It sounds like a futuristic farming scene, but researchers in central Europe are working on developing an autonomous farming system where drones and robots work together to control weeds, starting in sugar beets and sunflowers. Seven partners across four European countries are involved in the Flourish Project, an effort to create an autonomous, robotic system... Read More
Category: Agritechnica
Hovering 350mm (~14 inches) above its base, the tractor cab definitely stood out as it sat perched atop a Deutz-Fahr 9340 tractor on display at Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany. So why would a tractor cab need a lift kit? No, it's not for aesthetic appeal, but for a practical reason: tasks that require the driver... Read More
In recent years we've seen dramatic shifts into the areas of low-till and no-till. And now, Väderstad is offering another option with its Carrier lineup of disc cultivators — ultra-shallow tillage. "The idea behind this is when the farmer has done his combining, especially after oilseed...if he do a very shallow tillage then (and with... Read More
With more than 4000 measurements taken per second, John Deere's manure sensing technology offers farmers a solution to the otherwise extreme variability in nutrient content when spreading manure. With farmers in Europe (and parts of North America) facing increasing regulatory oversight over nutrient application, Deere has developed the high-tech manure sensor technology to measure and... Read More
If there's a consistent theme across new agriculture technology over the last few years it's automation. From driverless tractors, to spot-spraying drones, automation is advancing quickly within the farming sector and for very good reasons. Automation is best suited to replacing repetitive or labour-intensive tasks. It's also a great fit for when precision matters —... Read More
Automation and robotics seems to be an ever-growing priority for agricultural machinery manufacturers. Denmark-based Conpleks certainly sees the potential. The company works with partners to develop intelligent solutions for automated opportunities. Its technology is currently used in: autonomous line marking for sports fields, robotic mink feeding, and mechanical weeding. Tom Simonsen, founder and CEO of... Read More
Alongside its vineyard-weeding robot family member Ted; Little Oz the research robot; and market garden weeder Oz, Naïo Technologies now has a large-scale vegetable weeding robot hitting farm fields. Guided by RTK GPS, and a set of cameras to ensure it stays between rows, Dino is electrically driven, lighter than a tractor and requires no... Read More
European farmers can look forward to a new line-up from Kubota — and one that provides automation of some of the more mundane operator duties. The M7002 series tractors succeed M7001, with up to 170 horsepower, a new power shift transmission, improved braking performance, lower fuel consumption and updates to intelligence. With Tractor Implement Management,... Read More
The traditional 3-point hitch assembly shifts most of the implement load on to the rear axle. We counter this with ballast on the front end of the tractor, which is not always precise, but is always added weight (a drag on efficiency!). Fendt looked at the problem in a less conventional way and came up... Read More
Bayer and Bosch are working together on a three-year research collaboration to develop a precise spraying technology that will minimize herbicide use, while also mitigating against resistance development. The technology, called Smart Spraying, will see camera sensors identifying weeds, and precise herbicide application targeting them on a single pass, within a fraction of a second.... Read More