Livestock Equipment Technology

From Risk to Revolution: McCarty Family Farms Named 2025 Leader in Technology Award Winner

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 17:47:48 GMT

On the open plains of western Kansas, where the horizon stretches wide and the wind almost never stops, sits a dairy operation built on grit, risk and the belief that bold decisions can change everything. Today, McCarty Family Farms is known across the industry for its scale and cutting-edge innovation, but its story starts 1,500 miles away in a tie-stall barn in northeastern Pennsylvania.

“We’re fourth-generation family dairymen, originally born and raised in northeastern Pennsylvania,” says Ken McCarty, one of the four brothers who own and operate McCarty Family Farms.

For more than a century, the family milked cows in the Northeast. But in the late 1990s, their parents made a decision that would redefine the family’s future: sell nearly everything, load what they could haul and move halfway across the country to Kansas.

“All that credit is due to our parents,” Ken says. “They have a big vision, and they have some serious intestinal fortitude. My brothers and I talk about this often, and we’re not sure we would have that faith and that courage at that age — to risk it all, pick our families up, move 1,500 miles and bet it all on us. Thankfully, it works out so far.”

In 1999, the family sold just over 200 cows and their equipment to head West. The brothers say they arrived somewhat naive, and that may have been their saving grace.

“When we left Pennsylvania, we sold 212 milking cows and just our equipment,” says Clay McCarty, one of the brothers who owns and operates the farm today. “We came out here a little naive, which is good. We’re so convinced we succeed that we don’t know how to fail. And that’s good, because the first five to seven years, we’re one mistake away from failure — probably closer to extinction than we ever realize.”

Building a Culture of Commitment

Despite long days, tight margins and constant uncertainty, the McCartys found support in the people who took the leap with them.

“We’re just determined we’re not going to fail,” Clay says. “We’re very fortunate. A lot of our guys who start with us in 2000 are still with us in 2025. We’re able to create a culture early where guys are willing to sacrifice — and they see us sacrificing, working 20-hour days.”

(McCarty Family Farms)

A Second Big Leap: Processing Their Own Milk

In 2012, the McCartys took another bold step and built their own milk processing plant — a move nearly as risky as the family’s relocation.

“In 2012, when we start that, we have no idea how to run a milk processing plant,” Ken says. “But we believe it’s the right thing to do for our partnership with our customer, the right thing for our farm and our family — and thankfully, it works out.”

The plant, built in partnership with Danone North America, allows the family to add value to their milk and reach markets far beyond Kansas. The McCartys have four dairy farms today, and Danone says McCarty Family Farms’ partnership is vital, supplying milk that helps churn out Danone’s yogurts and other products.

The relationship between McCarty’s and Danone is also a model for Danone’s farmer partnerships and involves initiatives to improve sustainability, such as water conservation and soil health projects.

(McCarty Family Farms)

Innovation as a Way of Life

Since establishing their operation in Kansas, McCarty Family Farms has grown to milk around 20,000 cows across multiple states and now employs nearly 250 team members. But what truly sets the operation apart is how deeply the family embraces technology, not as a trend but as a necessity.

“When it comes to technology, we don’t jump into anything lightly,” Ken says. “We spend a lot of time vetting technology, working with industry experts, people smarter than us. And we’re always searching for technologies that can fill a gap in our business.”

Those gaps — labor shortages, market competition, demands for traceability, animal welfare and sustainability — are pushing the family to innovate continually.

“As labor becomes a bigger challenge, as markets become more competitive, as demand for increased traceability or enhanced animal welfare or optimized sustainability grows, all of that forces us to look for innovation,” Ken says. “A lot of that comes through technology, whether it’s genetic evaluations, breeding strategies based on genomics, methane capture or feed additives that reduce enteric emissions and drive down our carbon footprint.”

Ken says the ability to collect granular, cow-specific data and then act on it is fueling the operation today, and the next frontier is already in sight.

“I think a few things are really going to push our farms and our business to the next level,” Ken says. “Machine learning and artificial intelligence — using those tools to create predictive analytics and tell us what’s going to happen to a cow before it happens — and robotics. Our farms run 24/7/365 in a diminishing labor pool. Robotics allow us to keep scaling and run our farms how we want, when we want, and turn labor into a more fixed cost.”

Looking Ahead: Water and Labor Still Loom Large

For all the technological gains, two challenges remain front and center.

“Front of mind in northwest Kansas is water,” Clay says. “It’s Kansas, Nebraska, Texas — this whole Ogallala Aquifer. How we manage that moving forward massively affects how our operations run. And if you look across the nation, the big bear in the room is labor. It’s hard to get, and there’s a lot of noise around immigration.”

A Fifth Generation Steps In

Still, the McCartys remain optimistic in part because the fifth generation is already stepping into the operation, tech-savvy and ready for the challenges ahead.

“We’re trying to bring back the fifth generation,” Clay says. “We’re a pretty young group. Ken’s in his early 40s, so there’s a lot of life left in us. We’re going to have to continue to diversify and be innovative and adopt the technologies that come our way.”

(McCarty Family Farms)

A Family That Redefined What a Dairy Can Be

From a small Pennsylvania barn to a high-tech dairy powerhouse on the High Plains, the McCarty family doesn’t just operate a dairy; they redefine the possibilities of modern milk production. They blend tradition with technology, risk with resilience, and vision with action.

For their continued leadership and groundbreaking commitment to innovation, McCarty Family Farms is the 2025 Milk Business Conference Leader in Technology Award winner.

All The Details: Inside John Deere’s New F8 and F9 Forage Harvesters

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 18:20:36 GMT

John Deere is rolling out two new forage harvesters for North American dairy producers and custom harvesting operations.

