Kentucky Farmer Saves $500,000 Letting a Robot Run the Planter

It’s spring and that means there are never enough hours in the day for Quint Pottinger of Affinity Farms. This week, he’s rushing to get a crop in the ground and manage the logistics of his team and equipment. To help him out he’s got a new employee driving the tractor this season. From mules to machines, Affinity Farms is honoring its centuries-long tradition of adapting to the newest agricultural technology, opting for an autonomous system to run the tractor that’s putting in the crop.

“Technology changes through generations and it responds to what the community needs,” says Pottinger, the eighth-generation CEO of Affinity Farms. “You’ve got to adapt to things that are happening in your time.”

The New Haven, Ky., farm has been around since 1788 and currently grows corn, wheat, rye and soybeans. The farm plants 2,200 acres with a small team of four people. Affinity Farms is using Sabanto Ag’s retrofit kit to make its John Deere 6135E fully autonomous.

Leveraging Automation to Diversify Farm Operations

Pottinger starts his mornings with a cup of coffee as he stares outside his window and watches his autonomous vehicle get to work. He decided to switch to the autonomous tractor as a way to save money.

Last fall he tried out the kit by using it to plant 500 acres of grain. Since the switch in technology, Pottinger says that his net gain on equipment efficiency has been $400,000, saving him $500,000. The retrofitted tractor paired with the 1745 John Deere split-row planter gives the farmer everything he needs.

Pottinger is currently using the autonomous vehicle to plant corn. It runs for 12 hours a day, covering about 10 acres an hour. The machine saves Pottinger both time and money, as he can focus on other tasks while the tractor is hard at work. He is now using this time to expand his business into other areas, such as installing a malt house on the farm. This allows him to add barley to the list of crops he grows throughout the year.

“It’s enabled us to focus energy into that other marketplace where it’s needed,” Pottinger explains. “This technology, in the right hands, with people steering companies in the right direction, can unlock new profitability for farmers and for companies.”

According to one study, in a scenario where one worker manages four machines on a corn farm, the savings can amount anywhere from $15 to $20 per acre. Across all corn farms (based on a number of assumptions), this can unlock up to $1.5 billion in value annually.

Affinity Farms is also having the tractor move slower, going from 5 miles an hour to 3 ½ miles an hour. This removes the need to have some high-end row-unit systems to maintain depth.

“Taking your time to get the seed in the ground at the right depth is important,” says Pottinger. “By slowing the system down we’re getting the mechanics of the machine side of the system time to work.”

Balancing Operational Gaps with Long-Term Efficiency

While Pottinger is glad he made the switch, he explains there is always room for improvement. One improvement would be adjusting the start point if you move it manually. Currently, if you stop the tractor while it is working and manually take control, you must move it back to the spot it stopped. It also cannot reverse, so Pottinger and his employees must fill in the corners.

However, despite the faults, Pottinger says he is happy with the investment. He shares that other farmers have asked about the technology as well.

“The guys that are 55-plus, those are the guys that are curious, because they’re looking at it as a business decision,” Pottinger explains. “They’re seeing efficiency that they can gain from having something like this work.”

Sabanto Ag’s Mission to Retrofit the Modern Farm

Sabanto Ag’s CEO, Craig Rupp, explains that when creating the company he wanted to make autonomy into an accessory for an off-the-shelf tractor. Rupp explains the kit supports 24 tractor models for the companies: John Deere, Kubota and Fendt. Sabanto currently has about 200 to 300 autonomous kits out in the field.

Rupp says that Pottinger was the type of farmer he had in mind when developing the technology. His goal is to completely change agriculture by helping solve the labor problem and cutting costs for farmers. The goal is to focus on lowerhorse-powered tractors.

“We’re saving on the order by 70% capital by going smaller and running on longer hours,” Rupp explains.

Farmers can operate the autonomous vehicle remotely via their phone, laptop or tablet. The kit itself comes with cameras, a Starlink modem and cellular antennas. Rupp explains that this innovation is the next step into the future of agriculture.

“It’s just natural progression when you bring in new technology into any industry; it’s always going to be the innovators and early adopters that are jumping on board,” Rupp says.

Pottinger says he understands those that are skeptical or unwilling to give up their seat behind the wheel. However, he says that this is a business decision that will secure his farm’s future.

“If you want to drive tractors go to a farm and drive tractors, but I’m running a business,” says Pottinger. “A business that is centered around producing a product for a local economy that is influenced by a global economy … the margins are very narrow.”