Sotheby’s stated, “then the portrait would depict him in his late 40’s or early 50’s, soon after his move to Moline and on the verge of his national success.”

The pair of daguerreotypes, particularly the horizontally-oriented Man Posed with Plow Handles, show a character that matches well with a physical description of Deere from a January 1937 article in Implement & Tractor: “He was of impressive stature, though only about six feet tall, but with massive shoulders and arms which readily indicated the physical prowess that was his. ... A heavy head of hair crowned a rather high forehead and treated with the common abandon of his day added materially to the impression of physical strength.”

After purchase at Sotheby’s, the two reputed Deere images went separate directions, into the hands of several private dealers. In 2007, Rock, owner of Hammond House Fine Art & Antiques and Westchester Fine Art, found opportunity to buy Man Posed with Plow Handles.

“It’s an amazing piece and worth a very significant amount of money,” says Frederick Rock. “I’m so glad it ended up at the Middlebury Museum—where it belongs.”

(Photo courtesy of Middlebury Museum)

“I stumbled across the daguerreotype, and it was listed as ‘possibly John Deere,’” Rock recalls. “The daguerreotype shows John Deere posing with one of his plows that he made famous and the physical resemblance to the known photos of Deere is exceptional.”

“The man in this daguerreotype exudes character and the image is screaming out that he’s somebody special,” Rock adds. “Who in the hell else is sitting for a promotional picture in the 1850s, carrying themselves in such a way, and posing with a plow?”

Silver On Copper

In 2015, Portrait of a Man Posed with Plow Handles found a permanent home in Vermont, at the Middlebury College Museum of Art —literally 1 mile from the blacksmith shop where Deere swung a hammer as a young man between 1821-1825. Born in Rutland, 40 miles from Middlebury, Deere left Vermont for Illinois in 1836, shortly after igniting an agricultural revolution through industrial scale production of a self-scouring steel plow .

The blacksmith shop of Benjamin Lawrence in Middlebury, Vt., where Deere was an apprentice. Right: Remains of a hammer block used by Deere at his shop in Grand Detour, Ill.

(Photos courtesy of The New York Public Library)

By the early 1840s, Deere was cranking out advertisements, such as the following plow pronouncement in the Rock River Register in 1843: John Deere respectfully informs his friends and customers, the agricultural community, of this and adjoining counties, and dealers in Ploughs, that he is now prepared to fill orders for the same on presentation. The Moldboard of this well, and so favorably known PLOUGH, is made of wrought iron, and the share of steel, 5/16 of an inch thick, which carries a fine sharp edge. The whole face of the moldboard and share is ground smooth, so that it scours perfectly bright in any soil, and will not choke in the foulest of ground…

The Middlebury College Museum of Art purchased Portrait of a Man Posed with Plow Handles from Rock’s auction house. The image is under the care of Josephine Rodgers, Middlebury’s curator of collections, with oversight of 6,000-plus objects. (Middlebury also owns other historic Deere-related items.)

Deere turned a steel sawmill blade into gold by manufacturing and marketing the self-scouring, steel moldboard plow.

(Wikimedia Commons)

“This John Deere daguerreotype is in fantastic condition,” Rodgers describes. “It’s in the original casing, in faded red velvet and lined in gilding. Currently, it’s displayed in the early photography section of our museum.”

“There’s such stark beauty to the image,” she continues. “A daguerreotype captures the subject with more depth than a digital photo, and in this particular daguerreotype, you can see Deere almost straining to hold his position, likely directed to maintain his posture for a long exposure.”

Daguerreotypes produced highly detailed images on copper sheeting plated with a thin coat of silver. According to Library of Congress , exposure times for early period daguerreotypes could be a torturous 3 to 15 minutes, with later exposures reduced to 1 minute or less. The daguerreotype era lasted from approximately 1839-1860.

“This is an occupational daguerreotype,” Rodgers adds. “In the image, Deere is essentially modeling his occupation; he’s modeling what he does or makes. That’s because the purpose of the image was for replication on a poster or in some type of advertisement, which was a common process for the day. Therefore, I don’t believe this is the only copy.”

Unicorns

Dated pre-Civil War, circa 1851-1856, Portrait of a Man Posed with Plow Handles overlaps Deere’s residency in Moline, Illinois. When and where might he have sat for an occupational daguerreotype?

When Deere picked up a broken bandsaw blade at an Illinois mill, brushed away the sawdust, and carted home the steel in 1837, he set agricultural revolution in motion.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Rock believes the most probable explanation is an exposition. “I think the detective work could be done to get close to where this was taken. Where did Deere exhibit his plow in the 1850s? At an exposition or fair, it would have been common to have daguerreotype makers on site,” Rock says. “By the 1850s, Deere certainly was in more than enough money to afford daguerreotypes or whatever sort of promotional materials he wanted.”

