PRECISION AGRICULTURE DIGITAL DIGEST WINTER 2023/2024 ISSUE 4, VOL 4 ADVANCING MOLECULAR CROP DISEASE DIAGNOSTICS 10 AUTONOMOUS TILLAGE FROM JOHN DEERE 20 TECH TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS FOR 2024 AND BEYOND 14
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PRECISION AGRICULTURE DIGITAL DIGEST Farms.com’s Media and Publishing division is responsible for publishing Precision Ag Magazine. Copyright 2023 Farms.com Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any article, photograph or artwork without written permission of the publisher is strictly forbidden. Acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, it products or services, nor does Farms.com make any claims or guarantees as to the accuracy or validity of advertiser claims. The publisher shall have no liability for the unintentional omission of any scheduled advertising. PHOTOS: a-r-t-i-s-t/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images, hudiemm/iStock/Getty Images Plus COVER PHOTOS: Neustockimages/iStock/Getty Images Plus, hudiemm/iStock/Getty Images Plus, stefann11/iStock/Getty Images Plus, simon2579/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images, iamchamp – stock.adobe.com 04 06 09 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 MANAGING EDITOR Ryan Ridley Ryan.Ridley@Farms.com CONTRIBUTORS Andrew Joseph Diego Flammini DESIGN Greg Marlow ADVERTISING SALES Andrew Bawden Andrew.Bawden@Farms.com 877.438.5729 x5030 MARKETING & OPERATIONS Denise Faguy Denise.Faguy@Farms.com 888.248.4893 x293 FARMS.COM OFFICE 90 Woodlawn Road West Guelph, ON N1H 1B2 SUBSCRIBE HERE to receive email notifications when future issues of the quarterly Farms.com Precision Agriculture Digital Digest are published. AUTONOMOUS SPRAYER COLLABORATION BETWEEN HORSCH AND TRIMBLE GO ASK ALICE AUTONOMOUS GRAIN CARTS ARE HERE ADVANCING MOLECULAR CROP DISEASE DIAGNOSTICS PAG TECH CLIPS TECH TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS FOR 2024 AND BEYOND MAKING THE CASE FOR FARMALL BITS & BYTES AUTONOMOUS TILLAGE FROM JOHN DEERE $2 BILLION BUYS A LOT OF PRECISION AG KNOW-HOW We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
04 HORSCH and Trimble are working together to bring autonomous sprayers to the market. The companies announced the partnership in 2021 to bring autonomous solutions to HORSCH’s selfpropelled PT and VL sprayers. The plan is to bring new automation functionalities for the sprayers to market in 2024. The collaboration is currently in what Trimble describes as autonomous level two plus. “It’s still a vehicle that requires an operator, but can verify all the machine functions because we are driving the machine with additional automations,” said Marcelo Lehmen, an autonomy product manager with Trimble Ag. “We are not yet to a level where we can remove the operator from the cab.” Trimble describes its automation package with HORSCH as full field execution. It’s a combination of three major components. One – Trimble’s path planning tool, which it announced in February 2023. This technology offers automated, full path, complete project trajectory from entry to exit, including logistics points. The second part of the equation is the machine’s execution itself. “We take that information, that trajectory, and execute it,” Lehmen said. “That also includes some logistics capabilities like driving the vehicle to a refueling point and driving it back to the resume point.” The third component of the execution package is speed control. This technology allows for executing the planned speeds across each segment of the sprayer. “We are communicating with the machine about what target speed it should take,” Lehmen said. Application control wasn’t part of the collaboration with HORSCH, but the company does have products like WeedSeeker 2, an automatic spot spray system, and its recently acquired green-on-green spraying solution, Bilberry, a Trimble company. But the available technologies help support application quality, Lehmen said. “In the European market, users want to apply when they move perpendicular to the trajectory,” he said. “The software can give them that possibility because the entire trajectory will be calculated in that way.” Altogether, the autonomous sprayer capabilities offer significant value to farmers using different production techniques. Producers engaged in controlled traffic farming practices, for example, could benefit from these technologies. AUTONOMOUS SPRAYER COLLABORATION BETWEEN HORSCH AND TRIMBLE The options will be available on HORSCH’s PT and VL sprayers DIEGO FLAMMINI FARMS.COM PHOTO: horsch.com
05 Making a proper path plan ensures the sprayer only travels where the farmer wants it to and helps minimize crop damage. “It increases operational efficiency, and the execution becomes more natural with fewer stops,” he said. “You’re moving along the field with less restriction and less power being consumed.” An additional advantage to implementing the Trimble system is it addresses labor issues. An operator with basic skills can use the sprayer properly when it’s equipped with autonomous solutions, Lehmen said. “We don’t need to have the best operator to execute anymore,” he said. “Path planner gives any operator all the information they need. They don’t need those moments of decision making in the field because everything is already pre-planned. All the orientation and the trajectory around obstacles is defined in the plan.” While Trimble began this autonomous journey through a collaboration with HORSCH, farmers with other machines from different manufacturers will likely be able to take advantage of Trimble’s technology in the future. “We are going to be incorporating other machines to this,” Lehmen said. “There’s no new hardware involved, which helps significantly with adoption. Any customer with a GFX-1060 or GFX-1260 display and a NAV-900 (guidance controller) is able to purchase a license and the vehicle will be ready to go.” Any farmers interested in learning more about this technology can visit agriculture.trimble.com or contact their local Trimble dealership. | pag www.agcareers.com 877.438.5729 AgCareers.com agcareers@agcareers.com “WE DON’T NEED TO HAVE THE BEST OPERATOR TO EXECUTE ANYMORE.”
