Machinery - General

How Soil Mapping Tech Can Save Water in Orchards

Wed, 06 May 2026 14:22:23 GMT

An all-terrain robot decked out with industry-changing technology autonomously navigates through an orchard using sensors to collect data tree by tree. Once in the hands of the grower, the information elevates water management based on need and timing.

“The goal is to improve the way [growers] use water so they don’t have to abandon agriculture in some areas,” says Elia Scudiero , associate professor of precision agriculture and the director of University of California, Riverside’s Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment .

How The Robotic System Predicts Moisture Tree-by-Tree

The robot travels through an orchard measuring the soil electrical conductivity, which shows how easily electricity flows through the soil based on moisture, salt, clay and other factors. The technology then pairs this data with fixed moisture sensors to predict the water content across an entire orchard.

“Using this method, growers will finally know how much water they have, and how much they need, and can water specific trees if they’re dry,” Scudiero says.

Currently, some growers determine when to irrigate by relying on soil moisture sensors in the ground. However, these sensors are only installed in a few locations, leaving farmers to guess the conditions of hundreds or thousands of trees.

“The information those sensors provide is very limited,” Scudiero says. “It really only tells you what’s happening in the immediate areas where they’re placed.”

Protect Tree Health Through Precise Moisture Management

California’s strict regulations for water use in agriculture call for precise and efficient management. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, passed in 2014, requires local agencies to reduce groundwater overdraft and achieve sustainable use by 2040.

“If water becomes limited, farmers have two choices,” Scudiero says. “They can retire orchards, or they can find ways to produce the same crops using less water.”

The right moisture level is vital for the plant’s health to avoid stress and vulnerabilities to pests and diseases. It’s a balance because having too much water can deprive the tree’s roots of oxygen.

Nutrient Efficiency Comes Into Play

Targeting water use and timing is also beneficial for nutrient management.

“If you apply only the amount of water the plants actually need, you reduce the risk of washing those nutrients away from the roots of the crops and into the environment,” Scudiero says.

The robot is currently being tested at UC Riverside’s research farm. The next step is to work with local farmers to expand testing before making it commercially available.

Broadband is Transforming How an Arizona County Uses Ag Tech

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:03:26 GMT

Imagine a future where autonomous tractors navigate the roads and fields as farmers give commands from miles away. This future also allows farmers to optimize water usage. Precision and efficiency take on entirely new meanings. A county in Arizona is working to make that future a reality.

The dry, hot, sand-colored landscape of Yuma County, Ariz., sprinkled with fields of bright green lettuce, is getting a boost from high-speed internet.

Today, farming is a matter of precision. With better internet comes better precision. According to the Association of Equipment Management , precision agriculture adoption leads to a 5% increase in crop farming productivity, a 5% reduction in water use and a 7% reduction in fuel consumption.

Turning the “Winter Lettuce Capital” into a Global High-Tech Testing Hub

Known as the “ Winter Lettuce Capital of the World ,” the Middle Mile Fiber Network and broadband system will bring better internet. This will ultimately help farmers implement the latest technology. Like roots from a plant, underground fibers now stretch throughout the county connected to 32 broadband towers that reach to the sky.

“It is exciting; there’s been a lot of products and things [such as water sensors] that I’ve wanted to do out on the farm, but without the ability to have permanent or productive internet services, I’ve been reluctant,” says Mike Pasquinelli, a local farmer and president of the Yuma Fresh Vegetable Association .

Yuma produces about 90% of the leafy greens for the U.S. in the winter. They’re hoping with the broadband system more companies will be attracted to test technology in Yuma.

“In our intense agricultural system we have the ability to farm year-round, so there’s a lot of advantages for companies to come in, test new products and develop new products,” Pasquinelli says.

Broadband Network is Fueling Yuma’s High-Tech Agricultural Future

From autonomous drones and tractors to water monitoring, the broadband system will allow agriculture to connect.

“Farming is not the farming of yesterday. This is not your mom and pops farm,” says Jonathan Lines , a Yuma County supervisor who helped get the project up and running. “This is a high-tech business for food production here in the United States.”

When it comes to herbicide and pesticide applications, the broadband system will allow for farmers to apply a much smaller droplet using a drone rather than an airplane or helicopter. Tractor and tech updates can be made in the field instead of having to be taken out of production and connected to a computer.

“It is a large game changer for our community as well as our county. If we want more sensors and more automation, we need the bandwidth to do it,” Pasquinelli says.

Gov. Hobbs Backs Broadband Network to Modernize Arizona Agriculture

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is in full support of the broadband network. In November 2025, Gov. Hobbs visited Yuma for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and to sign two bills. SB1320 and SB1661 are both meant to help support the project in some capacity:

SB 1320 updated the legal definition of “implements of husbandry,” otherwise known as farm equipment, to include autonomous equipment. This allows for the autonomous farm equipment like tractors to drive short distances on public roads.
SB 1661 created a legal structure for the broadband service district authority. This authority would be in charge of things such as facilitating the expansion and maintenance of broadband infrastructure.

Pasquinelli says these bills, along with the broadband project, will be helpful for Yuma farmers as they continue to navigate this technological boom. When the broadband network and autonomous technology are in full force, they can help Yuma farmers address labor challenges.

“The farm workforce is aging, and it’s more and more difficult to get labor out of Mexico, so automation is going to be really key as the workforce diminishes,” says Paul Brierly , director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture .

$6 Million Broadband Project Hopes to Attract Younger Workforce

The broadband network might also be able to solve the aging workforce by attracting more university students. Brierly believes with the research and investment tied to the network, along with Yuma’s landscape, it can be a hot spot for young scholastic minds.

“With climate change, more of the world is having to produce food in arid climates, so what we solve in Yuma County, and in Arizona, will apply and be useful all around the world,” he explains.

The project is set to cost around $6 million and the broadband network is expected to be up and running by the end of summer in August.

“Not only does that allow Yuma County farmers to use the latest technology but also this is going to be the most connected production area in the world,” Brierly says.

‘Farmville for Real:’ How Autonomous Tech is Rebranding Tractor Drivers as Digital Operators

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:18:38 GMT

For George Grote, a typical day doesn’t involve a steering wheel or a dusty cab; instead, it looks like he’s glued to his phone or tablet. From the climate-controlled comfort of a pickup or while strolling between the crop rows, Grote monitors a fleet of autonomous tractors as they navigate with precision. It’s a scene that Agtonomy CEO Tim Bucher calls “Farmville for real,” where gripping the steering wheel is being replaced by the quick-twitch reflexes of the gaming generation.

As the agricultural industry grapples with a deepening labor crisis and an aging workforce, companies such as Agtonomy are betting that high-tech autonomy is the key to recruiting Gen Z. By rebranding traditional tractor driving as “digital operation,” the California-based startup is leveraging app-based interfaces to transform farming into a tech career.

Raised on a dairy farm, Bucher coupled his love of agriculture and machinery with a career in the tech field to create the prototype that would become the company’s first autonomous tractor. Today, as a farm owner and father of three, Bucher says it’s not likely his children will return to the farm. With this technology, he hopes to attract the next generation to his farm and the industry.

“The younger generation doesn’t want to be in the dirt and the dust because there are other opportunities for them,” he says.

(Photo provided by George Grote)

The Gaming Advantage: Why “Fast Hands” Matter in the Field

Grote, a 30-year-old field engineer with Agtonomy, does not have a farming background, but he always knew he wanted to work outdoors. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a degree in crop and fruit science and now works alongside Agtonomy customers. He says being able to process information on a screen while being fast with his hands is something he picked up from gaming.

“I can tell you [gaming] 100% helped me, being able to toggle between different features in the app and being quick with technology,” Grote says. “If you can play a video game, then you’re more than capable of running five, six, seven or eight tractors at once while sitting in your truck and watching them run autonomously.”

8.14.25_agtonomy-102

(Agtonomy)

Marc Di Pietra, regional service maintenance manager for Treasury Wine Estates , says the cutting-edge technology can help bridge the labor gap, provide upskilling opportunities and reduce physical demands.

“New technologies are making it incredibly dynamic and attractive for younger generations,” Di Pietra says. “With a younger workforce, I expect that evolution to accelerate. There’s a natural comfort with technology, and a willingness to challenge legacy processes, which is critical.”

Adding this technology has been game changing in the wine business, De Pietra says, and it can shape the rest of the agricultural industry as well.

“These technologies allow us to be more precise with our farming, winemaking techniques and sustainability efforts, effectively creating safer environments for our employees, reducing our emissions and producing better quality wines,” he explains.

Agtonomy_George Grote

(Agtonomy)

How Agtonomy Works

At this point, Agtonomy is being used on fruit and nut tree, grapevine, avocado and citrus operations. The company works with Bobcat , specifically the Doosan Bobcat CT 4045, for more versatile utility and maintenance tasks, and Kubota to automate narrow-track diesel tractors, such as the Kubota M5N series.

Agtonomy’s software is embedded into a tractor’s OEM control system at the factory. Outfitted with the technology, the machine can autonomously handle repetitive tasks, such as mowing, spraying and seeding. Using cameras and sensors, tractors can “see” their surroundings, allowing them to navigate rows and avoid obstacles. Sensors and data links also ensure that sprayers or mowers are working at the correct intensity and height. When an issue occurs, a notification is sent to a smartphone and/or tablet, complete with details to help the tractor decide what to do when it deviates from the original instructions.

Deere & Co. Reaches $99 Million Settlement in Multiyear ‘Right-to-Repair’ Litigation

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:42:06 GMT

On April 6, Deere & Co. announced a settlement agreement resolving the “right-to-repair” litigation before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The company will pay $99 million (plus interest accruing since Jan. 15) into a settlement fund for the benefit of the settlement class. In a press release , the company states the agreement brings the case to a close with “no finding of wrongdoing.”

The agreement marks a pivotal moment in the multi-year legal battle, aiming to compensate producers for repair restrictions while avoiding a formal admission of liability. While Deere marks the move as a step toward better customer support, the settlement fuels a debate with advocates who argue the payout fails to address control over farm machinery repairs.

Under the terms of the settlement, Deere will establish a fund to cover administrative and legal fees, with the remainder distributed to eligible class members. Deere says it remains committed to supporting customers with access to manuals, diagnostic software and specialized tools.

“As we continue to innovate industry-leading equipment and technology solutions supported by our world-class dealer network, we are equally committed to providing customers and other service providers with access to repair resources,” says Denver Caldwell, vice president, aftermarket & customer support. “We’re pleased that this resolution allows us to move forward and remain focused on what matters most – serving our customers.”

Industry Advocates Raise Questions Amid Settlement Announcement

Despite the settlement, some are still skeptical.

“I suspect there is a lot less to this deal than meets the eye,” says Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of the Repair Association .

She has questions, including: In the settlement, Deere agreed to make available to farmers for 10 years “the digital tools required for the maintenance, diagnosis and repair” of large agricultural equipment, including tractors, combines and sugarcane harvesters. What does that mean for other John Deere equipment?

In response, John Deere says its latest digital self-repair tool, Operations Center PRO Service, launched in July 2025, is designed to enhance how John Deere equipment owners use, maintain, diagnose, repair and protect their equipment. The tool provides support capabilities across John Deere’s agriculture, turf, construction and forestry equipment portfolio.

Yet unknown, Gordon-Byrne says, are the outcomes of 16 right-to-repair bills that cover ag equipment filed this year in 16 states.

“Several are likely to pass with much stronger requirements,” she adds.

Meanwhile, Willie Cade, Repair Association board member and a consultant on the case since it was filed in 2022, says he believes Deere will continue to move the goalposts and keep farmers reliant on their “monopolistic” repair policy.

“It’s too little, too late, and it will not fundamentally change the monopolistic repair environment that Deere enjoys,” he says.

The settlement must still be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Used Farm Equipment Swindle Alert: BBB Warns Virtual Vendor Vehicle Scams on the Rise

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:50:12 GMT

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning used equipment buyers nationwide about another sophisticated scam involving used farm equipment.

This particular grift, according to a press release from BBB, involved a fake online heavy equipment retailer impersonating a legitimate Missouri dealership, Cook Equipment & Trucking (Marble Hill, Mo.).

Buyers from across the U.S., some even from as far away as California and Arizona, reported losing a total of $223,000 after attempting to purchase heavy equipment and farm machinery through fraudulent websites and Facebook Marketplace ads.

Related: Essential Advice for Safely Buying Used Farm Machinery

Victims say they were “ghosted” after wiring money for equipment that never arrived. The BBB does not say whether the victims were able to dispute the fraudulent charges and claw back the proceeds from the scammers.

The reported fraudulent transactions include:

$45,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Oak Hills, Calif.
$32,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Hancock, Mich.
$29,500 for a trailer from a buyer in Amanda, Ohio
$29,000 for a trailer from a buyer in Greenville, N.C.
$28,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Eastman, Wis.
$31,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Des Moines, Iowa.
$29,000 for a skid steer from a buyer in Blue, Ariz.

BBB says the real Cook Equipment & Trucking, a small business operating since 2010, confirmed it has no website and is not affiliated with any online sales. The impersonators registered three fake websites, the most recent on July 14, and continue to run deceptive ads on social media.

“Those shopping for heavy equipment and farm machinery online should do their due diligence so they don’t fall victim to a virtual vehicle vendor scam,” says Michelle L. Corey, president and CEO, BBB St. Louis. “If an item is priced well below market value, that’s a red flag.”

To avoid getting swept up in an online virtual vehicle vendor scam the Better Business Bureau offers these tips:

Research the business at bbb.org or call 888-996-3887
Be skeptical of deals that seem too good to be true
Verify the website and contact the business directly
Read all terms and understand refund policies
Use a credit card for added protection
Report scams to BBB Scam Tracker, your state attorney general, the FTC, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center , and notify the social media platform where the fraud was discovered

To learn more about how to avoid online fraud in the used equipment auction world, check out BBB’s 2024 study on virtual vehicle vendor scams.

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Farmers, Truckers and Gear Heads Rejoice: EPA Rolls Out Streamlined Diesel Engine Fluid Guidelines

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 18:04:22 GMT

EPA is rolling out new guidance for manufacturers of farm equipment and other heavy-duty vehicles, removing regulatory red tape requiring diesel-powered farm equipment to reduce engine torque dramatically when a problem arises with the machine’s Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) system.

You can read EPA’s statement on the announcement here.