The brand new F8 and F9 Series feature three factory-installed operator cab options, a technology stack that will one day enable autonomous operation, and enhanced feed quality via an integrated inoculant dosing system.

How are F8 and F9 different?
The F8 Series (425PS to 645PS) is a narrow base model that takes the place of Deere’s 8000 Series forage harvester, while the F9 Series (700PS to 1020PS) replaces the 9000 Series. Within the F9 Series is the F9 1000, which is Deere’s largest forage harvest machine to date.

(Editor’s Note: “PS” stands for Pferdestärke, which is the German term for horsepower. PS to horsepower is not an apples-to-apples equal ratio. The F9 1000, for example, features 1020PS which equates to 1,006HP, according to the manufacturer.)

The F9 is available in two engine options:

John Deere 18X (no DEF required)
Liebherr V12 24L

It has five horsepower options, while the F8 comes with the JD14X engine and can be configured across six horsepower options.

The manufacturer last rolled out completely new forage harvesters in 2019.

How much will each new model cost?

The feed rolls on John Deere’s F8 and F9 forage harvesters have integrated metal detection to keep unwanted material out of your feed.

(Matthew J. Grassi)

John Deere is not sharing its pricing just yet, but the two new models are built at its Zweibrucken, Germany, factory. John Deere dealers will begin taking orders for the aggressively styled, technology-packed harvesters this fall, with final delivery in time for the 2026 forage harvesting season.

Deere representatives declined comment on what effect, if any, the still-developing U.S.and E.U. tariff situation could have on its launch plans.

Ahead of the launch, Farm Journal went to Madison, Wisc., to kick the tires and learn all about the new machines. The F8 and F9 harvesters we viewed and climbed into were the first finished production units off the factory line. Deere says several units will be field tested with U.S. customers ahead of the full fall launch.

“We’re really excited about the new cab and the technology we’ve added to these machines like central tire inflation, ground speed automation and the new kernel processing units,” says Bergen Nelson, go-to-market manager, combines and forage harvesters.

Here’s some of what we learned about the new forage harvesters:

(Matthew J. Grassi)

Cab Comforts: The same three operator cab options offered with Deere’s X and S Series combines — Select, Premium and Ultimate — are available on the F8 and F9 Series. A smoothly swiveling captain’s chair, as well as an all-new corner post display that shows real-time machine data, are among the additions. Operators who spend long hours in the cab will also appreciate integrated entertainment like SXM Radio and an optional mini fridge.

(Matthew J. Grassi )

Foundational Deere Tech Stack: Each new forage harvester in the series includes Deere’s baseline precision tech enablement stack — which consists of its G5 display, Starfire 7500 receiver and JDLink modem.

Central Tire Inflation System: A completely new feature (top left inset photo) within the G5 display allows the operator to adjust front tire PSI up or down from the cab.

John Deere Inoculant Dosing System 2.0

(Matthew J. Grassi)

Inoculant Dosing System 2.0: New on both the F8 and F9, a high-volume 85 gallon inoculant tank and integrated pump allow the user to accurately adjust silage inoculant dosage rates from the G5 display in the cab. The system is easy to pump and prime as well with the touch of a button located at the rear of the machine.

Ground Speed Automation: This cruise control-like option reads RPMs and throttles the harvester up or down based on crop conditions. For example, harvesting corn at higher moisture levels will increase power output, so the machine will automatically slow down to ensure it doesn’t plug up or do a sub-optimal job harvesting. This feature comes standard on all base models for both series and does not require a yearly subscription unlock or per-acre fee.

Pro Touch Harvest: Another new feature within the G5 display allows the operator to shift the machine from road transport mode to harvest mode in a single click. It can also be used to quickly engage AutoTrac and ground speed automation once the operator arrives at the edge of field.

This all-new XStream 305 Kernel Processing (KP) unit is built by Scherer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

(Matthew J. Grassi)

New Kernal Processing (KP) Units: The new harvesters feature two completely redesigned KP units, the Ultimate 250 (also made in Germany) and the Scherer XStream 305, which is made in Sioux Falls, S.D. An integrated winch and internal rail mounting system makes switching the machine from corn forage to hay forage in the field quick and simple. The number signifies each KP unit’s roll diameter width in millimeters.

“Both KPs will go in both machines and have four different roll options depending on how aggressive the dairyman wants their end feed quality to be,” says Shane Campbell, product marketing manager, forage harvesters.

(Matthew J. Grassi)

Integrated Harvest Lab 3000: This on-demand constituent sensing module pulls over 4,000 samples per second with +/- 2% accuracy, and John Deere says it can save dairy operations time and money versus collecting and sending samples to a lab. The sensor tech (available as an add-on option) enables accurate measurement and documentation of dry matter, starch, protein, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber for both harvested forage and manure. The data can be stored, organized and shared via Deere’s Operations Center. Within Operations Center, users can take geo-referenced data and build out spatial starch content — as well as moisture and protein — maps for hybrid selection and fertility management. Because if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

Active Fill Control 3.0: Using sensors and cameras on the grain spout, this tech feature automatically detects the trailer or grain cart next to the forage harvester and begins filling it with a preselected fill strategy. This reduces the number of times an operator has to adjust the spout manually and also lessens fatigue and neck strain, according to Deere.

(Matthew J. Grassi)

New Operating Modes: Several of the models within the F9 Series offer what Deere is calling its “Engine Power Plus” feature — which gives a sizeable horsepower boost when the machines senses it needs a little extra chopping power to the harvesting head. There is also an ECO mode that can be toggled on when the machines don’t need the extra torque.

