Equipment-Asset Tracking

Don't End Up In The Ditch! Update Your GPS Guidance Lines For 2026

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 16:53:33 GMT

Farmers who use a local RTK network or state-run Real Time Network (RTN) — Iowa and Ohio both offer these signals — for auto steer and GPS guidance systems will need to recapture new GPS coordinates for field boundaries and A-B lines before spring planting.

That’s because The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) will soon replace two outdated reference frames, NAD 83 and NAVD 88, with a new corrections datum. The shift could knock your current A-B lines and GPS field boundaries off by anywhere from 1 to 4 meters, according to a pair of Iowa State University Extension precision ag specialists.

The Ohio State University Extension and FABE professor Dr. John Fulton issued a similar warning last fall at the Ohio Farm Science Review.

Iowa State University precision ag engineer Luke Fuhrer and digital Extension specialist Doug Houser say farmers using a major commercial satellite RTK network, such as those offered by John Deere and Trimble, should be OK for 2026.

Farmers who need to make quick updates to field boundaries or A-B lines, or check on the potential impact to existing telematics data this winter, are being told to use the free NGS Coordinate Conversion and Transformation Tool (NCAT) to shift their GPS coordinates from NAD 83/NAVD 88 to NATRF2022.

Fuhrer and Houser also want you to consider:

Physically recollecting GPS coordinates for field boundaries, control points or benchmarks using a system aligned to the new datum.
Recalculating your historical data using updated reference points or transformation software.

Example Scenario

(John Deere/Mel Koltai)

The Iowa State researchers share the following scenario as an example of a farmer who will need to make updates before spring planting:

“A farmer in eastern Iowa has been using a local RTK base station tied to NAD 83 to map field boundaries with sub-inch accuracy to avoid a neighbor’s fence line.

“After 2026, the new NATRF2022 datum will shift those GPS-defined boundaries by several feet. While the fence hasn’t moved, the guidance lines will now show up partially in the neighbor’s field. Without correction, auto-steer will drift across actual property lines.”

Before spring 2026, Fuhrer and Houser want this farmer to:

Back up all current GPS files and data.
Talk to his/her equipment dealer about firmware updates or new coordinate system support.
Use NCAT or dealer-provided tools to test a few key points and see how much they move.
Consider a quick resurvey for high-value areas.

For more info, check out the NGS “Get Prepared” resource here .

Machinery News: JCB Fastrac 6000 Tractor, Väderstad and Valley Debut New Products, Unverferth Acquisition

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:18:33 GMT

JCB Launches New Fastrac 6000 Series Tractors

(JCB)

British machinery manufacturer JCB says its new Fastrac 6000 Series tractors provide farmers with a feature-laden, highly productive power unit suited to a multitude of field and transport tasks.

Some notable features on the new machines include:

Two models will be available in the series, the 6260 (284 hp) and 6300 (335 hp)
25,240 lb. rear lift capacity plus a four-speed PTO shaft; optional 11,023.6 lb. front lift and 1000 rpm PTO.
A new chassis design combining sculptured front casting and rear fabricated structure, new engine and powertrain combinations for optimum power, torque and fuel efficiency, and a new central tire inflation system (CTIS).

The Fastrac 6000 Series will be available in North America in Q2 2026.

Learn more about the Fastrac 6000 Series at jcb.com/en-US/ .

Implement Innovator Väderstad Launches Trio of Products

E-Connect

(Väderstad)

Väderstad announces its new digital machinery telematics platform, E-Connect, as well as a next generation row unit for Tempo planters and a new front tool option for its disc cultivators Carrier XL 425–725.

The manufacturer says E-Connect provides farmers with a digital tool to monitor and manage Väderstad-branded machinery in real-time, with comprehensive visibility into fleet activity and machine performance. Users can track fieldwork progress, analyze operational efficiency and make informed decisions based on accurate, up-to-date data. The platform also integrates with several major Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS).