At the Middlebury College Museum of Art, the daguerreotype rests in a light-sensitive case. “It’s available for everyone to see,” Rodgers says. “A light comes on in the case whenever someone stands in front of it. For us, it’s a wonderful teaching tool and tells the story of photography, marketing, John Deere, and our community.”

Whether due to financial reality early in his career, or a disdain of the lens, or pure happenchance, outstanding photographs of Deere are unicorns, particularly for a figure of such historical stature.

“The provenance is genuine,” says Josephine Rodgers. “This daguerreotype is John Deere. Somewhere lost, I think there is another copy of this or an advertising poster waiting to be found.”

(Photo courtesy of Middlebury Museum)

“I have absolutely no doubt this is John Deere,” Rock concludes. “It’s an amazing piece and worth a very significant amount of money. I’m so glad it ended up at the Middlebury Museum —where it belongs.”

“The provenance is genuine,” Rodgers concurs. “This daguerreotype is John Deere. Somewhere lost, I think there is another copy of this or an advertising poster waiting to be found.”

For more articles from Chris Bennett ( cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:

Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told

American Gothic: Farm Couple Nailed In Massive $9M Crop Insurance Fraud

Priceless Pistol Found After Decades Lost in Farmhouse Attic

Cottonmouth Farmer: The Insane Tale of a Buck-Wild Scheme to Corner the Snake Venom Market

Power vs. Privacy: Landowner Sues Game Wardens, Challenges Property Intrusion

Tractorcade: How an Epic Convoy and Legendary Farmer Army Shook Washington, D.C.

Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved After 40 Years

While America Slept, China Stole the Farm

Three Final Destinations For Mineral’s Tech And Patents Named

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 12:07:54 GMT

After seven years of heading up Mineral, a subsidairy of Alphabet who is also the parent company of Google, focusing on developing technology for agriculture, Elliott Grant says this type of work is more like a marathon than a sprint.

And with Alphabet dispersing Mineral–its patents, ongoing work and team–Grant says it’s like passing the baton.

“We chose to pass the baton at this time because it’s the best way to maximize our impact in agriculture globally,” he says.

As of this week, we know what entities are picking up the technology, patents, and ideas from Mineral:

John Deere will acquire dozens of patents and a technology suite to support development of its See and Spray platform.
Google Research Africa, The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT will carry on the work setup by Mineral’s phenotyping methods.
As previously announced in July, Driscoll’s will acquire and embed Mineral’s yield forecasting and quality inspection tools.

“This is the fastest way to transfer our technology to other players and for them to pick the baton and go and to take it to the next leg,” Grant says. “We needed to work with world leaders in agribusiness who we felt had to capacity to pick up this technology that we developed because it’s powerful technology.”

John Deere provided the following statement: “John Deere has acquired a technology suite from Mineral. This includes patents, pending patents, plant images, and machine learning tools developed by Mineral, a subsidiary of Alphabet. These assets will support the development efforts of John Deere See & Spray solutions to be delivered to more growers. See & Spray technology allows John Deere sprayers to see, target, and kill in-season weeds using advanced cameras and machine learning that distinguishes crops from weeds and selectively target sprays only the weeds. That means less herbicide, less costs, and less impact to crops and land.”

In Mineral’s work—which never had a business model to be sold directly to farmers but rather made accessible via partnerships—Grant says the team concluded partners with access to data, hardware, or end users will be ideally placed to serve farmers and solve the problems specific to agriculture.

“Our mission has always been to make a meaningful, positive difference to the global food system - which we knew was an audacious, high-risk undertaking–so we would regularly ask ourselves: “is this the best way to maximize impact?” and “are we reaching the diversity of farmers we want to, worldwide?” We’ve shared before that we’ve been looking for new and innovative partnerships that can transcend traditional approaches,” Grant says.

He goes on to share that over the past 18 months, the pace of change in foundational artificial intelligence (AI) improved even more rapidly than expected. This caused the team to rethink the value and differentiation it was bringing to farmers.

“Therefore we selected organizations to pass the baton to which had the talent, data, market position, and recognized the acceleration that Mineral technologies brings,” Grant says.

He adds about the assets John Deere acquired, “We had developed ag-specific ML Ops tools that were optimized for the unique challenges of training and tuning high performance plant perception models. The tools allowed a 75% reduction in training time per epoch (i.e. one complete pass through the entire training data set), and slashed training time to less than two days for 100K images. We knew that every farm and every crop and every season are slightly different - so the ability to retrain and fine-tune quickly is critical to scaling to more farmers and more geographies. These custom ML Ops tools also produced more robust AI models (that means models that work in diverse environments, in uncontrolled lighting conditions, and situations that differ from the training data), which is critical for farmers to capture the economic benefits that will drive adoption of new technologies like precision spraying.”

In addition to the work on the model training tools, Mineral also built and deployed robots, apps, sensors and ingestion pipelines which added up to dramatically improved data collection speed, fidelity and quality.