Ease-Of-Access: Both models have side and rear panels that easily open to grant full access to the inner workings of the machines, making the new forage harvesters much easier to service and maintain without a lift or other heavy specialized equipment. The machine is setup so techs and mechanically-minded farmers will not have to climb underneath it to perform daily maintenance.

“At the end of the day, we know it’s all about the cow, and these machines will put out quality feed,” Nelson says. “We’ll have these out at the farm shows this summer, including Farm Progress Show, World Ag Expo, World Dairy Expo and the U.S. Custom Harvesters Convention.”

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Monarch's MK-V Dairy Tractor Rolls Out Autonomous Feed Pushing

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:28:37 GMT

Monarch Tractor announces its first-in-class, fully-autonomous Autodrive feature is now commercially available on its MK-V driver-optional dairy tractor (EV or diesel) , according to a press release from the startup.

“Autonomous feed pushing offers value to dairy farmers by improving efficiency and increasing milk production,” says Praveen Penmetsa, CEO and co-founder of Monarch Tractor. “It allows the dairy farmers to focus on what matters most – the health and well-being of their animals.”

Autonomous feed pushing helps dairy farmers manage through labor shortages, and the ability to monitor feed pushing remotely while tending to other critical tasks ensures cows can be consistently fed every hour.

Additionally, the “smart tractor” is armed with Monarch’s Wingspan Ag Intelligence and WingspanAI technology stack , which tracks performance data while 360-degree cameras record video footage for real-time and historical insights. The MK-V Dairy is also a mobile power bank with 12v, 110v, and 220v plugs.

Monarch is hosting an in-person Autodrive demonstration at a working dairy on February 12, at 3 p.m. in Tulare, California, during World Ag Expo. Monarch reps and engineers will be on hand to talk to attendees and give them the opportunity to engage with the tractor. Reservations for the demonstration can be made here.

If you can’t make it to California next week, Monarch says dairy farmers can reach out and set up a demonstration at their farm.

Less Work, Better Bales: John Deere Intros Weave Automation

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 13:50:08 GMT

John Deere has launched weave automation for select round balers, according to a press release issued by the company.

Deere says this new feature helps streamline the baling process. The operator simply places the windrow between the front tires of the tractor and lets the baler do the work.

Today, round balers have gate and speed automation, which automates stopping the tractor when the bale is full sized - wrapping and ejecting the bale. The addition of weave automation allows less reliance on the operator skill to make a uniformed bale.

“Weave automation allows the baler to align with the tractor’s movements to effectively cover windrows of varying shapes and sizes,” said Kaylene Ballesteros, John Deere go-to-market manager for hay & forage equipment.

A New Process
The weaving hitch system allows a +38-degree swing from left to right, allowing for enhanced feed system and bale feeding capabilities. Not only does the automation streamline operation, it also enhances feed quality by minimizing contamination of debris introduced by driving over windrows.

Deere also says the added maneuverability of the baler allows the machine to position bales in a way that reduces the risk of rolling on uneven terrain or hillsides, increasing operator safety, productivity and efficiency.

To learn more about the John Deere Round Baler weave automation, stop by John Deere Booth 2025 at NCBA’s CattleCon, contact your local John Deere dealer or visit deere.com.

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Machinery News: John Deere Retrofit Kit, Grain Bag Baler, Telehandler Line, Alfalfa Tedder

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 18:07:14 GMT

John Deere Offers New Precision Ag Retrofit Kit

John Deere’s new Precision Essentials kit includes the following hardware (pictured left to right): a G5 or G5Plus universal display, StarFire 7500 receiver, and JDLink M or R modem.

(Photo courtesy of John Deere)

John Deere is the releasing a new precision ag hardware kit – Precision Essentials – that it says will help make advanced precision agriculture technologies accessible to farmers, growers and ranchers.

John Deere says the kit enables machine automation and provides customers the opportunity to manage their entire farm with the John Deere Operations Center. Farmers can install the retrofit kit on legacy John Deere equipment and in mixed fleets.

The Precision Essentials kit requires an annual license with four different licensing options available. Deere says the kits can be customized to fit your operation based on crop type or production system – this includes dairy and livestock operations.

For more information, visit your local John Deere dealer or JohnDeere.com

Loftness Releases 12-Foot Grain Bag Baler

Loftness now offers a 12-Foot grain bag baler that mounts to the 3-point hitch of a tractor and rolls up in 9 to 12 feet.

(Photo courtesy of Loftness. )

Loftness now offers a 12-foot grain bag baler that mounts to the three-point hitch of a tractor and rolls up 9 to 12-foot diameter bags up to 500 feet long.

The company says all functions of the 12-foot grain bag baler are hydraulically controlled, control valve levers are conveniently mounted on the unit for superior visibility of the process and an integral bag tensioner helps to keep bales tight.

The 12-foot grain bag baler is based on a 4-inch-by-4-inch steel tube frame for maximum durability. It requires two hydraulic outlets to operate.

For more information, visit Loftness.com or your local Loftness dealer.

Norden Manufacturing’s new alfalfa tedder hits the market

Norden Manufacturing’s all-new AlfaTed tedder implement.

(Photo courtesy of Norden Manufacturing.)

Norden Manufacturing says its AlfaTed implement can help farmers prepare harvested alfalfa for baling while maintaining quality. The new reel-type tedders offer higher working speeds and a reliable and gentle solution compared to typical rotary tedders, the company says.

The reel on the AlfaTed features six bars of teeth and an improved cam system. Its reel design moves the window of opportunity for tedding to later in the alfalfa dry-down cycle and promotes further dry-down with minimal leaf loss.

Visit the Norden Manufacturing booth at the National Farm Machinery Show next week for more information.

