Software-Apps

The AI Advantage: How 1 Million Enrolled Acres in 10 Days Signals a New Era for Farm Financial Management

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:47:08 GMT

In a landscape where margins are tight and market volatility is the norm, the “rearview mirror” approach to farm accounting is no longer enough. On a recent episode of the Top Producer Podcast, Shay Foulk of Ag View Solutions sat down with Paul Neiffer to discuss how artificial intelligence and new software integrations are fundamentally changing what it means to manage a farm business.

The message is resonating. According to a recent announcement from the company, the newly launched Farm Profit Manager platform surpassed one million acres enrolled by producers in just 10 days—reaching 500 users across 23 states.

This milestone highlights a major shift in the industry: a move away from manual data entry and toward real-time management powered by AI. Here is what this digital evolution means for your operation.

Real-Time Decisions, Not Just Tax Records

Historically, farm financial tools were often just a place to store numbers for the end of the year. Foulk argues that the next generation of software is designed to help you make decisions today, not just analyze what happened last year.

“The tool will tell you numbers, you can get the numbers right seven ways to Sunday, but what matters is the decisions that you make out of it,” Foulk says. By moving away from rigid Excel spreadsheets to AI-driven platforms, farmers gain clear visibility into their true cost per acre and per unit.

Featuring 20 reporting tools, Farm Profit Manager generates your farm:

cash flow
balance sheet
lender report
and more

“These are things that farms would spend days doing or they just wouldn’t do, frankly,” Foulk says.

Breaking Down Barriers: The “No-Frills” Free Model

To ensure producers can control their numbers without expensive barriers, Ag View Solutions has made the core Farm Profit Manager platform available at no cost.

“Farmers have been asking for exactly this—a trusted, no-frills tool that doesn’t lock them into expensive subscriptions,” says Foulk. “In ten short days we have seen overwhelming confirmation that producers want control of their numbers without barriers.”

To save time on clerical work, the software offers optional paid integrations to automate the “meat and potatoes” of data entry via:

John Deere Ops Center (Machinery and field data)
QuickBooks Online (Financial records)
Plaid (Banking and transaction data)

Strengthening the Advisory Team

Lenders and market advisors famously dislike surprises. The ability to share specific, permitted data points instantly changes the dynamic of the advisory relationship.

“Think of the power that that can have to improve that relationship [with lenders],” Foulk points out. The platform is designed to help farmers connect their entire advisory team—from bankers to marketing advisors—to the same real-time data, enabling better-informed decisions for the business.

Building a “Virtual Board of Directors”

Perhaps the most innovative application is the use of AI agents to act as a sounding board. By uploading farm data into secure models, farmers can create specialized “agents” to provide feedback on HR, marketing, or CFO-level decisions.

“AI is kind of the next step in that progression in my opinion,” Foulk says. “It’s here. And you’re either using it or you’re not. Do you want to take your horse to school or do you want to drive an automobile? That’s where we’re at with AI.”

How to Get Started with AI

You don’t need a degree in computer science to begin using these tools. According to Foulk, the best way to stay competitive is simply to start experimenting.

“Stop Googling things is my recommendation,” Foulk advises. “Get into one of the tools—free version, 20 bucks a month, 100 bucks a month, I mean, whatever it is. Learn how they operate, learn how they can benefit your business.”

What’s on the Horizon?

The rapid adoption of Farm Profit Manager is just the start. The platform plans to expand internationally into Europe, Australia, and South America, with a livestock-focused version slated for release by 2027. An Enterprise version for agribusinesses is also in development to help firms support their producer clients directly.

Farm Business In 2026: Relationship First, Digital Convenience Second

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:48:23 GMT

Based on the 2026 State of the Farm data, farmers aren’t looking to replace their advisers with algorithms; instead, they want digital tools that remove the friction from the business side of their operation. The State of the Farm Report is prepared by Bushel with the goal of illuminating trends in three things:

Farmer tech use
Payment trends
Supply chain

The most recent survey had 1358 respondents, and here are some of the key takeaways for farmers and agribusiness.

Killing The Trope of The Technology Adverse Farmer

The survey has been conducted since 2018, first by FarmLogs, which was acquired by Bushel. As Julia Eberhart explains, the overall takeaway of the survey from every year has been farmers are not resistant to technology adoption.

“Year after year, we’ve tracked the same data point—farmers’ willingness to adopt tech. And overwhelmingly the data shows farmers are willing to adopt. But we still have this stereotype that agribusiness says farmers won’t use it. And we see across all age groups, we see a willingness to try new technologies,” she says.

Eberhart points to key tenets to pull out from the results in how farmers prefer to do business.

“It’s valuable to both agribusiness and farmers,” she says.

Artificial Intelligence Has Arrived

While in early days of adoption, the survey proves farmer use of AI has broken through with 14% of respondents say they use AI tools on the farm today.

“20% of who said yes, had more than 5,000 acres,” Eberhart says explaining that perhaps larger scale operations are adopting the technology at an earlier pace. Adoption of AI is highest for respondents under 60 years old.

Using AI is an indicator for tech-savvy farmers as 70% of AI users from the study are also “willing to experiment with new technologies,” compared to 42% of the other respondents.

And 11% of respondents say they are unsure, which Eberhart could be a reflection of farmers acknowledging how AI is embedded in much of the software they use but they don’t directly engage with the AI.

What Does This Mean for Ag Service Providers?

Per the State of the Farm, technology enhances but does not replace relationships, interactions, and payments/transactions.

“It’s about how to make doing business easy,” Eberhart says.

She says to win the farmer’s business in 2026, ag retailers must empower their agronomists with tools to build loyalty, offer a mobile or web platform so farmers can easily review prices and quotes on their own time, and provide flexible, integrated financing options alongside traditional check payments.

The Differentiator Lies in the Relationship

In 2025, when Bushel asked “If the price is equal, what is the primary reason you purchase inputs from one retailer over another?”, 52.3% pointed to the “Relationship with staff & overall customer service.” In 2026, that number jumped up 8% to nearly 60%.

If you’re assuming younger farmers only want to interact through screens, the data shows the opposite–85% of farmers under 40 cite the relationship with the staff and overall customer service as their primary reason for choosing a retailer—the highest of any demographic.

Another demographic-driven trend is farms over 2,000 acres show a higher preference for text messaging and digital business. However, farms less than 500 acres show a preference to handle business in person.

In-Person Trust Bridged with Digital Convenience

“Farmers are more willing to share data than they themselves recognize,” Eberhart says. “Year after year, data sharing is rooted in who provides value, what relationship they are having, and who is providing easier ways to be sharing it.”

Farmers are most likely to share data when applying for a loan, with their bankers and accountants, as well as crop insurance providers.

“Those three are by far they are getting the most data sharing for good reason,” Eberhart says.

When it comes to input purchasing and service orders with ag retail, there is a nuanced shift. Farmers still highly value talking to their agronomist, but they want the actual transaction process to be much easier.

Digital Quoting

The end goal of “frictionless business” includes the final checkout. The Bushel research points out while the preference for how a farmer submits their order has remained relatively stable year-over-year, their expectations for what happens before the order has changed.

“Farmers are increasingly adopting digital tools to manage their broader operation, and they are bringing those consumer-level expectations to their retailer,” Eberhart says.

As such, farmers are seeking:

Customized quotes
Product availability transparency
Price comparison tools

And much of that product information available when convenient to them on a portal or a digital storefront.

Support Traditional Payments While Expanding Financing

Eberhart says the State of the Farm has shown how 80% of agribusiness and farmer transaction is done by paper check.

“Over the years, we’ve seen steady growth of digital tools, and reliance on checks being reduced by 1% to 2% every year,” she says.

She says this emphasizes to meet farmers where they are at while simultaneously making it easier for staff to have simplified processes.

Two other financial trends have been in retail supplied financing and farmer credit card use—illustrating how farmers are seeking flexible payment options and new financing or credit programs.

In 2022, over 20% of farmers said they used a credit card to pay for their crop inputs, which fell to 8% in 2024, and then most recently in 2026 2.6% of farmers said they used credit cards.

At the same time, ag retailer financing products have doubled their use since 2022—going from 4.5% to 9%. And 17.3% of farmers said in 2026 they were using operating lines of credits for input purchases.

Key to Business in 2026

Per the Bushel report, the winning formula for ag service providers in 2026 and beyond is clear: Use digital tools to handle the paperwork so your team has more time to handle the handshake.