The new rule making goes into effect immediately for all new diesel engines on model year 2027 machines. It should also be noted the new guidance from EPA is voluntary for all non road equipment. Ultimately, each manufacturer will have the right to choose whether it implements the new inducement strategy or maintains the status quo with its own machines.

To fix the problem for farm machinery already in the field, EPA’s new guidance, developed in collaboration with farm equipment manufacturers, will work to ensure necessary software changes can be made on the existing fleet.

(EPA)

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin says now all non-road equipment, like farm tractors, combines and sprayers, must be configured so there is no impact on engine power for up to 36 hours when a DEF system malfunction occurs. Once 36 engine hours have passed, a 25% reduction in engine torque will go into effect until the machine is serviced. If the farm equipment is not fixed within 100 engine hours, then a 50% reduction in torque is activated until the machine can be serviced.

Additionally, farm equipment can be restarted with full engine power three times for up to 30 minutes after inducement, according to the EPA release.

“This is the first crack in the ice toward saying we don’t need these expensive systems on our farm equipment,” says Ben Reinsche, owner, Blue Diamond Farming Company in Jesup, Iowa. “We don’t need to immediately shut off an engine or be restricted for 36 hours if you have DEF unavailable or a malfunction.

“This is a positive step and maybe a formative step toward saying that having these emission standards on farm or off-road equipment is not critically necessary,” adds Reinsche. “There are so many other things farmers can do that are planet positive, like using conservation and sustainability practices, rather than having an after treatment system on our diesel engines.”

Small Business Administration (SBA) leader Kelly Loeffler says the new rule will save 1.8 million family farms across America a staggering $727 million per year while offering “vital financial and operational certainty.”

“This announcement today is such a big deal, especially on behalf of our farmers and ranchers,” says USDA secretary Brook Rollins. “At a time when our ag sector is really hurting, our farmers have had to endure a 30% cost increase in inputs, and a $30 billion Biden-era trade deficit, these everyday regulations being lifted makes such a difference.”

The new guidance greatly reduces a machine setting known as DEF derating and allows operators more time to secure DEF, refuel and make repairs. The new guidance also reportedly retains the environmental benefits of Tier 4 engine and DEF regulations for farm equipment and trucks.

“Today we are taking another important step forward by undoing these diesel fluid guidelines that have hurt our farmers and small rural businesses,” says U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). “Not only will these new guidelines save family-run farms hundreds of millions of dollars per year, but it is also just common sense, folks. No farmer should have their tractor come to a halt in the middle of a field due to Green New Deal-style regulations from Washington.”

How Did We Get Here?

EPA ushered in DEF requirements for large farm equipment when it enacted broader Tier 4 emissions standards in 2004.

Tier 4 Interim rules, which required DEF for farm machines 750 horsepower and up, then went into effect in 2008.

In 2015, EPA’s final Tier 4 regulations were put in place, meaning all new non-road diesel engines — regardless of horsepower rating — had to comply with new emissions standards.

Curious where your farm equipment is made? Check out Farm Journal’s “Who Makes What Where” feature to learn more.

Why Do Many Farmers Hate Using Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF)?

American farmers say they detest using DEF due to the challenges and additional fuel cost it tacks onto their operations.

Here are some reasons farmers aren’t big fans of DEF:

Higher Costs and More Maintenance: DEF adds on extra materials costs for machinery-based field work. Farmers must purchase large amounts of fluid, and the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) framework that processes DEF is prone to malfunctions and expensive to repair. Often a simple-but-unexpected repair can pop up out of nowhere and end up costing farmers thousands of dollars and leave equipment inoperable.
Field Work Interruptions: If a tractor runs out of DEF or if the system breaks down, under the now-defunct previous guidelines engine power was greatly reduced, which is known by many farmers as “going into limp mode.” For farmers who rely on their equipment to operate consistently and reliably during planting and harvesting, any issue quickly becomes a major headache.
Storage Issues: DEF has a limited shelf life and is sensitive to temperature ups and downs. A quick Google search says DEF freezes at around 12°F and can degrade if stored in temperatures above 86°F. And who wants to look at a giant pallet of DEF cartons stacked in their machinery barn? Nobody, that’s who.
Contamination/Quality Control: DEF fluid must be pure and free of contaminants. Accidentally using the wrong type or getting foreign substances in the tank during refilling can wreak havoc throughout the system, leading to repairs and downtime.
Engine Performance Concerns: There are farmers who believe newer emissions systems, including those that use DEF, reduce the machine’s total power output and lower fuel efficiency.

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Right To Repair Granted? John Deere Launches Digital Self-Repair Tool for $195 Per Tractor

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 15:29:05 GMT

In what appears to be a direct response to anti-competition claims raised in the ongoing FCC v. John Deere Right to Repair lawsuit , the equipment manufacturer has released an updated digital service tool to enable equipment owners to maintain, diagnose, repair and protect farm equipment.

The new Operations Center PRO Service tool is available now in John Deere’s Operation Center app to equipment owners in the U.S. and Canada.

John Deere says it will charge farmers an annual license starting at $195 per machine for the tool. The company is charging independent service professionals $5,995.00 per year, which includes up to 10 local downloads.

The increased functionality of the new service tool replaces John Deere’s previous digital service iteration, known as Customer Service ADVISOR. John Deere representatives confirm ADVISOR will be phased out over the next year.

What farmers need to know

John Deere says the new Operations Center PRO Service “delivers digital repair content filtered by year and model number and provides users with additional relevant machine information to help troubleshoot, diagnose and repair Deere equipment. It’s designed to be intuitive and deliver support in real time.”

Here are the new service and repair capabilities within the tool:

Machine health insights and diagnostic trouble codes
PIN-specific machine content, including manuals
Software reprogramming for John Deere controllers
Diagnostic Readings
Diagnostic Recordings
Interactive diagnostic tests
Calibrations

Quick Analysis

If you’ve been following the FCC v. John Deere Right to Repair lawsuit, you may recall FCC’s legal team asking the equipment manufacturer to release a full digital repair and diagnosis tool for farmers and independent service technicians as part of its filed request for injunctive relief.

Related: What Does Right to Repair Really Mean?

Right to Repair advocates and antitrust attorney James Kovac, along with the FCC’s legal team, at the time were critical of the Customer Service ADVISOR, calling it an incomplete diagnostic tool. Kovacs himself says “independent repair pros and the farmers have access to (the tool), but (it) doesn’t give them the full suite of options to repair all the needs of their farming equipment.”

What John Deere is saying about the new tool

“Our development of these tools reaffirms John Deere’s support of customer self-repair,” says Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support with John Deere. “We view continuously enhancing self-repair as consistent with our mission to ensure John Deere customers have the best machine ownership experience possible.”

What about independent repair technicians?

(John Deere )

In addition to equipment owners, a local service provider can also use Operations Center PRO Service, John Deere says. With a John Deere equipment owner’s permission, independent technicians can gain access to diagnostic and repair information to support the equipment owner’s needs.

(JohnDeere.com screenshot)

On the John Deere online store, it currently lists a Operations Center PRO Service annual license for a “Service Business” as costing $5,995.00 . The license provides for 10 local downloads of the PRO Service application, the listing says.

“Our message to our customers is clear,” Caldwell continues. “Whether you want the support of your professionally trained and trusted John Deere dealer, to work with another local service provider or to fix your machine yourself, we’ve created additional capabilities for you to choose the option that best fits your needs.”

How does it work?

Equipment owners must access Operations Center PRO Service through the John Deere Operations Center. Once connected to the platform, owners will add their equipment into their account using the machine’s serial number. Use of an electronic data link might be required for more advanced features within Operations Center PRO Service, including software reprogramming. Certain interactive tests, calibrations and reprogramming limitations will exist at initial release.

John Deere says it will deliver additional capabilities in future updates. See JohnDeere.com/PROService for further details.

How can I find out more?

Operations Center PRO Service is available today. For more information on how to access all of the digital support tools offered by John Deere, visit Deere.com/RunItYourWay or see your local John Deere dealer.

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EXCLUSIVE: John Deere Speaks Publicly For the First Time About Layoffs, New Challenges in the Ag Economy

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 18:07:55 GMT

John Deere recently laid off a significant number of salaried employees as part of the company’s ongoing workforce reductions. The official number of layoffs is still unknown but are part of a broader trend of workforce reductions at John Deere, which have been ongoing for several months.

Cory Reed, president of the company’s Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division for Production and Precision Ag , spoke publicly about the layoffs for the first time in an exclusive interview with U.S. Farm Report this week.

What You Need to Know

Reed addressed everything from the recent layoffs to the company’s decision to move a small portion of its production to Mexico. Here are highlights from Farm Journal’s exclusive interview:

John Deere says recent layoffs of both its salaried and production workforce are due to lower net farm income, higher interest rates and market volatility.
Reed says John Deere expects equipment sales to be down 20% in 2024, due to economic pressures on the farm.
John Deere is addressing cost concerns by reducing the prices of some new technologies, such as the See & Spray retrofit kit.
John Deere is investing in automation to improve manufacturing efficiency and reliability.
Reed emphasized the job cuts are unrelated to the 2021 strike by production workers.
He also stressed that John Deere’s decision to move its cab production to Mexico is separate, saying that production site in Mexico has been in operation for nearly 70 years, calling it “an important part of our global footprint.”

The Reality of the Farm Economy

USDA is forecasting net farm income in 2024 to be $116.1 billion, which is a 25.5% drop from 2023 following a 16% drop in 2023 versus 2022. Those two consecutive years of significant decline mark the largest drop in net farm income in U.S. history.

“Net farm income is expected to be down in the mid to high 20s, and when that happens, and commodity prices pull back, interest rates are a little bit higher and we see volatility in the weather, it creates uncertainty that interrupts demand. We’re experiencing that today. Looking out across our industry, we’re expecting to be off roughly 20% year-over-year from 2023,” Reed told U.S. Farm Report.

USDA’s 2023 and 2024 Net Farm Income projections point to the largest drop in history.

(Lori Hayes )

The mounting economic pressures are showing up across the equipment industry. The latest Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) flash report released in June showed just how drastic of a drop the ag equipment sector is currently experiencing. AEM’s report showed combine sales in June dropped 31% compared to last year. Total farm tractor sales were down 16%.

While the company forecasts equipment demand to fall 20% overall in 2024, Reed says the second half of the year looks to be even more challenging than the first.

“We kind of have the tale of two ends of the year, “ he says. “If you looked at the front half of the year, in fact, if you took the large row-crop tractor business, what you would have seen is a market that was still peaking in the April and May time frame. A lot of buyers were in the market, based off of performance last year. As we hit May and going into June, used inventory levels started to grow and you saw buyers starting to pull back. Those trade differentials look different for them, and they started pulling back at a faster rate.”

As farmers pull back on purchasing new equipment, the short-term market outlook is hard to project, according to John Deere.

“I think what you see is markets that are cycling faster today. When you see what was going on in the commodity market, it’s been more volatile here recently. So obviously, we’d like to have better predictability of those things. What I would tell you is the long-term outlook for global commodities grown here in the U.S. still look really strong. We’re still bullish on that,” Reed says. “It’s the reason that even when we see these cycles potentially coming, we invest directly through them. We’ve never invested more in research dollars than we did this year, and in the next five years we will invest more than we have over the past five years. That’s a testament to what we believe about the future of the agricultural industry. We’re doing that around the world.”

John Deere Says Layoffs Are Unrelated to 2021 Strike

With the drop in equipment demand, came cuts to the salaried workforce this week. But the company had already cut more than 1,800 workers in its Iowa and Illinois production facilities.

In October 2021, those same production sites were in the news after 10,000 production workers went on strike . But a month later, John Deere and the United Auto Workers (UAW) Union reached a new six-year deal. With a 20% increase in pay granted by John Deere, UAW ended its month-long strike. But Reed says the job cuts today are not tied to that.

“Certainly, cost, availability and reliability of labor in the workforce is a factor all the time. Cuts right now are not related to that, they’re related to demand,” he adds.

As a result, Reed says John Deere is turning internally to manage its own cost structure, which means layoffs. Those started last September and have accelerated in 2024.

“We don’t like making workforce adjustments. We don’t. But that’s all about the cost structure we have, so we can hold the line on costs. We’re deploying more of our engineering resources to cost-reduce each part without sacrificing any reliability, durability or quality. We’re doing that in a big way,” Reeds adds.

John Deere has committed to providing severance packages to the affected employees. The packages include up to 12 months of severance pay based on years of service, pro-rated pay based on short- and long-term incentives, payment for unused vacation or paid time off, ongoing access to health and wellness benefits and a year of professional job placement services.

The Question on Every Farmer’s Mind

The question on every farmer’s mind: Does John Deere have any plans to cut the price of equipment? Reed says John Deere is addressing cost concerns by reducing the prices of some new technologies, such as the See & Spray retrofit kit.

“We’re taking some of our latest technologies, and we’re cutting the upfront price of it,” Reed says. “If you take See & Spray, which is a great example, that product would normally cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to add to a machine. We lowered the upfront price for a retrofit kit to be able to put it on for tens of thousands of dollars. A customer who wants to manage their herbicide cost differently has the opportunity to buy into that, on an acre-by-acre basis, and only pay based on what they save.”

John Deere’s Decision to Move Cab Production to Mexico

John Deere is also catching some backlash for its decision to move its cab operations from Waterloo, Iowa, to Mexico, which impacts a couple hundred U.S. jobs. According to Reed, John Deere’s production site in Mexico has been in operation for nearly 70 years. What started in 1956 became one of the company’s first operations outside the U.S., and Reed calls it “an important part of our global footprint.”

“First and foremost, it’s important to understand that the movement of certain components or products to Mexico is entirely separate from what we’ve seen in terms of layoffs today,” Reed says. “When we move a product, we make the announcement and say, ‘This portion of this product is going to move here.’ And by the way, we’re doing that all the time. It’s a part of what we do in our global network.”

Reed says what’s not reported when John Deere makes such an announcement is how they are replacing their production in the U.S. with the manufacturing of a new product or piece of equipment. While the cab production might be moving to Mexico, he says they are now building the new 9RX 830-hp four-wheel drive tractor there.

“If you drove to Waterloo today and went into the operations, what you’d see is that brand new tractor going down the very place in the factory where those cabs were manufactured before,” Reed says.