In 2026, Väderstad will also introduce its next-generation row unit for the Tempo planter. The new row unit comes with a long list of new features, including:

Planting depth setting from a prescription map
Easier seed tube change
Easier switch between crops
Upgraded seed meters with one-handed seed meter opening

And its new third disc axle configuration, available for Carrier XL 425–725 tillage tools, increases disc density from two rows to three, reducing the disc spacing to just 3.3". The company says this results in 50% more tillage tool contact to the ground, delivering highly intensive mixing, crumbling and residue management.

All three solutions will debut at Agritechnica 2025. You can learn more here .

Valley Irrigation Launches Brand Agnostic Pivot Control Panel

(Valley Irrigation)

Valley Irrigation introduces the ICON+ Smart Panel, the newest addition to its ICON family.

Valley says the new digital control panel combines simplicity with essential functionality while offering a balance of performance and affordability. Valley says it shares the proven capabilities of the ICONX panel while delivering essential control at the panel and advanced management from any electronic device. Farmers can remotely manage an entire fleet of pivots, regardless of the brand or age of the equipment.

The ICON+ Smart Panel is available through authorized Valley Irrigation Dealers. To learn more visit valleyirrigation.com/icon or contact your local dealer.

The company also announced the Valley Irrigation Grant, a $100,000 initiative designed to help growers tackle their most pressing water challenges through smart farming innovation.

Two North American farmers will be awarded in-kind grants through the program, $75,000 for the grand prize and $25,000 for the secondary prize, redeemable for Valley equipment, technology and services through their local Valley dealer.

Applications are now open at valleyirrigation.com/grant and will be accepted through Dec. 15.

Unverferth Acquires Premier Tillage

Minimizer Blade Plow tillage tool.

(Premier Tillage)

Unverferth Manufacturing Co. has acquired the Premier Tillage lineup, including its popular, weed-eradicating Minimizer blade plow tillage tool.

Unverferth says the addition of Premier Tillage products strengthens its commitment to providing a full range of equipment solutions that enhance efficiency, productivity and agronomic performance.

Production of the Minimizer blade plow tillage tool will be moved to the Unverferth production facility in Lexington, Neb. Premier Tillage was founded by Dan Chupp in 1985 and is based in Quinter, Kan. The acquisition ensures Premier Tillage customers will continue to receive product support, now backed by Unverferth’s dealer network.

Learn more at umequip.com .

Your Next Read: Central Iowa Farmer Says Corn Yields Are 30 to 40 Bu. Per Acre Lower Than Last Year

Four Pro Tips To Help You Harvest More Soybeans

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 18:11:30 GMT

Talk with Marion Calmer for 10 minutes, and you’ll walk away with a handful of practical ideas you can take back to the farm and use – things that will help you simplify tasks and improve efficiency.

Calmer, a fourth-generation Illinois farmer and natural-born innovator, is the CEO of Calmer Corn Heads. He is known among U.S. corn growers for building the first 12- and 15-inch corn head, the world’s largest corn head (in 2013), and other state-of-the art harvesting technology and practices.

In 1985, Marion founded Calmer Agronomic Research Center, an independent, self-funded research center, with the goal of finding ways to reduce input costs and increase profitability for himself and other farmers.

(Marion Calmer)

Calmer is also known for freely sharing information and insights to help farmers take more of their crops to the bin. That was the case when he joined yield champs David Hula and Randy Dowdy recently on their Breaking Barriers With R&D podcast.

While the three farmers talked corn at length, Calmer also shared some soybean harvesting tips and techniques with Hula and Dowdy. Here are four you can use this fall:

1. Consider changing the sickle size on your bean head.
Calmer recommends using a 3” sickle so residue is able to flow better, as compared to a 2” sickle, especially in no-till or high-residue environments.

He says running a 3” sickle (that’s the distance between two snake heads or sections of the sickle) can help prevent plugging from last season’s corn root balls sometimes present in a corn-bean rotation.