4 Ways to Use Artificial Intelligence to Give Your Farm A New Edge

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:01:00 GMT

Artificial Intelligence tools are at our fingertips and are amazingly efficient at what they do. Let me give you a few examples.

1. From Spreadsheets to Custom Apps

Our flagship Farm Profit Manager tool has always been Excel-based. It is easy to use, people like the format and it is visually appealing. Then Sam and Mack on the Ag View Solutions team spent a few days building an online app. The best part? We’ve made it completely free — with the help of AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT. We can see the real value continues to be in the consulting relationship and the decisions it drives, not just the software. So we spent a few hundred dollars on something that would have cost tens of thousands — or even hundreds of thousands — with a traditional development team. Amazing, when you think about it.

Free Management Tool: Farm Profit Manager is now completely free! Click here for the online tool or spreadsheet.

2. The $20-a-Month Software Developer

A wide range of tools are available to make this happen — Claude, ChatGPT, Grok and Copilot are some of the major ones. Upload a spreadsheet and give it a prompt like: “I want you to build an amazing UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) for this tool. Make it a web-based app I can run on my phone or computer. Fix any errors and make sure it is polished.” Give it a few minutes and watch as it writes code and builds the app right in front of you. You may need a few tweaks, but the results will be remarkably good.

3. Automate the Mundane

Think of every mundane paperwork task you do and ask yourself if AI can do it better. I scanned all of my corn load tickets into a single file, uploaded it to Claude and told it to build me a spreadsheet of all loads to reconcile against my payouts. I proofread, made a few minor adjustments and reconciled 100 loads in 30 minutes — with a clean document to reference in the future. That would’ve taken me half a day in the office before.

4. Your Instant Digital Assistant

Connect Claude Cowork or Microsoft Copilot to your documents. Connect your documents into a smart filing system that can learn your operation and serve as your instant assistant.

A few other practical applications:

Build your own board of advisers
Finally build that farm website
Create a strategic plan for your farm (email me for the tool)

Pro Tip: Download a tool like Wispr Flow — just push a button, speak to your phone or computer, and it transcribes your prompt perfectly. Hit ‘go’ and watch Claude or any of these tools build amazing things.

The future is now — learn these tools, or your operation will get left behind.

Elevated Expenses and Supply Chain Risks Weigh on Crop Protection Outlook

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 15:52:21 GMT

In its annual crop protection market report , FBN highlights its outlook for pricing and supply trends.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty going into 2026, and you can contrast that to 2025, where tariffs were mostly known going into the spring,” says John Appel, FBN vice president of category management. “2026 is going to be structurally different. We saw that in 2025, at certain points, product prices were at multi-year lows, so there was no more to go down. But now the channel inventory has been largely depleted, we know that structurally these tariffs are going to come into place from a cost perspective.”

The FBN report gives price and supply outlooks for five active ingredients: glyphosate, glufosinate, 2,4-D ester, atrazine, and S-metolachlor. A project now for 10 years, the data used in the report is sourced from growers, FBN supply chain teams, and market reports.

(FBN)

Appel says there’s no “one size fits all” equation to how tariffs will affect crop protection pricing and supply chains as each active ingredient is sourced different. However, with a large quantity of AI coming from China for glyphosate and glufosinate, the pricing for those products is expected to increase with at least a 20% tariff.

“Others, like 2,4-D, you have significant duties on product like that, and on top of that, countervailing and anti-dumping duties that could be up to 170%, depending on the supplier,” he says. “That’s one product we saw significantly through our price data consistently get elevated throughout the year.”

(FBN)

FBN is advocating farmers implement a buy early mindset. Appel says the downstream implication will be suppliers delaying purchases until the product is needed for production to try to mitigate the risk of carrying inventory at unnecessary tariff levels.

“That could create product shortages once we get to springtime,” Appel says. “We look at the fall as the best time to buy to make sure we have very strong offers in the market with strong deals so that farmers can lock in supply and lock in prices for at least the essential products they know they are going to buy,” he says.

FBN focuses this report on herbicides as that product category has demonstrated the fastest growing adoption of e-commerce and online purchasing.

“Farmers are looking at the products that they probably know they’re going to need, and it’s very hard to grow a crop without herbicides,” Appel says. “Some of the other categories, like a fungicide or insecticide, are not really known what the pressure is going to be, so there’s more of a trend to buy some of those products in season as the need arises, especially in a time like this where, you know every dollar’s really going to count.”

(FBN)

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 .

FBN Spins Out Its Crop Protection Business, Focuses on Marketplace and Technology

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 15:01:57 GMT

Last week, just a few hours after Corteva announced its spin out dividing seeds from crop protection, Farmers Business Network (FBN) announced it is separating its businesses. Moving forward FBN will focus on its digital marketplace for farmers, and the newly launched Global Crop Solutions will be an independent supplier of crop protection products.

FBN leaders say the timing is coincidental. Their motive for the timing was brought about by the new fiscal year. But they offer both of the announcements together could be a sign of a trend of vertical integration getting unwound in the name of efficiency and focus.

“We’re doubling down, allotting capital on digital innovation for FBN’s future,” says Diego Casanello, CEO of FBN. “FBN’s core business is a digital commerce and fintech platform. We want farmers to be able to buy, finance, and market everything they need while sitting in their combines. These are technology challenges, so the core competence you need to be successful at FBN is different from managing the supply chain of the crop protection business.”

In the past 14 months, FBN has been refocusing its business. First, it spun off its insurance business, then its Gradable business into a joint-venture with ADM. Now with its crop protection business spin out, Casanello says the FBN marketplace will feature GCS products, such as Willowood USA branded products, via a strategic partnership, and GCS products will explore distribution beyond the FBN marketplace.

“The big unlock for GCS is the opportunity to serve the entire retail and co-op industry,” Casanello says. “It frees GCS of any channel conflicts and hits the ground running with one of the largest portfolios of products in the industry. And it frees FBN from similar constraints as we move to an open marketplace architecture. We are onboarding new sellers and their portfolios every week. We provide them the tools to manage pricing, marketing, and placement. FBN is open for business and we’ve had significant interest from additional partners before and after the announcement.”

FBN’s Marketplace Strategy

Currently, FBN says it has 120,000 farmer members in the U.S. and Canada. The business provides a marketplace with farm inputs and supplies, financial services and data-driven intelligence.

FBN co-founder Charles Baron says the FBN marketplace has expanded its product range to include crop protection, seed (with additional partner news coming soon), fertilizer, livestock products, veterinary pharmaceuticals, farm supplies and more.

“To farmers, there’s no change in their experience. And over time, we’ll bring an even broader assortment of goods,” Baron says. “You’ll be seeing announcements from us every two weeks or so about the suppliers coming on the platform. It’s one of the most exciting times in our history.”

The leaders say farmer use of e-commerce has increased every year since they launched, and in 2025 FBN served a record number of customers. “Farmers are really focusing on value right now and maximizing every dollar,” said Baron. And per their analytics roughly 35% of U.S. farmers visit FBN.com to browse inputs, apply for financing, or look for information.

The Future of GCS

As a newly formed independent crop protection supplier, GCS has a portfolio of 250 registrations on post-patent products. The company will specialize in sourcing, managing first mile logistics, developing new products and regulatory aspects.

To lead the business and its team, Amy Yoder, most recently EVP of FBN’s livestock division, is incoming CEO.

“Global Crop Solutions launches today as an independent powerhouse,” said Yoder, in a press release. “For the first time, our extensive portfolio and efficient global supply chain are fully available to all partners— from retailers, to distributors, to co-ops. Our independence unlocks immense growth potential and allows us to be the most reliable and collaborative partner to the entire agricultural industry.”

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

Take It Outside: Onetime Indoor Ag Pioneers See Opportunity Out In The Field

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:16:33 GMT

For the past year, the team at Soil Action has been working toward building an artificial intelligence driven product to sense soil nutrition in real-time. Whereas other companies have attempted to revolutionize soil testing before, co-founders Jack Oslan and Nate Storey say the AI tools available today are making what was once difficult or nearly impossible, possible.

“Soils are unknown and misunderstood,” Storey says. “We can use AI to understand soil better, and our goal is to come up with the instruments to solve the problem.”