06 GO ASK ALICE An artificial intelligence (AI) company is trying to change the way farmers farm. Curiouser and curiouser. Founded in 2007 by a group of automation engineers from Cuba, Solinftec is a renowned global business leader utilizing artificial intelligence and software as a service (SaaS) for agribusiness. Solinftec is an IoT (Internet of Things)-based farm management system designed to optimize the farming process to save growers money. Headquartered in Brazil, it has offices in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, in partnership with Purdue University; one in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; an office in Cali, Cauca Valley, Columbia; and a technology center in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The company’s Solix Ag Robotics works with the acronym-robotic system ALICE (Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity) AI platform that provides farmers with a new level of real-time information. For use on farms growing corn, soybean, wheat, cotton, or other specialty crops, the 100 percent autonomous and solar-powered Solix system provides real-time information specialized for just that one farm customer. It can provide data on scouting and target-spraying and early-stage weed control—all of which allow farmers to eliminate insects without chemical pesticides, have up to 95 percent herbicide reduction, a reduction in the carbon footprint of the ag business, soil impaction lessened as fewer vehicles are run over the field, all while providing a low-impact, highperformance agricultural performance. The ALICE AI doesn’t show you raw data for you to decide and take chances on your own—but it does provide you with the best “advice” for you to take at every step of the way, even if the conditions change every hour. In other words, farm operators still decide if they want to follow the advice given to them by ALICE AI. Although the average adult human makes about 35,000 decisions a day (per Krockow, E. (2018). How Many Decisions Do We Make Each Day?) ALICE AI being a supercomputer, can do more. The ALICE AI can receive 10 billion pieces or more of information from your field every day. From there, the AI gathers and presents to you the best course of action for you and your farm. Per Solinftec, it will enable your farm to have greater yield productivity, lower risk, and lower costs for your business. PHOTO: solinftec.com
WATCH THE VIDEO 07 Solix uses artificial intelligence to give farmers true, real-time information to operate their farms at peak efficiency It’s not just a black-and-white yes-or-no response to your farm; the ALICE AI will show the farmer “when” and “how.” For example, while the federal governments of the US and Canada have both instructed segments of the industry to reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, they did not tell those involved in ag how to do it— just sort of figure it out on your own, or there will be consequences that even the government hasn’t mentioned yet. Since farmers have long been good stewards of their land, utilizing the ALICE AI can also be used to reduce your carbon footprint. Because the ALICE AI can be integrated into all of the processes on your farm to better understand how things can be improved, it understands the business of your farm from pre-planting to post-harvesting. Again, the farmer is the final arbiter of deciding how things should be done, but ALICE AI still provides advice on when it is the best time to perform each operation, as well as to autonomously direct inputs, equipment, machinery, and labor. Let’s be honest: ALICE AI has no feelings and thus does not truly care about people or things, nor can it grow emotional feelings. However, it has been programmed to care—or at least to provide the best advice possible based on all the current knowledge it has found. Is that caring, or is it just programming? Programming. According to Solfintec, the ALICE AI can handle your farm’s property regardless of size, the complexity of the chains, inputs, or even equipment brands. It’s a onesize-fits-all solution that works on your behalf to help you operate your farm at optimum efficiency. And isn’t that the ultimate goal of every farmer? Watch the video below featuring Léo Carvalho, the Chief Global Strategy Officer for Solinftec, as he discusses his company’s robotic, autonomous spraying solutions for large-scale agriculture and ALICE AI. | pag ANDREW JOSEPH FARMS.COM
PHOTO: ravenind.com WATCH THE VIDEO 09 An innovation from Raven has brought autonomy to another part of crop harvest. Raven Cart Automation allows the grain cart driver, when within 70m (229 feet) of the harvester, to sync the heading and speed of the tractor pulling the grain cart with the heading and speed of the combine. This lets the combine operator have control of the unloading process. This is done through Driver Assist Technology, which aligns communication between the combine and grain cart for an “unload on the go” operation. “The combine can always stay the same speed and we’re changing the speed of the grain cart itself,” said Gary Esselink, customer engagement manager with Raven Industries. “When the system is complete, the operator (of) the grain cart takes over and (they) go and dump the grain at the end of