Claas’ partial electric drive for combines uses its diesel engine to charge the electric system while under regular load, which is then ready to kick in during the next high-demand period.  |  John Greig photo

The future of high horsepower tractors

Practicality drives engine and power innovation in agriculture equipment. Companies are developing products suited for work on the farm, instead of depending on electrification. The near future will include cleaner diesel combustion engines, hydrogen and battery, and often a combination of them. There were many electric-power options of less than 100 horsepower at Agritechnica, the […] Read more

John Deere’s Jonathan Edwards stands in front of the company’s new Active Slope Adjustment for combine cleaning shoes at Agritechnica. | John Greig photo

Slope adjustment can reduce grain losses

John Deere recently announced new innovations to its combine lineup at the Agritechnica machinery show in Germany. John Deere showed three new technologies available now or will be available soon. Harvesting grain, especially small grains, on slopes challenges getting the grain cleaned as it floats toward the down-slope direction. John Deere has its Hillmaster line […] Read more


Disruptions of global supply chains for agriculture equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic left some farmers waiting weeks or months for parts and equipment manufacturing slowed or stopped in some cases because of a lack of critical parts. | File photo

Equipment makers strengthen supply chains

Equipment manufacturers increase inventories, production at home and suppliers of critical components

Agricultural machinery companies are reducing supply chain risks by finding multiple suppliers for key components and bringing some manufacturing back to their home countries. Agrievolution, a coalition of 13 agricultural machinery trade associations, presented an update on the global market at Agritechnica, the farm machinery show recently held in Hannover, Germany. Secretary general Charlie O’Brien […] Read more

New Holland’s new CR11 combine showcases a significant boost in processing capacity but with the same weight and width as previous models.  |  John Greig photo

New Holland combine boosts productivity, maintains size, weight

New design moves drivelines away from the side of the combine and increases the width of the rotors and feeder channel

HANNOVER, Germany — New Holland’s new CR11 combine moves more bushels than any previous New Holland combine but takes up the same space on the road, thanks to some award-winning engineering. The CR11 increases productivity for the New Holland line, coming in at 775 horsepower and featuring two 24-inch rotors, a grain tank capacity of […] Read more



This AGCO Power engine has been converted to run on hydrogen. | John Greig photo

5 lessons learned at Agritechnica

I spent five days at Agritechnica 2023, and here are five things I learned. It’s a challenge sometimes to pull out the strong European policy influence on exhibitors and farmers at this show, but there are lessons for Canadian farmers, and the technology created to manage European problems in some cases will make economic sense […] Read more




Marcel Kringe, founder and CEO and Courtney Baxter, global marketing manager, with Bushel Plus show one of the combine concaves they are marketing at Agritechnica. | John Greig photo

Agritechnica update: Canadian content and a John Deere update

There’s significant Canadian content at Agritechnica. Large companies like AGI and MacDon have impressive displays with significant real estate. I also happened upon the Canada pavilion, packed with companies familiar to many of us, including Honey Bee, Mankato, Schulte and Bushel Plus. The companies say that there’s value in companies from Canada banding together to […] Read more