Soil Action’s solution in progress includes building models and training models pairing near infrared spectroscopy with AI. Its goal is to reengineer the traditional process of sampling, shipping, agronomic recommendations, prescription files and applications while making it all in real-time. They are doing on-farm demonstrations this fall.

Before founding Soil Action, these two businessmen first met 12 years ago co-founded indoor agriculture startup Plenty. Storey’s time at Plenty was applying his laser focus on yield with innovation in algorithmic nutrition.

“I went into indoor ag because it was an area with the largest opportunity to drive yield. I have a lot of interest in yield,” he says. “In indoor, you can control everything and measure it–everything can be known in those systems and control every part of the process: root zone temperature, gas composition, and more.”

Now, Storey and Oslan want to bring those learnings outside and into the field.

“We got really good at understanding how to take an algorithmic approach to yield. It’s about understanding the yield equation, breaking it apart, optimizing individual aspects, and restacking them,” Storey says. “In row crops, the soil is the most important part, and to solve the yield equation we have know the variables that correlate and then begin to manage.”

What Does The System Look Like?

Currently, the beta version product is housed in a 3”x6” steel tube which can be mounted on any style of implement or equipment to automatically take measurements 4” to 6” deep every 50’.

(Soil Action)

“The real end goal is to have every equipment cab be mounted with an AI enabled agent to give you real-time measurements of what’s going on in your field,” Storey says. “It’s an AI agent focused on optimizing yield.”

The first testing was conducted in northern Iowa.

“We’re building our models on data collected from the field, and we’re using deep learning to ingest all of the information and help understand correlations,” Oslan says. “We can see everything that’s there, but we don’t understand everything that is there. That’s a focus for our work right now.”

“Holy Grail of Soil Sampling”

When it’s ready to be commercially available, Soil Action aims to provide results measuring two forms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Other crop nutrients will be added in the future.

“Every expert we talked to said we couldn’t use NIRS in soil sampling, but the physics said we could,” Oslan says. “We took two intensive weeks using sand and manipulating it for measurements with NIRS, and our deep learning models can untangle data in a way classical statistical methods cannot. Now, it’s about how fast we can solve for soil nutrients with these newer tools.”

Soil Action says it aims to provide the equipment to farmers for a hardware fee of $10,000 paired with a subscription for the analysis on an annual fee basis.

A New Eye In The Sky: High Frequency, Multispectral Satellite Constellation Approaches 2026 Debut

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:40:17 GMT

The 2025 crop season has been a solid proving ground for the value and utility of satellite and aerial imagery in farming.

That’s because corn and soybean fields this summer appeared incredibly healthy and high-yielding from the drive-by scouting pass in the pick-up truck, but then crop scouts marched into those same fields , uncovering widespread yield variability and a high level of foliar disease pressure .

EarthDaily (formerly Geosys) says it will soon leverage a new satellite constellation to beat USDA yield forecasts by capturing daily calibrated images of crops and feeding those images through artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

The news

Satellite imagery of a corn field in the U.S. with corresponding NDVI (plant health) and precipitation data all the way back to 2017.

(EarthDaily)

EarthDaily says it intends to provide daily, high-quality aerial data that agronomists, grain traders and commodity brokers can use to get snapshots-in-time for farm fields, without ever having to launch a camera drone or upload thousands of images to stitch together an orthomosaic. Farmers also stand to benefit because the data will be available within many popular farm management information software systems.

The company is in the process of launching a new 10-satellite constellation that will be fully operational by the 2026 cropping season. This constellation is different from other ag-monitoring satellites orbiting the earth in that it will feature a yellow-band index among its impressive 22 spectral bands.

How is it different from other ag satellites?

EarthDaily satellite data showing the crop progress of China’s corn production regions for the last five growing seasons. The 2025 trend line (black) shows higher than historical average crop health.

(EarthDaily)

“Most [ag] satellites do not have an imager to collect the yellow band,” says Nick Ohrtman, key accounts success lead, EarthDaily. “We have a yellow band imager on ours that we’re pretty excited about moving forward, because obviously yellowing is a key indicator of a lot of plant stresses.”

Ohrtman adds the company has yet to get out and ground-truth the yellow-band imagery in the field, but the potential to catch more yield-robbing agronomic issues on the front-end and alert retail agronomists before crops really take a hit is intriguing.

Intriguing, yes. But Ohrtman, a former Iowa farm kid himself who still helps with the family farm when he’s not working in Minneapolis, says it still serves as just a complement to the traditional scouting pass. Nothing will ever replace farmer and/or agronomist boots-on-the-ground, he adds.

“You can’t be in every field every day, walking crops,” Ohrtman says. “But if you are in the field, you’re probably going to know better than I am from a satellite.”

Main takeaways, per EarthDaily:

The EarthDaily Constellation is purpose-built for broad area change detection, with 16 imagers on each bus capturing 22 spectral bands at the same time each day.
The system will be able to deliver AI-ready data that brings speed and accuracy of insights to today’s EO analytics market.
The full constellation will be operational in 2026, though the robustness of the data will not fully align with the crop season until then.
Among its 22 spectral bands, the yellow band, unique to EarthDaily, is valuable for detecting early signs of crop stress.
EarthDaily’s offering begins with data capture, which is then transformed into downstream analytics purpose-built for agriculture.
For farmers, the technology pinpoints when and where attention is needed in the field, predicting crop health and providing actionable insight without constant boots-on-the-ground monitoring.

Your next read: Could USDA Raise Corn Yields in the Report? Is China Buying U.S. Soybeans?

Kelly Hills Pushes the AgTech R&D Envelope with Driverless Tractor Pilot, Fungicide Spray Timing Tool

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 19:05:56 GMT

Emerging from its annual summer field day , Kelly Hills Unmanned announces the launch of two interesting endeavors that will surely move the needle forward on smart farming technology R&D:

The outfit is co-launching what it is calling the Rural Autonomous Mobility Program (RAMP), a pioneering public-private initiative to bring autonomous farm equipment onto public roads for the first time in the U.S.
Kelly Hills is also launching SpraySense, an AI-powered, autonomous application intelligence product developed through the company’s accelerator program, The Forge.

We’ll start with RAMP

Sabanto, founded in 2018, is working to allow farmers and ag retailers to convert any make and model into an autonomous tractor through an equipment retrofit kit.

(Sabanto)

RAMP, or the Rural Autonomous Mobility Program, was born from the vision of Kelly Hills CEO Lukas Koch and was made possible by the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) Innovative Technology Program.

RAMP’s mission is to enable autonomous tractors and farm machinery to safely and legally operate on rural public roads, solving logistical bottlenecks and revitalizing rural economies.

Initial RAMP collaborators include:

Kelly Hills Unmanned Systems (Program Manager)
Sabanto (Autonomous Tractor Manufacturer)
Nemaha County in Kansas (Local Partner)
KDOT
Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA)
Kansas State University (K-State)

According to a press release, the partners aim to develop policy, infrastructure and safety protocols to allow fully autonomous tractors to move between fields and operational bases without human drivers.

RAMP will operate within a pilot phase in Kansas through 2026, collecting data on autonomous road operations, engaging with local communities and working with regulators to build a scalable model for other states and agricultural regions.

Let’s learn about SpraySense

(Heinen Brothers)

The inaugural 2025 cohort of The Forge, which we wrote about back in June, brought together ag tech and drone technology companies like Yamaha Precision Agriculture, Pyka, Precision AI, Scanit Technologies, Heinen Brothers Agra Services, and Taranis to co-develop solutions that address one of farming’s most persistent questions: When is the right time to apply fungicide?

According to Koch, the group was originally focused on optimizing fungicide application for corn and soybean growers, but the collaborative efforts exceeded expectations, resulting in the creation of SpraySense.

The platform, an end-to-end AI-driven recommendation and application system, brings together aerial imagery, weather and environmental conditions, disease risk models and traditional agronomy data sets to deliver real-time recommendations on whether, when, where and how to spray.

While its debut application targets fungicide optimization, SpraySense is designed as a modular, flexible platform. Kelly Hills plans to adapt the technology to other crop inputs including fertilizer, biologicals, herbicides and insecticides.

There’s a lot of cool, innovative stuff happening in those gently rolling, emerald green north Kansas hills. Check out KellyHills.us to learn more.

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New Case IH Steiger Quadtrac Tractor Offers 853 Horsepower, Subscription-Free Precision Ag Technology

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 14:38:28 GMT

Case IH says its new Steiger 785 Quadtrac increases the row crop tractor’s horsepower rating to 853 peak horsepower and features subscription-free, integrated precision technology and guidance, according to a press release from the company.