What John Deere Wants Farmers to Know

As John Deere aims to align production inventory levels with current market demands, the down cycle of agriculture is hitting all of the industry hard, but Reed says he’s still bullish on agriculture long-term. When asked what he wanted farmers to know, Reed’s message was this:

“We have 80,000 employees in the company. We wake up every day with the same purpose. That purpose is quality, innovation, integrity and commitment to our customers. We want to grow value on each and every one of those farms. We want to do it in a way that every day they wake up, with every pass they make through the field, they have confidence they’ve partnered with someone in the industry, John Deere and our John Deere dealers, working to drive value, working to drive profitability, on each and every one of their farms,” Reed says.

You can watch the full interview with Reed here.

Technology is the Future: Why Technology of Tomorrow May Already be Operating in Some Fields Today

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 17:53:56 GMT

Robots swarming and taking over farm fields. Autonomous tractors planting crops with no humans in sight. These futuristic views of technology that surfaced a decade ago may actually be a glimpse of what’s already reality today.

John Deere’s purchase of Blue River unlocked a step toward autonomy . While the sprayer still requires a human to operate the system, the “see and spray technology” is just that; using artificial intelligence to only spray when weeds are present.

“We’re seeing on average a 77% reduction in chemical use on those fallow ground acres,” says Joel Basinger, Marketing Manager with John Deere.

It’s technology that Scott Shearer, Professor and Chair of the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Ohio State University, is watching closely.

“They’ve been reporting that with their ability to target spray application to vegetative matter or weeds, whichever the case may be there, we’re seeing herbicide reductions of 70 to 80%,” says Shearer. “That was from the CTO of John Deere. That’s going to drive farmers to begin thinking about automation a little bit differently than we have before.”

The concept of machine learning is one that could be the base for more ag tech advancements in the years ahead.

Autonomy at Work

“[It’s] a brand new autonomous platform for scout and apply based on the site-specific insect incidence and severity,” says Ajay Sharda, associate professor in the biological and agricultural engineering department, while standing in the front of an autonomous vehicle crafted by researchers Kansas State.

Packed with powerful technology to scout fields, it could take the place of a traditional sprayer that farmers operate today.

“We are going within the rows. We can see the plant up close, we can see the underneath of the leaves. And we can assess what the crop needs, whether it is chemical or insects and amino management,” he adds.

It’s one machine to not just scout fields but make decisions on the go and apply what’s needed by navigating fields with intelligence via sensors.

A Solution for Ag’s Labor Woes

Technology tools like this may also relieve one of the biggest pain points for farmers: labor woes.

“Can I replace labor with potentially technology, whether that’s scouting from inside so I don’t have to send someone to the field?” asks John Fulton, professor in Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department at the Ohio State University. “We’re talking about automation into machines, almost robotic. So is there a time in my operation where I might have a machine that drives itself? We’re seeing that.”

The June Purdue/CME Ag Economy Barometer found nearly two-thirds of respondents expressed either some or a lot of difficulty hiring adequate labor, compared to 30% in 2020.

(Farm Journal)

While robotics are already reviving hopes in the sectors heavily reliant upon labor like the produce sector, Scott thinks some of that investment and focus may make its way to the Midwest soon.

“When I begin thinking about automation agriculture, I think the business models might change quite a bit as well,” says Shearer. “And specifically, farming as a service is a term that I’m beginning to hear more and more—kind of software as a service, but farming as a service. In other words, farmers contracting with these companies for performing these automated functions within their fields.”

Rantizo, a company that uses drones to spray crops, is bringing technology-based solutions in traditional row crops as well.

“With traditional application, you end up spraying the entire field, but for Rantizo, our specialty is actually site-specific application,” says Dudley Stevens, director of strategy, Rantizo. “So instead of spraying the entire field, you can save money time, and actually chemical usage, water usage if you go and attack those specific spots.”

Already based in Iowa, Rantizo’s technology can fly and apply everything from pesticides to micronutrients, even interseeding cover crops. And Stevens thinks the momentum is turning in the ag tech sector, which will propel the growth.

“Since 2016, some ag tech companies have gone, and some are restarting and rebooting,” says Stevens. “We feel that technology in the ag space is really just going to ramp up with more investment, more adoption.”

Another Midwest-based ag tech company is Taranis. Based in Indiana, Taranis works with ag retailers to use precision technology and drones to scout fields.

“We bring insights, actionable leaf level precise insights, from their fields to their mobile app or to their computer in ways where they can actually just take action,” says Mike DiPaola, Chief Commercial Officer, Taranis.

While Taranis isn’t necessarily new, it’s an ag tech company that is growing and finding its stride by moving to the Midwest. DiPaola says by using aerial imagery and artificial intelligence driven technology, the Taranis platform can cover more than 100 acres in just six minutes.

“We can do it at sub millimeter resolution, which means you can act on it, our deep learning with artificial intelligence and computer vision. While it’s not all new, it gets better every year. We have over 50 million images at high resolution,” he says.

While Taranis says the tool is helping farmers, it’s also easing some of the scouting pressure on ag retailers today, as those retailers are also diving into the digital evolution in ag while continuing to search for the skilled labor to do so.

“In agriculture, we use Amazon, we use Google. Farming is going under the same evolution,” says Fulton. “So I think farmers want to be recognizing that.”

Advancing Adoption in the Midwest

The biggest battle for ag teach in the near-term will be the rate of adoption. And while Shearer says he sees high-horsepower fixed frame tractors being part of Midwestern agriculture for years to come, as the technology becomes more affordable for farmers the cost element could be less of a sticker shock—especially as technology acquisitions occur by some of the big players in the ag equipment sector.

“One of the things I’m seeing when I look at Swarm Farm out of Australia, it’s a bit of a different agricultural situation, as they’re spraying multiple times during the year to conserve moisture. And what they want to do is kill the vegetative matter, so that it’s not using water stored in the soil,” he says. “Their situation is a bit different, but on the other hand, the cost of spray application is approaching about $1 an acre for this automated sprayer. And so that is a bit of a game changer. And I think the economics are going rule at the end of the day.”

Another obstacle may be scale. Shearer says as long as equipment continues to get larger, automation will be limited on a large scale in the Midwest.

“One of my concerns today is as long as we still have human operators on equipment, equipment is going to continue to get larger and larger. I also think there’s a penalty being paid because of what’s happening with the soil health associated with soil compaction. I keep thinking that soil compaction might be one of those driving factors that cause people to automate, so that we can scale down the size of the equipment,” says Shearer.

Data-Driven Decisions

Maple Park, Illinois, farmer Steve Pitstick says while the concept of data has been around for decades in agriculture, there’s still a disconnect for most farmers on not only how to harvest the data but then how to activate decisions based on that information.

“I think over time, as we get more data and the companies get more data, I think what will happen is a company like John Deere or even Climate will use machine learning and sort through a lot of this data to give us more insights that we can’t do on a small scale,” he says.

From selecting seed to making marketing decisions, Pitstick says those decisions will become even more precise in agriculture.

“Can you do a predictability based off of history? We’ve had these weather conditions and this will be the outcome, just looking at the fact it’s all data,” he adds. “So just crunch the numbers, run it through and see what the outcome might be.”

While the decisions may be driven by data , some of these decisions may also stem from automation.

“If we can automate that process of cleaning yield monitor data, if we can automate the process of analyzing data, then that’s going to be the key to the future,” says Terry Griffin, Precision Agriculture Specialist, Kansas State University.

Decisions Down to the Row

A Farm Journal technology survey found today, 77% of farmers say they don’t currently collect detailed machine data, such as transport time and fuel use—and it’s an area that has room to grow.

(Farm Journal)

From big picture ideas to future decisions made row by row, the future of ag tech may not just be what’s on the horizon, but fine tuning information technologies and algorithms already available today.

Instead of big picture thinking, he thinks tomorrow’s technology will drill down row by row.

“I think we can get down to maybe row by row on our corn heads and looking at what machine impacts are—what the planters do, what the tillage passes do look at. A lot more minor data, if you will. We have to get the big data right first, and then we’ll move down to the smaller stuff that we can actually affect,” says Pitstick.

Since May, Farm Journal has been taking a deep dive into technology of today and tomorrow. Read more of Farm Journal’s “Technology Is _______” series here .

Popular Online Farm Equipment and Land Auction Service Sites Crippled by Ransomware Attack

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 19:26:55 GMT

Popular online auction bidding sites for farm equipment and farmland were the victim of a recent ransomware attack. As a result, sites such as TractorHouse, EquipmentFacts, AuctionTime and HiBid have been offline since Friday.

Over the weekend, the Lincoln Journal Star confirmed Sandhills Global, which hosts various online auction websites, was the target of a ransomware attack.

In a message to its customers, Sandhills Global said, “Systems and operations have been temporarily shut down to protect data and information, and we have retained cybersecurity experts to assist us with the investigation, which is ongoing.”

Sandhills Global went on to say the company is still investigating whether any of their client’s information was compromised, but as of Saturday, the company said it had yet to confirm customer information had been compromised.

(Farm Journal)

The cybersecurity issues were much more than with just one site. Tractorhouse also hosts many small to mid-size equipment dealers’ websites, and the issue spread to those websites, as well. Ohio-based Randall Brothers Farm Equipment saying on Instagram, “Due to issues with Sandhills Publishing, we are experiencing difficulties with our telephone lines and website.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Randall Brothers (@randallbrothersfarmequipment)

Rumblings of the issue started Friday as farmers took to social media saying TractorHouse wasn’t accessible.

A land appraiser based in Iowa told Farm Journal several online land auctions were also impacted by the attack since Friday, as many of those auctions use HiBid to host the online bidding. As a result, many of those land auctions didn’t even happen due to the cybersecurity issues that sent the bidding service offline.

Pandemic Pushed More Auctions Online

Greg Peterson, who is also known as Machinery Pete, has been in the auction industry and tracking used equipment values for more than 32 years. He says before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, equipment auction companies were starting to use more online bidding, but the pandemic accelerated the adoption of bidding online. And he says today, more than 85% of machinery auctions have online bidding available.

“Over the past 18 months, more and more auction companies, as well as bidders, are using more online bidding,” says Peterson, of MachineryPete.com . “Even folks who are local are even using more online bidding right now.”

Peterson says just last Thursday he covered what he called “a nice farm auction” in Adams, Minn. The sale saw record prices, but hardly anyone was bidding in-person, as most of the bidding occurred virtually. He says fewer people attending in-person is common today and is a sign of how equipment auctions have evolved and changed.

Farmers can search MachineryPete.com for dealer listings of farm equipment across the country as well as for sale by owner listings, upcoming auctions and auction results.

While Sandhills Publishing impacted both land and equipment auctions over the weekend, auction companies are now scrambling to find a solution for other auctions planned this week.

Cyber Attacks on Agriculture

Sandhills Publishing has yet to publicly comment on the ransomware attack. So far, at least 16 of the company’s sites are not accessible. In addition to TractorHouse, AuctionTime, Machinery Trader and HiBid, LiveStockMarket, as well as aircraft, RV and oil field related sites are also effected by hackers who infiltrated Sandhills’ system.

In late September, an attack infected the computer systems of Crystal Valley Cooperative, a Minnesota agricultural co-op that sells fertilizer and other inputs to farmers.

Just a week before that, NEW Cooperative in Iowa was the target for an attack.

Agriculture Left High Centered as Supply Chain Problems Expected to Persist Well into 2022

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 13:16:22 GMT

Equipment manufacturer CNH announced it’s idling production in Europe due to a shortage of semiconductors. Fertilizer prices are nearing new highs, with concerns mounting about whether enough supplies will reach the U.S in time for planting next spring. The supply chain issues are becoming one of the biggest concerns for agriculture, and some economists say as the bottlenecks reach a critical point, it could take at least a year to remedy the chaos currently taking hold of the global supply chain.

In early October, Southern California ports had 90 container ships in the port, 63 of which were waiting off the shore. And in Los Angeles, nearly 500,000 20-foot shipping containers were in waiting mode, as the cargo ships waited for ships to unload and space to open up to anchor at the ports.

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach account for 40% of all shipping containers entering the U.S., which is a main source of the bottleneck dilemma. And it’s not just ships waiting to unload. The challenge is further fueled by an insufficient number of truck drivers to get the goods out of the Port and dispersed across the U.S.

Last week, the issue was discussed and debated at the White House. As a result, President Biden announced one solution: expanding operating hours at a key West Coast port. The Biden administration announced a brokered agreement that would turn the Port of Los Angeles into a 24-hour operation, seven days a week. The White House said the expanded hours would nearly double the time that cargo will be able to move in and out of port.

“I want to be clear this across-the-board commitment to going 24-7, this is a big first step in speeding up the movement of materials and goods through our supply chain,” said Biden. “But now we need the rest of the private sector chain to step up as well. This is not called a supply chain for nothing. This means the terminal operators, railways, trucking companies, shippers and other retailers as well.”

The private sector includes major U.S. retailers and transportation services like FedEx, Walmart, UPS and Home Depot. Those companies will be charged with ramping up operations in order to clear cargo from the ports which, in turn, the administration says will free up space at the port.

USDA at the White House

USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer attended the virtual supply chain meeting with the White House, as agriculture is a key piece of the supply chain puzzle reeling from ramifications of the supply chain concerns.

“We are spending a lot of time on supply chain issues – most definitely a lot – but what you also want to avoid as an economist are unintended consequences of putting a policy in place that really shifts transportation,” Meyer told Farm Journal. “It kind of distorts it and says, ‘We’re going get more of this, and yet it’s going to hinder delivery of tractor parts,’ right? You don’t want to have those unintended spillover consequences. But we’re spending a lot of time saying, ‘Hey, what are the levers out there that government can help with? And you know, are those the ones that you want to pull?’”

Meyer says USDA is currently exploring ways the agency could help facilitate fixes, and what role USDA could play as the Biden administration works through one of its largest challenges.

“Is there a role at USDA to help say, ‘Okay, we’ll put inspectors in place and we’ll help facilitate this movement,’” Meyer adds. “What you’re looking for is you’re identifying the primary choke point and trying to solve that sometimes reveals that there are other choke points in which you have to move and try to solve. But I think that when the government says, ‘Hey, what can we do to improve throughput of these containers?’ that’s a good place to start.”

Can Policy Solve Supply Chain Problems?

After Biden’s announcement about expanded operating hours at West Coast ports, a push for policy could unveil other measures and steps the administration will need to take to find a solution. But is policy the fix for the supply chain issues rippling across the U.S. today? Economists have mixed views on whether policy can help solve an issue so complex.

“I tend to think that it can help the market sort things out. It’s not a fix in and of itself,” Meyer adds. “Can you make adjustments that help the market allocate those resources and sort them out? Are there things that the government can do to help facilitate those transactions?”