T-L Irrigation Celebrates 70 years in Irrigation Systems Business

T-L Irrigation Co. (Hastings, Neb.,) is celebrating its 70th year of supplying irrigation solutions to farmers. The company was founded in 1955 by LeRoy Thom and is still family owned and operated, with David Thom serving as company president. T-L distributes irrigation machinery and products throughout the U.S. and in 87 countries worldwide.

Starting as a supplier of irrigation equipment, the company took its first step into manufacturing with the purchase of an aluminum pipe tube mill to make pipe for gravity irrigation. In 1969 came the first T-L Irrigation pivot — a novel hydrostatic drive-powered pivot in a marketplace flooded by water, hydraulic and electric-drive systems. The technology continues to be the cornerstone of the extensive T-L product lineup.

According to the company, every piece of T-L Irrigation equipment is tested on Thom family farms and must rise to their standards before the company offers it to farmers.

Click here to read more on the company’s history.

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5 Tech Companies Embracing Electrification, Autonomy

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 20:25:36 GMT

Tractors and robots powered by electrification and autonomously tasked using Artificial Intelligence were without a doubt the main points of emphasis among the handful of farm tech companies exhibiting at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Here’s a brief rundown of what some ag tech and ag tech adjacent companies showed off:

John Deere – After wowing attendees last year with a remotely operated tractor exhibit where users stopped and started a large 8RX tractor doing tillage work thousands of miles away at Deere’s Austin, Texas, test farm, the manufacturer extended its autonomous capabilities across a wider breadth of its machine portfolio to include lower horsepower tractors and autonomous spraying technologies for tree, fruit, and nut growers , as well as an autonomous lawn mower for commercial landscapers and a massive articulated yellow-and-black dump truck for construction firms. Deere also debuted a 130 hp, fully electric battery powered, autonomous-ready concept tractor at the show.

RELATED: John Deere Introducing Next Generation Perception Autonomy Kits

Behold, the hustle and bustle of John Deere’s CES booth:
Kubota – the Japanese firm captured a CES Innovation Award for its KATR robot (video clip below), a four-wheeled all terrain, multi-functional field robot that maintains a level deck across rugged terrain and operates autonomously and in “follow me” mode to help specialty crop producers get more done in a day. However the stars of the show at the Kubota booth, in this author’s humble opinion, were Flash, a plant health imagery solution that uses AI for analysis, and the Smart Plant Imager that bolts onto the top of the KATR robot and enables acquisition of hyperspectral plant health data in real-time. Both products spit back management recommendations to help high value crop growers know where to focus management and labor efforts to make the biggest impacts on yield and quality. Also new this year: the Agri Concept 2.0 autonomous tractor that debuted last year at CES has been outfitted with an operator cab, giving farmers the choice between direct oversight or autonomous tasking.

Spoiler Alert: Those peach baskets don’t fall off or spill. Good job, KATR:
Kioti – the South Korean midsize equipment innovator displayed a multi-functional, modular field robot it is calling the AI Agri Robot RT 100 (pictured top of page). Electrically driven and featuring three driving modes – manual, follow me, and fully autonomous, the helper robot can be outfitted with an orchard spray kit to apply pesticides into the plant canopy as it travels between permanent crop rows. Kioti also showed off a fully electric RX 7340 smart tractor (video clip below) that features integrated soil sensing technology that measures soil moisture, organic matter, and other soil health metrics and sends that data up through the AWS cloud for processing and then back to the grower’s preferred FMIS solution, helping provide the farmer with greater insight into soil conditions in real-time.

That’s an eye-catching small utility tractor, I must say. And it’s “Smart” - beauty and brains:
Caterpillar – The heavy equipment manufacturer kicked off its 100-year anniversary at CES. Like its ag industry brethren, Cat debuted solutions around electrification and autonomy, starting with the center piece of its booth: a gigantic, electrified 55,000-pound Cat 972 Wheel Loader (pictured top of page). Cat also featured its Cat Command autonomous live remote operation capability (video clip below) by having CES attendees sit in a pilot seat and take the controls of an excavator located on a job site in Tijuana Hills, Arizona.

Space-age technology coming soon to a rock quarry near you. Freddy Flintstone and Barney Rubble approved:
The future is here: you can finally put your lazy, do-nothing barn roof to work generating free power from the sun for your electrified machines! Very cool.
(Matthew J. Grassi )

Jackery – With all of the focus on electrification from the ag side at CES, it makes sense to look at what solutions are out there for portable, sustainable power generation and storage. Jackery made a big splash with its lightweight, portable solar generators and collapsible solar panels, and an even bigger hit its solar roof shingle technology (pictured inset). One can imagine a future where growers with electric machines decide to replace their barn roof with solar roof shingles to capture all of that energy from the sun and use it to power power electrified equipment around the farm. Something tells me that Jackery is going to be relevant in the ag world should the shift to electrification continue on at the farm gate.

Stay tuned to AgWeb.com for more ongoing coverage of what we saw and heard at CES 2025 in the days and weeks ahead!

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A Farmer Can Dream, Right? Tesla Robots As the Farm Labor Force of the Future?

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 17:35:58 GMT

With a visual form ripped straight from a skin-crawl inducing robot thriller, Tesla’s new AI-bot, Optimus, is eliciting strong reactions from tech advocates and flip-phone touting technophobes.

Let’s indulge our imaginations for just a second and imagine how a farmer could put one of Musk’s $20,000 helper robots to work around the family farm in, say, the year 2040. I use 2040 because, even though the prototypes in the video below look awesome, it turns out the AI behind it needs more work before any farmer would feel safe setting a squad of them loose on the farm.