The higher horsepower allows farmers to handle larger implements or pull the same implements at higher speeds with a 40% torque rise.

Designed to provide more power to the ground, the Steiger 785 Quadtrac also offers a superior operator experience and cab comfort.

(Case IH)

Subscription-free, integrated precision technology unlocks automation-driven features, such as AccuTurn Pro and AccuSync, along with CNH Industrial’s FieldOps fleet and data management mobile app.

“We understand the demands of farming are only increasing. The Steiger 785 Quadtrac is a workhorse designed to meet those demands with power and productivity,” says Ken Lehmann, customer segmentation lead at Case IH. “With long days in the field, the boost in horsepower and torque allows farmers to do more in a day.”

For those seeking enhanced performance, an optional heavy-duty suspended undercarriage delivers a smooth ride, superior traction and flotation, helping minimize soil compaction in the field.

The Steiger 785 Quadtrac also holds strong value with Connectivity Included, a three-year/2,000-hour warranty and a simplified SCR-only emission system.

Farm Progress Show (Aug. 26-28 in Decatur, Ill.) will be the first public appearance for the Steiger 785 Quadtrac.

To learn more about Case IH’s precision technology, FieldOps and equipment solutions, visit the Case IH booth at this year’s Farm Progress Show (booth No. 867). You can also visit caseih.com or talk with your local Case IH dealer.

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Streamlined Customer Workflow: Keystone Cooperative Integrates With Farm Accounting Software

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 21:01:37 GMT

Traction Ag launched its farmer accounting software with one goal: give farmers clarity into their financial position at all times.

Earlier this month. Traction Ag announced an integration with Keystone Cooperative, based in Indiana. This is the second partnership Traction Ag has announced with a cooperative and earlier this year announced integration with Growmark.

This new integration enables Keystone bills to sync directly into Traction Ag’s platform.

Simplifying work flows, reducing manual data entry, and increasing accuracy in accounting entries are some of the benefits.

“Today’s farmers are running complex businesses, and they need tools that work as hard as they do,” Kevin Still, President and CEO of Keystone Cooperative said in the announcement “By bringing Keystone invoices directly into the Traction Ag platform, we’re helping farmers save time, reduce errors, and get a clearer picture of their finances. It’s about giving them the same kind of business tools any successful operation needs, so they can make smart decisions and have sustained success.”

Farmer customers can import, review and approve Keystone invoices directly in their Traction account.

As such, Traction details four key benefits:

Gain clarity on paid and unpaid bills, while keeping a precise inventory of farm inputs
Reduce paperwork and keep farm accounting streamlined and well organized
Save time during peak billing periods
Improve accuracy by eliminating manual data entry errors

“Traction Ag was built from the ground up for the specific demands of farm accounting,” said Dustin Sapp , CEO of Traction Ag in the announcement. “When farmers receive Keystone Cooperative bills through our platform, they’re not just logging another expense; they’re gaining full visibility into discounts, inventory, and prepaid inputs. It’s all centralized in one place. That’s what empowers farmers to clearly understand their true financial position and make more confident decisions.”

Conduit Acquired By Fintech Partner, Focuses on Financing Products for Ag Retail

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 16:35:52 GMT

Conduit, which was originally spun out from Iowa-based Landus in 2024, continues to evolve. Announced on Aug. 12, the business has been acquired by ConnectedFi, and the new entity is rebranded as CFi.

This means the Conduit brand will not continue, and it clarifies the focus for the entity going forward—no longer offering crop inputs and other farmer-facing products, but rather solely offering ag retailers financing products and platforms to be extended to farmer customers.

Conduit’s interim CEO Jack Brodshaug remains with the new company as its chief operating officer.

“Access to reliable credit is a critical part of farming, especially at this time of tightening margins,” Brodshaug said in the company’s announcement. “With the combined capabilities of Conduit and ConnectedFi, we’ll be positioned to meet this need with speed and agility for the next generation of farmers and the retailers who serve them.”

ConnectedFi and Conduit have a history of partnering since Conduit’s inception with ConnectedFi providing the financial software powering its offering. CFi financing can be white labeled by the retailer.

“We will continue to enable retailers to embed low-cost, real-time, point-of-sale financing right into their processes,” Kaushik Chakravarti, ConnectedFi co-founder and CEO of Cfi said in the company’s announcement. “But we’re not stopping there. Manufacturers, as well, will soon be able to onboard their dealer networks and product catalogs to bring the same benefits to their own customers. Watch this space.”

At the time of this acquisition, Conduit had built a network of 80 ag retailers and had $800 million in loan commitments.

While Landus was previously a majority owner of Conduit as recently as the summer of 2025, moving forward this acquisition results in Landus becoming a minority owner in the CFi business. From the announcement, “the reorganization will allow Landus to refocus on its primary business operations.” This after the company’s leadership change up earlier this spring and the cooperative saying it’s evaluating its business as it looks for the next CEO.

Farm Drone News: AgEagle Multispectral Sensor, GPS Satellite Launched and Rantizo Spins Off Software

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 18:08:05 GMT

AgEagle Aerial Systems Unveils New RedEdge-P Green Camera

(AgEagle Aerial Systems)

AgEagle Aerial Systems announces the launch of its new RedEdge-P Green, a multispectral camera designed to enable precision agriculture from planting to harvest.

AgEagle says farmers that use the new sensor payload can achieve higher yields through quicker interventions both early on and late in the crop cycle. Operators can reduce fertilizer and irrigation inputs and engage in smart harvesting techniques using optimized indices and targeted indices like the Plant Senescence Reflectance Index (PSRI).

Available as a standalone camera or in paired configurations with the original RedEdge-P and the RedEdge-P Blue, users can leverage up to 15 noise-resistant, data-rich spectral bands essential for large-area precision agriculture.

The RedEdge-P Green camera is NDAA-compliant and integrates with multiple drone platforms. Each camera kit includes a Calibrated Reflectance Panel (CRP) and a Downwelling Light Sensor (DLS2) for radiometric calibration.

Production of the RedEdge-P Green camera is underway, and the first units are expected to ship this week. For more information about the RedEdge-P Green visit ageagle.com.

Dutch Startup Launches Largest GPS Network for Drones, Tractors

(Lindsey Pound, iStock)

FreshMiners, a Netherlands-based IOT firm, launched a GPS service that enables accurate positioning for agriculture, construction and drone navigation, according to AgriMarketing.com.

AgriMarketing.com writes that the Dutch company is launching a service for extra-accurate GPS. It is intended for drone pilots, farmers and others. With this new technology, users can correct their GPS positions down to the centimeter. Real-time correction signals are sent to the user’s GPS receiver via a global network of base stations. This correction is essential for applications in agriculture, land surveying and drone navigation, among other things.

A subscription gives users access to the GEODNET network, which, with more than 19,000 base stations in over 140 countries, is now reportedly the largest RTK network in the world.

Read more at AgriMarketing.com.

Missouri Doctoral Student Says Drones Are Fine Tool for Crop Scouting

(Photo by Abbie Lankitus)

Researchers at the University of Missouri have discovered a mix of drones and AI can help farmers measure the health of their corn more efficiently.

Instead of relying on handheld devices, which are slow and impractical for larger fields, the researchers surveyed corn fields in mid-Missouri using drones equipped with special cameras to capture images and data.

After combining the drone images with soil data, the Mizzou researchers used a type of AI known as machine learning to quickly predict the chlorophyll content in the corn leaves of the entire field with great accuracy.

The study was led by Fengkai Tian (pictured above), a Mizzou doctoral student who works in the lab of Jianfeng Zhou, an associate professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

Read more from the University of Missouri here.

Rantizo Spin-Off American Autonomy Inc. Says It Can Close the Spray Drone Data Loop

Rantizo is now connected with the John Deere Operations Center through John Deere API services.

(Rantizo)

Ground rig as-applied data has been around for decades, and it comes in handy when you’re tabulating your end of year scorecard to find out which treatments boosted yields and where a spray might have fallen short.

Yet even though spray drones treated over 10 million crop acres in 2024 alone, there’s still a gap that exists in capturing that data and integrating it into your farm management software.

Former Rantizo CEO Mariah Scott, who is now the CEO of a spinoff operation dubbed American Autonomy Inc., says her new outfit’s AcreConnect platform can help close that gap with API connections into John Deere’s Operations Center and more major FMIS platforms.