Texas A&M agricultural economist and co-director of the Agricultural & Food Policy Center says while government intervention could help, any action needs to be minor.

“We’re economists, and we would say that the markets need to work, and if the government can give a nudge here and there, fine. But basically, the markets are going allocate the resources out there,” says Outlaw. “And from my view, that’s really what I would think needs to happen.”

University of Missouri agricultural economist Scott Brown says policy won’t be the sole remedy for the supply chain issues today. However, he does think there are some barriers that could be removed to help free up more movement at ports.

“I will continue to say we need to do everything possible to clear those ports out,” says Brown. “Getting help from the administration there can be beneficial. Let’s not just overstate that we’re going to fix this overnight. It’s going to take time to work through many of the supply bottlenecks. And frankly, I think we will live with those supply bottlenecks for many months ahead. It’s not going to be a quick fix.”

Problems to Persist Months or Years?

Just how long will it take to work the severe wrinkles out of the supply chain? As the situation becomes more dire, economists are also mixed on just how long it will take to get the supply chain back in standard operating order.

A Wall Street Journal survey asked a group of economists that exact question. The survey found labor shortages and supply constraints are bigger risks to the economy than Covid-19. While the majority of economists surveyed (more than 30%) say they think supply chain disruptions will recede by Q2 of 2022, more than 10% see the issues lasting into 2023 or later.

USDA’s chief economist is in the camp it will take months, not a year.

“I think we’re still talking months, I really do,” says Meyer. “And it’s not just things like tractor parts, but it’s hauling food products, it’s hauling cattle, it’s all these transportation issues. It’s getting those truck parts back, it’s delivery of food products to the institutions. I think we’ve got a while to sort these things out. When I look at USDA, you’ve got short-run port resolutions as in opening for 24 hours, and then medium-term things where you try to improve the throughput by getting more truck drivers.”

Shortage of Truck Drivers Adding to the Issues

Last Month, USDA announced the availability of $3 billion to help with a host of concerns, including supply chain issues. Those funds will come from the Commodity Credit Corporation. That’s in addition to the $2 billion USDA already announced to put toward helping solve persistent supply chain issues. But one of the biggest bottlenecks is coming from a lack of truck drivers to move products. And groups like International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) say there are quick fixes that could help get more drivers on the road.

“One way that the government could help potentially is in the infrastructure package that’s being discussed right now. There’s some money in there for trying to get some additional CDL drivers on the road between the ages of 18 and 21,” says Matt Herrick, vice president of communications for IDFA. “There’s a pilot program, which would allow some of these drivers who are below the age of 21 to drive interstate. That would be a big opportunity, I think, to get more truck drivers on the road and to do it safely.”

The other barrier that the White House could help remove is the maximum weights truck drivers are allowed to carry.

“Can we raise those truck weights? We’ve got increased demand in our sector, increased demand for our products. Can we keep those truck weights up in a safe way, but keep them elevated? And also, can we continue to raise the hours of operation and keep those elevated?” Herrick says. “And can we do that so truck drivers can stay on the road and make those deliveries in a safe manner?

As shippers try to raise wages in order to attract more drivers to get on the road, the action not coming without other costs. One grape grower told The Packer that new drivers are having trouble backing into tight spots to unload. The other issue is teaching younger drivers how to operate trucks with manual transmissions. One trucking operator told Farm Journal that many younger drivers haven’t trained on manual transmission trucks and can only drive ones with automatic transmissions.

John Phipps: Is a Possible Cyberwarfare Attack Looming for Your Farm? Why Tractors May Be Next

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 13:02:08 GMT

Last week I outlined how cyberwar, especially ransomware was now one of North Korea’s largest exports and how that success is spurring them to deploy more resources into those efforts. Other than being a curiosity does it have any impact on U.S. agriculture now or in the future?

Well, along with extortion money, North Korea hackers, like thousands of others, are getting what they perhaps crave the most: fame. Headlines like these get read in North Korea, and the hacker underworld rates hackers like NFL quarterbacks. Given these powerful motivations, hackers are raising their games. As a result, insurance companies are making tough decisions on whether ransoms or damage from a hack should be covered or not.

Interested in the impact on agriculture? Read more about how “Online Farm Equipment and Land Auction Site Crippled by Ransomware Attack” late last year.

Regardless of their decisions, the losses from hacks are set to spiral and somebody will pay them. Any product or process that is dependent on secure data transmission could be a target. In fact, rather than spend resources attacking giant manufacturers or institutions that already have beefed up crypto security, why not look further down the food chain – targets that can’t afford better defenses? Hacking lots of those for modest ransoms might be a more lucrative strategy than swinging for the fences.

The Iowa coop hack last year could prove a precursor of this non-glamorous industry targeting. As we speak, Russia may be attacking Ukrainian computers as a military tactic. There is a growing linkage to cryptocurrency and hacking. They seem like natural partners to me, since one criticism of cryptocurrency is its likely use for money laundering. Another possible weakness is in computer chips themselves, not just software or internet connections.

My uninformed guess is tractors being hacked to override factory engine controllers or emission controls are ripe for self-inflicted hacks. Buying chips from unknown sources may be like putting small time bombs in your machinery. My predictions are far from expert, but the big reason I see increased danger from stealth cyberwar is because we still think of our industry as a simple chain largely outside the global economy, when it is really part of a vast web.

Agriculture cannot escape risk simply because we’re a relatively small part of the economy. We could be unexpected collateral damage when other industries are attacked. In fact, I think that’s how we’ll find out just how connected we are to the rest of the world.

Read Related Stories:

John Phipps: Is North Korea the New Breeding Ground for Cyber Warfare?

Minnesota Grain Handler Targeted in Ransomware Attack

Popular Online Farm Equipment and Land Auction Service Sites Crippled by Ransomware Attack

The Duke of Hazard: How an Unbreakable Kansas Farmer Bore a Lifetime of Scars

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 12:15:43 GMT

A roadmap of scars on skin was testament to a lifetime in agriculture. On a tightrope between twin peaks of work necessity and danger, all farmers suffer injuries of various stripes, but the unbreakable Ward Henry was a breed apart.

A man of fortitude and incessant good cheer, Ward Henry’s 70-plus years in farming were punctuated by a succession of traumatic machinery accidents including a drill rollover, shooting, anaphylactic shock, amputation, and PTO mangling—as if his flesh attracted hazard. Defeating infinitesimal survival odds, he was undaunted by circumstance, disinterested in excuses, and extremely grateful for family and farm.

Ward’s calamitous tale is the inverse of its initial appearance. Rather, his injury-laden account highlights agriculture’s insatiable need for safety awareness: Danger permanently rides shotgun beside every farmer.

Bumps

Born in the upper corner of northeast Kansas’ Brown County in 1920, Ward (decd. 2014) witnessed the advent of mechanization in American agriculture and rode the shift from mule to machinery power. His youth in family fields was dominated by the necessity of livestock in the rows, requiring daily harnessing of a dozen horses and mules.

(Farm Journal)

In a 2007 memoir compiled by his grandson, Chris Henry , a professor and irrigation engineer with the University of Arkansas, Ward offered a window into the logistics of mule power: “It was quite an experience going through the fields. I remember we used to walk 10 miles a day, each round was 1 half-mile and we would walk down and back (1-mile round trip). We would make 5 half-mile rounds in the morning and 5 half-mile rounds in the afternoon, because that was about all the mules could stand when it was hot.”

As a small farm boy chasing the shadow of his father, Albert, in the rows, Ward quickly acquired a nickname, Bumps, and the moniker stuck fast with ample justification. At four years old, Ward “Bumps” Henry escaped his first brush with death.

“Literally Unrecognizable”

During the planting season of 1924, as Albert held the reins behind a mule team, young Ward sat atop a drill box, enjoying a knocking ride, blissfully unaware his perch was a potential deathtrap. At the crack of his father’s whip, the mules jumped, the drill lurched, and Ward disappeared. Down between the drill boxes and press wheels, wedged between the row units and pressed into the dirt, Ward was run over by the drill—but emerged entirely unscathed, not a scratch.

The drill miracle was followed a decade-plus later by the staccato pace of further accidents. Gunshot; #9 wire; and bumblebees.

(Farm Journal)

Breaking a winter day’s monotony as a teenager, Ward loaded a .22 rifle, intent on denting the ever-growing population of pigeons nesting in the family barn. Entering the building and drawing on the first bird spotted, his rifle jammed when the brass lodged. Returning to the house, he attempted to remove the cartridge, and carelessly placed his left index finger over the barrel’s mouth. The gun discharged and the bullet blew through Ward’s finger (and perilously close to his head), the shock of blood rendering him unconscious as he collapsed to the floor. Bottom line: the lead projectile missed all bone and nerves, leaving Ward with no permanent harm.

Near the same window in time, Ward came perilously close to losing an eye. After milking cows in the chill of an early morning, he picked up a milker in each hand and walked toward the house, glancing upward to gauge the day’s weather in the breaking dawn sky at the exact moment a splice on a #9 clothesline met him at eyeline. The splice caught his eyelid, almost peeling it entirely off before continuing the cut deep into his eyebrow. Following surgery, the lid was sewn back in place and the brow stitched. Although requiring further surgery, Ward’s eyesight sustained no damage.

(Farm Journal)

A third high school accident, and the most serious of the lot to that point in Ward’s life, almost came with a toe tag. While plowing clover under in spring, he disturbed a ground nest of bumblebees and was attacked on the slow-moving tractor by a raging swarm. Ward’s son, Bob, describes the aftermath. “Dad was severely allergic to any kind of bee or wasp sting. When he hit that bumblebee nest, he got stung countless times above the neck before he could get away. He made it into the house, but by that time his allergic reaction was so extreme that he was literally unrecognizable to my grandmother at first—that’s how massively swollen his head and face were. She used some kind of home remedy on him—I don’t know what—and it acted like an antihistamine and saved him.”

The three teen accidents ended with a relatively mild outcome, despite a sizeable margin for far greater consequence. However, the heavyweight machinery accidents of Ward’s life were yet to arrive and would come close to literally ripping the life out of a Kansas farmer.

Gains—and Losses

Ward’s first significant agriculture equipment experience in the age of mechanization occurred in the 1930s, with the on-farm arrival of a steel-wheeled Fordson pocked with angle iron for traction—a tractor used solely for plowing. (His machinery reminiscences include a surreal, made-for-Hollywood vignette chasing escaped mules across Kansas fields in a no-top Model T Ford.)

(Farm Journal)

By the 1940s and 1950s, mirroring other agricultural operations across the U.S., the Henry farm reached levels of technology and amenities unthinkable only several decades in the past. Ward graduated from Highland Community College in 1940, and began working his own ground, purchasing a Farmall H Tractor, cultivator, lister, and mower for $1,000 total.

He married Virginia Vanbebber in 1941, the same year party-line dial phone service arrived on-farm, with electricity following in 1946. In 1948, Ward observed the first television of his life in a storefront window, and two years later bought a set. By 1956, he enjoyed the chill of his first window air-conditioning unit, a luxury that offset a notably scorching Kansas summer with highs reaching 110 degrees.

Wedged in the middle of the litany of technological gains was an excruciating loss that followed him to the end of his days: In 1948, prior to fall harvest, 28-year-old Ward traded for an Oliver corn picker at an equipment dealership in Falls City, Neb.

Several months later, the two-row picker stole Ward’s right hand.

Doctor’s Choice

Oct. 25, 1948. As stated in Ward’s memoir: “I had gone back to the field to run some stalks through the stalk ejector in the back of the corn picker and I was going back to the front to get on the tractor and there was a stalk feeding in the rolls, so I just reached out to push it down and as I did, it caught, and pulled my hand down into the rolls of the corn picker.”

(Farm Journal)

Fortunate to pull free before the entire arm was consumed, Ward wrapped a jacket around his dominant, right hand, and walked a half-mile across open fields to his farmhouse, walked inside, and collapsed on the floor, unconscious before a shocked Virginia.

Although his fingers were intact, the rollers had inflicted heavy compression damage to nerves and ligaments. Taken to a hospital and sedated to ease the pain, Henry woke hours later to find the hand gone, by doctor’s decision. With antibiotics scarce in post-WW2 northeast Kansas, the attending physician took no chances—amputation.

Ten days later, Ward was back on his farm, and only days after his return—minus a hand—he was harvesting grain again with the same Oliver corn picker. A year later, he was fitted for a prosthetic, essentially a clasping hook. “I had to make some adjustments on the machinery I had,” Ward recalled. “I welded loops on some of the controls so I could work them with my hook and I got along very well. Combines were not as complicated as they are today, there were only about two controls. It was not like it is today, where everything is controlled from one lever and your thumb controls all of the many functions of the machine.”

Despite the pain of a corn picker accident that took Ward’s dominant hand, forced him to become proficient with his left, and affected his physical movement until the end of his days, the loss of a limb paled in comparison to the trauma to come: “The major accident of my life happened in April of 1968.”

Slip of the Hook

Bob Henry is the firstborn child of Ward and Virginia. At 77, the active farmer has grown corn and soybeans for 55 years, many of those seasons spent at his father’s side.

Born in 1945, Bob has no memory of Ward prior to the corn picker accident and no recollection of his father without a prosthetic hand. “My dad was a man of strength. He lived a ‘shake off the dust and move forward’ attitude and never had an excuse for anything. Certainly, all the physical injuries of his life took a physical toll on him as he aged, but he wouldn’t allow them to take an emotional toll.”

(Farm Journal)

Ward’s lack of a hand was a given—not a handicap, according to Bob. “He had a hook instead of a hand, and that was it. Therefore, there was nothing he couldn’t do on the farm. Nothing. Growing up, I never thought of dad as handicapped because he did everything everyone else did. It really was that simple.”

In the summer of 1967, Bob completed a college degree and returned home to farm. Almost a year later, on an early April day in 1968, roughly two weeks prior to spring planting, Bob and Ward, along with patriarch Albert, took advantage of sunshine and temperatures ranging near 60 F to reset posts on a pasture fence.

The Henry trio utilized a PTO-driven post-hole digger that sat on an A-frame and plugged into the 2-point hitch of an International tractor. The PTO had no cover: “In 1968 there were PTO shields, but we did not have one,” Bob notes. “There was no shield around the shaft.”

Where the PTO coupler hooked to the gearbox, a set screw was supposed to hold a U-joint onto the shaft. The set screw was gone, long replaced by a hex bolt with its head sticking up approximately three-quarters of an inch.

