Farms.com Precision Agriculture Digital Digest | Fall 2024

15 An added perk to this process is that inevitable arguments between the combine and grain cart operators are eliminated. The grain cart will be in the exact position you tell it to be. SEND TO TRUCK The final task that this system will complete is to send the grain cart to the truck for unloading. The combine operator can define a specific zone for when it is time to unload. By clicking the ‘send to truck’ button the grain cart automatically travels to the defined zone where the truck driver can hop in the cab and unload the grain cart into the truck. This technology is eliminating the need for a third person on the job to haul the grain from the combine to the grain truck. The truck is loaded exactly how the truck operator wants. Like the relationship between the combine and grain cart operators, arguments between the grain cart and the truck operators on grain placement are now eliminated (thank you OutRun). Most importantly, OutRun answers the call of so many farmers looking for not only labor, but skilled labor at one of the busiest cropping seasons. “All over the Midwest, we hear that 33% of acres are harvested late, causing a 10% reduction in yield on those acres,” explains Subramaniam. “That’s tens of thousands of dollars and in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars that farmers are leaving on the field in terms of lost yield.” Limiting the bottleneck created from a shortage of labor is one way you can get more profit out of each harvest season. But what about return on investment (ROI)? We know that one of the most significant barriers to adoption of precision ag technology is a proven ROI. OutRun is addressing this challenge by creating a unique flexible pricing model which enables OutRun to provide a positive ROI in the first couple of years. “With our flexible pricing model, you are only paying for when you use the autonomous grain cart,” explains Subramaniam. “It fits almost all different sizes of operations from 900 acres to up 1,600 or 3,500 acres.” On the OutRun website, three case-scenarios are listed with a breakdown of the annual farm benefit from using the technology. ROBERT, CENTRAL NEBRASKA Robert farms 900 acres, 80% of which are corn and 20% are soybeans. The annual farm benefit on his operation was $4.31 per acre, realized from a 2.64% yield increase through loss reduction. JIM AND NATE, WESTERN NEBRASKA Jim and Nate farm 1,600 acres split between corn at 40%, soybeans at 40% and 20% other crops. They realized a $9.97 per acre annual farm benefit from a 2.97% yield increase through loss reduction. CHASE, WESTERN IOWA Chase runs 3,300 acres evenly split between corn and soybeans. His annual farm benefit of using the system was $4.22 per acre, a 1.32% yield increase through loss reduction. Every farm is different, but it is encouraging to know that within a couple of years the technology will have paid for itself. You cannot get your hands on this system just yet; you will have to wait until 2025. We did not just talk about the technology and its benefits with the PTX Trimble team; we hopped in the cab for a live demo of how it works. Watch that demo here. For more information on this technology, visit outrunag.com. | pag WATCH THE VIDEO “WITH OUR FLEXIBLE PRICING MODEL, YOU ARE ONLY PAYING FOR WHEN YOU USE THE AUTONOMOUS GRAIN CART.” 3

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