Our own Clinton Griffiths was also inspired by Optimus’ unveiling. In his upcoming column in the November issue of Farm Journal, Clinton gets right to the heart of the issue, and that’s whether the bots will pan out on the farm?

The real test, he writes, “will be whether it can keep its glossy finish motoring along regardless of whether or not the field is mud-free.”

I couldn’t agree more, Clinton. Serving up fancy drinks during an unveiling party on a glitzy Hollywood film studio lot is one thing. Standing up to all the dust and heat and tough conditions of your average farm or ranch is a different beast altogether.

In that vein, we offer up the following farm chore list Optimus can take over from here on out.

No, seriously Opti, you don’t need our permission. Just go ahead and take care of these few little things every single day for the rest of time, and we’ll be off, I don’t know, fishing at the lake with the kids, rocking on the front porch, or something.

Farm equipment maintenance tech
Director of crop protection jug disposal
Backpack spraying around-the-clock weed warrior
Chief grain bin inspector
Head ladder climber
Irrigation pivot inspector general
Head high in July crop scout
Pig loader and unloader extraordinaire
Master bottle mixer and calf feeder

Now that you’ve read my list, I’m curious how you would use a robot that walks, talks and moves like a real human (and never gets tired, bored or spends 20 minutes staring at its phone) on your farm? or click

Share your robot wish list by clicking the green “Respond Here” button or click here .

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Vermeer Details Alliance With UK Spreader Firm Bunning

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 14:43:10 GMT

Vermeer announces an alliance with G.T. Bunning & Sons Ltd, a UK-based manure spreader manufacturing firm.

The partnership integrates Bunning spreaders into Vermeer’s hay, forage and livestock equipment lineup.

“This alliance is a natural extension of our commitment to keeping farmers and ranchers productive and efficient,” said Shane Rourke, managing director, Vermeer Forage Solutions. “By combining Vermeer forage expertise and our dealer network with Bunning’s 40-year legacy in spreader technology, we’re positioned to offer equipment that truly meets producer needs.”

Photo of the Bunning family (second, third, and fourth from left) with Jason Andringa (far right) and Mindi Vanden Bosch (far left).

(Photo courtesy of Vermeer)

Bunning brings valuable experience to the partnership, Vermeer says, and both companies share a vision for meeting farmer and rancher needs through innovation and have parallel histories of quality, innovation and customer-focused solutions.

“This collaboration underscores both companies’ commitment to supporting agricultural operations of all sizes with innovative solutions that can help improve productivity and streamline operations,” said Chris Druce, sales director, Bunning.

The initial product line will feature spreaders from 300 ft to 1,400 ft (8.5 m3 to 40 m3).

Read the full release over at AgNewsWire.

Don’t Miss These Popular Smart Farming Week Stories

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 22:29:00 GMT

Farm Journal’s Smart Farming Week is an annual week-long emphasis on innovation in agriculture. The goal is to encourage you to explore and prioritize the technology, tools and practices that will help you farm smarter. Innovation today ensures an efficient, productive and sustainable tomorrow.

As you read these words, our first Smart Farming Week (powered by Farm Journal) is drawing close to wrapping up (we’ll have more content rolling out on AgWeb.com and elsewhere on Saturday), and Saint Patrick’s Day and the promise of another spring planting season lie precariously around the bend.

From the sales team to our AgDay TV broadcast crew to the entire editorial team (spanning our full breadth of Farm Journal brands), as well as to all of the folks that work in the background (Audience Development, Marketing, Administration – apologies if I have forgotten anyone!), it has truly been a concerted all hands-on-deck team effort these last five days to focus on sharing impactful stories about technology and the evolution of what we now refer to as Smart Farming.

As Farm Journal’s technology and machinery editor, I think I can speak for the greater team here and offer our sincere collective hope that you’ve enjoyed this first iteration of Smart Farming Week. We intend to make this content push a regular service to you, the reader, and as such we’ll meet soon as a team to go over what worked, what didn’t, and where we see this project going in the near term. Just as farmers are always evaluating and adjusting and striving to do better, we do our best to siphon some of that determined spirit into our own huddles and weekly Zoom meetings.

We also have another focused Farm Journal content push in the works and coming soon, our Next Gen Spotlight Series Week. And, of course we think you should stick with us all year as we’ll continue to cover Smart Farming news and stories in perpetuity.

Below is a quick recap of some of the most viewed pieces of Smart Farming Week content thus far in case you missed something and would like to catch up. And if you have any ideas for future Smart Farming stories, be it in print, digital, or even for the broadcast crew, please reach out via email to Mgrassi@farmjournal.com and share those with me.

Hoping you all have a restful and fun weekend!

-Matthew J. Grassi

Dairy Farm Sustainability Through Technological Innovation

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 12:00:00 GMT

By Stuart Taylor: Canterbury, New Zealand

Cows outnumber Kiwis here in New Zealand. It’s close, but there are more dairy cows than there are people in our country.

The big herds are fine with us because their production drives much of our economy. New Zealand may look isolated on a map, adrift in the south Pacific Ocean, but we are a trading nation that constantly exchanges goods and services with the rest of the world—and about a quarter of our exports come from dairy farms.

As we continue to build our country’s dairy production, we’re also determined to lead the way in sustainability through technological innovation. Our future depends on it.

Cows generate methane, which contributes to the rising temperatures of climate change. Dairy farmers in New Zealand, therefore, have an obligation to come up with creative solutions to this problem.

We think we have found one, thanks to EcoPond, a treatment system that removes almost all the methane emissions from effluent ponds.

An ordinary dairy cow on a typical day produces about 70 liters of effluent, which is a euphemism for waste, which is a euphemism for words that I’m not going to print.