“While it can be tempting to focus on observable hardware alone, scaling to reach every farmer and achieving the promise of precision hardware requires a full stack of capabilities that are mostly hidden from view,” Grant says.

When Mineral started, in six months the team could collect data, train the model and then release it. This past year, that same work was able to be done in five days time.

“In many ways, that’s been the breakthrough—we’ve radically changed the velocity and the speed at which we could build something. Now it’s up to these new partners to make it available commercially,” Grant says.

Grant sees in the near future when we won’t talk about how AI is used because it will be fully part of products and tools.

“We’re at the beginning of a huge transition for the ag industry, which is the integration of AI into agriculture,” Grant says. “If AI continues to develop at the pace it’s going today, in ten years from now, it’ll be a thousand times more powerful.”

As for the team and talent Mineral employed, Grant says they too will be valuable across different businesses in the industry.

“I am proud those Mineral technologies will enable and accelerate some of the most forward-thinking and consequential organizations in global agriculture: John Deere, Driscoll’s, and CIAT. I’m also proud that the team we assembled are dispersing their expertise into the broader ecosystem,” Grant said.

Ag Technology And Machinery News: Rantizo Links With John Deere, AGCO and Case IH Sales Down

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 16:41:58 GMT

AGCO sales plummet 15%, $199 million in second quarter losses reported

AGCO achieved net sales of $3.2 billion for the second quarter ended June 30, a decrease of 15% compared to the second quarter of 2023. That equated to net losses of $4.92 per share, totaling $199 million.

That calculation includes the companies’ estimated loss on its Grain & Protein business being held for sale, which AGCO has stated could total $450 million when all is said and done. That transaction is expected to close by the end of 2024.

AGCO CEO and President Eric Hansotia noted the companies’ ongoing farmer first strategy shift while acknowledging its second half results were influenced by low commodity prices and depressed demand for new equipment, as well as significant workforce cutbacks.

He also stated his belief that “going forward, (AGCO) will be better positioned for long-term growth.”

Review the full Q2 report on AGCO’s website here.

CNH Industrial reports 38% total net income reduction year-over-year, ag sales down 20%

CNH Industrial reported its 2024 second half results on July 31, sharing that the global conglomerate realized a 16% reduction in consolidated revenues across its wide breadth of business units. Net profits were also down 19% compared to Q2 2023.

Specific to its agriculture business, CNH Industrial reported that “agriculture net sales decreased for the quarter by 20% to $3.91 billion, primarily due to lower shipment volumes on decreased industry demand and dealer inventory requirements across all regions, partially offset by favorable price realization.”

You can review CNH’s full Q2 2024 financial results report here.

AgLaunch365 tech pilot program taking applications through August 5

AgLaunch is accepting applications from ag tech startups for its AgLaunch365 accelerator and farm trial program.

(AgLaunch)

AgLaunch is accepting applications from ag tech startups for its AgLaunch365 accelerator and farm trial program. The opportunity is open to entrepreneurs in row crop, livestock, and specialty crops. Applications are due by August 5.

AgLaunch365 offers business development services with on-farm trials and mentorship from agricultural experts. Startups accepted into the program gain access to a national network of innovative farmers and peer support. Starting January 2025, the program includes six weeks of business coaching, mentorship, and farm trials over a two-year period.

Head over to the AgLaunch365 homepage to apply and find more information.

Kinze reducing workforce due to down ag market

Kinze will be implementing a reduction in its workforce in response to the ongoing economic downturn in the agricultural sector.

The reduction affects 193 of Kinze’s 815 employees in Williamsburg, Iowa. No other reductions are planned at this time.

“We deeply regret the necessity of this action,” said Susanne Veatch, president, Kinze. “This decision was not made lightly, and it is a direct response to current ag market realities.”

Heinen Brothers and Kelly Hills Unmanned announce ag drone testing corridor, August open house near Kansas City

Heinen Brothers Agra Services and Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems have gained FAA approval for an ag drone test range spanning four states and 49,000 square miles.

(Heinen Brothers)

Heinen Brothers Agra Services, a provider of aerial application services throughout the Midwest, and its subsidiary Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems have gained FAA approval for an ag drone test range spanning four states and 49,000 square miles. The group is hosting a grand opening field day on August 22.

FAA approved the unmanned aerial systems test range covering partial airspace in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. The range provides the ability to host fixed-wing, multirotor, and rotary-wing systems testing applications on ten different crops including corn, soybeans and milo.

“This test range has the potential to drive innovation, improve the safety of pilots, and change the economic dynamics for the American farmer,” says Lukas Koch, Kelly Hills CEO. “Our goal is to become the epicenter for unmanned aerial systems in the agricultural space and we seek relationships with those who want to utilize our test range.”

On Thursday, August 22, Kelly Hills will host a grand opening and field day. Customers, vendors, researchers, policy makers, agriculture industry leaders, enthusiasts, and all other key individuals are invited to Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems; 1226 104th Road, Seneca, Kansas.

