Farmdroid, the autonomous seeding and weeding robot, began working Canadian soils in 2022. The solar-powered robots first landed in Canada with the ability to seed 30 different crops, including sugar beets and a range of vegetables. In this report from Agritechnica 23 at Hanover, Germany, FarmDroid’s Eddie Pederson notes that the evolving robot will now… Read More
Category: Automation
John Deere continues its push to bring fully autonomous tractors and tillage to farmers around the globe. At Agritechnica 23, the farm machinery maker’s 8RX 410 tractor with an autonomy kit attracted plenty of attention from farmers visiting the agriculture innovation showcase held in Hanover, Germany. In this video report, Derek Targerson, Deere’s global product… Read More
Growers looking for a smoother, less stressful grain harvest will have a new tool to consider for harvest 2024. Raven Cart Automation makes it easier for any operator – at any skill level – to effectively run an unload on-the-go operation, says Raven Canada’s Chris Morson. In this report from Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in… Read More
Smart tractors need smart implements. That’s one of the challenges start-up autonomous tractor maker AgXeed is tackling as its AgBots move on to European farms. In this interview from Agritechnica ’23, AgXeed product specialist Nadine Bietenduvel shares how over the past five years the company has developed three AgBot models — three-wheel, four-wheel and tracked… Read More
One of the keys to the evolution and adoption of agricultural robots is to ensure the machines can meet safety standards while working autonomously. At Agritechnica ’23 in Germany, French robot manufacturer Naïo Technologies announced that its robots will now be available with augmented autonomy — what the company describes as revolutionary technology that allows… Read More
CNH Industrial — the parent company of Case IH and New Holland — says it has completed its purchase of global satellite navigation company Hemisphere GNSS, as of October 12. The deal, worth US$175 million, was originally announced in March 2023, and includes Hemisphere’s subsidiary Outback Guidance, which sells agricultural autosteer products in North America… Read More
Clean power doesn’t mean less power, according to New Holland. With the launch of its T4 Electric Power tractor, New Holland says the industry’s first all-electric utility tractor with autonomous features can “completely match the outputs of power from its diesel equivalent tractor.” The T4 Electric Power tractor was unveiled last month at the Farm… Read More
North American farmers will get their first look at New Holland’s new all-electric utility tractor with autonomous features when they visit the Farm Progress show this week held at Decatur, Illinois. New Holland is billing its T4 Electric Power tractor as a “game-changing innovation” that creates a new tractor class — utility electric. The company… Read More
New technologies may work in the lab or in a research setting, but can they provide value in the real-world on a modern, large-scale commercial farm? That’s the basic premise behind a unique arrangement that has come to be known as “Innovation Farms,” just northwest of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Grosse Isle-area farmer and long-time seed grower… Read More
Is it efficient to use autonomous vehicle in row crop agriculture in southwestern Ontario? That’s a question cash crop farmer Mark Richards is wrestling with on his Dresden, Ont. farm. In 2022, he used a solar-powered FarmDroid robot to plant sugar beets. That machine found it challenging to adapt to the widespread use of strip… Read More
Zappers, seed grinders, and robots, oh my! What’s the latest in weed control technology? For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Chuck Baresich of Haggerty AgRobotics, and Kim Brown Livingston of Manitoba Agriculture, to discuss the trouble with problem weeds and the new (old?) ways to deal with them. From… Read More
Tractor-maker Versatile is moving toward a future with autonomous tractors through a partnership with Alberta-based Mojow Autonomous Solutions. Mojow, which was founded in 2020, has completed three months of testing its EYEBOX controller on a high-horsepower four-wheel-drive Versatile tractor, controlling all the tractor functions, including steering, propulsion, lights, ignitition and activation of hydraulics. “We are… Read More
When it comes to autonomy in agriculture, it can be a bit overwhelming when we go straight to imagining machinery driving itself with no supervision. This is why Case IH’s messaging at Commodity Classic at Orlando, Florida, is to focus on the small things, in order to make autonomy a realistic goal. The first step,… Read More
Case IH is aiming to help growers get the most out of every seed with new AFS Furrow Command for its precision disc series air drills. The technology essentially allows growers to automate downforce on the parallel-link row-units to maintain consistent seed depth regardless of terrain. The company unveiled AFS Furrow Command downforce automation last… Read More
If you’re like me, the image that the word “exports” evokes is container ships and railways and huge water-side ports. While all of that is very true, there’s more to exports than just commodities and large volumes, says Mairead Lavery, president and CEO of Export Development Canada. Lavery spoke at the Canadian Agriculture and a… Read More