“I think a 3” does a better job of cutting beans than a 2” sickle, because the window to retrieve the next plant is wider and bigger,” he tells Hula and Dowdy. “I also think a 3” sickle cuts cleaner.”

2. Keep beans in the threshing chamber longer.
Calmer says with soybeans increasingly being harvested at a higher moisture level with still-green pods and stems, it’s useful to keep them in the threshing chamber longer. One inexpensive way to do that is by modifying a 55-gallon plastic barrel.

“Take a jigsaw and cut a plastic band out of the barrel and then place it underneath the first 6” or first 12” of any color of combine, and that’ll hold those green pods up in the chamber. We just use a ratchet strap to hold that plastic cover plate in there,” he says. “Doesn’t cost anything, but oh my gosh, this makes the combine so much easier to set.”

Plus, Calmer says you will get fewer green pods going into the grain tank. “The pods can set off a chain of events when they get into the grain bin. They’ll all slide to the outer edges and rot and so on,” Calmer explains. “This is just a simple, commonsense kind of thing that can help you.”

Soybean harvest starts in the rotor area of the combine, according to Calmer. “In years past, I never even opened up the side of the combine. I’d just go reset the sieves and the airspeed and take off, and I was never happy,” he says. “I focus on the rotor area more than I used, and it’s made my combine work better.”

(Marion Calmer)

3. Consider adjusting the combine head at harvest to cut beans lower.
This is a good practice, Calmer says, if your beans are podded closer to the ground this fall because you planted lower populations last spring or because of weather that occurred during the growing season. With pods closer to the ground, more harvest loss frequently occurs because the cutterbar was operating too high.

This practice of adjusting the head can be both a bit of art and science to do well. Michigan State Extension offers a detailed article on how to set the combine head lower to achieve the results you want and need.

4. Synchronize reel speed to ground speed.
The goal is to help prevent shattering or pushing plants away as they go into the header. The reel RPM should be 10 times ground speed, Calmer says. A simple example of this: 4 MPH ground speed = 40 RPM on reel. Use a piece of tape or spray paint a bar of your reel to easily count RPM from the cab.

And finally...this idea might not help you take more beans to the bin, but it will help you manage residue: Before you roll into the field, be conscious to start harvesting on the downwind side of the field, Calmer advises. By harvesting downwind, the wind will spread straw more evenly and away from the uncut soybeans.

Listen to this edition of Breaking Barriers With R&D at Farm Journal TV to hear more money-saving tips and ideas from Calmer, Hula and Dowdy that can help you as harvest gets underway this fall. You can also catch this episode of the podcast on YouTube .

Your next read: Farmer Uses Late-Season Fungicide, Nutrients To Beef Up Corn Test Weight

John Deere PRO Service: Learn What Experts and A Farmer Think About The New Tool

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 18:21:52 GMT

John Deere’s answer to the FTC Right To Repair lawsuit arrived last week in the form of a new digital diagnosis and repair product for John Deere machines and Hagie STS high-clearance sprayers and corn detasselers.

For $195 a year for each machine linked in a farmer’s Operations Center account, John Deere says customers in the U.S. and Canada can now “maintain, diagnose, repair and protect” equipment. A John Deere customer with a large fleet of green and yellow machines can purchase the “Entire Organization Customer Fleet” annual license for $4,995.

Independent service technicians are also able to obtain and use Operations Center PRO Service. That license costs $5,995 per year.

What Are Farmers and Precision Ag Experts Saying?

The tool is so fresh and new to the market farmers and technicians haven’t had time to put it to use.

Sixth generation Nebraska farmer Lukas Frieke recently switched a good chunk of his on-farm technology and equipment fleet over to John Deere machines. He says its the level of support that his local John Deere dealer is providing that prompted the switch.

Frieke, who also raises hogs on his farm outside Ulysses, thinks the release of this tool signals a new mindset at the manufacturer.