Bob sat in the tractor, running the hitch and PTO, easing the digger into the ground with his hand resting on the PTO lever. Albert stood on the left side of the digger, raking away dirt with a spade as each hole was dug.

The pasture fence ran along a field of relatively hard ground, a condition that sometimes required extra pushing weight to help the digger break ground. Ward was positioned on the right side of the post-hole digger with his hook on the gearbox and his good hand on the A-frame, pulling down to help the auger penetrate the dirt. Ward wore a t-shirt, layered by overalls, and topped with coveralls. It was clockwork progress by three generations of Henrys in unison—until Ward’s hook slipped.

Upon the downward shift of the hook, the cuff of Ward’s coveralls caught in the PTO shaft, and in a nightmarish blink, Ward, 5’10” and 165 lb., was rag-dolled into spinning steel and rocketed across the machinery, the sounds of the violent wrenching swallowed by the din of a tractor engine running at one-third throttle.

Despite his hand on the PTO lever, Bob’s reaction was no match for the speed of the shaft. “I saw the coveralls catch and I reacted as quickly as I thought humanly possible, shutting off the PTO. Too late,” Bob explains.

(Farm Journal)

Hurtled to the ground, Ward landed beside Albert in a broken heap, stripped of every stitch of clothing, save his socks and boots. Bob burst off the tractor and saw his father in extreme pain, but conscious. Along with fractured limbs and extreme overall trauma, his skin was grossly abraded by the high-speed rubbing of denim and canvas as clothing tore away from his torso at tremendous velocity.

“All his clothes were hanging on the PTO shaft and he was covered in so many injuries,” Bob says. “It was a scraping and bruising that is hard to describe. Still, he was alive. In a way, the loss of his clothes saved dad because the shaft stripped him and spit him out—otherwise he would have been torn apart.”

Albert covered Ward with a coat and sweatshirt, and Bob drove the International a mile to the farmhouse, and directed his mother, Virginia, to call an ambulance for Ward. Virginia kept her nerve and asked no questions or sought any details; she instinctively understood the gravity of the situation and responded in seconds with an emergency telephone call.

Bob traded tractor for truck, racing back to Ward in a 1967 International pickup. Placing Ward in the truck bed, Bob sped for the farmhouse, reaching the yard as the ambulance pulled onto the property. Strapped to a gurney, Ward was rushed to a hospital in Hiawatha, precipitously close to losing his remaining hand and arm.

Ward’s body was broken and there was no 10-day recovery repeat of 1948: The Kansas farmer would not return to his Brown County land for four months.

“Losing My Hand Was Nothing”

Along with a broken shoulder, Ward suffered a compound fracture of the humerus and a gruesome twisting of muscle around bone that required surgery and a metal plate. “How I survived, that I’ll never know, but it did major damage to my body…I remember not knowing whether I was going to lose my other hand or not. I remember I prayed that I wouldn’t lose my other hand,” recalled Ward.

Day by day, week over week, from April until August, Ward, 48, recovered in hospital and returned home just prior to the 1968 harvest. The physical toll was almost more than he could bear—a fact borne out by his comparison of corn picker versus PTO: “And of the two accidents, if I could have taken away one of them, I would choose the second one. Losing my hand was nothing compared to my incident with the post hole digger.”

Ward farmed another 20 years. “My dad slowed, but he kept going, Bob emphasizes. “He’d permanently lost strength in the left arm and a whole lot of muscle in the accident. Once his arm finally healed, it was just a matter of adjustment. Resilience. That’s who he was. He even took up golf in his 60s, and he never complained or let any of it bother him.”

(Farm Journal)

After Ward’s 1968 accident, safety became paramount on the Henry farm. “It woke me up for life and became a constant reminder to not be careless or get in a hurry,” Bob adds. “Back in the 1960s, we knew we needed PTO shields, but the accidents kept happening, and they still needlessly happen regularly today.”

Chris Henry , UA irrigation engineer, echoes his father’s sentiments: “When we see these unsafe conditions, we all need to think about Ward and correct them so nobody suffers the same fate as my grandfather. Whether it’s an unsafe wiring situation, safety shield, safety glasses, flowing grain, pinch points with implement hookup, or just how we are working around each other, we should all take the time to fix it before we go on. Just remember Ward’s post hole digger.”

“To this day, I can still see what happened when dad got snared by the PTO shaft,” Bob concludes. “I can still the very instant. All it takes is for me to see a PTO, and it takes me back in time.”

To read more stories from Chris Bennett (cbennett@farmjournal.com — 662-592-1106), see:

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

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

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

How a Texas Farmer Killed Agriculture’s Debt Dragon

While America Slept, China Stole the Farm

Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved After 40 Years

The Arrowhead whisperer: Stunning Indian Artifact Collection Found on Farmland

Where’s the Beef: Con Artist Turns Texas Cattle Industry Into $100M Playground

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

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

US Farming Loses the King of Combines

Ghost in the House: A Forgotten American Farming Tragedy

Rat Hunting with the Dogs of War, Farming’s Greatest Show on Legs

Misfit Tractors a Money Saver for Arkansas Farmer

Government Cameras Hidden on Private Property? Welcome to Open Fields

Farmland Detective Finds Youngest Civil War Soldier’s Grave?

Descent Into Hell: Farmer Escapes Corn Tomb Death

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

Grizzly Hell: USDA Worker Survives Epic Bear Attack

Farmer Refuses to Roll, Rips Lid Off IRS Behavior

Killing Hogzilla: Hunting a Monster Wild Pig

Shattered Taboo: Death of a Farm and Resurrection of a Farmer

Frozen Dinosaur: Farmer Finds Huge Alligator Snapping Turtle Under Ice

Breaking Bad: Chasing the Wildest Con Artist in Farming History

In the Blood: Hunting Deer Antlers with a Legendary Shed Whisperer

Corn Maverick: Cracking the Mystery of 60-Inch Rows

Against All Odds: Farmer Survives Epic Ordeal

Agriculture’s Darkest Fraud Hidden Under Dirt and Lies

The Tech World Had The Chance To Meet Real Farmers At CES, And The Reaction Was Surprisingly Good

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 02:33:13 GMT

The global tech industry gathered at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this past week to see the latest and greatest in technology and this year, agriculture took center stage. What’s traditionally been a show geared to consumers is one agriculture is playing a bigger role, and as Farm Journal discovered, the interest in agriculture’s story became a resounding theme.

From driverless vehicles to a flying car, CES was full of the latest technology and a few surprises. One popular attraction was at the John Deere booth. Not only was each area of the display equipped with farming facts for consumers, the company also served up the chance for attendees to meet- and speak- with real farmers.

“We actually are a vertically integrated company–we take rice from the farm to a finished product. And we even have our own brand now called 4Sisters,” says Meryl Kennedy , a farmer in northeast Louisiana.

Kenny and Travis Senter of northeast Arkansas, were just two of the farmers in Deere’s CES display, answering questions and pulled back the curtain on production agriculture today.

“The biggest question is this machine that we’re standing behind autonomous?” says Senter. “The other question is, on my Operations Center, all those all those machines that are on there, are they autonomous? So, I guess the big factor that they’re looking at is autonomy.”

Deere and Company kicked off CES as the keynote speaker–a first for agriculture. And as Deere presented, the company pointed out farmers were sitting in the audience. The crowd gasped in response, proof that to CES attendees, the chance to meet real farmers was rare.

The Chance to Meet Farmers at CES

It was during those one-on-one conversations that Senter and Kennedy were able to connect with consumers, sharing with them–and even showing them–the ag technology already at work in fields today.

“Frankly, just having conversations with people that are in a totally different field than you but knowing that you’re so connected to technology and how we’re going to feed the world,” says Kennedy, when asked what’s been the most eye-opening aspect of her CES experience so far. “That’s really the mission of CES right now. It’s all about driving that sustainability and providing technology to make sure that we can provide water and food and fuel to the world.

Kennedy is a second-generation farmer, who along with her dad and three sisters, created the brand 4Sisters , proving rice is part of this family’s legacy.

“Retail has been a whole new journey for us as a company, honestly, before 2019, we really didn’t even have a website ,” says Kennedy. “So, we were truly a commodity-based agricultural company. It has truly been a transformation from us.”

Connecting with Consumers

Kennedy says as CES sparked conversations with consumers, technology is helping discover what solutions really do make an environmental and production difference on their farm today.

“I think probably one of the hardest things that we’ve been facing recently is bringing that sustainability journey to life in a way that is meaningful to consumers, and doing it fast enough,” she says. “People want to see meaningful change, and I think that we’re doing that, it just it takes time. So, having that kind of balance and providing the data to backup what we’ve been doing for so many years. I mean, really, the U.S. farmers the most sustainable in the world, we just had to tell that story better.”

Kennedy’s top concern for 2023 is climbing input costs, which is why she says any investment on their farm must produce a ROI. With higher costs, the rate at which they see that return is getting shorter, but it’s not changing their overall goal.

“It’s about creating a path that we can all be on as a sustainable business,” she says. “And that we can all feel comfortable with the technology that we’re using, and that we can make sure that we implement it in a meaningful way that brings value to us as a company.”

On the Cutting Edge of Adopting Technology

Senter considers himself on the cutting edge of adopting technology on his farm, as experiencing the latest technology is something Senter says he truly enjoys.

With 38 tractors, three combines, four sprayers and three cotton harvesters, orchestrating field works across their 20,000 acres, is a challenge, But Senter says through technology, that job is getting more efficient, something he was able to show attendees at CES.

“I remember early days of data, we always had flash drive and I just chased machines with a flash drive,” he says. “I felt like I was just working too hard to gather information and not actually using what I had to get it.”

A decade ago, Senter decided it was time to go all-in with how he was collecting and managing the data. That’s when he started processing his farm’s information into the cloud, while also investing in the systems and technology to propel his farm into the future.

“We kind of had a little bit here and a little bit there. Let’s just put everything connected that way. It’s all in one unit, we can see where everything’s at. We know what everybody has going on. I don’t have to keep detailed notes. I know everything’s going into the cloud. I don’t have to worry about chasing data that is working for me. I’m not working for it,” he says.

Adopting Automation

When Senter explores what’s next, he believes automation is the wave of the future.

“I think when you get into automation, which is what’s coming, being able to drive machines, you’re not necessarily going to lose labor, because you’re going to need that labor to fix those pieces of equipment,” says Senter. “Their job may change from being an operator to actually maintaining and keeping that machine moving.

And while some automation is already at work in agriculture today, the velocity at which those changes are happening may be the biggest difference in the years ahead. Senter admits even his own views on autonomy have changed.

“I’ve had the opportunity to use that some of that autonomous machines, and I was very pessimistic at first. But it actually it did a phenomenal job. And so, me seeing it firsthand said, ‘Okay, we can do this, it can be done. Let’s go forward with it,’” says Senter.

AEM’s View on Agriculture’s Role at CES

Association of Equipment Manufacturer (AEM) senior vice president Curt Blades says agriculture’s large footprint at CES elevated the image of ag last week.

“The biggest takeaway that I had from CES, representing the off road equipment industry was, hey, look at the really interesting technology that our members and the entire industry is working at to solve sustainability challenges for society,” says Blades.

As Blades attended CES, sat in on conversations and watched how equipment manufacturer’s showcased the technology in agriculture and construction today, and he says the message at CES was resounding: ag tech is a critical piece of meeting the growing demands.

“What’s happened specifically at CES is that we have pointed to technology as part of that solution. In fact, we have some of the facts and figures and research to back that up that’s telling a story that it’s not about trying to sell more equipment, it’s actually trying to solve societal problems,” says Blades.

The Rapid Change in Ag Tech

So, why is ag tech growing so rapidly? Blades says it’s multi-faceted. The changes are driven by not only agriculture being part of the solution, but the amount of investment entering the space, and just the sheer amount of data available today.

“The data is what’s allowing good robotics to make more sense. It’s allowing for better management decisions. It’s allowing for better prescriptions,” he says. “You have to have the data in place to be able to take advantage of some of the technology that was unveiled, either in practice or in concept at CES.”

From artificial intelligence to robotics, CES showed the technology space is ever-changing, something Kennedy knows the future of their family farm hinges on the ability to evolve along with it.

“For my kids, I have a four- and eight-year-old, so I feel like if I can do something that’s meaningful, bring value to them future generations to come preserve the land, that’s what it’s about,” she says.

The biggest surprise during CES was just how excited those consumers were to meet real farmers like Kennedy, a low tech, high touch opportunity for the industry to show off its positive impact on the world.

Is Deere Pushing Electric Tractors? An Exclusive Interview With John Deere's CTO

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 20:54:57 GMT

Autonomy is gaining traction in the ag equipment space. Are electric tractors next? Rumors have been circulating about the direction of Deere’s technology investments, and Farm Journal had the chance to sit down with John Deere’s Chief Technology Officer, Jahmy Hindman , to set the record straight and uncover what Deere sees as the future of equipment and ag technology .

The conversation was at the backdrop of CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas , Nev., earlier this month. Even though Hindman was there talking to tech gurus, he isn’t your typical CTO. Hindman is the first to admit he would rather be out in the field talking to farmers than sitting in his office or even having conversations at CES.

When asked how many farms he’s visited during his time as CTO, he says he’s lost count. Even so, he says he values hearing from farmers all along the spectrum of ag tech, which includes those who barely use technology on the farm, all the way to the early adopters who are fully immersed in the technology available today.

“And it’s all different production systems from our high value crops, almonds and citrus orchards, to corn, soybeans, to small grains, such as lentils, chickpeas, those sorts of things in Western Canada. That’s why I love agriculture; it’s so diverse. And our customers do something that’s just so important for the globe, for the world population. I think there’s no better place to work.”

Why CES?

Deere had a noticeably larger presence this year, even kicking the event off with the keynote address . During the keynote, Deere not only highlighted technology at work today, but where the company sees the world of ag tech going.

“I think it’s important for the world to know where their food comes from,” Hindman says, when asked why Deere had such a large presence at CES this year. “I think it’s important for people to know the technology that goes into food production, in particular. And there’s no better stage to tell that story than CES. It maximizes the number of people who get to hear it, to a population, frankly, that really needs to know about it and really needs to hear it.”

When asked if Deere is a technology company, Hindman said there’s no doubt that’s the case, but he said that doesn’t discount the fact that Deere is also a machinery company.

“I think it’s often understated how much technology is in our machines and in the production systems themselves, and how much technology farmers deploy on the farm today,” he says. “I think the there’s no doubt that Deere is a technology company, but we’re also a manufacturing company, and none of the technology works in and of itself. You still have to have the equipment like the sprayers, and the tractors and the combines to bring that technology into the field and make it useful.”

