The RoamIO HC was one of many autonomous technologies attendees of the recent AgRobotics Working Group field tour could see in action.

Ironing out autonomous logistics

AgRobotics Working Group field day shows challenges, benefits of autonomous equipment

Glacier FarmMedia – Logistics carry the day, not tactics – or so goes the military adage. However true on the battlefield, the saying also has resonance in crop production. It holds true for autonomous field implements, just as it has for analog equipment, though tech developers don’t always get the message right away. Why it

“I’ve had people come to our booth and tell us we bought them new half tons. If you’re losing three bushel(s) and you can get that down to one, that’s a considerable amount of money.” – Trevor Scherman.

Calibrate your combine to boost profits

An hour or two spent properly calibrating your machine could be the most lucrative time you spend this harvest

Farmers will spare no expense when it comes to tending their crops and maximizing production. So why do they spit so many of their profits out the back end of their combines at harvest? It’s a mystery to North Battleford farmer and inventor Trevor Scherman, one of the speakers at the recent Ag in Motion


Deere & Co mower production to move from Iowa to Mexico plant

Mexico City | Reuters – U.S. farm equipment maker Deere & Co DE.N will be moving production of mower conditioners, which are tractor attachments with rolling discs to cut and crush hay, from a factory in Ottumwa, Iowa, to an existing plant in Mexico over the next 18 months, the company said. The company told Reuters late

Parts shortages could become acute during seeding season.

Tight supply gums up works on parts

Lack of parts is a bad recipe when mixed with the tight timelines of seeding

The ag sector’s supply chain issues are also showing up at the parts counter. Shipment delays and parts availability issues are an increasing concern for farmers, as they gear up for spring. “My biggest concern is if you have issues at seeding time and are unable to source parts,” Bill Campbell, president of the Keystone


“They’re saying provide the parts and the repair manuals to the repair place, and then you’re off the hook.”

NDP proposes ‘right to repair’ bill for farm equipment, vehicles

Current laws need updating, but extensive research is needed, says industry expert

Editor’s note: This article has been altered from its original form to clarify that Harvey Chorney was speaking as a farmer, rather than in his capacity as strategic advisor at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI). [UPDATED: Jan. 25, 2022] An NDP private member’s bill proposes to give Manitoba farmers and independent mechanics the right

Ag-tech start-up Easton Robotics founder believes the use of small robots in conjunction with existing equipment is more realistic than larger, autonomous vehicles.

Supplementing – not replacing – large tractors with autonomy

There are opportunities for small robots on small grain farms

Glacier FarmMedia – There is ample opportunity for robots on small farms — if prices can fit with lower economies of scale. That philosophy is the driving force behind Maryland-based ag-tech startup Easton Robotics. According to founder and chief executive officer Jeff Chandler, however, the idea that small farmers will replace their big tractors with autonomous vehicles, or


John Deere’s AutoPath guidance records the actual position of crop rows and stores the information, allowing for more accurate in-season passes during spraying and harvesting. Photo: John Deere

John Deere improves guidance with AutoPath

System stores exact row positions for more accurate in-season passes

John Deere has introduced AutoPath, a row guidance system to help improve seeding, spraying and harvest accuracy. After the system stores the location of crop row lines, it allows for subsequent field passes to be based upon actual recorded row locations rather than a conventional A-B line, which may or may not correctly represent the

The past century has seen agricultural equipment become more high tech, efficient, and safer.

Comment: Right to repair machinery, not modify

Modern farm equipment can be dangerous or easily damaged when improperly modified

For the most part, agriculture in Canada has survived the COVID-19 pandemic better than expected. Weather and commodity prices have played a big part of that. Perhaps the only negative we see is that the coronavirus created major disruptions in the inventory and parts supply chain. Equipment manufacturers and dealers are addressing the issue to


Lowering tire pressure is one of the first places to start to reduce compaction damage.

How to prevent compaction at harvest

Limiting damage starts with decisions when combines go into fields

Field activity makes soil compaction worse. That’s just the nature of the work. But there are methods to reduce it, in favourable and unfavourable conditions. Ways to reduce soil compaction vary, depending on soil type, field conditions, equipment capability, operation style, and other factors. For Alex Barrie, a Bowmanville, Ont.-area farmer and soil management engineer

Redekop pitches combine-mounted weed seed control

Redekop pitches combine-mounted weed seed control

Manufacturer says combine-mounted unit will pulverize weed seeds

Farmer reaction to herbicide-resistant weeds may trend towards, “kill it with fire,” but the latest harvest tool out of Redekop Manufacturing has a different answer for weed seeds: pound them to oblivion. The Saskatoon-based manufacturer recently unveiled its seed control unit, compatible with John Deere combines. With resistant weed pressure and certain herbicides increasingly in