Kubota's fully autonomous tractor is offering Japanese agriculture an innovative solution to the challenges of an aging demographic. "Really we've been developing this technology for the local market in view of the fact that in Japan, much of the farming population is aging, and we're starting to see some labour shortages," says Kubota's Mel McGlinchey.... Read More

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

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... 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

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