the field.” And operators can sync up to six grain carts and combine systems in one operation. Benefits of this technology include: • Minimizing grain spillage • Increased field efficiency • Reductions in operator training time Raven Cart Automation represents Operator Assisted Autonomy, Raven’s third stage in its five stages to autonomy. “The mission or environment can control basic propulsion, guidance, and application, giving the operator the confidence and freedom to monitor mission success,” Raven’s website says. Other Raven products in this stage include VSN Visual Guidance and AutoBoom XRT. Level 1 is precision farming technology and Level 2 is coordination and optimization. Level 4 is Supervised Autonomy. Products in this class include OMNiDrive and Raven Automomy Driverless Tillage. And the last stage is full autonomy. Raven Industries is accepting pre-orders for a 2024 rollout of Raven Cart Automation. To learn more about Raven’s Cart Automation, watch this video. | pag AUTONOMOUS GRAIN CARTS ARE HERE Raven Cart Automation helps farmers have a smoother harvest DIEGO FLAMMINI FARMS.COM
10 A prime message from Alveo Technologies, Inc. is “Know sooner, act faster.” Based out of Alameda, California, the company has developed a molecular sensing and disease diagnostic lab device that fits in the palm of your hand. In late October 2023, Alveo announced a collaborative partnership with Corteva Agriscience to help further the use of eco-friendly molecular sensing and disease diagnostic technology, including a first-in-field agricultural disease diagnostic. Corteva is engaged in the development of real-time PCR-based tests for plant pathogens. A PCR test is a polymerase chain reaction test to detect genetic material from a specific organism, such as a virus. However, PCR testing requires trained technicians and a large lab facility and is not easily accessible to farmers in the field. To compensate, Alveo and Corteva are working to create user-friendly tech farmers can use in the field, thereby cutting out delays in lab work and getting immediate answers on how to proceed. Alveo has a rapid, handheld, portable medical-grade platform—be.well—that pairs advanced molecular assays with cloud-enabled data analytics for real-time disease, pathogen analysis, and diagnosis. The plan is for scientists from Corteva to use the highly sensitive multiplexed molecular testing Alveo platform to design crop-specific assays that will be able to detect pathogens in a farmer’s field. Corteva Agriscience said that it would offer different crop protection products to meet the needs of various agricultural requirements, including Corteva’s primary row crops like corn, cotton, and soybeans but also other crops like sunflower, cereals, fruits, and vegetables. The company’s plans include disease-specific assay development and field testing to validate a variety of mobile diagnostic applications. Specifically, Corteva will pair its extensive experience in plant disease and molecular diagnostics with Alveo’s innovative sensing technology to pilot agricultural diagnostic applications. “At Corteva, we believe that innovation is the solution to address the global challenges of food security, climate change, and biodiversity loss. That is why we are committed to forging collaborations that help drive critically needed innovations in this field. By collaborating with companies like Alveo that share our vision of creating a more sustainable and resilient food system, we can accelerate the development and adoption of new solutions that benefit farmers, consumers, and the environment,” explained Gina Zastrow-Hayes, Director of the Biotechnology Genome Center of Excellence at Corteva Agriscience. Shaun Holt, the Chief Executive Officer of Alveo, explained more. “Alveo has developed a gamechanging mobile molecular lab that can deliver highly sensitive and specific diagnostic testing where it is needed, which can help solve some of the world’s most complex problems, like pandemics and global food crises.” The development of a rugged, sensitive molecular test requires a rigorous, structured product development process, comprising a minimum of four key phases: the feasibility phase, the design and development (D&D) phase, the verification and validation (V&V) phase, and finally, field testing. The timeline for this development will be contingent upon factors like the complexity of the tests, including the number of pathogens to be detected (and more). ADVANCING MOLECULAR CROP DISEASE DIAGNOSTICS ANDREW JOSEPH FARMS.COM PHOTO: Serhii – stock.adobe.com