The Acceleration of Autonomous Equipment

Autonomy was a popular topic at CES. Many of the CES attendees who visited the Deere booth had the chance to see a self-propelled sprayer in person and wanted to know if the machinery was autonomous. Hindman says it’s those questions that opened the door to talk about how some of the technology at work today—like See and Spray—is a glimpse of what’s to come.

“The delivery of herbicides is step one, but you can start to think about other things like growth regulators in cotton. You can think about things like the types of chemicals that get applied on the farm as being able to be moderated through scenes. Those are all opportunities for us, once you have the ability to sense something in the field and then act on it,” he says.

Related Story: How John Deere Turned Steel into Gold and Won Farming’s Plow Wars

Hindman describes autonomy the same way, saying Deere has already made a down payment on autonomy for the future with its autonomous tillage solution. He says the company started with tillage, as that was the easiest place to start.

“It’s the most practical from a technology perspective place for us to start, but eventually that’s going to become an autonomous planting opportunity, it’s going to become an autonomous grain cart opportunity. When we get tractor jobs finished, we’ll look at sprayers and at combines,” says Hindman. “Our goal is by 2030, in certain production systems, to be able to offer farmers a fully autonomous production system -- from spring tillage and planting all the way through harvest.”

Deere’s 2030 goal is clear, but Hindman understands not every farmer will want to go all-in on autonomy. That’s why he’s adamant farmers will have a choice of options, even in 2030 and beyond.

“There’s a reason there’s a cab still on the tractor,” says Hindman. “There are a lot of growers that maybe don’t want the autonomy solution or don’t see value in it for themselves at this point in time, but they still want to be able to operate the machine. There are a lot of jobs that are done on the farm that we won’t make autonomous. (Maybe) you still want to move snow in the wintertime in your driveway where you’re going to do that from the cab of the tractor, right? And as a person that spent a lot of time in a tractor seat, there’s just an emotional attachment and a satisfaction that you get from seeing the work done yourself. And so, there’s a reason that a cab is still on the tractor. I think that’s an important part of it.”

Setting the Record Straight on Electric Tractors

Autonomy can spark an emotional reaction from farmers, but the concept of electric tractors is one that garnered a lot of attention on social media this past year. A social media post went viral this year, claiming Deere was pushing larger farmer operators to go all-electric. So, we asked Hindman about it. In short, Hindman says the post was simply not true.

“It didn’t come from us, so it’s a bit of a mystery,” Hindman says. “I don’t really know the genesis of that or where it started. I think the buzz around electrification, in general, moved it into ag and it became a thing of its own. And it does have a place. I’m not going to say that electrification doesn’t have a place in agriculture, but right now, just from a pure physics perspective, not at the high-power levels.”

So, where does it make sense? Hindman says in lower horsepower equipment, Deere’s findings show electrification could be a solution.

“In rough terms, I would say in 100 horsepower and under, and in relatively light duty cycles, lithium-ion chemistry batteries can work,” he says. “You can package enough energy into the tractor to make that work. As you get into higher power levels? The answer to that is no.”

During Deere’s CES keynote address, Hindman even addressed why electrification doesn’t make sense in higher horsepower, heavier duty equipment.

“I talked about the 8R tractors,” he says. “When I ran the numbers on it, if you power that with a lithium-ion battery today, it’s twice the volume, twice the weight, twice the mass, and four times the cost. That just doesn’t pencil.”

Instead, Hindman says Deere has found renewable fuels and renewable diesel is a better fit for higher horsepower application when you get into the carbon offset discussion.

“Things like renewable diesel, from soybean oil or canola oil, or ethanol as an alternative in a compression ignition engine, would be a more interesting solution at the higher power levels,” says Hindman.

He says the limitation for using more renewable diesel products today is availability.

Talking the Reality of Energy with the Biden Administration

Showing the science behind what works—and what doesn’t—is something Deere was able to also communicate to the Biden administration. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm toured John Deere’s booth at CES, and even though she got a first-hand look at Deere’s first-ever electric excavator on display at their booth, she also saw other equipment that’s not electric.

“There’s not a single solution that works for everybody. And that single solution? Certainly not electrification. I think it is a good solution in some cases, but not in all cases,” he says. “And so, we had Secretary Granholm here, that was one of the points that I tried to make to her. Hopefully, that resonates,” he says.

“I think we’ve historically been data rich, and a lot of data has been at the fingertips of growers, but it doesn’t necessarily surface itself to insights that you can make good decisions from,” says Hindman. “And I think we’re just beginning to start to get into maybe the last five years, an environment where that data is becoming more insightful. We’re figuring out ways to draw conclusions from it, whether I need to change a crop rotation, or whether I’ve got a water problem in this particular field, or I need to put more nutrients out in this location, those things are starting to surface because of the data,” says Hindman.

He agrees the revelation has been recent, and he says there are a couple of reasons as to why.

“If you look at Operations Center, as an example, and the usage of that not just in desktop but in mobile platform, that’s really started to pick up substantially,” he says. “And I think it’s because farmers are seeing value in it. They’re seeing that it can improve their outcome with that information. And it’s served to them in a way that makes sense. It is intuitive.”

What Does the Future of Farming Look Like?

Now that the data piece is driving much of these technology advancements, where is agricultural technology going in the years ahead? Hindman thinks farming will be much more predictable than it is today.

“I say predictable in the sense that labor, where you’re not worried about labor anymore because you’ve got the ability, whether you use it all the time or not, for the machines to do some of the work themselves,” he says. “I do think we will be so much closer to plant-by-plant management at that point in time, especially in coarse grains, than we are today. And that’s going to unlock the ability for us to do much more of this data analytics and be much more prescriptive in managing the overall crop, and the overall production of that crop and our inputs to that crop, on a plant-by-plant basis.”

The Tech World Had The Chance To Meet Real Farmers At CES, And The Reaction Was Surprisingly Good

How John Deere Turned Steel into Gold and Won Farming’s Plow Wars

These ag equipment parts are in short supply

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 20:57:30 GMT

The National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS) earlier this month revealed one major theme: the supply chain is still posing major problems for ag equipment manufacturers. Leaders within the ag equipment sector say the supply chain issues have been a major hurdle in bringing some new equipment to market, and the issue could persist throughout 2023.

“The supply chain challenges that we experienced in 2021 and 2022 are with us for a little bit longer,” says Curt Blades, senior vice president of agriculture services for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) .

From Case IH to Deere and Company, the equipment manufacturers admit issues sourcing parts has been a constant headache.

“Absolutely, it’s been an issue. Supply chains have been highly disruptive in the last 12, 18 to 24 months,” says Jahmy Hindman, Deere and Company chief technology officer (CTO).

Hindman says in the constant conversations Deere is having with their supply chain base, suppliers are telling them the situation looks to improve the second half of the year.

“It’s progressively getting better,” Hindman adds. “Our third quarter and fourth quarter of last year showed us the improvement in our ability to deliver the products that are being ordered to the marketplace. I expect that to continue in the first quarter of this fiscal year for us.”

AEM also sees improvement coming later this year, which means farmers could still face months of supply chain constraints.

“Maybe by the end of the year, we’ll begin to see some return to normalcy, whatever normalcy looks like,” says Blades.

Parts in Shortest Supply

Today, equipment manufacturers across the world are grappling with the same problem. The supply chain issues are not only ongoing, but hard to predict.

“We had this level of challenge, maybe now it’s a little bit less, but we’re not out of the woods,” says Kurt Coffey, head of Case IH for North America . “It could be tracks one day, it could be tires the next day. We have a lot of very unique, high-value, custom castings, a heat-treated custom casting, that you can’t just go get, and it’s a very unique supplier.”

Castings are the latest supply chain headwind to hit. No matter the type of equipment, manufacturers are saying castings are a major hurdle right now.

“It’s a little bit of a whack-a-mole strategy when it comes to the supply chain,” says James Shurts, president of the ag division for Great Plains . “It’s always something new, and it just happens to be that castings are our current issue and the current challenges. But it’s always something different.”

AEM recently conducted a survey of its members, showing:

The most sought-after component are tracks (and their included components):
Only 27% of optimal inventory is available.
In both agriculture and construction sectors, semiconductors and chips are in short supply.
44% optimal inventory is available across both sectors.

“The other things that are interesting are like wiring harnesses, which oftentimes are made in the Ukraine, or seat cushions, which are made in Texas in areas that were destroyed by floods. It’s not one thing, it’s a collection of things,” says Blades.

Case IH says as the parts in short supply continue to vary, the company is finding unconventional ways to address the issues.

“The last year or two has been custom castings, chips, tracks, tires,” says Coffey. “We actually pulled strategic sourcing in and went on third-party markets to go buy chips from third parties, millions of dollars of chips from a third party, bring them in, ship them to our partner suppliers so we can keep our lines going.”

The Biggest Issue? Labor

No matter what item is in scarce supply, the problem is bigger than one part or company.

“The underlying issue with all supply chain challenges are labor,” says Blades.

AEM also surveyed 179 equipment manufacturer executives about the supply chain late last year and found:

98% still face supply chain issues.
58% are experiencing continuously worsening supply-chain conditions.

The AEM survey showed equipment manufacturers of all size are getting creative to address the challenges, which includes increasing their inventory and supplier base, creating a more vertical integration of supply chains, certifying alternative suppliers, as well as focusing more on supply chain reliability than price.

Growing Optimism

Despite the constant supply chain obstacles, leaders at both John Deere and Case IH are optimistic.

“We’re not just hearing that it’s progressively getting better, we’re sensing it; we’re feeling it,” says Hindman. “We’re also seeing it come through in our delivery. So, as long as things continue on that trajectory, I feel pretty good about next year.”

“We’re not out of the woods, but we’re certainly in a better place than where we were, let’s say, a year, year and a half ago,” adds Coffey. “But we’re just going to keep fighting to make sure that we’re ready for whatever the customers need from us.”

Optimism is growing in the supply chain, even with some bumps still ahead, as agricultural equipment manufacturers continue to navigate uncharted waters with the supply chain.

Related Story:

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Can You Now Repair Your Own John Deere Equipment?

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 15:28:13 GMT

The “right to repair” issue has been a topic of debate both in and outside of agriculture. A memorandum of understanding signed by Deere & Co and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) means farmers will be able to repair their own equipment.

The MOU was announced during AFBF’s annual meeting in Puerto Rico on Sunday. According to both Deere and AFBF, the MOU formalizes the availability and access to parts, tool, software and documentation to perform repair and maintenance.

“This will enable you and your independent mechanics to identify and fix problems,” Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall said during his AFBF address. “You will have access to the diagnostic tools and information you need. And you’ll get it at a fair and reasonable price.”

“The says the agreement with the American Farm Bureau Federation formalizes the longstanding commitment Deere has made to ensure our customers have the diagnostic tools and information they need to repair their machines,” Deere stated. “We look forward to working alongside the American Farm Bureau and our customers in the months and years ahead to ensure farmers continue to have the tools and resources they need to diagnose, maintain and repair their equipment.”

With the MOU, farmers can either repair equipment on their own or go to an independent technician. It also helps dodge legislation around the issue. Several states had introduced their own “right to repair” legislation, but as stated in the MOU released this week, the agreement will happen “through a voluntary private sector commitment to outcomes rather than legislative or regulatory measures.”

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) represents agriculture equipment manufacturers. The association says it welcomes the MOU between Deere and AFBF and supports their goal of having issues like “right to repair” resolved without legislation.

“The Association of Equipment Manufacturers and its member companies have always supported a farmer’s right to safely maintain, diagnose, and repair equipment,” says Curt Blades, senior vice president of AEM. “We remain committed to helping farmers reduce downtime and maximize productivity through solutions that keep them safe and protect our environment. The success of the agriculture industry is also the success of the equipment manufacturing industry, and we welcome every opportunity to work together to secure the future of American agriculture. The agreement between Deere & Co. and the American Farm Bureau Federation is a positive step in resolving a long-standing issue and reinforces our belief that successful resolution does not require onerous legislative action.”

The Complicated Issue of “Right to Repair”

The issue of “right to repair” is one the entire industry has faced, but John Deere is the equipment manufacturer who is typically the target of both news coverage and policies introduced. As one equipment industry source stated, John Deere is the company with the most to lose.

“Right to repair” is a complicated issue with no easy solution. The latest models of equipment come with sophisticated and high-tech combinations of hardware and software. While the technology allows farmers to be even more precise, one of the downsides is it can be more prone to breakdowns or issues than older models without technology. This can cause more downtime during critical times of the year, such as planting and harvest.

At the same time, protecting the software and intellectual property is of high importance, especially with the r ise in cyberattacks in agriculture. If an agricultural company hasn’t built the proper cloud-based or offline systems, then it puts farmers- and the entire agriculture industry- at risk.

The MOU is aimed to protect the software, while also aiding farmers’ efforts to repair their own equipment as quickly - and efficiently - as possible.

MOU Protects Safety or Protocols

The MOU states equipment owners and independent technicians cannot compromise any safety measures and protocols on the equipment, which includes Deere’s intellectual property, including its software, are protected from infringement; and no federal and state emissions control requirements can be compromised because of modifications made to the machinery.

The MOU also states this access will not be allowed for the purpose of overriding safety features or emissions criteria.

“This MOU shall not be interpreted or construed to require a Manufacturer to: a) divulge trade secrets, proprietary or confidential information; b) allow owners or Independent Repair Facilities to override safety features or emissions controls or to adjust Agricultural Equipment power levels; or, c) violate any federal, state, or local laws or regulations,” states the MOU.

Will More Equipment Manufacturers Sign On?

While the initial MOU is just with John Deere, Duvall invited other equipment manufacturers to also sign on. He also said Farm Bureau officials will meet at least semi-annually with John Deere to discuss the “right to repair.”

“This is a positive step in the right direction. NAEDA will be working to learn more about how the MOU will affect dealers and state legislation going forward and will continue to keep dealers informed,” says Kim Rominger, CEO of the North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA).

Read the complete MOU here .

Many Farmers Support “Right to Repair” Laws

John Phipps: In Right to Repair, Farmers May Be Watching the Wrong Battle

Did You Know? 5 Rounds of Tire Trivia

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 23:20:37 GMT

Many people ignore tires as long as they aren’t flat. Here are some facts to help tires stay round:

1. Tires exposed to the sun during long-term storage often develop a dusty brown coating. “We put chemicals in tires that reduce damage from exposure to sunlight and ozone,” says Greg Jones, with Firestone Agricultural. “That brownish coating is those chemicals coming to the surface, helping protect the tire. It’s actually better to leave that coating on the surface than to wipe it off. But we can only put so much of those protectants in the rubber. Eventually they get used up, and that’s when tires get hard and start to weather check.”

