Drones are likely packed away for winter, but now is the time to take them out to perform battery maintenance. The chemistry inside lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries used to power most drones breaks down when kept at full or low charge levels for extended periods of time, reducing battery life and capacity. A battery that… Read More
Category: Machinery
December ended with very cold weather across Canada, but overall Canadian tractor and combine sales numbers reported by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) were hot, compared to 2016. The December 2017 the Association of Equipment Manufacturers Canadian Flash Report shows 2WD farm tractors up 15.1%, 4WD farm tractors up 24.5% and self propelled combines… Read More
Annaburger and Schumacher have joined forces to build and present a universal, mobile biomass chopper. The RS Cutmaster is operated by a standard tractor, and consists of a scraper floor, rotor and two chopping units. It’s built to slice and process material in preparation for fermentation, chopping everything from round bales to horse and cattle manure…. Read More
Developed by John Deere and subsidiary Monosem, the AutoTrac Implement Guidance system unveiled at Agritechnica in Germany this year gives farmers the opportunity to mechanically target weeds in row crops, at high speed. The system involves two StarFire satellite receivers (one on the tractor and one on the implement), as well as an AutoTrac vision… Read More
Sensors and data collection are being used to improve efficiency throughout agriculture, including in cotton production. John Deere showcased its Precision Cotton Harvesting Technology at Agritechnica 2017 on its massive CP690 cotton harvester. The CP690 offers non-stop cotton harvesting technology, and now collects 27 data points for every module of cotton, including on-the-go moisture measurements…. Read More
Just learning how a combine runs can be an overwhelming task, let alone trying to adjust it for optimum grain quality and performance while conditions change throughout a day of harvesting. With the latest changes coming to its Lexion combines, Claas says the machine will do that automatically, as the company has introduced what it… Read More
Grimme’s self-propelled potato harvester line just got a little wider, and bigger, with the introduction of the Ventor 4150. The 4-row, self-propelled, 530HP behemoth was unveiled at Agritechnica 2017 in Germany, where it won a silver innovation medal. It’s the first 4-row potato harvester to be fitted with the company’s “SE system” of conveying, lifting… Read More
The main difference between a regular round baler and the stationary Orkel baler/compactor is, as CEO Jarl Gjonnes explains, Orkel’s has the ability to bale short chopped material. That means the outfit is capable of baling or packaging more than 30 bulk materials — including corn silage, grasses, forage mixes/total mixed rations, crimped grain, manure,… Read More
Claas, in cooperation with construction machine manufacturer Liebherr, has unveiled what it’s calling the “first wheeled loader series for all agricultural applications”. The Torion series, which debuted at Agritechnica in Germany, includes seven articulating loaders, and, according to Claas, rounds out their range of telehandlers, transport wagons and tractors with front loaders. With infinitely variable… Read More
Where rabbits and many other wildlife will run when a tractor approaches, baby deer will instinctively hide in tall grass. And that can be a problem when harvesting forages in areas with high deer populations, especially during first cut in spring. Austrian-based company Pöttinger has come up with a solution, for which it received a silver… Read More