11 Alveo’s be.well platform is a point-of-care infectious disease diagnostic platform that utilizes the company’s proprietary and globally patented method for the direct electrical sensing of nucleic acid amplification. Its disease diagnostic analyzer is only as big as a smartphone and can be utilized in the field rather than having to be sent to a special lab for analysis. It eliminates the need for specialized lighting and expensive optical detectors while also simplifying certain aspects of primer manufacturing and providing a more robust and reliable diagnostic instrument. Within the partnership with Corteva, its scientists will explore three components of the platform to develop agri-based assays. • be.well Analyzer, a portable, palm-sized, rechargeable device; • the be.well Cartridge, which contains the reagents required for an isothermal amplification reaction; • and the be.well Mobile App, which will provide step-by-step guidance on how to administer the test, perform cloud connectivity for reporting and tracking results, and provide back-end analytics for deeper insights into pathogen behavior. The be.well platform technology uses a unique method of nucleic acid amplification in combination with Alveo-proprietary direct electrical sensors. This creates improved outcomes across numerous market sectors and verticals at the point of need—including, it hopes, within agriculture. The platform was designed from the bottom up, and per Alveo, it provides the operator with earlier detection and diagnosis of pathogen issues thanks to its portability, ease of use, robust and rugged design, multiplexing capability, high accuracy, and yes, fast result times. The system is cloud-connected and Bluetoothenabled, with advanced data and analytics available for reportable diseases and monitoring and surveillance of new and emerging pathogens. Using the hand-held device will help farmers significantly limit the negative, destructive impact of viruses, fungi, bacteria, and other pathogens while learning about them quicker, providing more time to act and resolve. Ultimately, the goal is to help farmers reduce costs and improve their yields. The Alveo-Corteva partnership should pave the way for that. According to Zastrow-Hayes, the partnership will take place at Corteva’s R&D site in Johnston, Iowa, and Alveo’s Alameda site. Alveo will provide the platform, including hardware, consumables, and software for the plant pathogen test (assay) development. Assay development studies will be conducted at the Corteva site for both lab and field studies, while both companies will collaborate closely during all stages of development. | pag Alveo Technologies and Corteva Agriscience partner up to develop a point-of-need diagnostic to help protect farmers’ fields
12 05 Want to Update Your Fleet with Autosteer? If you’re thinking about upgrading your fleet with autosteer, consider Raven Industries’ retrofit DirecSteer. This electric steering solution is easy to install on any tractor or self-propelled farm machine. It has a silent operation with built-in intelligence. 03 No More Climbing Into Grain Bins AGI discusses its automated grain bin management system, BinManager. This digital technology allows you to avoid physical bin entry, provides advanced grain management, enables you to view your grain from a connected device with instant alerts, and much more. 01 This Autonomous Electric Tractor Will Follow You in the Field Introducing Case IH’s Farmall 75C — an electric tractor with autonomous features! Zero emissions, 110V or 220V electric outlets, 4-8 hours of run time (depending on use), not to mention four autonomous modes/features via its Smart Roof. 04 Sense & Act: Variable Rate Application Solution Raven Industries chats about its integration with Augmenta and its Sense & Act variable rate application solution. Using real-time sensors this technology processes field conditions and automatically applies the optimal amount of product, whether it be nitrogen, fungicide, or plant growth regulator. TECH CLIPS WATCH 02 John Deere Precision Sprayer Upgrades John Deere’s Precision Upgrade Marketing Manager dives deep into its precision sprayer upgrades, discussing features and benefits of its ExactApply as well as See & Spray Premium. WATCH WATCH WATCH WATCH
13 07 Exploring John Deere’s FurrowVision Technology John Deere shares one of its newest technologies, FurrowVision. This system allows you to see into the furrow as you are planting to enable real-time adjustments to seed depth. 06 New, New Holland Guidance Kit New Holland chats about its new IntelliView 12 guidance kit — an easy solution for an end-to-end user experience. This kit provides farmers with a multi-fleet, multi-color guidance solution for both hydraulic and electric steering. 08 All-Electric Utility Tractor with Autonomous Features from New Holland The future is now, and it’s autonomous... and electric! New Holland provides us with an overview of the industry first all-electric utility tractor with autonomous features: the T4 Electric Power Tractor. WATCH WATCH WATCH 10 How John Deere’s ExactShot Works John Deere’s ExactShot technology reduces the amount of starter fertilizer needed during planting. Rather than applying a continuous flow of fertilizer, the sensors and robotics place starter fertilizer exactly onto seeds — which can save producers over 60% of starter fertilizer. WATCH PHOTOS: DS70/E+ via Getty Images, stefann11/iStock/Getty Images Plus, hudiemm/iStock/Getty Images Plus WHAT’S NEW IN THE WORLD OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE? WATCH & LEARN TO FIND OUT 09 Independent Rate & Pressure Control with the SymphonyNozzle Precision Plantings new SymphonyNozzle allows operators to have independent control of rate and pressure so that consistent droplet size is achieved no matter the operating conditions. Available Fall 2023 for the 2024 season. WATCH