Traditionally, a cow’s effluent flows into a stabilization pond , where it receives treatment before its release. On our farm, we use much of this liquid to feed our soil.

This process works well, but one of the byproducts of effluent ponds is the release of methane into the atmosphere. So effluent ponds can create a challenge—but they also represent an opportunity to do better.

In a research breakthrough driven by a collaboration between farmers and scientists, a co-op called Ravensdown partnered with professors at Lincoln University on New Zealand’s South Island to create EcoPond , a product that could transform effluent treatment everywhere. We’re one of two dairy farms that are now experimenting with EcoPond. Ours has 1,100 cows and exclusively produces milk.

The concept of EcoPond is simple. It intercepts effluent as it drains out of a cowshed and pumps it into a mixing coil, where it receives an injection of iron sulfate. Then the effluent flows into what by outward appearances is a standard effluent pond. But this is an effluent pond with an important difference: The iron sulfate makes it impossible for microorganisms to emit methane.

“What we found is the EcoPond technology can reduce methane emissions by 99.9 percent,” says Hong Di, a scholar of soil and environmental science at Lincoln University.

He adds, with a smile: “We’re still working on the 0.1 percent. We’ll get there.”

EcoPond delivers additional benefits. It reduces the leaching of phosphate and E. coli by 90 percent or more. It improves the carbon content of our soil. And it even smells better than a traditional effluent pond.

It’s also easy to operate. After setting it up, farmers don’t have to give it much attention. The system monitors iron sulfate levels on its own and makes necessary adjustments.

For all its advantages, however, EcoPond is only a partial solution to the challenge of cutting methane, which has many sources on dairy farms, including cow burps.

We’ve discovered during our trial period that EcoPond wipes out about 8 percent of our total methane emissions. This is an excellent result, but not a complete strategy, as we’re aiming to cut emissions by 35 percent by 2035. We’ll need to look beyond our effluent ponds to achieve the next 27 percent.

I’m confident that we can get there, but I also expect to try a lot of methods. One is to alter the mix of microorganisms that assist with digestion in the bellies of cows. Right now, these bugs emit significant amounts of methane. By changing the diets of cows, we will be able to maintain their nutrition and cut methane emissions at the same time.

Separately, we’re trying to improve our sustainability by shifting away from electric power and taking up renewables such as solar and hydro.

For now, we’re pleased with the start that EcoPond has given us—and confident that new technologies can build upon this success and take us the rest of the way.

Stuart Taylor is a dairy farmer, managing the dairy and grazing operations for Craigmore Sustainables in Canterbury and North Otago, New Zealand. Stuart is a member of the Global Farmer Network. This column originates at www.globalfarmernetwork.org

Shark Tank Eyes Hottest Agriculture Technology

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:17:20 GMT

Want to peek behind the curtain at tomorrow’s hottest farming technology? Look no further than agriculture’s shark tank.

Pedal to the floor and tires smoking, AgLaunch provided a lively shark tank-type forum for 15 vanguard technologies covering all facets of agriculture on March 2 in Memphis, Tenn. Steered by Pete Nelson, AgLaunch president, 15 burgeoning companies offered a glimpse of the best and brightest new tech headed to farmland.

“The foundation of our program is connecting early-stage agtech companies with farmers to help inform product development and become engaged in the scale up of the company and farmers get a tangible benefit in being a partner in the company,” said Pete Nelson, president and executive director of AgLaunch. “All of the companies that presented are part of the AgLaunch portfolio and are being considered for further investment and are participating in field trials this summer with assistance from Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s pilot cost share program.”

The innovations were presented to two panels composed of producers from the AgLaunch Farmer Network, Innova Memphis investment group, and agriculture industry professionals. In order of appearance:

Persistence Data Mining (PDM) is a replacement for grid soil sampling and lab sample processing. PDM utilizes UAVs and hyperspectral imaging. PDM president and ninth-generation producer Penny Nagel says grid soil sampling doesn’t compare to the speed and efficiency of PDM: “We’re wasting money with excessive fertilizer. Persistence data mining provides more data sets per acre, enabling farmers to make much better decisions. It’s so much faster and everything is done right in the field.”

Hintech Ag’s Decimator can chew through corn stubble and save producers tremendous dollars in tire replacement and downtime, according to Ted Hinton , certified crop advisor and president of Hintech Ag.

Hintech Ag’s solution is the bolt-on Decimator, which splinters stalks and extracts root balls. A large, metal-veined cylinder containing a solid cylinder, the Decimator traps corn stubble between the veins and inner cylinder creating a crush point to destroy or dislodge the stalk. “It’s highly effective in mitigating tire damage, extracting root balls and enhancing residue decomposition,” Hinton says.

Stable’N is a highly economical nitrogen stabilizer using an electrical field to treat soil. Designed by southeastern Illinois producer Bryan Tomm , Stable’N was a finalist for the 2017 Tulane Nitrogen Reduction Challenge’s $1 million grand prize. “I knew we could control the bacterial process with electricity and be cheaper and more effective,” he says.

Stable’N can be applied as a retrofit to fertilizer equipment and bolts on to the coulters, Tomm explains: “Including equipment costs, it’s about $1 per acre.”

Newton RFID’s EquipassID offers immediate access to mandatory and vital horse records via a microchip. The instant information enables a horse owner or veterinarian to eliminate the paper trail during transfers or travel. “EquipassID is entirely digitized, and allows management of vital health information and indemnification documents,” explains Mark Johnson, president of Newton RFID.

EquipassID is energized by a reader that wakes up the device to add or extract information. “All data can be updated with smartphone app,” Johnson adds.