“We talk to farmers about getting that complete view of your field management, by closing the loop so you understand what’s effective or what’s not,” Scott says. “Most of the farmers we talk to use spray drones and a ground sprayer, and that (as-applied) data from the sprayer goes right into their FMIS account, but with the spray drone it doesn’t always work like that.”

The deal to divest the spray drone operations side of the business was quietly announced on Aug. 1. The Rantizo name, the startup is a pioneering spray drone service provider, still lives on, but now there’s a clean break between the spraying operations and the software on the back end that enables it.

Learn more about the Rantizo-American Autonomy Spinoff over at PRNewswire.

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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.

Right To Repair Granted? John Deere Launches Digital Self-Repair Tool for $195 Per Tractor

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 15:29:04 GMT

In what appears to be a direct response to anti-competition claims raised in the ongoing FCC v. John Deere Right to Repair lawsuit , the equipment manufacturer has released an updated digital service tool to enable equipment owners to maintain, diagnose, repair and protect farm equipment.

The new Operations Center PRO Service tool is available now in John Deere’s Operation Center app to equipment owners in the U.S. and Canada.

John Deere says it will charge farmers an annual license starting at $195 per machine for the tool. The company is charging independent service professionals $5,995.00 per year, which includes up to 10 local downloads.

The increased functionality of the new service tool replaces John Deere’s previous digital service iteration, known as Customer Service ADVISOR. John Deere representatives confirm ADVISOR will be phased out over the next year.

What farmers need to know

John Deere says the new Operations Center PRO Service “delivers digital repair content filtered by year and model number and provides users with additional relevant machine information to help troubleshoot, diagnose and repair Deere equipment. It’s designed to be intuitive and deliver support in real time.”

Here are the new service and repair capabilities within the tool:

Machine health insights and diagnostic trouble codes
PIN-specific machine content, including manuals
Software reprogramming for John Deere controllers
Diagnostic Readings
Diagnostic Recordings
Interactive diagnostic tests
Calibrations

Quick Analysis

If you’ve been following the FCC v. John Deere Right to Repair lawsuit, you may recall FCC’s legal team asking the equipment manufacturer to release a full digital repair and diagnosis tool for farmers and independent service technicians as part of its filed request for injunctive relief.

Related: What Does Right to Repair Really Mean?

Right to Repair advocates and antitrust attorney James Kovac, along with the FCC’s legal team, at the time were critical of the Customer Service ADVISOR, calling it an incomplete diagnostic tool. Kovacs himself says “independent repair pros and the farmers have access to (the tool), but (it) doesn’t give them the full suite of options to repair all the needs of their farming equipment.”

What John Deere is saying about the new tool

“Our development of these tools reaffirms John Deere’s support of customer self-repair,” says Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support with John Deere. “We view continuously enhancing self-repair as consistent with our mission to ensure John Deere customers have the best machine ownership experience possible.”

What about independent repair technicians?

(John Deere )

In addition to equipment owners, a local service provider can also use Operations Center PRO Service, John Deere says. With a John Deere equipment owner’s permission, independent technicians can gain access to diagnostic and repair information to support the equipment owner’s needs.

(JohnDeere.com screenshot)

On the John Deere online store, it currently lists a Operations Center PRO Service annual license for a “Service Business” as costing $5,995.00 . The license provides for 10 local downloads of the PRO Service application, the listing says.

“Our message to our customers is clear,” Caldwell continues. “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.”

How does it work?

Equipment owners must access Operations Center PRO Service through the John Deere Operations Center. Once connected to the platform, owners will add their equipment into their account using the machine’s serial number. Use of an electronic data link might be required for more advanced features within Operations Center PRO Service, including software reprogramming. Certain interactive tests, calibrations and reprogramming limitations will exist at initial release.

John Deere says it will deliver additional capabilities in future updates. See JohnDeere.com/PROService for further details.

How can I find out more?

Operations Center PRO Service is available today. For more information on how to access all of the digital support tools offered by John Deere, visit Deere.com/RunItYourWay or see your local John Deere dealer.

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Tech News: Bonsai Robotics Adds Farm-ng, Case IH Creates AI-Powered Parts Tool, Lindsey Launches TowerWatch

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 13:32:44 GMT

Bonsai Robotics Acquires Electric Robot Startup Farm-ng

Bonsai Robotics has acquired Farm-ng, a startup offering modular electric robots for farm management.

Bonsai says the strategic combination brings together two agtech companies with shared visions on how to deliver powerful artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that tackle the labor, cost and efficiency challenges specialty crop growers face today.

The integration of Bonsai’s autonomous AI technology with Farm-ng’s customizable robotic platform enables AI-first machines that Bonsai says could transform crop management.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Existing shareholders of both companies will retain ownership stakes in the newly combined entity, Bonsai Robotics.

Learn more about the deal from The Packer’s Christina Herrick here.

Case IH Debuts AI-powered Visual Search Tool for Equipment Parts

(Case IH)

Case IH has announced its newest tech innovation, Visual Search Tool, a digital, AI-powered image recognition app the company says can help farmers reduce downtime. The Visual Search Tool allows operators and dealers to search for equipment parts without part numbers via a photo taken through the app.

Operators out in the field may not always have parts numbers handy, and this new tool removes the guesswork. The app takes the photo uploaded by a customer or dealer and matches it to the part. This new innovation can take away the stress of finding a part number and helps operators get back in the field as quickly as possible.

Case IH says this is the latest example of how it is not only using AI to streamline operations and the way it develops products but also to support its dealers and customers. In addition to the Visual Search Tool, CNH launched AI tech assistant this winter that helps dealer technicians better and more quickly support customers.

For more information, contact your local Case IH dealer.

Lindsay Releases TowerWatch Alignment Monitoring System

(Lindsay Corp.)

Lindsay Corp. is adding TowerWatch, a tower alignment monitor that can pinpoint irrigation tower faults faster, to the company’s SmartPivot Solutions tech suite.

The sensor-based monitoring system is available on new Zimmatic pivots and also available aftermarket for most irrigation pivots in North America. Lindsay says growers using TowerWatch can potentially reduce troubleshooting time by 75% through alerts from FieldNET Premier.

Lindsay says TowerWatch also allows growers to save on water and energy costs. When a tower fault occurs, growers using Lindsay’s SmartPivot Solutions can expect to:

Get an instant notification from the FieldNET app.
Immediately identify the location of the fault.
Remotely control water application to lower the risk of crop stress.
Arrive at the right tower quicker to inspect the issue, reducing time spent walking.
Make fewer trips to the field, saving time and money.

For more on Lindsay’s solutions for farmers worldwide, talk to your local Lindsay dealer or visit Lindsay.com/towerwatch.

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Harvest Smarter: How Farmer Neil Denton Slashes Grain Loss With Aftermarket Technology

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 13:22:10 GMT

Neil Denton doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to his crops: His corn today looks to be “a marginal crop” and his soybean yields are “going to be way off” this fall.

His operation, Denton Farms, Barlow, Ky., raises corn, soybeans, wheat, rye and canola in an area known for bluegrass music, Kentucky pit-style barbecue and, of course, bourbon whiskey. But that American-made, caramel-brown legacy spirit can only blunt the sting of a meager crop year so much. Denton has a farm (not to mention a podcast and YouTube Channel) to run, so you can’t really blame him for doing everything in his power to get every single, shiny kernel in the bin.

With that goal top of mind, this spring he pulled the trigger on new crop-specific sets of Bushel Plus concaves to replace the OEM concaves in his John Deere X9 combine. The aftermarket concaves are easy to swap out, he says. Right away, Denton noted the unique grate design, which has helped whittle his harvest losses on soft winter wheat down to 0.7 bu. per acre; that is “phenomenal for small grains,” he says.

Looking to fine-tune his combine performance even more, Denton added the Bushel Plus SmartPan system to his harvest toolkit — a remote-controlled “smart” drop pan and mobile app to monitor and measure grain loss out the back end of the combine. After all, the hilly, western Kentucky landscape presents a formidable challenge when it comes to dialing in header height and other settings for each field.

Denton says he has also enjoyed getting to know Marcel Kringe, Bushel Plus founder and CEO. Kringe is originally from Germany, but today he makes his home on Canada’s canola-ringed western plains, perhaps the ideal location for an innovator focused on harvester optimization.