14 The expectations put on farmers to grow crops or raise livestock more sustainably means equipment manufacturers are under pressure to provide farmers with the necessary tools to meet those goals. And manufacturers like AGCO are up for the challenge. “The reality in our industry is that the product itself, the nuts and bolts, last a long time,” Seth Crawford, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Precision Ag & Digital at AGCO, told Precision Ag Digest. “But the technology on them is current for maybe three to five years before it starts getting outdated. The opportunities for us are to help the farmer increase yield, reduce input costs or overall make it easier or more reliable for them to accomplish that.” Specifically, AGCO is focusing on three areas of precision ag in 2024 and beyond. One is the strong demand for retrofitting technologies, which the company defines as “technology that likely wasn’t available when you first ordered your product,” Crawford said. Internal data related to planters showed that only about 7 per cent of farmers will buy a new planter every year, meaning 93 per cent of producers use the same equipment year after year. The same AGCO data revealed that more than 70 per cent of surveyed farmers felt their planters were outdated and costing them yield. That’s why retrofitting solutions are so important, Crawford said. “There’s a huge segment of farmers who know their equipment is not performing at its maximum capabilities, but they don’t want to buy a new implement,” he said. “So, our job is to look around at what we can offer farmers to enhance their current fleet of equipment to bring it over and above where it is today.” Another area AGCO is working on is alternative fuel adoption. TECH TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS FOR 2024 AND BEYOND An AGCO rep explains how it’s supporting farmers through precision ag DIEGO FLAMMINI FARMS.COM
15 Fendt, for example, will commercially launch its 70 horsepower e100 Vario all-electric tractor in North America in 2025. The tractor is powered by a 650 V high-capacity lithium-ion battery with a capacity of approximately 100 kWh. It can operate for up to five hours on a charge, can handle traditional or electric implements, and can be charged up to 80 per cent in about 40 minutes using a standard CCS type 2 plug. Crawford visited a manufacturing plant in Germany earlier in 2023 to see the first units come off the line as European farmers will be able to purchase the e100 Vario beginning in 2024. “It still looks like a tractor and drives like a tractor,” he said. Those tractors were put into use and received positive feedback. “On a livestock farm, what the farmers found was the operation was very simple and seamless,” Crawford said. “And when you’re doing chores in the morning and at night, that allows for a few windows of work followed by a window for charging. And because of how quiet it is, there’s less stress on the animals.” Some AGCO products are also compatible with biofuels. The new line of AGCO Power Core engines can be used with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) renewable fuel. This type of diesel is produced from waste, residue oil and fats, like used cooking oil. These new engines will be installed in the Fendt 700 Vario tractors, Crawford said. AGCO is also working on hydrogen-based fuel cell technology, a biomethane natural gas unit, and a concept hybrid tractor for its Massey Ferguson and Valtra brands. “The concept tractor combines a battery-powered motor with a smaller internal combustion engine as an interim route to all-electric farming,” Crawford said. Looking to 2030, AGCO has set a goal it feels is achievable. By that year, the company hopes to automate the crop cycle with autonomous planting, baling and grain handling capabilities currently in development. “At each step (field prep, planting, crop protection and harvest), we want farmers to get their tractors and implements to the field and then leave it, and it will get the job done,” Crawford said. “But we also have to make sure the job is being done right and that we can check up on it from anywhere.” Multiple autonomous features are already available. AGCO combines can automatically connect to headers, and planters can sense and make adjustments to ensure even weight across the toolbar, Crawford said. A new member of AGCO’s autonomy family could be available to producers sooner than later. A semi-autonomous grain cart could be available on a retrofit basis within the next two harvest seasons, Crawford said. | pag PHOTO: gpointstudio – stock.adobe.com