2. Tire “protectants/preservatives” are, for the most part, cosmetic. “I’ve never seen any product that actually soaks into the rubber enough to make a difference,” says Jeff Miller, with Trelleborg Wheel Systems. “Rubber doesn’t absorb anything well. Most products advertised as rubber preservatives just make tires look shiny and new.”

3. It’s normal for any tire to lose 2 psi of air pressure per month during storage. The slow leakage may be around or through a valve stem or from the bead area. Leave any tire unattended long enough and it will become under-inflated.

4. The biggest factor that influences the longevity of high-pressure semi-truck tires is air pressure. “Heat is the enemy of rubber,” says Miller. “Running a semi-truck tire even 5 psi lower than recommended creates excess heat in the tread and carcass that affects the tire’s life.”

5. In a report by tire re-treader Bandag, it was noted that “pinging” tires with a hammer or tire billy to check air pressure was as accurate as, “…checking the engine oil level by tapping the side of the oil pan.” Bandag recommends using an accurate air pressure gauge to keep tires within 2 psi of recommended pressure.

Buying Farm Equipment? Here’s How to Take Advantage of Tax Savings

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 19:35:10 GMT

If you’re planning to buy farm equipment before the end of the year, here’s a refresher on two tax tools you can use.

Section 179

The Section 179 deduction limit for 2022 was raised to $1,080,000 with an equipment spending cap phasing out beginning at $2,700,000. It can be used for new and used equipment.

“So with the Section 179 deduction, if you spend less than $1.08 million this year, you can write off the equipment in full and reduce your income, says Paul Neiffer , CPA and principal with CLA.

Bonus depreciation

The concept of depreciation is pretty simple, Neiffer says: “You purchase an asset and then deduct part of that cost each year until it is fully written off.”

Bonus depreciation provides a 100% additional first-year depreciation deduction for “qualified property” through 2022. Eligible property includes all farm assets, other than land.

For example, if you buy a new piece of equipment for $300,000, you can depreciate the entire amount in this year. Or you can elect out of bonus depreciation, Neiffer says, and depreciate the asset out over its useful life. For example, a new combine can be depreciated out over five years. Used farm equipment is depreciated over seven years.

“If you pay in cash for equipment, deducting all of the depreciation up front is fine,” Neiffer says. “But if you are financing 100% of the purchase, you might want to elect out of the full depreciation and match up the yearly depreciation amounts with your loan payments.”

Currently, first-year bonus depreciation at 100% will remain in effect until January 1, 2023. After that, the following phase-down will occur:

80% for property placed in service after Dec. 31, 2022, and before Jan. 1, 2024.
60% for property placed in service after Dec. 31, 2023, and before Jan. 1, 2025.
40% for property placed in service after Dec. 31, 2024, and before Jan. 1, 2026.
20% for property placed in service after Dec. 31, 2025, and before Jan. 1, 2027.

With the current supply chain challenges, Neiffer says you cannot use bonus depreciation or Section 179 unless you have the new asset on your farm — it can’t just be ordered.

As with any large investment decision, Neiffer recommends you visit with a CPA about your goal before making a purchase.

Read More

4 Tax Items to Cross Off Your Operation’s 2023 Checklist

Couple Takes Off On Trip From Nebraska To Alaska In A 1977 IH Tractor To Raise Money For Kids

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 22:16:55 GMT

Driving from Nebraska to Alaska isn’t a quick trip, but for Dick and Carolee Ourada, the trip will take nearly 60 days. That’s because the Ouradas are making the 3,910 mile trip in a tractor as a way to raise money for kids.

Dick is a retired farmer, and Carolee is a recently retired nurse. The couple is venturing back to Alaska after falling in love with the state decades ago. What’s normally a more than 50-hour drive from Holyoke, Colo., to Fairbanks, Alaska, will take them two months this time. The couple started in western Nebraska this week.

Why would anyone want to make the trip in a tractor? The drive across the western U.S., Canada and the Alaska Highway isn’t easy, and some would even call it grueling in a motor vehicle. The answer to that has a story that dates back to the 1970s when Dick started farming.

“To tell you the truth, I traded some shock absorbers from my small mechanic shop for a bred gilt and took her home, because I thought the kids would learn something from the experience of the piglets,” explains Dick. “And we built it into about a 3,000-head hog producing farm.”

Their family farm also grew sugarbeets, corn and wheat. As Dick battled through the farm financial crisis of the 1980s and the hog herd contraction many producers faced in the 1990s, the farm changed. He and his late wife then ventured into vegetable production.

“In order to stay afloat, we put in a small vegetable farm, which nobody did out here in farm country, but we did it anyway,” he says. “And it was very successful. We had 25 acres every year, and did sweet corn, tomatoes, seedless watermelons, which were new at that time, and peppers.”

Dick lost his first wife in 1996. After that, Dick’s world took a dark turn, as he said he didn’t want to farm anymore.

“I just didn’t want to be here anymore,” says Dick. “So, I sold the farm.”

Finding Purpose Again

In 2001, Dick found purpose again when he met Carolee. The two traveled to Alaska for the summer, as she was a traveling nurse, and they both fell in love with the state.

Fast forward a couple decades, and the couple purchased land and are refurbishing an Alaskan home. But as they searched for a tractor to use on their Alaskan land, they found that tractors aren’t only expensive, but hard to find in the state. So, they decided to buy one near their northeast Colorado house and shop, and drive it to Alaska from there.

The two found a tractor in Iowa that seemed to fit the bill for the job: a 1977 International Harvester 574 that they purchased for around $3,500 sight unseen.

“When this came along, we knew couldn’t go out on the highway; it wasn’t in that good of shape. It had been outside for a while, and it was pretty rusty. We had to do a lot of work,” says Dick.

After purchasing the tractor in February, the couple, along with some help from family and friends, spent five months fixing up the tractor that they named “Aggie.”

“We adapted cab from an Allis Chalmers xt170,” says Dick.

Instead of hauling the tractor to Alaska, which Dick and Carolee say would have been quicker, easier and cheaper, they’re driving the tractor there. The tractor has no air conditioning and can go a maximum speed of only 20 mph on the highway.

One challenge for their tractor trip is the immediate heat. As they head out this week, forecasts show 106-degree temperatures. However, Dick and Carolee don’t seem to mind it one bit, because this is more than just a trip.

“We’re not really looking at the challenges because we know we can deal with whatever comes,”
says Carolee.

Raising Money for a Reason

The couple has a plan to stop at pre-determined Case IH dealerships along the way, all in an effort to raise money.

“Carolee said, ‘What would we do with the money?’ And I said, ‘Well, this might be a good place to put it,’” says Dick.

The Ouradas are raising money for the Colorado Children’s Hospital Foundation, a hospital that saved Dick’s daughter’s life 58 years ago this week.

“She just refused to eat, and the doctors here spent three days trying to figure something out,” remembers Dick. “They told us put her in the car and go to Denver. Don’t stop or anything. Just go to Denver.”

At the time, there wasn’t a quicker way to get her there, so Dick and his late wife did just that.

“We dropped her off dying,” says Dick.

They couldn’t stay with their daughter in the nursery, so they left her in the hospital expecting the worst. By the next morning, their daughter had made a miraculous comeback.

“And it turned out that they had run into the same problem with premature babies that would refuse to eat,” says Dick. “And so they had done a lot of research to figure out why, and they came up with a special nipple, and she had taken to it immediately.”

The life-saving move may seem simple, but Dick says that to him, the Denver Children’s Hospital did something he will never forget.

“We owe the hospital a lot,” says Dick. “This is kind of a way to help pay that back.”

The idea also sparked meaning for Carolee, whose family had also experienced the life-saving services the Denver Children’s Hospital provide.

“My nephew was born with multiple congenital heart defects,” she says. “And through the years, they’ve researched and come up with new ways to help him. He’s in his upper 30s today and living a normal, productive life. But when they first took him up there, they weren’t even sure he was going to survive the first procedure.”

Both Dick and Carolee feel indebted to the hospital, so they set a goal of raising $100,000 as they make the 3,910 mile trip.

“There are so many kids out there that need the resources and the research that children’s hospital does,” points out Carolee.

The Ouradas admit they’re a long way from their goal as they start off on their two-month long trip. But with compassion, drive and awareness, they hope generosity will continue to sprout along their route and across the country.

To donate, the Ouradas have set up a website , along with a Facebook page . Carolee says they will continue to update the page throughout the trip.

Three’s A Crowd: Hylio Secures FAA Drone Swarm, Night Flight Exemptions

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 19:41:29 GMT

Ag drone outfit Hylio (Houston, Texas) has received an unprecedented “all clear” from the FAA: an exemption allowing the company’s application drones to be “swarmed” or flown in concert with up to three drones controlled by a single operator, as well as allowing spray missions to be flown after sundown.

Why it Matters

Standard U.S. commercial drone regulations set forth under the FAA’s Part 107 certification limit operations to one pilot-in-charge per drone (plus a visual observer) and only flying between sunup and sundown. Chemical application drones are jointly regulated under Part 107 (pilot) as well as FAA 14 CFR Part 137 (service provider). A pesticide applicators license is also required.

Clearly, this development unlocks more efficient and scalable workflows for farm work (one of Hylio’s spray drones can cover up to 50 acres per hour), but it also has additional implications worth exploring.

“It’s precedent setting,” says Arthur Erickson, CEO and cofounder. “Essentially what the FAA does after this is…people can cite Hylio’s first exemption, this one, and be like, because Hylio can do that, we’re showing that we also have the same technical capabilities, therefore we should be able to do that.”

Technology has certainly evolved to the point of enabling autonomous swarms. Erickson says part of the buildup to that was a literal accounting for every single imaginable scenario (good or bad) under the sun.

“That’s redundant radar systems, that’s redundant GPS, that’s redundant IMUs in the flight controller, and redundant hardware to make sure that if anything goes wrong during a flight, there’s another system that can pick up and just make sure the drone does what it needs to do,” he explains. “It’s all about engineering that safety margin into the products and the machines themselves.”

By swarming three of Hylio’s AG-230 spray drones (which can also apply dry dispersible products and cover crop seeds), for example, a skilled operator can now cover 150 acres per hour, which Erickson says is comparable to a large pull-behind sprayer in some cases.

“It’s unlocking the ability for these drones to actually go toe to toe with traditional large equipment, which is what we’ve been waiting for in this industry,” he adds.

Advice for farmers

Judging from the winter farm trade show circuit , it seems clear there are more options available to farmers today when it comes to drone application than perhaps ever before.

Erickson advises interested farmers to do their homework and verify paperwork/licenses before committing big dollars to a drone application service provider.

“You also need to educate yourself on best practices for applying by drone, because what you want to do is make sure you don’t have someone who’s going out there with the drones and cutting corners,” he cautions. “And by that, I mean, most of these guys are making money based on acres per hour.

“Some of these pilots, and this isn’t just with drones, they’ll go out there and they’ll potentially do swaths that are too wide for what the effective swath is. What that can end up doing is, leaving weaker coverage at the edges of those swaths, right? Because there’s not enough overlap and they’re not getting enough droplets across the entire swath.”

What Could the Future Hold?

It’s a question that Erickson encounters often throughout his travels: just how big can application drones get? Can they ever replace conventional self-propelled ground rigs?

“Drones are going to get bigger to a certain point, but then they’re going to level out because beyond that point they become overly cumbersome and expensive,” he says. “You’ll start to see the same economic problems that you see with helicopters, which is they’re way too expensive, the insurance is way too high, they’re dangerous, they’re hard to maintain and repair, and hard to transport.”

Erickson sees the ceiling for capacity coming in around the 1,000-pounds/40-60 gallon per drone mark, eventually.

“Then you’re going to get multiples deployed in a field instead of just one giant, 200-gallon drone,” he says. “I think that’s more practical for manufacturers and the buyers and users themselves.”

Autonomy In Ag Is Firing On All Cylinders Right Now, And It Looks Different Depending On Where You Live

Seed Technology and Evolving Farming Practices Win Against Drought’s Grip

You Can’t Afford to Be Complacent About Tar Spot

How Ag Technology Is Embraced Differently Among Generations of Farmers

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 17:47:38 GMT

For the Elchinger brothers in Ohio, technology continues to take shape on their farm.

“We’ve gone from having the traditional corn planter, to having a fully automatic corn planter that will pretty much do everything on its own,” says Nick Elchinger, who farms in Deshler, Ohio.

The Elchingers not only farm, but sell ag tech, as well, and they even say some technology takes time to adopt and then adapt.

“Technology has absolutely helped us with our yield maps and our grid, our grid sampling zones, we can create a better picture what we need, what fertilizers need to go, where we can use less fertilizer and less seed,” says Ben Elchinger.

The Elchinger brothers are of the millennial generation, and ones who see technology as a tool.

“As always, you’re reluctant to try something new, but as you try it, you will learn more and more on how the benefits will be better in the end for everybody,” adds Nick.

The Elchingers say as they work with older farmers, comfort level is often the biggest barrier in trying something new.

“The older generation might be scared of the technology as the younger generation is more apt to take it and try to run with it,” says Nick.

(Farm Journal)

A recent Farm Journal survey found 40% of farmers say none of their fleet is connected to stream data to a cloud-based system. So, what’s the biggest barrier in more farmers adopting some of the latest ag technology tools? It may be getting out of your comfort zone, no matter your generation.

Exploring various generations’ comfort level with ag tech today is something Terry Griffin has spent a lot of time doing.

“We’ve been evaluating how farm operators of different generations behave with respect to commodity combinations, number of acres and use of technology,” says Griffin, a precision agriculture specialist with Kansas State University.

While it may seem obvious the younger generations are more willing to try technology, he says there are trends within the younger age groups he tracks.

(Farm Journal)

“One of the things that we have noticed between generations is that we have a few farm operators in Kansas who are of Generation Z,” says Griffiin.

He says “Generation Z” ranges in age from 6 to 24-year-olds today, and for those Gen Z farm operators today, technology is often a one-take-wonder.

“People in society of that generation have expectations that technology will work immediately,” adds Griffin. “It’s been said that for Baby boomers and Gen X, technology has to be as simple as one, two, three. Those same sociologists would argue that for Gen Z has to be as easy as one, if it doesn’t work the first time you do not get a second or third chance to make it work.”

