If you had to choose one phrase to describe how to approach farm machinery and ag tech solutions in 2025, it would be “get creative.”
So far, that looks like being open to mixed fleets of equipment, looking at retrofit technology versus buying new off the factory line and even some nontraditional options coming to the North American market via Europe.
“We are seeing growing interest in avoiding being ‘captive’ to fewer brands,” says Seth Crawford, senior vice president and general manager – precision ag and digital, AGCO. “We see farmers continuing to buy machines and technology, even if they only have $15,000 to $20,000 to spend. That’s still enough for impactful improvements.”
What’s Coming from Ag Tech
On the heels of a record harvest for most key row crops, a dead cat bounce for commodity prices is not likely.
“Farmers are going to have to continue to manage seed costs and fertility costs,” Crawford says, noting precision ag technology as a key cog in helping farmers do so. “We’ve got to show where they could be losing yield and offer solutions that pay off quickly.”
There is an emerging technology many experts are excited to see hit the market in 2025: autonomous grain carts. OutRun.Ag, AGCO’s retrofit kit that enables autonomous grain cart operation, will be widely available for the first time after extensive beta testing in 2024. New Holland will also have OMNiDRIVE, its Raven grain cart automation kit, on the market this year.
New Holland director of precision technology Paul Welbig says swarming autonomous grain carts is where the rubber meets the road.
“If you’re running more than one machine at the same time, that’s how you capture ROI and value,” he says, noting OMNiDRIVE supports upward of six combine and tractor combinations.
Autonomous tractor retrofits such as Sabanto’s Steward and Bear Flag Republic’s kit for John Deere tractors are also seeing higher interest. John Deere itself will soon move its autonomy products beyond tractors and tillage tools into the most intense farming jobs in the production cycle: planting and harvesting.
“We will prioritize autonomy for the jobs that occur at the busiest times of the year, when farmers must contend with limited labor, lots of variables and short windows of time to get things done,” says Michael Porter, go to market manager – large tractors.
It’s all being driven by the labor crunch. The second Trump administration coming into power could portend less farmworker availability, and rural areas are experiencing reverse migration as younger generations have a preference to live closer to large cities.
“The gig economy unfortunately hasn’t hit rural America yet,” Crawford says. “With grain cart automation, we talk to farmers about being able to get the crop out early and optimizing harvest logistics so they can potentially save two or three days in that harvest window, which can dramatically change your income level.”
More Commercialization
Other emerging technologies – spray drones, smart sprayers and autonomous machines and robots – are also moving to greater commercialization.
“With margins so tight, we’re actually seeing some farmers steering away from high-clearance, self-propelled sprayers to drones,” says Arthur Erickson, CEO, Hylio. “We worked with Beck’s Hybrids on some plot trials this summer, and the drones performed better than a ground rig ROI-wise. Because of the smaller droplet sizes, you can penetrate the canopy better.”
One development that will lift all boats is progress on the ag data standards front. AgGateway and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) are continuing to work to get manufacturers and tech providers to the table to make data easier to collect and analyze across different machines and systems.
“Making it easier to share data between spray drones and ground sprayers, by having an open data exchange, would help these technologies be picked up more,” Crawford says. “If you miss a spot with your ground sprayer, it’s easier to come back in and hit it with a drone.”
What to Expect With Farm Machinery
There are a couple of notable trends that have started emerging as we head into 2025:
- Increased availability of machines coming over from the European market. Fendt and Claas are probably the two biggest players to keep an eye on. Mahindra is another foreign manufacturer gaining traction.
- Nimble mobile service and dealership concepts disrupt the brick-and-mortar model.
Crawford says he has watched these two trends play out within his own company: AGCO is now seeing farmers become more interested than ever in its German-built Fendt brand, and its AgRevolution mobile dealer and service tech network expanded into Ohio during the tail end of 2024 as well.
“Growers are starting to see these European machines are able to compete in the North American market, and they’re still going to get a premium tractor that can get more done in a day,” Crawford explains.
A recent development that could reverse that trend is the incoming Trump administration’s ideas around tariff policy. If tariffs push prices up, farmers aren’t going to be too keen on covering those higher costs out of their own pockets.
“What we’re seeing [on the dealer side] is complementing local brick and mortar dealerships by having more service techs out in the field, showing farmers, we can do business with you where you are, and it really resonates,” Crawford says. “Having that technology in your local community with a fully equipped service truck, you can call them out to the farm, and that builds a lot of confidence.”
Remaining confident in your ability to produce a profitable crop will be crucial moving forward. Creativity will also pay dividends, Crawford agrees.
“Difficult times cause farmers to be creative because they love farming and want to do everything they can to stay with it,” he says.
Your Next Read: Farm Business Resolutions for 2025