16 Even the most modern of technologies has its roots in the old, as with the Farmall 75C Electric tractor. Although the original Farmall Utility 75C utility tractor made its debut from Case IH in 2012, it was used as a baseline for the new Farmall 75C Electric that was launched in August 2023. Headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin, Case IH said that the new Farmall 75C Electric has been electrified with a 110 kWh battery. Speaking of roots, the Farmall brand has been around since 1923, when it began transforming to meet the needs of farmers, becoming a staple of their operating procedure throughout the generations. Farmall is now a global brand under Case IH. Precision Ag Digest spoke with Jeff Akel, the Global Tractor Product Manager at Case IH. He said that the Farmall 75C Electric is part of the company’s small-utility series of vehicles, though this vehicle is ideal for a large variety of tasks, including the maintenance of a vineyard, clearing a snow-covered airfield, or helping manage a small herd. Akel also explained that the Farmall 75C Electric features huge savings in fuel and operating costs. “It offers flexible indoor-outdoor use that allows the tractor to complete almost any task around your operation,” he noted. “In addition to cost savings and flexibility, the Farmall 75C Electric gives farmers an improved ride with reduced noise and high-visibility cameras with 360° vision.” The Farmall 75C Electric offers operators a four-hour run time and a quick recharge of under one hour utilizing a DC fast charger. He said that the automated features on the vehicle allow for more comprehensive monitoring of surrounding objects and more efficient daily task completion. “The Farmall 75C Electric improves workflow and safety,” acknowledged Akel. “The safety mode provides 360° awareness of people and objects visible on an in-cab touchscreen, allowing for precise operations. An invisible bucket gives operators a clear view in front of, around, and through the bucket in real-time and includes a ‘follow me mode’ that allows the tractor to follow the operator when he or she is away from the driver’s seat.” As noted, the Farmall 75C Electric utilizes a 110 kWh battery, whereby its fully-electrified drivetrain features a 74 horsepower continuous-duty motor, four-wheel drive, and a 25 mph (40.2 kph) maximum operating speed. MAKING THE CASE FOR FARMALL Getting with the electric vibe from the new Farmall Utility 75C Electric tractor ANDREW JOSEPH FARMS.COM “IN ADDITION TO COST SAVINGS AND FLEXIBILITY, THE FARMALL 75C ELECTRIC GIVES FARMERS AN IMPROVED RIDE WITH REDUCED NOISE AND HIGH-VISIBILITY CAMERAS WITH 360° VISION.”
WATCH THE VIDEO 17 The zero-emission electric motor delivers a maximum continuous torque of 320 Nm (Newton meters), which is equal to 236.16 feet-pounds of torque. The Farmall 75C Electric is also equipped with a standard two-speed rear PTO (power take-off—to convert the rotating engine power into hydraulic power), a drawbar, a three-point hitch, multiple rear remotes, and mid-mount valves. “Not only is it a versatile utility tractor, but it can also work as a portable generator,” Akel stated. “It delivers portable power through its 110/220V electric outlets that support external tools or devices.” Per Akel, the Farmall 75C Electric tractor allows operators the ability to jump in and drive fully electric horsepower with zero emissions to meet their sustainability standards or preferences. “And because we know that everyone is concerned about cost, we can say that the Farmall 75C Electric gives the farmer operational savings in fuel and maintenance costs,” revealed Akel. “And with federal, state, and local incentives, there are even more opportunities for upfront savings.” The Farmall 75C Electric is also packed with autonomous driver assist features. Along with Safety Mode and its Invisible Bucket, the tractor also features Follow Me Mode, which allows the tractor to follow the operator when they are away from the driver’s seat (in both forward and reverse). It’s equipped with Row Follow Mode too, which uses vision technology to keep the tractor between rows vs A/B lines. To learn more about the Farmall 75C Electric, watch this video. | pag “NOT ONLY IS IT A VERSATILE UTILITY TRACTOR, BUT IT CAN ALSO WORK AS A PORTABLE GENERATOR. IT DELIVERS PORTABLE POWER THROUGH ITS 110/220V ELECTRIC OUTLETS THAT SUPPORT EXTERNAL TOOLS OR DEVICES.” PHOTO: caseih.com
01 Revolutionizing Agriculture: Biodegradable Soil Moisture Sensing Technology Researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking wirelessly powered, biodegradable soil moisture sensing technology, crucial for precision agriculture. This innovation addresses environmental concerns, allowing for high-density installations and overcoming technical bottlenecks in sustainable crop optimization. MORE 18 BITS & BYTES 02 Nation’s First Agricultural Autonomy Institute Now Open Mississippi State University pioneers the future of farming with the nation’s first Agricultural Autonomy Institute. Focused on autonomous technologies, the interdisciplinary research center aims to boost onfarm precision and efficiency. MORE 05 360 Rain: Transforming Sprayers into Precision Irrigation Innovation In response to a year of drought, 360 Yield Center introduce the 360 Rain—a self-propelled sprayer turned irrigator that delivers water, nutrients, fungicides and more. This 3-wheeled electric machine delivers precise, efficient irrigation, potentially boosting crop yields by 32%. MORE 04 The Rise of Advanced Drones in Smart Farming Terranova UAV leads agricultural technology innovation, unveiling advanced drone solutions at a Farms.com event. Their tools optimize yields, cut costs, and champion sustainability in agriculture. MORE 03 New Holland’s Methane-Powered Tractor in TIME’s Best Invention List New Holland’s T7 Methane Power LNG tractor earns acclaim in TIME’s 2023 Best Invention List for its sustainable farming impact. Recognized for reducing carbon emissions, it captures and repurposes methane. MORE