For more information and to register to attend the grand opening, head to kellyhills.us.

New Holland announces new VP of North America, CNH Chief Technology Officer

CNH has appointed Ryan Schaefer to the role of Vice President for New Holland Agriculture North America, and Jay Schroeder will serve as CNH’s new Chief Technology Officer. Both appointments are effective immediately.

New Holland says Schaefer’s 20 years of experience in the agricultural equipment industry will provide a strong track record of performance. Schroeder has over 30 years of experience with CNH.

“The opportunity to lead New Holland in North America is an exciting chance to accelerate the growth of our brand’s full line of products, including cash crop, dairy, livestock, specialty, compact tractors and digital farm management solutions,” said Schaefer.

Head over to AgriMarketing to read to the full breakdown of CNH’s executive management changes.

Rantizo links AcreConnect with John Deere Operations Center

Rantizo’s AcreConnect software is now connected with the John Deere Operations Center.

The new API allows operators to share ‘As Covered’ and ‘As Applied’ Maps directly with customers that use the John Deere Operations Center. This ensures that spray records are included with other application information and field data.

“Connecting AcreConnect to the John Deere Operations Center supports our promise to deliver better service,” said Jeff Holman, chief product technology officer, Rantizo. “Both independent operators and those at retail locations now have the ability to share application data directly to a grower’s account.”

Go here learn more about the AcreConnect-Operations Center API.

John Deere Expected To Announce More Layoffs Next Week

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 18:50:34 GMT

Deere & Co. is planning to announce layoffs of salaried employees on July 24, 2024, according to an email sent to employees on July 15. This announcement comes as part of a series of workforce reductions the company has been implementing in recent months.

Key points about the upcoming layoffs:

• The layoffs will affect an undetermined number of salaried workers globally.

• Employees will be notified of the layoffs beginning on Wednesday, July 24.

• Salaried employees whose jobs do not require them to be onsite are asked to work from home from July 24-26 and postpone business travel.

• A global all-employee meeting will be held to provide more details about the workforce update.

• Employees being separated will receive information about severance offers and separation details.

The company cites several reasons for these layoffs:

• Declining customer demand

• Rising costs

• Prevailing economic uncertainties

• Insufficient results from previous cost-containment strategies, including a global hiring freeze

This announcement follows a series of recent layoffs by Deere & Co.:

• 345 Waterloo workers to be laid off effective September 20, 2024

• 280 employees at a Moline, Illinois factory, 299 at John Deere Davenport Works and 111 at John Deere Dubuque Works, all effective August 30, 2024

• Various other layoffs at facilities in Moline, Urbandale, Des Moines, and Waterloo in May and June 2024

In total, Deere & Co. has laid off nearly 2,000 workers between September 2023 and July 2024. The company’s financial performance has been declining, with a 15% decrease in revenue reported in the second quarter of 2024 and lowered profit forecasts for the full year. These layoffs are occurring against a backdrop of declining farm income, with USDA projecting a 25.5% decrease in net farm income for 2024 compared to the previous year.

Deere issues statement backing away from DEI.

Deere & Company issued a statement on the social media platform X that they are changing their policies on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), noting they have already focused their sponsorships on “supporting the business and brand” with their non-profit sponsorships centering on “priority areas” including hunger, economic development, eliminating poverty, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), agriculture education, and supporting veterans and the military.

Our customers’ trust and confidence in us are of the utmost importance to everyone at John Deere. We fully intend to earn it every day and in every way we can. pic.twitter.com/8BgyPyQJQo
— John Deere (@JohnDeere) July 16, 2024

Moving forward, Deere said it would “no longer participate in or support external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events,” and that they will focus their business groups on “professional development, networking, mentoring, and supporting talent recruitment efforts.” The company said they would reaffirm that the existence of diversity quotas and pronoun identification “have never been and are not company policy.”

This decision comes in the wake of recent controversies and public backlash over the company’s previous DEI initiatives. The move aligns with similar actions taken by other companies in the industry, such as Tractor Supply, which recently abandoned its DEI objectives and discontinued support for non-business-related activities.

Machinery and Tech News: Class-10+ Combine Hits North America, Taranis Launches GenAI Assistant

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 12:00:00 GMT

New Class-10+ Combine from Claas Hits North America

Claas unveiled its new Lexion 8900 Terra Trac combine this week at the Ag in Motion farm show in Saskatchewan, Canada.

The newest entry to the Lexion lineup delivers 779 max horsepower from an efficient 16.2L MAN engine – an increase of 89 hp over the Lexion 8800 model, according to the company.