Griffin says as ag tech companies unveil new technologies, it’s a trend to which companies will need to cater as they roll out the latest advancements to farmers.

“We can no longer push beta products out to the market,” he says. “It must be fully functioning, plug and play seamless, and for the most part, work behind the scenes such that there’s no requirement for human interaction.”

(Farm Journal)

While Gen Z represents a small portion of farm operators today, 20% of the farm operations today have those born before World War II making decisions on the farm. However, the generation growing, which could soon become the majority, are also of a younger generation.

“Millennials, those who are roughly 25-to-40 years old, they’re the fastest growing group of farm operators in the state right now,” he says.

As the Elchingers continue to adopt technology and grasp on to the tools that help their bottom-line, they’re focused on today and tomorrow.

“I think the sky is the limit,” says Nick. “I think as far as the imagination can dream is where we’ll be at, just give it time, especially when you look at how far we’ve came in the past 10, 20, 30 years.”

The Ohio farmers have seen the benefits of getting out of your comfort zone to embrace change and stay competitive for generations to come.

View more insight into how farmers and other ag tech experts view ag technology trends today .

John Phipps: You'll Have to See This to Believe What Artificial Intelligence Can Now Do

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 14:02:24 GMT

Fair season is winding down, with its images of earnest young men and women leading impeccably groomed animals in a show ring. At least that’s what pops to mind for many of us in agriculture. But other stuff goes on at the fairs, and this year at the Colorado State Fair, there was a bombshell event seemingly unconnected to agriculture.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Colorado State Fair (@colostatefair)

This is the first-place entry in the digital art division. The title is “Space Opera Theater,” only in French, which I would only mangle hopelessly. I know, it looks like a slick science fiction book cover, but the uproar is over how it came to be.

Using an artificial Intelligence program called Midjourney, artist Jason Allen of Pueblo, Colorado created this image without a brushstroke or pencil line – he entered some carefully chosen text into the program and then took the image to be printed on canvas.

While the picture may not be your preferred type of art, such AI programs can tackle styles and subjects from impressionism to portraiture. In fact, they are doing so with rapidly increasing skill, originality, and acclaim. Using a process called diffusion, the program somehow matches the text with millions of online images into a mashup that has the art world flummoxed and artists terrified.

One reason is while we could kind of imagine AI taking over sophisticated automation and even complex management tasks like hiring decisions, we have considered the mystical skills of creative work like art of music as beyond the reach of computers. This picture is early proof that assumption may not be completely true.

While AI works essentially by trial-and-error on a massive scale, it can learn to pick out those very few results that people connect with, just like it sorts resumes with remarkable success to find the right people to hire. AI is also muscling into creative fields like writing – you have probably already read a computer-generated newspaper story, especially on the sports or financial pages. AI is even being used to write humor – a troubling development for me.

As the programs keep improving, which they do on their own, the output is slipping unnoticed into more and more creative fields, such as fashion design, for example. I’ll talk more about how AI might surprise us in agriculture, but we probably won’t believe it until, like Colorado fair-goers, we see it with our own eyes on our own farms.

3 Supply Chain Trends to Look Out for in 2023, According To AEM

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 02:56:19 GMT

Kip Heidelberg, senior vice president of government and industry relations at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) joined Chip Flory, “AgriTalk” host, on Monday to break down AEM’s latest priorities.

1. New Ag Policy

The CHIPS and Science Act, signed into action by President Joe Biden on Aug. 9, aims to open new microchip processor facilities in the U.S.

Heidelberg says his team has been focused on the “historic” bill, as it will strengthen the U.S. long-term economic competitiveness and national security. And he says AEM isn’t alone in that thinking.

“We surveyed 100 CEOs of small, midsized and large companies a few months ago. Seven out of 10 of those CEO’s said they would create more jobs as a result of the increased domestic semiconductor production,” he says. “It’s good news for our industry.”

With the $10 billion CHIPS and Science funding secured, Heidelberg hopes new manufacturing sites will start breaking ground soon. However, he says it will take time to get production up and running.

“I think, starting toward the end of next year, we’ll start seeing more American-made semiconductors coming into the market,” he says.

Supply chain bottlenecks and lack of component inventory will still be at play, but Heidelberg predicts the industry will start addressing some of these issues in late 2023.

2. International Ag Trade

Chips aren’t the only product constraint at hand when it comes to equipment, according to Heidelberg.

From his frequent travel schedule, he’s found that a lack of tires, windshield wipers, wiring harnesses are also holding up production, but chips are getting the bulk of attention because they are in the shortest supply.

Flory says his time on Pro Farmer Crop Tour last week broke the tire story wide open, with some locations opting to ship ag equipment without tires in order to get the farmer up and running with his own tires.

The answer to these bottlenecks, in Heidelberg’s view, is on the Hill in Washington, D.C. He says bringing jobs back to U.S. soil through trade policy and tax code investment in workforce could be the remedy, along with “friend shoring.”

“Friend shoring means that, rather than just bringing everything [manufacturing] back to the U.S., which is feasible, let’s make sure our supply chains are with countries that are friendly to us,” Heidelberg says.

Heidelberg says friend shoring has become a buzzword on Capitol Hill that he feels will be heard more at the trade table as negotiations progress.

3. Tech Trends Change to Move Away from Supply Chain Reliance

As the world works to solder the broken supply chain back together, Heidelberg says various industries, including ag equipment, has taken note. He says the resourcing issues the industry is dealing with will permanently change production in more ways than one:

a. U.S.-based manufacturing that is closer to the customer.

“I’m not sure we’re going to return to the halcyon days of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but I think what we’ve learned is that we have to rely more on ourselves,” Heidelberg says, “which will help in terms of providing customers, dealers, farmers, rancher with more equipment on time.”

b. Innovative, efficient equipment production.

“It’s always a fear that more automation leads to fewer jobs, but it doesn’t. It leads to better — and sometimes more — jobs,” Heidelberg says. “You’re going to start seeing our industry adapt to the technology that’s out there to be more efficient in making equipment.”

c. Made-to-order uptick.

“In some cases, it’s important that dealers have new equipment sitting on their lots,” he says, “but we’ve learned from the pandemic that if you make equipment as orders come in, provided that you have the capability to do so, it mitigates supply chain issues.”

Heidelberg says tech trends will rely on policy and government funding. With that in mind, he feels the CHIPS and Science Act will prove more pivotal to future markets as time goes on.

More on policy:
Do State Bonds or Indemnity Funds Need Updating with Higher Commodity Prices?
Does California Have Enough Energy to Ban Gas Cars?
Here’s How Farmers Are Using USDA’s $121 Million for Rural Development

Manless Machines Make Moves

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 12:51:41 GMT

Autonomy continues its steady march forward as new machines are being showcased with no one in the cab—or no cab at all. This fall saw another round of companies iterating their ideas around the concept of helping ag retailers do more with less labor.
“There’s no one defined outcome with autonomy,” says Ben Voss, director of sales at Raven.

“It’s important to get reaction, feedback and time in the field to have autonomous products that serve the real needs in agriculture.”

He adds the cost-benefit to autonomy can be very attractive with labor savings and increased productivity seen as the most upfront benefits. But, when users experience the products in the field, it helps them realize gains that weren’t obvious or anticipated.

“We will continue to invest our time to get valuable user feedback on the technology out in the field. The early autonomy customers are helping us define the future and they are a key part of setting the direction for the product.”

Case IH Trident 5550 Applies Raven Autonomy for Driverless Spreading

The Case IH Trident 5550 with Raven Autonomy is built to be a combination applicator—both liquid and dry applications—but now equipped with Raven Autonomy, the machine can also be run in either autonomous mode or manual mode.

The technology and machine marriage mean one or more driverless machines can operate in the field without an operator present in the cab. The company highlights how this can provide for greater efficiency with available labor as well as consistency in spreading application accuracy for repeatable sub-inch accuracy.

Company leaders say the autonomous spreader is a milestone in the collaboration between Case IH and Raven since CNH Industrial acquired Raven in 2021.

Here’s how the autonomous spreader works:

Operators can plan and complete an entire field operation based on mapped field boundaries from a mobile device.
A series of cameras and radar system enable the Raven Autonomy perception to sense the 360-degree environment around the machine.
Artificial intelligence continuously processes a stream of images, which power Raven’s perception controller to detect obstacles.
If an obstacle is recognized, then the machine stops safely, and the operator receives a mobile alert.
Machine tasks and functions—fuel level, diesel exhaust fluid level, speed, revolutions per minute, bin-level status, Universal Terminal information and diagnostic trouble codes—can be reviewed on a mobile device.

Solinftec offers “Clean Field As a Service” Via Solar-Powered, Unmanned Sprayer

(Farm Journal)

For the past three years, the team at Solinftec has been working on advancing its solar-powered autonomy platform, Solix. It has tested a scouting machine and is in the first year of testing a selective spraying machine.

Leo Carvalho, director of operations for Solinftec, says the company has been testing different machines with specified applications in Brazil, Canada and the U.S.

“We understand there are differences between these regions—the crops grown and the pain points for farmers,” Carvalho says. In the U.S., he says the work done so far has encouraged the team to have Solix robotics first tackle the issue of weed control. First, the company announced the Solix Scouting machine. Now, it will offer Solix Spraying.

“We want to reduce the amount of herbicide used,” he says. “To do that, we need to identify 100% of the kinds of weeds and act in the field to make spot-spray applications. We have a concept that can run constantly as long as field conditions and weather conditions are fit.”

The robot is 2.5 meters and is powered by four solar panels. The spot-spray system has been developed by Solinftec’s engineering team to provide plant-level management. Carvalho explains the Solix sprayer can cover almost 100 acres per day. With one year of testing in conjunction with Purdue University, the Solix sprayer has shown up to 70% reduction in herbicide used. As previously announced, Solinftec has partnered with Growmark to test its scouting robot. And the company recently announced a partnership with FBN to test the sprayer.

Trimble and Its Venture Group Invest in Autonomy

(Farm Journal)

In late August, Trimble announced will it acquire Bilberry, a startup focused on using artificial intelligence for spot-spraying. Bilberry technology has been developed as a retrofit system for sprayers to provide green-on-green and green-on-brown spot-spray applications. Bilberry started in France in 2016 and was privately held.

Also this summer, Trimble Ventures, Trimble’s corporate venture capital fund, invested in Sabanto Inc.

Using a fleet of 60- and 90-hp tractors, Sabanto is launching its Farming as a Service concept. It has autonomously tilled, planted, seeded, weeded, applied and mowed across Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Texas. For example, one of its 60-hp tractors planted more than 750 acres of corn and soybeans in one season.

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Broadband Network is Fueling Yuma’s High-Tech Agricultural Future

Gov. Hobbs Backs Broadband Network to Modernize Arizona Agriculture

$6 Million Broadband Project Hopes to Attract Younger Workforce

‘Farmville for Real:’ How Autonomous Tech is Rebranding Tractor Drivers as Digital Operators

The Gaming Advantage: Why “Fast Hands” Matter in the Field

How Agtonomy Works

Deere & Co. Reaches $99 Million Settlement in Multiyear ‘Right-to-Repair’ Litigation

Used Farm Equipment Swindle Alert: BBB Warns Virtual Vendor Vehicle Scams on the Rise

Farmers, Truckers and Gear Heads Rejoice: EPA Rolls Out Streamlined Diesel Engine Fluid Guidelines

How Did We Get Here?

Why Do Many Farmers Hate Using Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF)?

Right To Repair Granted? John Deere Launches Digital Self-Repair Tool for $195 Per Tractor

What farmers need to know

Quick Analysis

What John Deere is saying about the new tool

What about independent repair technicians?

How does it work?

How can I find out more?

EXCLUSIVE: John Deere Speaks Publicly For the First Time About Layoffs, New Challenges in the Ag Economy

Technology is the Future: Why Technology of Tomorrow May Already be Operating in Some Fields Today

Popular Online Farm Equipment and Land Auction Service Sites Crippled by Ransomware Attack

Agriculture Left High Centered as Supply Chain Problems Expected to Persist Well into 2022

USDA at the White House

Can Policy Solve Supply Chain Problems?

Problems to Persist Months or Years?

Shortage of Truck Drivers Adding to the Issues

John Phipps: Is a Possible Cyberwarfare Attack Looming for Your Farm? Why Tractors May Be Next

Interested in the impact on agriculture? Read more about how “Online Farm Equipment and Land Auction Site Crippled by Ransomware Attack” late last year.

The Duke of Hazard: How an Unbreakable Kansas Farmer Bore a Lifetime of Scars

Bumps

“Literally Unrecognizable”

Gains—and Losses

Doctor’s Choice

Slip of the Hook

“Losing My Hand Was Nothing”

The Tech World Had The Chance To Meet Real Farmers At CES, And The Reaction Was Surprisingly Good

Connecting with Consumers

On the Cutting Edge of Adopting Technology

Adopting Automation

AEM’s View on Agriculture’s Role at CES

The Rapid Change in Ag Tech

Is Deere Pushing Electric Tractors? An Exclusive Interview With John Deere's CTO

Why CES?

The Acceleration of Autonomous Equipment

Related Story: How John Deere Turned Steel into Gold and Won Farming’s Plow Wars

Setting the Record Straight on Electric Tractors

Talking the Reality of Energy with the Biden Administration

What Does the Future of Farming Look Like?

Related Stories:

These ag equipment parts are in short supply

Parts in Shortest Supply

The Biggest Issue? Labor

Growing Optimism

Can You Now Repair Your Own John Deere Equipment?

MOU Protects Safety or Protocols

Will More Equipment Manufacturers Sign On?

Related Stories:

Did You Know? 5 Rounds of Tire Trivia

Buying Farm Equipment? Here’s How to Take Advantage of Tax Savings

Section 179

Bonus depreciation

Couple Takes Off On Trip From Nebraska To Alaska In A 1977 IH Tractor To Raise Money For Kids

Finding Purpose Again

Raising Money for a Reason

Three’s A Crowd: Hylio Secures FAA Drone Swarm, Night Flight Exemptions

Why it Matters

Advice for farmers

What Could the Future Hold?

More Smart Farming content for you:

How Ag Technology Is Embraced Differently Among Generations of Farmers

John Phipps: You'll Have to See This to Believe What Artificial Intelligence Can Now Do

3 Supply Chain Trends to Look Out for in 2023, According To AEM

1. New Ag Policy