“I think Deere realized during the Right to Repair stuff that they need to keep brand loyalty, and one of the biggest issues with the digitization of our equipment lines is the ability to be supported,” Frieke says. “It doesn’t matter who is doing the troubleshooting or fixing, it matters that it’s a Deere product.

“It also lessens the load on dealership staff — it allows quality repairs to shine and evens the playing field for all the repair people,” he adds.

Right to Repair Advocate Speaks

Beltway lobbyist and long-time Right to Repair advocate Willie Cade says he has the app and plans to spend the next couple weeks putting it through its paces. He cautions farmers to do their homework before they pay the license fees for the new app.

“There’s been a long history of John Deere making these kinds of promises and not coming through,” he says. “We really need to get this tool in hand and look through it.”

Cade admits the release signifies a dash of forward progress in the Right to Repair movement, but, in his opinion, John Deere still maintains “some control” over the repair process within PRO Service.

“That’s just not a free market — that’s not free at all,” he adds. “It gives them all the control.”

Cade agrees with Darr at Iowa State: Go dig into the app and figure out what it can and can’t do before you go on social media and give your opinion on it.

“Then, we can continue the advocacy we’ve been doing for the last seven years,” Cade says. “Maybe the ship is doing a little turn (for the better), but we need to do a full 180.”

John Deere’s Response

Farm Journal reached out to John Deere to ask more questions beyond what was shared in the initial press release. Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support for John Deere, provides the following answers:

Farm Journal: Is the release of PRO Service in response to the FTC v. John Deere and Right to Repair lawsuits?

Caldwell: The launch of PRO Service is consistent with our long-standing approach to developing new solutions that deliver value for our customers. For many decades, John Deere has steadily expanded its support for customer repairs with technical manuals and evolving into the robust digital offerings that are available today, including: Operations Center, Equipment Mobile, and Shop.Deere.com. John Deere will also continue to develop solutions that enhance customers’ ability to use, maintain, diagnose, repair, and protect their equipment.

Farm Journal: In previous statements, John Deere representatives have claimed releasing a fully capable digital service tool to customers and independent technicians could potentially compromise and open its machines up to being incorrectly coded or digitally manipulated in some way that would render those machines unsafe or hamper performance. Have those concerns been mitigated in some way within this new tool?

Caldwell: We’ve developed Operations Center PRO Service to deliver new capabilities for equipment owners to use, maintain, diagnose, repair, and protect their equipment without compromising important factors like safety and regulatory compliance. We will also continue to develop new capabilities and deliver those as they become available.

Farm Journal: What is the No. 1 aspect of this new service tool that you think is important to convey to farmers who use John Deere equipment?

Caldwell: Operations Center PRO Service delivers John Deere’s most expansive, innovative, and economical self-repair capabilities yet, and we’re proud of that. New and enhanced features include the ability to install software when replacing electronic components or controllers, also known as reprogramming.

Farm Journal: Are there any other thoughts you’d like to share about this new tool?

Caldwell: With this launch, our message to our customers is very clear. Whether you want the support of your professionally trained and trusted John Deere dealer, to work with another local service provider, or to fix your machine yourself – we’ve created additional capabilities for you to choose the option that best fits your needs and helps you run it your way.

CNH, Starlink Announce Satellite Connectivity Expansion To Case IH And New Holland Machines

Thu, 15 May 2025 20:50:53 GMT

CNH has an agreement in place with Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, to bring industry-leading satellite connectivity to farmers.

The company says this new collaboration will provide customers of Case IH, New Holland and STEYR, with robust high-speed connectivity – further unlocking the benefits of a fully connected fleet – even in the most remote rural locations around the world.

“We’re thrilled to offer our customers access to industry-leading satellite connectivity, enabling them to maximize the potential of our full suite of precision technology in even the most challenging rural environments,” said Stefano Pampalone, Agriculture Chief Commercial Officer at CNH.