“He’s one of those guys that’s willing to come out, help you install concaves, and show you how they work,” says Denton. “You just don’t see that very often.”

Denton says he expects to see a full return on investment this year for both the concaves and the SmartPan system. He adds that the ruggedized concaves are built to last, extending their lifespan to far more acres in the combine.

CEO on summer tour

Bushel Plus CEO Marcel Kringe

(Photo courtesy of Bushel Plus)

Kringe is currently amid a multiweek tour of U.S. equipment dealer field days. He says the farmers he has met with are looking for relief from high operating costs and low commodity prices.

“Grain prices right now are a bit tricky, but overall farmers are happy they got planting finished up after a tough spring with lots of moisture down here,” Kringe says. “Right now, they are focused on getting the best out of their crop because margins are tight, right? And if they buy something, they’ll only buy it if it has a good ROI. Our products are all about getting more grain in the bin and having less (grain) loss, and less loss means more money for the farmer.”

Limiting grain lost out the backside of the combine is a passion for Kringe, who got Bushel Plus off the ground from his basement as a hobby. He likens the importance of combine and header adjustments to front-end alignments in the automotive world.

As with tires, if the alignment is off, everything pulls in the wrong direction and wears unevenly, Kringe notes.

“It’s the same idea with a combine. We’re essentially calibrating the machine so it runs smoothly and efficiently — just like aligning the front end of a vehicle,” he says. “Farmers already understand they need to calibrate tools like air seeders, planters and sprayers. Combines need the same attention. It has to be dialed in to perform at its best.”

(Photo courtesy of Bushel Plus)

Kringe has a tagline to remind farmers how often they need to calibrate the combine: New field. New crop. New variety. Any of the three means it’s time to do a fresh calibration.

For growers that have never made aftermarket changes to their combine, but they think now is the time to dive in, Kringe says they should start with a drop pan system.

“You already have a combine with concaves doing the job,” he says. “And while our concaves take that performance further, the SmartPan really gets you thinking seriously about harvest loss. You can only harvest once, and if you’re not measuring what’s coming out the back, you’re flying blind. That’s the one thing you want to have.”

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Meet The Forge: Kelly Hills Unmanned Puts New Spin on Ag Tech Field Testing

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 11:53:55 GMT

Over the weekend, Kelly Hills Unmanned, a company that says it is dedicated to accelerating multimodal technologies in agriculture and autonomy, announced the launch of The Forge.

It’s being described as a deployment-centered program designed to meld best-in-class ag technologies into new tools that farmers, ranchers and service providers can trust and use for decades to come, according to a press release from the group.

The Forge’s inaugural cohort hopes to bring together a “powerhouse group” of innovators and operators from across the ag technology landscape into a coordinated, systems approach to help growers identify and overcome agronomic issues before they become yield robbers.

The cohort members, or pillars, are:

Precision AI: Developers of real-time drone-based precision spraying systems that reduce chemical inputs and deliver hyper-targeted agronomic action.
Pyka: Builders of autonomous electric aircraft designed for aerial applications, logistics and mission-critical crop operations.
ScanIt Technologies: Experts in using early detection of airborne pathogens to maximize yields and minimize costs.
Heinen Brothers Agra Services: One of the nation’s largest aerial applicators and ag services companies, offering deployment scale and deep field expertise.
Yamaha Precision Agriculture: Pioneers of robotic and aerial technology for small scale, high-efficiency farming.
Drop Flight: Providers of droplet characterization and aircraft calibration tools to optimize spray accuracy and compliance in real-world operations.
Taranis: Global leaders in ultra-high-resolution aerial scouting, delivering precise field-level insights to boost agronomic decision-making.

For more information, head to www.kellyhills.us/the-forge .

Farm Journal reached out to Lukas Koch to pick his brain about this new, novel entrant to the ag tech ecosystem. We first met Koch last year during the Kelly Hills Unmanned summer field day near Seneca, Kan., where his group unveiled the Pyka Pelican Spray drone — at the time the largest, highest-capacity ag spray drone on the market (280-liter capacity). This year Kelly Hills is integrating the Pelican 2 (300-liter capacity, up to 222 acres per hour at 60-foot swath rate) into its aerial application arsenal.

Farm Journal: Would you call this an ag tech incubator or accelerator type of program, and if not, what’s makes The Forge different?

Lukas Koch (LK): “(The Forge) is neither of those, because we’re not taking a cash influx to create an R&D program. What we’re doing is creating new tools with existing technology — if they’re part of plug and play that’s fine, but we don’t care about that. We want to know if the tech has merit and does it fit on the acre, but maybe something with it is not fully there just yet? So, what are we supposed to do with it then? You have a technology and, for example, it can take high-res pictures and identify areas of your fields that need attention, but today the most likely options are using a ground rig or hiring an airplane to manage that in a meaningful way. For that example, we think there’s an opportunity to do that with a small spray drone, but then again the logistics are tough; you have to come back and land and swap out a battery or refill the tank so often. We’re going to take a bunch of existing technologies that already exist, ask them to change nothing and put them to the test — and we’ll push the bounds of what they can do, to make these all work together in a system.”

FJ: How will this all kind of come together and take shape this summer as the program rolls out?

LK: “We have a few drone companies (in the cohort), and there’s a droplet analysis program involved — I thought that was an important piece in analyzing the spray coverage we get. Right now, we have the in-field sensors out in the field to help us ground truth the data we get from overhead. And then the remote sensing piece gives us situational awareness; it tells us where we should be focusing our efforts. And overall, I think, OK, that’s great, but now you still have to make a treatment with either a ground rig or hire an airplane.

(www.KellyHills.us)

“But with our FAA test range (pictured above) that we were approved for last summer within Kelly Hills, now we can autonomously fly to those spots with a drone, either in line of sight or Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), and we can make those treatments autonomously. This year, the tool we’re focusing on is true spot spraying BVLOS in corn and soybeans, and then next year hopefully we can make more tools or take that technology that already exists and make it into a tool for a grower, who can sign up for this subscription and buy one of these drones, and now I have a full encompassing suite of tools and I can know for sure what works and what does not work.”

FJ: How can farmers in Kansas learn more and possibly sign up to work with you guys?

LK: “There’s really two ways right now. For anything specific they might want to do, maybe there are some projects they are thinking about, go ahead and ping us on the website , and we’ll get back to you. And the other way is, once we’re done with a set tool or we wrap up our summer series of projects, we plan to make the results and findings available online, kind of like Beck’s Hybrids does with its farm applied research studies. We want people to see what we’re doing and to reach out with their ideas on how we can make better tools inside of The Forge and showcase some of these technologies together in one new product, and growers are very interested in this and would love to understand if they can package these technologies together and make an ROI.”

FJ: You already have this inaugural cohort in place, but are you already thinking about what’s next?

LK: “I have a couple companies that I need to further engage with now that they can see what The Forge is all about. A couple of those are involved in year-over-year (data) modeling technology that can say, OK, help me start to determine this is my pattern, and this is what I did last year; now can you tell me what to do next year and how to create more ROI? And then I think soil is a huge key right now, too. I don’t have any any soil type products in there, and soil sampling is great, but there are some neat companies that are focusing on soil-sensing technology that I think would be interesting to package in there, too. You know, in due time I think we’ll get there.”

Koch says the plan is to unveil many of the insights and results from The Forge at this summer’s Kelly Hills Unmanned Field Day. That event is set for Aug. 19, and you can get registered for it here.

And, just for fun, here’s a video breakdown of the Pyka Pelican 2:

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How Farmer Stories and 4WD Row Crop Tractors Push Used Equipment Values Higher

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 18:47:13 GMT

With July right around the corner, there are several trends playing out in the used farm equipment market.

For one, farmers are starting to buy four-wheel drive row crop tractors for fall tillage season. And as hosts Casey Seymour and Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson always say, high-horsepower row crop tractors are the bell weather for the overall health of the used market. If those workhorses are moving the needle higher value-wise, combines, sprayers and implements will probably soon see an uptick in value as well.

(Everitt Tractors)

Over the weekend, a 2016 Gold Key John Deere four-wheel drive 9420R “bareback” tractor (pictured above) with only 120 hours sold for $320,000 at the Harry and Lola Blackburn farm auction in Iowa. Machinery Pete says only a handful of those tractors have sold over the $300,000 mark, so it’s a good sign row crop tractor values are strengthening.