Claas says the class-10+ combine is well suited for large-scale small grain operations. While the machine is new to North America, it’s been offered in select regions around the world since 2019.
Other notable features include:

510-bushel grain tank
5.1 bushels per second unloading speed
APS Synflow Hybrid system maximizes harvesting performance and efficiency by controlling threshing and separation systems independently.
Cemos Automatic system automatically adjusts machine settings in real-time based on crop flow and changing crop conditions.
Broad range of available CLAAS combine headers, including the new 50 ft./15.3 m wide CONVIO FLEX 1530 flex-belt draper header.

Go here to learn more: https://www.claasofamerica.com/claas-central/media-center/news_stories/claas-rolls-out-lexion-8900-terra-trac-in-north-america/2876866

Taranis Harnesses Generative AI With Ag Assistant

Taranis announced the launch of what it is claiming to be the industry’s first AI-powered agronomic engine, Ag Assistant .

“Our GenAI model was trained on a growing library of more than 500 million leaf-level data points along with relevant, vetted industry information,” says Jason Minton, chief commercial officer, Taranis. “Ag Assistant will enhance the speed, accuracy and quality of service agronomists can provide growers.”

In addition to Taranis’ proprietary agronomic data library, Ag Assistant also captures, analyzes and contextualizes information from weather maps, machinery data, university research, crop input companies, and other peer-reviewed, credible sources, Taranis says.

The Taranis multimodal Ag GenAI model then cross-references and applies all gathered information to the detected threat(s) in the grower’s field. The output is a report that categorizes and summarizes all identified threats, providing the agronomist with a recommendation for remedy. The report is delivered to the Taranis digital platform, where both the agronomic advisor and enrolled grower are alerted to management opportunities in hours rather than days.

Learn more about Ag Assistant here.

Coalition Fights Back Against Spray Drone Ban

In response to proposed legislation aimed at banning drones manufactured by Chinese companies, a coalition of agricultural spray drone distributors is banding together to form an industry advocacy group, according to a recent press release jointly issued by the companies.

This coalition, consisting of Agri Spray Drones, Bestway Ag, Drone Nerds, HSE-UAV, Pegasus Robotics, and Rantizo, intends to represent, protect, and advocate for the interests of the agricultural industry in the use of spray drone technology.

The coalition states:

“Recent legislative proposals, like H.R 2864 which passed in the House version of the NDAA, seek to ban drones manufactured by Chinese companies due to security concerns. However, the proposals currently being presented and discussed fail to consider other methods to address security concerns while also avoiding the significant impact such bans would have on the agricultural industry.”

Read more about this group’s effort to fight back against a potential nationwide Chinese spray drone ban.

Machinery News: New Holland Announces Aftermarket Autonomy Partner, Layoffs Continue

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 17:39:23 GMT

Equipment Manufacturer Layoffs Roll On at AGCO, John Deere

As ag equipment companies continue to face weakening demand and a farmer user base discouraged by low commodity prices and high operating expenses, another round of job cuts was announced this week.

John Deere is handing out pink slips to 279 workers at its East Moline, Illinois, Harvester Works plant, according to WRAM 1330 AM in Monmouth, Illinois. The dismissed employees last day is August 30th, according to the report.

Combined with rounds of layoffs in Urbandale, Waterloo, and Ankeny, Iowa, John Deere has slashed just north of one thousand workers from its employment base over the last two months.

One of John Deere’s chief rivals in the large ag equipment space, Duluth, Georgia-based AGCO Corporation , confirmed this week that it will reduce it’s overall salaried workforce by about 6%. The company did not specify which of its locations will be affected by the cuts.

The company estimates that it will incur charges for one-time termination benefits of approximately $150 million to $200 million in connection with severance payments, employee benefits payouts, and related costs.

According to KSN.com in Wichita, Kansas, AGCO reps said the decision to reduce its workforce is not directly related to its shift in production to Mexico, which was announced earlier in June.

Meeting with a group of ag media this week at its 2024 Tech Day event in Salina, Kansas, AGCO President and CEO Eric Hansotia expressed his dismay in confirming the layoffs. He pointed to the cyclical nature of the ag equipment industry while pledging that his organization will uphold the affected workers dignity and respect as the process moves forward.

New Holland, Aftermarket Autonomy Startup Collaborate on Driverless Orchard Tractors

New Holland and Bluewhite, an autonomous technology company, announced a multi-phase partnership to collaborate on distribution, manufacturing and integration of Bluewhite’s autonomous solutions for New Holland tractors in North America.

The partnership will enable New Holland tractors to operate fully autonomously in orchards, vineyards and other specialty crop operations.

Now select New Holland dealers in the western U.S. have the rights to sell, distribute and service Bluewhites’s aftermarket kits for existing New Holland tractors.

Order writing will begin this summer, with future regional and global expansion to come.

New Holland says the capabilities of Bluewhite’s technology bolsters its strategy to bring autonomous solutions across all segments it serves, and it builds upon CNH’s acquisitions of Raven, Augmenta, and Hemisphere, which are driving New Holland’s autonomy offerings for row crop and broad acre farmers.

