Autonomous operations stretch past the fields’ edges and work with whole-farm operational logistics
Horsch and Trimble are working together on autonomous-agricultural robots. Phillip Horsch, owner of Horsch, tweeted a video of a robot pulling a planter during its spring testing regime, the first of three robotic prototypes the company plans to test this year. The robot in Horsch’s video is equipped with Trimble technology, and is a cab-less, […] Read moreMachinery — page 56
Finding green on green and dead where it needs to be
Reliably identifying green weeds among a green crop has long been a goal for spot spraying herbicides
There’s a race to build computer programs that instantaneously differentiates weeds and crops within images taken by sprayer-boom mounted cameras. Green-on-brown spraying, where cameras identify plants on brown soil background for burndown applications, has been around for at least 15 years. Weed-It, John Deere See & Spray Select and Amazone AmaSpot can all target individual […] Read more
When the chips fall so do farm machinery sales
Farmers can buy it, but makers can’t make it; supplies of everything from computer chips to steel are failing
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Farmers in the United States, flush with cash after a run-up in grain prices, are clamouring for farm machinery maker Agco Corp. to get them new equipment in time for this year’s harvest. This is a boom time for the Georgia-based company after years of depressed demand. But Agco is scrambling to […] Read more
Lonely diesel-powered, laser-blasting, weed killing robot
A Seattle-based startup has launched a 9,000 pound autonomous robot that uses a 72-horsepower Cummins diesel engine to power weed-blasting lasers. The machine was built to manage weeds in vegetable row crops, although it may also have a fit on Austin Powers’ nemesis Dr. Evil’s farm, if he had one. “We’re focusing on low-lying row […] Read more
Keeping farmer’s machine, making it green
Hagie application tools get more Deere, but keep the layout and feel of the original machine designs
In a little more than a month, Canadian farmers will be able to order the latest in Hagie sprayers. For those producers who have owned or followed the history of the Hagie, the 2022 model year will offer some substantial changes, but appear to be keeping the elements that have made the Hagie machines uniquely […] Read more
Agribition plans to go live in the fall
Canadian Western Agribition plans to be back with a full, live event in Regina this fall, despite the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and posting a significant loss in 2020. Chief executive officer Chris Lane said during the show’s annual general meeting last week that work has begun for the 50th show. This will include […] Read more
Seeders to be built in Sask.
Saskatoon is the best location to produce the new Smart Seeder Max-S, said company officials of Clean Seed Capital Group. “It’s a great place to be. It’s central in Western Canada. I’m here, my executive team is here, supply chain is here, and then from a financial and investment perspective, it was a much better […] Read more
Regina farm show goes virtual
Canada’s Farm Show will return in an online format this summer after being cancelled last year due to the pandemic. The Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. announced the show, formerly Canada’s Farm Progress Show, would be held June 16 and 17 online with free access. The first day will feature the show’s pillars, innovation and state […] Read more
Smart Farm helps make high-tech agriculture a reality
Olds College is showing how computers will revolutionize the way modern prairie agriculture is about to be carried out
A computer control room isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when people think of farming, but Stuart Cullum says such technology is already sort of here. “I mean, a lot of what’s happening on the farm can be seen on a computer in a control room, so to speak — a person […] Read more
More farm robots on the horizon
Small companies and startups are having the biggest initial impact as work on autonomous platforms continues
The march of the robots into agricultural fields continues. Major OEMs are well into the development of autonomous platforms, but the relatively small companies and startups are having the biggest initial impact. The electric utility tractor by Monarch will be available to Canadian farmers this year and it has interesting autonomous capability that may turn […] Read more