“The four-wheel drives eased off last year on auction pricing, but I would say that the pre-DEF ones that are in good condition, we’ll see some of those come through and put up some pretty eye-opening numbers — not quite as high as they were back in ’21 or ’22, but pretty solid,” Pete says.

Another market trend to watch going forward, according to Seymour, is the ratio of farm auctions to consignment sales. While an influx of farms selling off their equipment is generally a harbinger of poor farm balance sheets across the country, these sales can also have a lifting effect on average auction prices.

“It’s not good for anybody if they have to sell under distress, but its good for the marketplace because those farm auctions typically bring more money than a consignment sale,” Seymour says.

And finally, Pete and Seymour remind dealers and auction companies that telling the back stories behind the former farmer-owner and the used equipment you’re trying to move is just as powerful, and sometimes even more motivating for potential buyers, than hard and fast machinery specs.

“The reason auctions are still viable is they are emotional events and we’re humans,” Pete adds. “You can try not to be emotional and say, ‘I’m not going over $100K,’ and I tip my hat to people who can stick to that. But at the same time, when other farmers see you being real talking about your stuff, it’s like you’re grabbing them by the collar and pulling them through the screen, and it makes that person more likely to click on that thing two more times.”

The Rest of the Story
Chip Nellinger, owner of Blue Reef AgriMarketing, gave an update on happenings within the ag commodities trading world. He examines the impact of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict on global oil prices and carryover into crop futures.

Eric Halfman, go-to-market manager for riding lawn equipment & Gator UTVs at John Deere, came on to talk about the influx of precision ag technology that John Deere has bolted onto new Gators. Farmers can accurately boundary map fields with Gator UTVs in the Operations Center platform while saving money on fuel. AutoTrac guidance and more ag tech options are also available on 2025 Model Year Gator UTVs.

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist with 21st Century Equipment, took on the final segment to hit on the four-wheel drive tractor trend from his viewpoint on the Western Plains.

Head over to YouTube.com to watch the full episode. Hit the “Thumbs Up” button to like the video and the “Subscribe” button to get a notification every week when a new episode drops.

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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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Trending Used Farm Equipment: Pre-DEF Still Prime, Regional Needs And Insights For Dealers

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 18:03:11 GMT

Strong auction pricing is holding across all types of used farming equipment, and older, pre-DEF combines and tractors are leading the bump-in-value charge.

For example, the average auction price on a used John Deere S670 combine today sits at just over $82,000, whereas last year it settled in at the $80,000 mark. Keep in mind that used combines are a market bell weather, often signaling trends 12 months to 18 months ahead the high-horsepower tractor segment.

Check out this example from Machinery Pete’s Facebook:

And this 2012, high-hour pre-DEF John Deere 8360R tractor is another solid example.

“The biggest driver right now is total numbers sold, which is way off from last year and from 2023,” Machinery Pete says on the latest episode of the Moving Iron podcast. “We’ll see what happens for the rest of 2025, but total volume is down and we see the same thing with late-model tractors — there just hasn’t been as many sold at auction. But the older machines are holding their value a little better (than late-model machines), that’s the bottom line.”

Pete’s fellow podcast host, Casey Seymour, thinks one of the biggest issues holding used farm equipment sales down today are high interest rates. Dealers with high inventories are stuck with big interest payments for the machines stuck on the lot, which gives them pause when it comes time to bring in new machines or pursue more trade-ins.

“I think a lot of dealers were hoping we’d start to see the buying activity pick up. We’re seeing some activity, but it’s just not fast enough. That flywheel’s not turning fast enough,” he says. “It’s just starting to turn a little bit, but the speed and velocity dealers look for isn’t there yet.”

Pete and Seymour both sense a strong fall harvest could be just the thing to pull more buyers back into the market. Pete thinks the current buying activity hiatus will be shorter and sharper than the one that took hold during COVID.

“We’ve basically hit a stabilization point. If we see another big push to auction at the end of the year, I’m not 100% convinced we’ll see a huge uptick or downtick in pricing,” Seymour adds.

Know Your Locals
Regionalism is everywhere in farming, and it certainly extends to the world of farm equipment. Farmers in the open-acre, pivot-ringed fields of the Nebraska panhandle — where Seymour lives — have different machinery needs than farmers in the gently rolling Kansas foothills.

If you’re a used equipment dealer, Seymour says you must understand the needs of the local farmer and have a good feel for how many regionally configured machines you can move in your area. It also helps to have connections in the heavy equipment transport world so machines you sell via online auction can get to a farmer a few states over without a giant transportation fee.

“The chances of that 25' variable tillage rig selling around Cheyenne or Wells County are pretty slim, unless it’s a smaller outfit,” says Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist with 21^st Century Equipment. “I always try to be dialed in enough that I know exactly where that thing is going to sell. Maybe it came out of Illinois, and I sold that same guy a really nice 40' rig. Now I would bet some guy near Columbus will call about the 25-footer.”

Rounding out the rest of this week’s episode of the Moving Iron Podcast is a segment on the latest commodity market happenings with Shawn Hackett, president and CEO of Hackett Financial Advisors, and an update from John Deere’s Ryan Stien on how growers are using Operation’s Center to organize, view and share all of their machine data within one digital platform.

Want more Moving Iron? Head over to YouTube to watch the full episode and make sure you hit the “subscribe” button to get every new episode.

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John Deere-Sentera Tie Up: Here’s What We Know So Far

Fri, 23 May 2025 21:07:32 GMT

John Deere has announced its acquisition of Minnesota-based aerial optics innovator Sentera. Although specific details are few and far between this early in the process, here’s what we know so far:

The two companies have a long history. John Deere was the first enterprise customer Sentera signed onto its system over a decade ago, and the two companies have had an API link in place between Sentera’s drone management software and John Deere’s Operations Center since 2016.
Financial details are not being disclosed. We do know the deal is not subject to any further regulatory or shareholder approvals.
In a similar fashion to the Blue River Technologies and Bear Flag Robotics acquisitions, Sentera will maintain its independence as a free-standing business unit. Once fully integrated into the Deere family, Sentera will operate under the John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group (ISG) framework. Sentera leadership will remain at its St. Paul, Minn., headquarters.
For the time being, no major changes are planned for either company as we head into the heart of the summer crop scouting and spraying season. The two companies anticipate having more details to share about the nuts and bolts of the acquisition this fall.
The two groups are a natural fit. Sentera is aggressively marketing its SmartScripts drone weed mapping program, and the technology is complimentary to John Deere’s Operations Center and its See & Spray and ExactApply application technologies. One driving force behind this deal, Farm Journal is told, is Deere’s motivation to integrate more real-time agronomic data into its Operations Center platform, and Sentera’s aerial data capture capabilities can help make that happen.

(John Deere)

A deal to lift both boats. John Deere has built up a deep bench of artificial intelligence, machine learning and autonomous technology expertise within ISG, and Sentera has a long track record of aerial sensing and camera payload innovation. Considering how many cameras and sensors are included from the factory on new John Deere machines and within its Precision Upgrades retrofit kits, there should be a healthy cross pollination of sensor and camera innovation between Urbandale, Iowa, (where ISG is based) and St. Paul, Minn.
Sentera can help make See & Spray even better. SmartScripts uses drone-based imaging to scan a field and build a weed pressure map which is then loaded onto the sprayer’s in-cab computer. Now the sprayer operator can see exactly where weeds are in the field and focus their spraying efforts there first. There’s also a logistical and planning aspect to SmartScripts: by knowing exactly how many weeds are present in the field, and even what type of weeds are there, an adept operator can have the right active ingredients premixed and the exact amount needed loaded into the tank or staged nearby in a tender truck to keep that sprayer running all day long.

“Farming is becoming a very sensor and data-centric business, and in our opinion, there isn’t anyone doing it at broad scale today better than John Deere,” says Eric Taipale, chief technology officer, Sentera. “The way we can bring these data-driven insights and improve grower outcomes — it’s just what we’ve always been about. It’s what John Deere is all about. There’s such a great mesh between the two cultures, the objectives and the mission of the two organizations.”

Joseph Liefer, global technology marketing lead at John Deere, adds, “We’re excited about how this complements our existing portfolio with See & Spray, and then not just that (product). Now a farmer with an individual nozzle-controlled sprayer from any manufacturer can also leverage this technology. A drone can fly their field, generate a weed map, turn it into a prescription in Operations Center and the machine can go execute the plan. From an ag retailer standpoint, that might have a mixed fleet, and this gives them more tools in the toolbox to do targeted application for growers and help them save on herbicide. We view this deal as complementary to our overall tech strategy.”