“The integration of Bluewhite into our technology stack allows our customers to access much-needed autonomous technology in an attainable aftermarket solution,” said Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland.

Bluewhite, formerly Blue White Robotics, leverages AI, sensor fusion, advanced vehicle integration and precision implements control to help growers remotely manage their fleets and data. Bluewhite leadership says its autonomous farming technology has been field tested on multiple crops and tractor models across 150,000 acres in the U.S.

Founded in 2017 by Ben Alfi, Yair Shahar and Aviram Shmueli, Bluewhite is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, with offices in Fresno, California.

“Our long-term partnership with CNH and New Holland combining autonomous technology with tractors and harvesters in the orchards and vineyards sector is a milestone in achieving our mission of making cutting-edge innovation accessible to the agriculture sector,” said Ben Alfi, Chief Executive Officer, Bluewhite.

New Holland and Bluewhite are also exploring future possibilities for factory-installed solutions.

Deere Introduces ‘Industry First’ Tractor

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 20:57:19 GMT

For 2020, John Deere is introducing an industry first—the all-new 8RX, a fixed-frame, four-track tractor.

With the turning characteristics of wheel tractors, the 8RX delivers the pulling performance of tracks by providing more surface area of contact, less ground pressure and less slip than wheel tractors, according to Tammy Lee, marketing manager, production agriculture for John Deere.

John Deere will offer a wide range of track and axle configurations, tread-spacing options and belt widths for the 8RX tractors. (Watch the video at the bottom of the page for more details on the 8RX. )

The new 8RX is part of a new, eight-family tractor lineup that Deere now offers, which includes the 8R and 8RT tractors. Lee says every 8 family tractor will leave the factory fully supported with the latest technology.

Each tractor in the 8 family is standard-equipped with an integrated Gen 4 4600 CommandCenter display, StarFire 6000 integrated receiver and AutoTrac activation. Additional premium or automation activations are available, so farmers can upgrade and choose the level of accuracy they prefer. A full suite of John Deere technology is included for the seamless integration of automation, documentation and connectivity through the John Deere operations center.

The 8RX, and every other tractor in the 8 family, also offers an all-new, larger cab, the largest John Deere has ever offered and includes an extra 2” of headroom and a 24-percent wider entry path. The new cab includes an exclusive new leather seat with electronic adjustment, heating, ventilation and massage features, and smartphone integration with a 6.5-inch (16.5 cm) touchscreen and multi-speaker system. Also included in the cab are a leather-wrapped steering wheel, footrests and a carpeted floor mat.

In addition, three visibility packages are offered—select, premium and ultimate—for farmers interested in the 8 family of tractors. For more efficient nighttime operation, the ultimate package features 22 work LED and eight convenience LED lights, twice as many lights as current models. This gives an operator 360 degrees of lighting coverage while working on or servicing their equipment. The ultimate package also comes with electric, heated, telescopic mirrors; wipers and sunshades on the front, right-hand side and rear; and integrated front and rear cameras.

For 8R tractors, Lee said John Deere started with the most popular row-crop tractors on wheels in North America and made them better. “These updated tractors are the most intelligent, comfortable and dependable tractors we have ever produced,” Lee said.

Ordering and pricing information for the 8RX and other 8 family tractors will be available yet this year for 2020. Shipments of the 8 family of tractors are expected to begin next summer. For more information, visit JohnDeere.com or see your local dealer.

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Fendt Rolls Out New Track Tractor Series

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 14:21:09 GMT

AGCO Corporation continues to roll out new products along its Fendt brand of equipment debuting five new machines for North America.

“These new products are the result of years of voice-of-customer input, development effort and in-field testing,” said Conor Bergin, Fendt brand manager. “We’re tremendously excited to roll them out to dealers and producers across North America.”

Because of canceled farm shows and in-person events, the company is choosing to unveil the latest innovations online via virtual events.

Included in the rollout were two new track tractors; the Fendt 900 Vario MT and Fendt 1100 Vario MT.

“For the first time ever we’re going to be offering a Fendt brand tracked tractor here in North America,” said Bob Crain, senior vice president and general manager.

The Fendt 1100 Vario MT tractors range from 511 to 673 hp with four models including the 1167 Vario MT, which Fendt says is set to be the largest two-tracked tractor in the market at 673 hp.

It is powered by a MAN 6-cylinder, 16.2L diesel engine that the company says generates more than 2,000-foot pounds of torque at 1,110 rpm.

It also includes a steerable hitch option to help improve steering and ride when turning with large tillage tools or planters.

The Fendt 900 Vario MT includes three models that range from 380 hp to 431 hp. The AGCO Power 9.8-liter, high-power, low-rev diesel engine mated to a Fendt VarioDrive stepless CVT transmission develops 1,500 foot-pounds of torque at 1,100 rpm.

Presales start in September for both track tractor models and will be available for field work in early 2021.