Global AgSmarte’s SmarteRoot treats irrigation water with radio frequency to make it more soluble and absorbable. Water treated by SmarteRoot leads to larger root mass, greater overall plant growth and higher yield, according to Global AgSmarte representative Justin Tomlinson : “We use multiple frequencies and directly inject our radio frequency so we have maximum efficiency.”

“SmarteRoot goes with any type irrigation system. The technology can increase nutrient uptake and foliage, build stress resistance, and increase yield from 10% to 20%,” Tomlinson concludes.

AgriSync is a collaboration platform between farmers and industry advisors to diminish down time, reduce costs of service, and scale expertise. Free for farmers, AgriSync centralizes immediate support, real-time video, alerts and more.

“AgriSync is a free, simple-to-use tool for farmers to get the best support and collaboration from the experts they work with every day,” says cofounder Jerrod Westfahl .

Rantizo is a cutting-edge technology delivering chemicals precisely where needed using an electrostatic sprayer via UAV application. A different paradigm from traditional spraying, UAVs are loaded with cartridges only containing the active chemical ingredient. “This sprayer charges the liquid and that leads to even, low-levels of coating, as low as 1 oz. per acre,” says Michael Ott , cofounder of Rantizo.

“This can revolutionize spraying,” Ott adds. “We can mount a low payload on a drone and spot-spray a field. The wrap-around also has the benefit that spray sticks to leaves and doesn’t go to ground, water or a neighbor’s field.”

Skycision combines drone and satellite imagery to specify exact areas of crop stress. Skycision CEO Brendan Carroll says specialty crop growers lose 3-4% of yield each year to undetected pests or disease: “Skycision can save them 50% of the loss. Infestations happen to everyone, but our technology let’s a grower react before pest of disease loss can spread and have a cataclysmic impact.”

AgHelp addresses labor shortages and logistical issues with a digital platform aimed at collaboration and communication. Ivan Paredes , AgHelp representative, says the system is mutually beneficial to both farmers and hired workers: “It’s a big benefit for farm employers to source workers nationally and this is cheaper than posting an advertisement. This is streamlined for everyone. A farm worker can travel freely knowing where a job is located. AgHelp will be more effective than anything on the market.”

SwineTech’s SmartGuard targets millions of piglets accidentally crushed by mother sows each year. A monitor protects piglets by listening for the squeal frequency emitted by a trapped piglet, and delivers a mild shock to the sow via a wearable adhesive, causing the sow to stand. “About 22.5 billion pounds of is lost each year,” explains SwineTech founder Matthew Rooda . “This pops the momma to get up with about two-fifths the strength of a dog collar shock, and is like a Fitbit for pigs.”

MicroBiometer moves the soil testing from the lab to the smartphone. The device allows a producer or advisor to estimate microbial biomass in 10 minutes for a tenth of typical lab costs, according to Judith Fitzpatrick , founder of MicroBiometer. Results can be read with a smartphone or tablet app. “For $15 you can tell if you’re improving your soil and check the results with a cellphone,” Fitzpatrick says. “MicroBiometer is soil health in the palm of your hand.”

HarvestYield is digitally simplifying custom application and harvesting at all levels with software that eliminates paperwork through a web- and mobile-based application that covers activity from dispatching to invoicing. “We focus exclusively on custom farming and we’re changing the entire process to make it so much easier for everyone involved,” says Juan Figuera , cofounder of HarvestYield.

Kilimo is a digital accounting system for water and decision support tool for irrigation management. Using satellite, climate and on-site data, Kilimo feeds a proprietary big data engine to create an irrigation prescription for each crop, improving yields up to 3% and water use efficiency up to 70%, according to Jairo Trad , CEO of Kilimo. “We know how much water you have initially, and then we measure everything, including how much you use, along with weather data,” Kilimo explains. “We show up twice during the season to show you our ratings are correct. No sensors are involved.”

Rabbit Tractors weigh only a quarter as much as normal-sized tractors and operate in autonomous swarms. A simple design utilizes widely available parts as components come apart in light sections, enabling farmers to fix equipment in the field, according to Zack James , founder of Rabbit Tractors. “Running three units instead of one is a better business model and provides far more versatility. In addition, better use of precision technology requires smaller equipment and that’s what we’ve got,” he notes.

EarthSense places herbicide resistance in the crosshairs of autonomous rovers that attack weeds with non-chemical weapons. Weighing less than 30 lbs., fully automated rovers are capable of traveling below the canopy for weed removal and crop scouting. “This is an ultralight, autonomous weed killer and we’re testing different types of cutting blades. It will be capable of staying in the field for the entire crop season,” says Chinmay Soman , cofounder of EarthSense.

And the Winner is…

Rantizo spray technology received top ranking from the judge’s panel, followed by a tie for second place between EarthSense and Kilimo . For more information, see AgLaunch .

Big Ideas Born in the Field

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 04:16:40 GMT

Farmers Upfront

The teams at AgLaunch and AgVentures Alliance are assembling a network of farmers from the Mid-South through the Midwest to link together precommercial startups with farmers who can provide their acres, data and insights.

“We’ve all bought something that after we used it, we discovered it wasn’t near what it was thought to be,” says Johnny Dodson, a Tennessee farmer and adviser to AgLaunch. “That’s everything from the electronic gadgets to seed production — it’s all of the above.”

On his farm, Dodson navigates the balance between product promise and real-world potential.

“I know there are a lot of ideas out there. Agriculture is full of ingenuity. We need to not only kick the tires but have dialogue and build trust,” he says.

In this new model, the incubation process for new ideas is proving there is more than bushels to be gained; it’s equity to be shared.

