The focus for equipment manufacturers in 2024 can be summarized in one word.
“Technology,” said Leo Bose, harvesting marketing lead for Case-IH North America. “It drives profitability and bottom line.”
It can come in multiple forms including automation, Bose said at this year’s Commodity Classic in Houston. For Case-IH, that’s key to Harvest Command, which aims to simplify the job for farmers.
“It can help take the chaos out of the cab,” he said. “I always have to adjust the machine, but Harvest Command automatically does that.”
That technology comes in the new Case-IH AF 11 combine, which Bose called “one of the highest capacity machines on the market.” It has a 560-bushel grain tank and can unload 6 bushels per second.
John Deere also put its newest combine on display at the show. Bergen Nelson, marketing manager for harvesting equipment and front-end equipment, said the S7 combine features enhanced fluid efficiency, reducing fuel use through the new engine. It also features that key word automation.
“We are also bringing our new automation technology to these machines,” Nelson said. “We have two cameras on the front of the cab to look out 27 feet in front of the machine. Those cameras are measuring crop height and density, and we are using a predictive yield layer map from our operations center. With those two pieces we can adjust the speed of the combine to make sure we are maximizing the capacity and throughput of that machine.”
The growing season starts with planting. Fendt was on hand at the show promoting its new 30-foot Momentum planter. The Momentum model isn’t new, but the enhancements come from the smaller size.
“Not every farm needs a 60-foot planter,” said Arthur Santos, marketing manager with Fendt. “Bringing all the Momentum technology in a small machine, it makes it more accessible.”
The model features a floating toolbar that adjusts with height variations in the soil. That makes it accessible for farmers who have a lot of rolling hills on their land. Santos also said the model features some of the largest tanks for liquid fertilizer with nearly 800 gallons of capacity. To counteract any compaction concerns, he said the planter adjusts automatically.
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