IDEAL 10 and 10T Combines

Fendt says its IDEAL 10 and 10T combines have the highest horsepower and the largest separation capacity in North America, while moving on an 11.5-foot-wide chassis. The wheeled 10 and tracked 10T are powered by a 16.2-liter diesel engine that delivers 790 hp.

Fendt is also touting the separation area of the IDEAL 10, saying it measures 12% larger, and harvest capacity is 20% greater than the IDEAL 9. It’s unloading of the 485-bushel storage tank at a speed of 6 bushels per second, Fendt says, will shave hours off of harvest time. It’s big enough to run a 50-foot flex draper head in small grains, and Fendt plans to announce new corn head options in the near future.

The track version is also able to be driven via a joystick rather than a traditional steering wheel.

Fendt 700 Gen 6 tractors

Six models of the new Fendt 700 Gen 6 tractor carry out multiple duties farm-wide. They can adjust for narrow or wide row spacings and feature a Deutz 6.06-liter, 6-cylinder diesel engine that delivers 144 to 237 hp. They also feature the new FendtONE interface, which lets operators customize their preferences for each use.

Fendt 300 Vario mid-range tractors

The fourth-generation Fendt 300 Vario is a mid-range tractor with a class-leading power-to-weight ratio and a nimble 13-foot turning radius. Its four models are powered by 4.4-liter AGCO Power engines that range from 100 hp to 132 hp. The Fendt 314, the largest model in the family, can reach 142 hp with the Fendt DynamicPerformance power boost, when the task calls for more power.

Dealership Expansion Continues

AGCO is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a company, and as it expands its product lines the company continues to invest in its dealership network.

“AGCO now has 206 Fendt dealership locations and counting in 29 states and nine provinces, an increase of more than 80 locations since we began investing in our dealership expansion in 2018,” said Crain. “We’ve worked hard to place dealers in areas that best serve current Fendt owners and prospective buyers.”

The company isn’t shooting for a target number of dealerships, rather a percent coverage.

“Our ultimate goal is to have 95% of the total industry covered,” said Bill Hurley,vice president, Aftersales, Customer Support & Distribution Development, AGCO. “That varies when you look at combines versus planters versus tractors, and so our target is to have coverage of 95% across all sectors.”

“Our existing Fendt dealers are excited about these new products, and our new Fendt dealers have been working hard preparing to bring new customers into the Fendt family with support, service and sales indicative of the Fendt legacy,” Crain added.

The company also is offering a new warranty program called Gold Star Customer Care. The program provides a full warranty with no deductible for 36 months or 3,000 hours for tractors, and 36 months or 1,200 hours for IDEAL combines.

Gold Star also covers all scheduled maintenance, including the cost of oil, filters, belts and other maintenance items needed during the warranty period. Fendt dealers also tout a dealer-facing fill rate of more than 98%. The company says if a crucial part isn’t available from a dealer, it will be shipped via the fastest method possible from the nearest AGCO parts distribution center or the factory.

AGCO will preview all of these new products to the public on August 21, 2020, on YouTube.

Rural Infrastructure Grants Easier To Tap Into, Thanks To New Toolkit

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:21:08 GMT

The Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S.) Initiative was announced by U.S. Department of Transportation (UDOT) Secretary, Elaine Chao, on Monday. The initiative includes a toolkit designed to streamline the grant application process for infrastructure projects.

“This is a new program that will help applicants in rural America navigate the very complicated landscape of all kinds of grants at the department,” Chao told AgriTalk Host Chip Flory. “This will help rural America improve its infrastructure and increase safety.”

Chao says the rural transportation network has been instrumental in building and supplying urban areas throughout the nation’s history, yet rural America has been long overlooked and neglected.

“I come from a world (and) know firsthand how important America’s rural transportation networks are. I always tell people, look, America is not looking for handouts. We just want our fair share,” says Chao, who hails from Kentucky and is married to Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell.

Chao says that prior to the Trump administration, only 25% of discretionary grants were awarded to rural areas.

“In this administration, this department has awarded more than 62% of these infrastructure grants to rural areas,” she notes. “Just the last go around, we had a bunch of what’s called build grants. It’s $900 million. Over 20 projects were selected, and 53% of the money went to rural America.”

While only 19% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, 45% of all roadway fatalities and 34% of all public highway-rail grade crossing fatalities occur on rural roads, and the fatality rate on rural roads is two times higher than on urban roads, according to UDOT.

“Of the bridges that need repair work, 80% of those bridges are in rural areas,” Chao adds.

Discretionary grant applications can be complex and resource-intensive to complete, she says. Many of the Department’s discretionary grant programs require non-federal funding to cover a portion of project costs, which—at least historically—has presented an additional barrier to rural communities with limited funding.

“One of my observations in interfacing with the government, and particularly the federal government, is they do a really good job at information generation but a very poor job at information dissemination,” says Michael Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition.