19 08 Introducing a Groundbreaking Mycorrhizal Program for Global Carbon Sequestration Groundwork BioAg® launches Rootella Carbon™, a Verra-certified mycorrhizal program harnessing Rootella® to sequester up to 4 tons of carbon dioxide per acre annually, revolutionizing carbon removal in agriculture. MORE 07 The Milk Sustainability Center Will Digitally Transform Dairy Farming in 2024 John Deere and DeLaval unite for the Milk Sustainability Center, a digital eco-system empowering dairy farmers to enhance efficiency and sustainability. Launching in 2024, it aims to revolutionize the industry. MORE 06 Precision Collaboration: Transforming Soil Carbon Measurement in Agriculture Trace Genomics and EarthOptics join forces to revolutionize soil carbon measurement. Their collaboration introduces the C-Mapper, a hyperaccurate product enhancing sustainability in agriculture through precise carbon mapping. MORE 09 GROWERS Launches Enhanced Apps for Farmers and Retailers GROWERS unveils two mobile apps, GROWERS and GROWERS Retail, transforming agriculture by digitizing farmer-retailer interactions, streamlining input buying, and fostering sustainable, efficient practices in agribusiness. MORE PHOTO: FluxFactory/E+ via Getty Images 10 AGCO Expands Precision Agriculture with Acquisition of FarmFacts’ Digital Assets AGCO strengthens precision agriculture capabilities through the acquisition of FarmFacts GmbH’s digital assets, enhancing data management solutions for European farmers’ productivity and efficiency. MORE
PHOTO: deere.com WATCH THE VIDEO 20 Let the machine do the work. That’s John Deere’s baseline thinking when it comes to its autonomous tillage technology. “It’s taking the decision points the operator would’ve made and automating those using technology so the machine can operate without someone physically there in the cab,” Ryan Jardon, a marketing manager with John Deere, told Precision Ag Digest. John Deere achieves its autonomous capabilities by bundling multiple pieces of technology together. That includes the G5 Plus display and the features within it like AutoTrac and AutoPath, the StarFire receiver, and JD Link connections. These technologies allow the machine to run autonomously but with a farmer still inside the cab, Jardon said. A new vision system, however, brings full autonomy into the fold. The system is made up of six pairs of stereo cameras mounted on a tractor, providing a 360-degree view of the tractor and its surroundings. “It’s watching for anomalies and making adjustments accordingly,” Jardon said. “Safety is the number one priority for us when it comes to autonomy. The algorithms are learning what is safe and what isn’t, and when it notices something it doesn’t recognize, it stops immediately.” Bringing a product like this to market takes years of research. Data collection and image building must be comprehensive to ensure accuracy, Jardon said. “We’re learning what crops look like next to a fence line, or how they look at different times of the day,” he said. “We’re building confidence in those systems so they can run with as few false readings as possible.” A feature of autonomous technology is its customization. Farmers can set varying degrees of depth and gang angles, and TruSet Active ensures the tillage is being done correctly. “It’ll monitor if the actual depth is different than the prescribed depth is, and the machine will self-adjust,” Jardon said. Another advantage of autonomy is its consistency. AUTONOMOUS TILLAGE FROM JOHN DEERE Autonomy helps farmers in multiple ways DIEGO FLAMMINI FARMS.COM
21 Humans get tired and may cut a corner or two (we won’t tell) for the sake of getting the job done. Remember the T-1000 from the Terminator franchise? It never got tired. Farmers don’t need to worry about fatigue when the machine is doing the work. “Autonomy doesn’t get fatigued and can do a consistent job all the time,” Jardon said. “You can be confident the job is getting done as you would want it to, regardless of how many days in a row the machine has been running.” An additional benefit of autonomous technology is it addresses labor shortages. In 2012, for example, the American Farm Bureau estimated the farm labor shortage was responsible for about $3.3 billion in missed GDP growth and about $1.3 billion in missed farm income. Autonomous equipment helps remove the stress associated with trying to find workers. “A lot of farmers have a hard time finding the help to operate machines,” Jardon said. “Autonomy negates the need for extra people to operate equipment and unlocks more time for farmers to do other work or grab supper with the family.” John Deere wants to develop more autonomous capabilities. So much, in fact, that by 2030 the organization hopes to have a fully autonomous corn and soybean production system. “We started with tillage because the tractor and the tillage implement is the easiest first one to get to that point,” Jardon said. “But we’re learning about building algorithms, and as we get to more of the complex operations, we can take what we learned from the first operations and apply those as get further into the growing season cycle.” Jardon explains more about the technology in this video. | pag CHOOSE BETWEEN CROP NEWSLETTERS IN YOUR REGION, A FARM MACHINERY NEWSLETTER, OR THIS DIGITAL DIGEST.
