DENVER, Colo. — An ag-tech company from the Prairies has won a major award at the Commodity Classic in Denver.
PTx Trimble, which has its engineering and technology division in Winnipeg, received the Davidson Prize from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
Darcy Cook, head of autonomous solutions for PTx, was in Denver to receive the prize.
“The Davidson (prize) is awarded each year … for leading engineering technologies that impact different farming operations,” said Cook.
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PTx Trimble, which designs and builds precision technology for farmers, is owned by Agco.
The winning technology from PTx was the OutRun autonomous grain cart. It’s a retrofit kit that can be installed in existing tractors to make them autonomous.
“They operate entirely without a driver to execute the grain cart task,” Cook said in a hallway at the Colorado Convention Center.
“This works with an iPad (used by) the operator in the combine. They can command the autonomous tractor pulling the grain cart through three different tasks during harvest”:
• The tractor and grain cart can be filled with grain next to the combine, on the go.
• A farmer can send the grain cart to a truck, for unloading.
• It can be “staged” or placed in a certain location in a field to wait for the next load of grain.
Labour shortages are a major issue on grain farms across North America, so the OutRun autonomous grain cart is a partial solution for that problem, Cook said.
The technology is now on the market in the United States and Canada. In the short term, PTx will focus its sales efforts on corn and soybean producers in the U.S. Midwest.
The OutRun autonomous grain cart was one of three innovations that received the Davidson Prize.
CNH America was recognized for its large square baler technology, which automates key baling functions and ensures consistent bale quality.
Bondioli & Pavesi Inc. received the prize for its electronic data interchange driveshaft, a technology that improves power transmission efficiency.
Contact robert.arnason@producer.com