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Used Sprayers in the Spotlight: Auction Prices, Farmer Demand Still Strong Despite Tough Year

Thu, 22 May 2025 18:58:20 GMT

May is normally a slow-down zone for used equipment auctions, but today there is ample activity taking place in the market. The heightened action is due to the COVID-era expansion of online equipment auctions.

“Conditions for new (equipment) are still soft, and it’s just a challenging time overall, but I would say through the month of May good (condition) used is doing surprisingly well,” says Machinery Pete.

Casey Seymour, who has over 20 years of dealer lot experience, says there is more buying activity on used sprayers than he normally sees this close to summer spraying season.

Machinery Pete agrees, and he has sales data to back it up. Pete shares three recent auction transactions that demonstrate ascending farmer interest (and price upside) in application equipment:

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

A 2022 John Deere 410R sprayer (347 hours, shown above) brought $362,000 at a DPA auction in Illinois. The average 2025 auction price on a 410R is $353,000, up 10% from last year. Meanwhile, the average dealer price is well over $400,000.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

A 2022 Case IH Patriot 4440 sprayer (1,059 hours) brought $210,500, which is the second-highest auction price on a ’22 4440 this year.

(Machinery Pete Facebook)

A 2023 AGCO RoGator 1300C (2,300 hours) brought in $125,500 at an auction in Texas.

A look at the current supply and demand forces at play in the market was another topic of discussion. According to Seymour, used combines and sprayers are up in supply and demand, while row crop tractors and used planters are down.

“I’m anticipating an even bigger end of the year auction cycle than what I anticipated, and I was already anticipating it being pretty big,” Seymour adds.

Pete agrees with that take as well, adding things are “much healthier” this year in terms of dealer inventory. Last year, he recalls, many dealers pushed a large chunk of used machines onto the auction market out of sheer necessity, as the machines weren’t selling fast enough and inventories were too high.

“If I’m a dealer and I have some excess, I’d feel pretty darn good about tiptoeing it out onto the auction market if I have to,” Pete says.

Here Come the Combines

Aaron Fintel, used equipment specialist for 21st Century Equipment, says farmers in his area are either finished with spring planting or very close to being done. That often means more slow days at the equipment dealership.

“We had a second half of February into March and April with pretty good traffic and pretty good (buying) action,” Fintel said. “As quiet as the market was before that, it’s that quiet after, too.”

One machine class that is “very slowly waking up” in his area is used combines, Fintel says. Seymour adds that he expects more new combines to move ahead of fall harvest, and that will result in a bump in used combine inventory on dealer lots. Trade-ins will be the primary factor bumping those used harvester inventories up, he thinks.

Seymour and Fintel then take a deep dive into dealer inventory data from 2023 up until May 19 of this year. The data showed row crop tractor inventories are down 585 units year over year, but Fintel believes the market will bounce back soon with a wave of new tractors hitting dealer lots from the factory.

“What I like to see, and it’s a good indicator of (segment) health, is it’s not about the number of machines — it’s are they moving or not,” Fintel said. “And right now, they’re flowing in nice and healthy, but then there’s a trickle on the back end.”

Seymour also chats with Blue Reef Agri-Marketing’s Chip Nellinger and John Deere’s Josh Ladd, who talks about Deere’s portfolio of precision technologies for crop sprayers.

Want the full story? Head over to YouTube to watch this week’s Moving Iron Podcast episode.

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.

Mo Technology, Mo Problems? 2 Farmers Sound Off on Unreliable, High Maintenance Farm Equipment

Thu, 15 May 2025 18:20:24 GMT

Northeast Iowa farmer Tim Burrack is getting a little taste of Murphy’s Law this spring, and he’s not too thrilled about it. The same goes for Kansas farmer Matt Splitter. Both men are dealing with farm equipment that is breaking down more often than it is getting the job done.

It’s easy to see why such a situation would be so frustrating from the farmer point-of-view: the ag technology they’ve invested in to keep things on track this spring has basically done the complete opposite. And when the ideal planting windows are as compressed and as brief as they are today, stalled equipment is more than just a little problematic.

“There’s been a lot of problems for me — that’s a reason I’m not done planting yet — there’s just all these issues slowing us down, and more often than not, it’s (a problem with) the technology,” Burrack told “AgriTalk” host Chip Flory this week during his appearance on the weekly Farmer Forum segment.

Just yesterday, Burrack says, one row on his planter completely shut down. He took it down to the local dealership, but even the dealer technician was stumped. Lucky for Brook, the dealer’s IT guy was in the office that day and he figured out how to get his planter back up and running.

“He said let’s do an ISOBUS shutdown. Now, I’d never even heard that term before, but it’s when you shut everything off, you unplug the planter from the tractor, and then you start the tractor, back it up, and then plug the planter back in while the tractor is running,” he says. “That ended up solving my problem, but then something else shut down, and we sat there for another hour and a half before we figured that out. Stuff like that — as a farmer it makes you want to pull your hair right out.”

Kansas farmer Matt Splitter considers himself an early tech adopter, but even he is feeling a bit of tech-fatigue after having to do more “hard resets than I can count on all my extremities” this spring.

“There’s just something coming at us every day, all the time,” he says. “You get error codes. You get warnings. We’ve got a tractor down right now because of (an issue with) wiring, and we’ve got planters shut down. We can’t go a full day without some kind of technology issue, and what’s crazy is it’s not something that completely stops you in your tracks, just something that makes you want to pull your hair out. And there’s nothing you can really do other than chase down a mile of wires or do a hard reset.”

Splitter puts the onus for the dodgy tech and machinery squarely on farm equipment and ag tech providers. He believes they are not perfecting new products and machines before releasing them for sale, and then they simply move on to the next new product in the pipeline.

“And the technicians at the dealerships are not being properly trained, either,” he adds. “They’re at a loss for how to fix a lot of these problems, as well.”

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John Deere Challenge: Watch a New York Tech Journalist Farm 20 Acres of Corn for $20 Profit

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 12:18:56 GMT

You might recall this viral stunt from when it was announced last spring: John Deere and tech influencer David Cogen (@TheUnlockr) joined forces to set the New York-based journalist up as a row crop farmer for an entire growing season. Using 20 acres of prime Iowa farmland, Cogen’s mission was to find out if he could accomplish what farmers must achieve to put food on America’s dinner tables: turn planted crops into cold, hard cash.

Unlike most farmers, though, Cogen was basically given every cheat code in the game: He had guidance from John Deere experts throughout the crop journey, all of the latest John Deere equipment with all the tech bells-and-whistles any farmer could dream for —not to mention a blank check for seed, crop inputs, fuel and labor.

Cogen began by ordering up soil tests and custom fertilizer applications. Then he flew back to Iowa to complete the spring tillage pass and seed the field. Next came another trip to spray weeds post-emergence with Deere’s See & Spray smart application system before returning in the fall to harvest the finished grain and haul it down to the local ethanol processing plant.

Along the way Cogen learned a handful of lessons any seasoned farmer already knows all too well:

The weather never seems to do what you want it to do, when you want it to do it. That’s farming.
You have to eradicate weeds or they will rob your yields and destroy your profits.
Variation is the enemy, it’s all about consistent production and harvesting at the precise moisture level and timing.
A dry late-summer and early-fall is a factor you can’t control but it can cost you real dollars on your final yield. The corn will dry down too fast in the field if you don’t get it off on time, so in this case, water is truly money when it comes to corn and soybean farming.

In the end, Cogen’s field averaged 209 bushels per acre and produced just over 3,000 total bushels of corn, which equates to over 200,000 lb.

His total expenses for the year (land costs, seed, fertilizer and “other”) totaled $16,456, while his total revenues for the 19.24 total acres of corn harvested was $16,478.

Don’t adjust your monitor. Yes, you read that right.

The New York tech editor farmed all year long and only brought home $22 in total profit. It just goes to show, turning a profit on only 20 acres is incredibly hard to do. Small acre farmers deserve just as much respect as the big boys.

“Honestly, I hope that like myself, that this has opened your eyes into what it actually takes to farm,” Cogen says at the end of the video. “Just all of the work that goes into it and you can have a new appreciation for farming and for farmers.

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