22 What would you buy if you could spend $2 billion? A majority interest in a sports team? A small island featuring a James Bond-like villain’s lair? If you are AGCO, you acquire 85 percent of Trimble Ag, a precision ag platform developer whose claim to fame is its ability to be used on any brand of farm vehicle. To be clear, AGCO’s purchase price gets it the assets and technologies of Trimble Ag, creating one of the biggest players within the global precision ag industry through the joint venture. Some background: Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, US, AGCO is a global leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of ag machinery and precision ag technology. Some of the brands it owns are: Fendt, GSI, Massey Ferguson, Precision Planting, and Valtra. The company was founded in 1990, and in 2022, it had net sales of US $12.7 billion. AGCO also houses Manitoba, Canada-headquartered JCA Technologies, a leader in autonomous agricultural machine systems—yes, farm vehicles that drive themselves. The company has been providing tech solutions for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) since the turn of the century. It was acquired by AGCO in May 2022 and has been working to retrofit autonomy solutions as part of AGCO’s retrofit-first strategy. As a technology company, Trimble is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, US, with customers around the world who use its precision ag technology on all agricultural vehicle brands. It has offices, fulfillment centers, manufacturing, services, research and development (R&D) centers, and related facilities totaling over 152 locations in 34 countries. That still doesn’t tell you why AGCO was willing to spend $2 billion. Trimble’s Agriculture division (Trimble Ag) offers solutions involving guidance and steering, flow and application control, water management, harvest solutions, and positioning services, as well as cloudbased technology that allows farmers to collect, share, and manage information across their farms while providing improved operating efficiencies in the agricultural value chain. Trimble Ag technology is designed to provide farmers with the ability to make better agriculture-related decisions that help make them more efficient and, ultimately, profitable via automation and autonomy, regardless of the brand of their tractor, combine, or any other piece of equipment. Hmmm, $2 billion does buy more than you think, with plenty of room for future value. “The joint venture with Trimble will be truly transformational for AGCO and for farmers by fasttracking our technology transformation. It enables $2 BILLION BUYS A LOT OF PRECISION AG KNOW-HOW A joint venture between AGCO and Trimble Ag creates a global mixed-fleet precision ag industry leader ANDREW JOSEPH FARMS.COM
23 us to automate even more activities for the farmer through Trimble’s automated steering system and enables farmers to connect with all of their data via Trimble’s farm management software. This combination provides a full suite of advanced technologies for farmers everywhere regardless of brand,” says Eric Hansotia, AGCO President, Chairman, and CEO. “With our combined solutions, we further expand our mixed-fleet offerings throughout the entire crop cycle and are able to put technology on more than 10,000 different models from almost any OEM. This JV announcement, combined with our existing Precision Planting business, reinforces our commitment to brand-agnostic retrofit solutions and will help position AGCO as the hub of mixed-fleet solutions.” The deal has not yet been officially ratified—there are more than a few “i’s” to dot and “t’s” to cross when two global companies are involved. According to Dave Britton, the Vice President, Product Management, with Trimble Ag, the deal is not expected to be finalized until 2024. Britton told Precision Ag Digest in a recent interview that the joint venture will be mutually beneficial for AGCO and Trimble Ag—though no decision was made as of the time of this publication regarding future branding. What the two companies do know, said Britton, is that precision ag technologies are going to continue to be critical for agriculture around the world, which is why AGCO is willing to play the long game here. “Many farmers want mixed-fleet solutions,” noted Britton. “Most don’t have just a single company brand for all their ag needs; even if they do have a favorite, we can work across manufacturers.” “This joint venture between Trimble and AGCO will provide farmers with the best mixed-fleet smart farming and autonomous solutions that will allow them to make the right decisions for their particular farm.” | pag “WITH OUR COMBINED SOLUTIONS, WE FURTHER EXPAND OUR MIXED-FLEET OFFERINGS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CROP CYCLE AND ARE ABLE TO PUT TECHNOLOGY ON MORE THAN 10,000 DIFFERENT MODELS FROM ALMOST ANY OEM.” PHOTO: MP Studio – stock.adobe.com
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