(CNH Industrial)

Starlink’s Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellite network offers reliable, low-latency internet. This enables today’s smart machines to communicate and coordinate efficiently , enhancing productivity. The connectivity module will seamlessly integrate with CNH’s FieldOps digital platform, giving farmers visibility of their machines and providing data from anywhere, anytime. It also enables greater data streaming capabilities by keeping farm management devices consistently connected, regardless of location.

CNH says this collaboration underscores it’s ongoing commitment to equipping farmers with reliable, tailored solutions that meet the unique demands of agriculture, while amplifying the capabilities of precision technology.

You can read the full announcement here.

Plowing Through Tough Times: Equipment Manufacturers Double Down on Technology Upgrades Amid Sales Slump

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 15:29:35 GMT

New two-wheel and four-wheel drive tractor sales appear to be in a free fall to start 2025, and combines are tumbling down with them. That’s based on data pulled from the latest Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) U.S. Ag Tractors and Combine Report.

With spring planting just a handful of weeks away for some, the ag equipment industry is well aware of the forecasts predicting another down year demand-wise.

“I would say our guide on the larger ag machines is in that minus 20 to minus 30 range for the full year, but I haven’t gone through all the details (of the AEM report) yet,” says Kurt Coffey, head of North America, Case IH.

Coffey does think it’s a bit premature to sound the alarm bells based on a contracted January, though.

“We need to see the quarter play out in total, because there are companies that had new product launches that were getting the new line rates adjusted and maybe didn’t ship in January, but they may ship in February,” he adds.

Still, the AEM numbers to kick off 2025 don’t paint the rosiest of pictures. Case IH specifically is coming off a busy 2024 that featured two new massive row crop combine launches and the late-summer introduction of its new mobile fleet management app, FieldOps. For this year, the company debuted a new Farmall C utility tractor in the 100 hp range that Coffey says represents “kind of the core of the every man’s tractor” and is something he is “very excited about that.”

“There are certain areas where we’re very clean and there are certain areas where we would like to reduce a half a month to a month of stock, if that makes sense,” Coffey says. “We’re sitting where we want to be on more of the large categories, but I would like to maybe get a little cleaner on some of the livestock or mixed farm categories, but these are statistically small to our total performance, so it’s nothing really that we’re concerned about here in North America.”

Coffey says he isn’t super worried because his team is focused on what matters: staying steady and “destocking at the dealer level.” He says that effort has helped with overall dealer financial health and has calmed some of the concerns equipment dealers had coming into the year.

“We’ve been closely watching lead measures and used values, and not only values in dollars, but also in quantities,” he says. “And we heavily invested in velocity last Q3 and Q4 to help get some of the used stuff through the system, and now we’re starting to see some of the fruits of that labor.

“I don’t want to speak for our dealers, but we’re hearing feedback that we’re being more proactive and a stronger partner in that area than our dealers have had in a long time. That feedback came from our dealer advisory board. And that’s a good indicator of when the market stabilizes, how healthy are we to then attack a market on an upside?”

Of course, sluggish machine sales aren’t the only hurdle to leap over. The ongoing threat of tariffs – many of which could be levied against some of America’s strongest ag trade partners – has demanded a high level of attention over the last few weeks.

“I’m a farm kid from a town of 800 people, Ashmore, Illinois, and at like eight years old my dad told me ‘Kurt, I can’t sit here and worry about if it’s gonna rain or not,’ and we were in a massive drought. It was the 80s and it just really imprinted on me like, I can’t control this, so what can I do about it,” Coffey says. “And so we stay disciplined and balanced (in our approach). We’re having daily reviews with the Executive team because look, last week it was China, Mexico, and Canada. And then the next day, Canada and Mexico were paused for 30 days. And last week, we had a solid go forward plan. And then over the weekend there’s steel and aluminum (tariffs), so the plan changes. We’re staying calm, focusing on customer value and in a disciplined way, we’re doing what we can to deliver that.”