“For rural counties, to expect them to go to such and such a report and find it on page 922 paragraph B—that there’s a grant program that’s accessible to them—I don’t know of many rural county engineers who would have the time and ability to access that.” Steenhoek says, adding, “(But) any opportunity to make this information and these resources with these grant programs accessible to rural America, I think it’s a great thing.

Chao says the toolkit is easy to access and use. “Just click on the icon and you’ll see and can go through all the grant programs that are eligible for road repairs, road building, ports, bridges, airports…and we have discretionary grants. We want equity in the distribution of these federal resources.”

Chao says the grants have various criteria that must be met by applicants. In addition, some are available to local governments to use while others are available to the private sector.

More information on the toolkit is available here: https://www.transportation.gov/rural/toolkit

Machinery and Tech News: CropX Acquisition, See and Spray Update, New GSI Grain Dryers

CropX scoops up nitrogen sensor tech firm

CropX is finalizing its acquisition of EnGeniousAg, a startup focused on advanced nitrogen sensing.

EnGeniousAg developed a nitrogen sensing technology that offers farmers new precision tools to optimize applications and minimize environmental impacts. Its patented technology provides users with near-instantaneous, in-field nitrogen measurements.

CropX will integrate EnGeniousAg’s technology into its agronomic farm management system, enhancing nutrient management capabilities for its users.

“In our global search for synergistic technologies in the nutrient management space, EnGeniousAg stood out with high-potential technology that is ideally suited to our mission,” said Tomer Tzach, CEO, CropX.

This is the sixth acquisition for CropX, following its most recent acquisition of Australia’s Green Brain in December 2023.

GSI intros new mixed flow dryers for 2025 harvest season

GSI is releasing a new lineup of Mixed Flow dryers for the 2025 harvest season. The manufacturer says its new dryer offerings promote greater efficiency and maximize grain quality.

“Our new Mixed Flow dryers reduce downtime and maintain capacity with no screens to clean during the busy harvest season,” said Alan Lockwood, conditioning product manager, GSI. “They can also dry multiple crops without changeover or loss of capacity.”

Notable features include:

A modular design that can grow with a farm operation.
Lower airflow rates that maximize grain quality and improve fuel efficiency.
Independently controlled modules that allow for multi-zone temperature, as well as the ability to run full heat or dry/cool modes.
Can be loaded with either a leveling auger or a gravity fill box and unloaded with dual 7-inch meter rolls that supply grain to a single-drag discharge conveyor.

For more information, contact your local GSI dealer.

John Deere: Farmers halving herbicide spend with See & Spray

John Deere says its See & Spray technology saved farmers an estimated 8 million gallons of herbicide mix across more than 1 million acres during the 2024 growing season, according to a press release from the manufacturer.

The AI-powered, weed-sensing technology demonstrated an average herbicide savings of 59% in corn, soybean and cotton crops. Deere says the savings are the equivalent of 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools over an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.

According to a recent Iowa State University study, See & Spray technology demonstrated an average of 76% product savings across all test fields and an economic savings of $15.7/ac.

“We’re spraying less chemical, it’s [See & Spray] saving us money, and it’s better for the environment,” said Bill Came, a farmer from Salina, Kansas. “We ran through our herbicide costs we were going to have and dropped them by two-thirds. That is going to make our sprayer payment.”

In 2025, John Deere will introduce a new initiative, Application Savings Guarantee, which Deere says will ensure farmers only pay for the technology when there is a savings in application.

Vermeer launches mower + conditioner line for hay operations

Vermeer is releasing its new line of mower conditioners for hay producers. The lineup includes four models: MC90, MC105, MC120 and MC150, each offering a range of cutting widths.

The MC90 and MC105 are side pull models designed for smaller to medium operations, featuring cutting widths of 9 ft and 10.5 ft. For larger operations, Vermeer offers two center pull models: the MC120 (12 ft cutting width) and the MC150 (15 ft cutting width).

The entire line is equipped with the Q3 cutter bar, known for its convenient maintenance and long-lasting durability. The Q3 cutter bar features the Quick-Clip blade retention system, Quick-Change shear ring and quick-check oil for each individual cutter unit, all backed by a 3-year cutter bar coverage.

For more information about the Vermeer MC90, MC105, MC120 and MC150 mower conditioners, visit vermeer.com or contact your local Vermeer dealer.

Ziegler Ag Equipment now exclusive Fendt and Gleaner combines dealer

Ziegler Ag Equipment has become the exclusive distributor of Fendt and Gleaner combines throughout its Iowa, Minnesota and northwest Missouri territories.

Ziegler reportedly began its combine-exclusive relationship with parent-brand AGCO on August 3, 2024, but the dealer will continue selling parts and servicing competitor combines through December 2025.

For more details on this dealership change, go to ZieglerAg.com.

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Equipment Manufacturer Layoffs Roll On at AGCO, John Deere

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