Entrepreneurs benefit from the feedback farmers share for product development. More than two dozen startups have advanced their ideas in this network. In addition, more than $40 million in investment capital has been raised, and more than 100 jobs have been created.

Gaining traction, this new model puts farmers in the driver’s seat.

“We’re catapulting ideas forward through alignment with the farmer,“ says Pete Nelson, executive director at AgLaunch. He says digital and biological technologies need access to farmers to build, prove and scale.

“Fully invigorating the potential for aligned capital from the farm community will take this to the next level,“ he says.

Bankable ideas

One mechanism specifically designed to help springboard technologies closer to farmers is a 2002 farm bill program called Rural Business Investment Company (RBIC), says Matt McKenna, former USDA senior advisor.

USDA licenses newly formed for-profit entities as RBICs, which then use the equity raised to make venture capital investments mostly in smaller businesses.

“There is so much liquidity in the system, but the difficulty comes with scale,” says McKenna, now a principal at Open Prairie, and a board member at Innova, both USDA-certified RBIC funds. “Most investments in rural America are smaller-sized, and RBICs are a vehicle that allow money to find its way to those investments.”

Since its formation, seven RBICs have raised more than $800 million in private capital, primarily from a group of a dozen Farm Credit banks.

The additional benefit of the technology development taking place on farms is the resulting rural economic development.

“We see our small towns fading away,” says Scott Fullen, Tennessee farmer and AgLaunch network member. “What if we can change that? If we can get some of those technology companies to build in our rural incubation network, it can help everyone.”

Think of it as a circular cycle: startups bring ideas to farmers, farmers help startups develop their products, startups raise money and set up headquarters close to their small-town customers.

It’s that proximity to the end user helping fuel this idea. “The closer you are to the farmer, the more likely your idea will find success,” McKenna says.

Businesses Born On the Farm For the Farm

DIY Irrigation App Saves Time, Labor, Fuel and Stress

Nathan Holmes was sick of waking at 2 a.m. in a cold sweat: had he turned off a particular well pump on his farm. Maybe? Maybe not? Weary of fighting a logistical nightmare, Missouri row-crop farmer Holmes initially created a DIY smartphone remedy solely for his operation, and then partnered with a tech company to take the solution to market. The result is PumpTrakr, a simple and low-cost irrigation app that manages pump locations, activity, fuel, maintenance and more.

Read More at AgWeb.com/PumpTrakr

A Digital Solution for Farm Labor Bottlenecks

Kevin Johansen saw a trend — producers were using social media to find part-time help. As a fifth-generation Missouri producer, he had felt the labor pinch himself. Through a little brainstorming, the idea for a mobile app, AgButler, was born. The mission is simple: connect employers to laborers. Johansen and his team connected with a developer and built a demo in September 2018. Favorable reviews and rankings in ag tech competitions, as well as being awarded a grant help seed their finances and business plan. Now available in app stores, AgButler includes jobs in crop, livestock, transportation and construction industries.

Read More at AgWeb.com/AgButler

Manure Opens Doors for Family Farm to Expand

Get a load of this — manure management provided one family with the opportunity to create a new business. Zimmerman Manufacturing started with the clear goal to use manure nutrients better. Raymond Zimmerman of Cantril, Iowa, created the Contour King Swivel for a way to inject manure faster, smarter and more precisely than products without the attachment. The business started in partnership with a local dealer. Today they have dealers from the Midwest to the East Coast.

Read More at AgWeb.com/ZimmermanManufacturing

To hear AgLaunch experts share how you can leverage data, expertise and acres for new technology, visit AgWeb.com/AgLaunch

$1 Million Training Center Opened by DeLaval in Kansas City

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 04:56:32 GMT

DeLaval debuted a newly renovated facility in Kansas City, Missouri that will serve as a training facility for the dairy manufacturing company with a specialization in robotics and food safety.

Renovations at the DeLaval Training Center totaled $1 million and offer a home to train service technicians and dairy farmers in the use of the brand new Voluntary Milking System VMS V300 .

“This project is the culmination and ultimate example of our leadership and competence in the dairy industry as a whole,” says Fernando Cuccioli, DeLaval Regional President, North America. “We’re looking forward to not only hosting our own staff members and dealers here, but also producers and other industry specialists, such as veterinarians and nutritionists.”

The Dairy Management Advisory (DMA) training program will be based at the center where work with the three new VMS V300 robotics units and the Herd Navigator will be offered. Herd Navigator is an analysis system that detects both pregnancies and herd health issues such as mastitis and ketosis.

Each year more than 400 students are trained by DeLaval for service maintenance, installation and troubleshooting. The company has 22 trainers total, 13 of whom specialize in robotics.

“The training center really came together quite quickly,” Cuccioli says. “It’s something we began planning over a year ago, but the bulk of the work took place in the last six months.”

DeLaval will continue to operate a training center in Waunakee, Wisconsin that will serve as a facility for VMS Classic training.

Also housed at the Kansas City facility will be DeLaval Cleaning Solutions, which offers a food safety aspect to the training center. The facility will provide training for cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting applications for all dairy, food, and beverage processing industries. There will also be equipment to work with on-site in a training course that exists for food safety through the DeLaval Cleaning Solutions Academy.

“With ever-increasing concerns from consumers about their food, it’s so important to us that our trainings here have a heavy focus on food safety,” says Steve Harris, sales director for DeLaval Cleaning Solutions.

The DeLaval Training Center is housed in an existing facility on the companies Kansas City campus that was already home to distribution, administrative functions and research and development

“We believe the training center will foster excellence in technology and food safety throughout the dairy industry, not just within DeLaval, and we are prepared and excited to get our trainings underway and echo this expertise across North America,” Cuccioli adds.

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