With new equipment sales slow and the threat of a global trade war looming, one area Coffey is seeing interest from farmers is in Case IH’s tech stack and its digital platform, FieldOps.

“We’re really going deep on our technology and unlocking value with our FieldOps platform,” Coffey told Farm Journal last week at the National Farm Machinery Show. “Where’s the machine? How’s it operating? What are my yields? I need to send that to my agronomist.” Honestly, I’ve been here all day today and that’s probably half the conversation. People literally coming up saying, ‘Hey, how do I integrate my data from my combine to my planter?’

AGCO-PTx Trimble weigh in
AgRevolution CEO Stacy Anthony met with Farm Journal at the AGCO booth, where the Duluth, Georgia-based manufacturer debuted an updated line of Massey Ferguson utility tractors as well as a new Hesston double square baler for hay and forage operations.

RELATED: AGCO Launches Massey Ferguson 2025 Compact Tractor Series, New Double Square Baler

Anthony told us farmers he met with at the show are still talking about last year’s AGCO-Precision Planting-Trimble tie up, which remains the largest ag tech acquisition deal in history. The companies re-branded its combined precision ag technology portfolio under the PTx Trimble name.

“We were always thought of as kind of chasing the leader for years to come, and now this PTx Trimble deal has given us a position to lead from the front, to lead with strength,” Anthony says. “Now we’re going to have a tech stack that’s unlike and unmatched from anybody else in the industry. That’s what we’re excited about and that’s what the farmer is excited about, because he’s got a choice now. He’s got a choice between the competition.”

PTx Trimble had its own separate booth in Louisville, where it was showing its new WM-Field Form land-forming and water management kit for the first time.

The WM-Field Form kit adds an RTK receiver to the blade implement on a tractor already equipped with auto steer to increase single-scraper landforming accuracy and improve connectivity at the edge of the field or in areas where the tractor and implement may not have full line of sight to the sky.

The company also featured its OutRun autonomous grain cart retrofit kit. That tractor and grain cart autonomy kit is available now from PTx Trimble dealers. Although it will start out automating only the tractor-grain cart functions, senior product manager Dinen Subramaniam says the same kit will be adapted to automate tillage tools and dry fertilizer spreaders in the near future.

“There are a lot of small operations that really struggle to find good help and there are large farms that can benefit from the increased efficiency,” he says. “They can now take someone, a highly skilled operator, and get them to do something that is worth their time, but no one else can do it, and then have an autonomous tractor out there taking care of the other tasks.”

Deere Dials Up More Retrofit Options
John Deere did not launch any new tractors or machines at the Louisville show this year, but the manufacturer did expand its Precision Upgrades retrofit program to include ExactEmerge and MaxEmerge 5e seed meter upgrades for 2015 and newer factory planters. The kits are available now at your local Deere dealer.

Deere says farmers that upgrade to its ExactEmerge electric seed meters can increase productivity by more than 100 acres per day by planting at speeds up to 10 mph.

(Matthew J. Grassi)

Both upgrade kits offer increased population accuracy - Deere claims a 20% increase in seeding accuracy compared to its MaxEmerge 5 meters - and the ExactEmerge kit enables accurate population and spacing while planting at speeds up to 10 mph, Deere says.

“Traditionally, customers have gotten a planter upgrade from us and essentially that upgrade came in a full row unit, but now we’re giving them the ability to upgrade without replacing the entire row unit,” says Kyle Barry, manager, Precision Upgrades.

Barry adds the newer your John Deere planter is, the easier it is going to be to install the electrically-driven seed metering kits on your own. Deere is also offering dealer installation if farmers would rather let the dealer techs handle it.

Barry says most farmers make the decision to upgrade an older planter once they get wind of the capabilities that new technology can offer, such as automatic row shutoffs and better seed singulation. Often, those increases can be the difference in getting your acreage planted in a tight window versus missing your window and feeling some yield drag on the back end of the growing season.

