John Deere's W- and T-Series combines underwent a comprehensive redesign for 2016. The new models have larger active separation and cleaning shoe areas; faster unloading rates and crop conversion; 40km/h top speeds; and more power. "The goal from the new development of the new T-series was to increase the capacity of the machine," John Deere's... Read More

Claas has announced it's expanding its Claas-owned dealer network in Saskatchewan, as it plans to open a third Canada West Harvest Centre location in Swift Current before the 2016 harvest. “It’s been a year of exciting announcements,” noted Doug Tibben, General Manager of Canada West Harvest Centre, in a statement. “Each new location and upgrade... Read More

Most modern boom sensors look to the terrain immediately ahead to adjust for changes in terrain. Besides mitigating the risk of drift, these systems also offer one less thing for the sprayer operator to have to worry about. Horsch's new BoomSight offers a slightly different, higher perspective. BoomSight was unveiled by Horsch at Agritechnica in... Read More

Similar to how auto-steer has allowed farmers to focus on other tasks rather than steering while crawling up or down a field, a new California company is testing self-driving semis to make trucking safer and allow drivers to do something else between exits on the interstate. Otto, which announced its existence last week, was founded... Read More

Challenging times in the machinery market continue, as tractor sales in Canada slump. According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers' April data, year-to-date tractor sales in Canada are down 18.6 percent from last year. 4-wheel-drive sales are down 22.1 percent, while 2-wheel-drive sales are down 18.4 percent. Combine sales in Canada are bucking the trend,... Read More

The online sharing concept that has produced Uber, Airbnb and other examples of peer-to-peer services aimed at better utilizing existing capital is developing in the U.S. farm machinery market. MachineryLink Sharing, which launched in the fourth quarter of 2015, bills itself as the industry's first internet-based equipment sharing program. Farmers, and even some equipment dealers,... Read More

Japanese tractor company Kubota has announced a deal to purchase Salina, Kansas-based equipment-maker Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc. Kubota will acquire 100 percent of Great Plains' shares for a stock price of approximately US$430 million, subject to provisions in the agreement. The deal expands on a North American alliance Kubota had with Great Plains' turf and... Read More

Three engineering students from the University of Regina won an international ag robotics competition in Indiana last week. The agBOT Challenge saw teams compete to build the most efficient, unmanned seeder, capable of planting two different varieties in half-mile passes while maintaining control and providing data back to the operator (see the lengthy and impressive... Read More