“With both of these seed meters we’re giving you the ability to have individual row shut offs on your planter,” he explains. “So as you go around corners or you plant into a headland and you have point rows, we’re going to shut each individual row off. You’re putting the seeds exactly where you want to, so you’re not over planting. That’s where you can get that 20% increase in population accuracy.”

After re-branding its aftermarket program to Precision Upgrades and launching the Precision Upgrades Essential kit at last year’s Louisville show, Deere is now offering many of its technologies as both OEM installed and aftermarket add-ons, most notably being its See & Spray smart spraying technology. Barry says this evolution at Deere is all about meeting farmers where they are on the technology journey and helping them be more productive and profitable.

“We’re increasing the options that customers have with upgrades in general, its not something we’re doing that is just specific to planters,” he says. “We’ve got sprayers, combines, air seeding, basically you name it. Depending on the customer, we’ve got options (for them). We’re really excited about these two new meter only upgrades because it’s giving customers that traditionally would have said no to an upgrade the ability to get this technology on their farm. Or, if its planter-applied fertilizer they want to get into, now we have ExactRate and ExactShot (kits).”

Your Next Read: Where Farm Equipment Is Made

John Deere-Starlink Satellite Service Available Now, New High-Speed Disk Series Debuts

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:28:40 GMT

John Deere announced the release of JDLink Boost, a satellite connectivity solution designed to work in fields with little to no cellular coverage, and a new high speed disk tillage solution.

The new JDLink Boost kit supports the partnership between John Deere and Starlink by SpaceX network.

Deere reps say JDLink Boost will benefit farmers operating in fields where cellular coverage is limited or unreliable by providing a secure and faster connection along with real-time access to machine and agronomic data. This improved connectivity enables more timely decision-making regarding irrigation, fertilization, pest control and harvesting.

You can read more about JDLink Boost here. The news release does not detail how the new service will be priced. Reach out to you local John Deere dealer for more information.

New High-Speed Disk Series

John Deere announced a new lineup of high-speed disks, a dual-season tool that it says provides excellent field finish and residue management. It also comes autonomy ready from the factory, Deere says.

(Steve Dolan )

Deere’s new high-speed disk line replaces the largest models from the 2680H series, according to a company press release. Available in widths ranging from 25’ to 45’, Deere says there is a disk size that fits nearly any tractor and farm.

The new high-speed disk line offers improved residue flow, helping reduce plugging in tough tillage conditions such as high field moisture or high residue situations. In the new model, an additional 4” was added between the disk and the finishing basket, which helps provide better overall residue flow.

The high-speed disks come autonomy ready in-base from the factory, and are equipped from the factory with a receiver mast, harnessing, lighting package and TruSet.

Visit your local John Deere dealer or deere.com for information on the full line of tillage equipment.

CNH, Intelsat Announce Connected Machine Collaboration

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 12:35:49 GMT

CNH and Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial communication networks, announced a collaboration that will provide farmers access to the internet via a ruggedized satellite communications (SATCOM) service.

This offering will be available in the second half of 2024 to farmers in Brazil, where ConectarAgro’s Rural Connectivity Indicator found only 19% of the area available for agricultural use has high-speed internet access. The companies plan to expand their collaboration to the U.S., Australia, and other regions.

The potential tieup, now official, was first alluded to at World AgriTech Summit in San Francisco.

Intelsat’s capabilities offer Case IH, Steyr and New Holland customers SATCOM coverage via its rugged, industrial-grade terminals. CNH customers will use a rigorously tested terminal that connects easily and is proven to withstand extreme weather conditions and the vibration and shock produced by farming equipment.

“Satellite technology helps solve connectivity challenges for hard-to-reach farms, but not all providers are equal. Intelsat stands out for their depth of experience as well as the quality and reliability of their service and industrial terminal offerings,” said Marc Kermisch, Chief Digital and Information Officer at CNH.