A Q and A with Willy Pell, CEO of Blue River Technology, takes a closer look at the evolution of Blue River's LettuceBot sense and act technology, and its acquisition by John Deere.
Dan Miller
Progressive Farmer Senior Editor
Dan Miller has been writing farm and ranch stories for 32 years. He came to The Progressive Farmer in October 2008 as the magazine's Midwest Editor, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Prior to that, he wrote for four years at Iowa Farmer Today, also in Cedar Rapids and for two years at the Dixon Evening Telegraph, in Dixon, Ill. Among the issues he has written about are the Farm Crisis of the 1980s, the presidential elections of 1988 (including interviews with then vice president George H.W. Bush, Al Gore, Bob Dole and Jesse Jackson), the Midwest's 1993 floods, numerous farm bills, including the game-changing conservation programs of the 1980s, the introduction of genetically engineered crops, and tools and machinery. Dan was the editorial lead on PF's six Idea House programs, beginning in 2003. He has traveled widely across the United States, to Canada (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, World Trade Talks); to Germany for a look at farming practices there; to the former Soviet Union in 1989 where he reported on an agricultural system that was changing as rapidly as the nation's political system, and to Finland where he wrote about that nation's seaside fresh-food markets. Dan's writing awards include two Oscars in Agriculture, Story of the Year -- American Agricultural Editors Association -- and business journalism's Neal Award, among many others. Dan has lived in Chelsea, Alabama since 2003. He writes about land, land management, conservation, row crops, the ATV industry, shop design and structure, tools and equipment. He is married to Kim, and they have three grown children.
Recent Blogs by Author
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Massey Ferguson's 8S finishes mid-pack in Morocco Desert Challenge; Trelleborg expands tire line for 150-250 hp tractors; AGCO defends its Momentum planter patent; and MF 5M wins Red Dot...
More From This Author
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Sense and Act Tech for Precision Spray
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America's Best Shops: Bring It Together
Indiana's Mark Glessner put up several buildings to bring most of his maintenance work to one location.
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MF 8S Completes Morocco Challenge
Massey Ferguson's 8S finishes mid-pack in Morocco Desert Challenge; Trelleborg expands tire line for 150-250 hp tractors; AGCO defends its Momentum planter patent; and MF 5M wins Red Dot design award.
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Solar Storm Watch for Today
The Space Weather Prediction Center is warning of a strong geomagnetic storm for today that may affect navigation systems.
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March 2025 Ag Equipment Sales Down
Tractor and combine sales continue to underperform the five-year average, according to numbers tracked by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.
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Tariffs May Incentivize China
Having just returned to the United States from Belgium and China, Praveen Penmetsa, co-founder and CEO of Monarch Tractor, Livermore, California, offers his impressions on the impact of the new U.S. tariffs in those two nations.
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Best Blog of the Week
Tornado season started early this year, and we are only now getting into the thick of it. Chainsaws are a powerful tool of recovery. Used improperly, they also are deadly.
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Equipment Roundup
In this Equipment Roundup, DTN/Progressive Farmer looks at New Holland celebrating 50 years of its Twin Rotos design, Deere launching a women's workwear line with Dovetail and Renke announcing the ReinCloud 3, its most advanced...
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Sense and Act Technology Brings Sharper Precision to Spraying
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Handy Devices
Easy-to-build ideas make your work easier. Readers send in helpful solutions to farm and ranch problems.
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Handy Devices
Easy-to-build ideas make your work easier. Readers send in helpful solutions to farm and ranch problems.
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Bring It All Together
Mark Glessner put up several buildings to bring most of his maintenance work to one location.
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Handy Devices
Easy-to-build ideas make your work easier. Readers send in helpful solutions to farm and ranch problems.
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Equipment Roundup
Trimble and PTx Trimble release new positioning technology, Cummins unveils its first-ever gasoline engine, Titan announces its sales are down, and John Deere joins biofuels group Growth Energy.
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Deere Collects Nine AE50 Innovation Awards
Around the industry: John Deere earned nine AE50 awards; Yanmar opens electrification unit; and AGCO named its 2024 Technician of the Year.
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A Look Back at 2025 Commodity Classic
The 2025 Commodity Classic featured few brand-new machines but showcased tons of new technologies to run them.
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Deere Offers New Autonomous Upgrades
Deere is getting close to making its entire tillage line autonomy ready, along with a fleet of large tractors upgraded to conduct autonomous field operations around the clock.
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Ag Equipment Sales Down Again
Tractor and combine sales continue to perform below year-earlier sales numbers and below the five-year sales average.
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AGCO CEO Talks Tariffs, Ukraine, Tech
In a Morgan Stanley fireside chat on Thursday, AGCO CEO Eric Hansotia discussed the market for new technologies, AGCO's retrofit strategy, tariffs and Ukraine.
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New Case IH, New Holland Sprayer Tech
CNH brands Case IH and New Holland announced new sense-and-act technologies. New Holland is introducing IntelliSense Sprayer Automation and Case IH is introducing SenseApply.
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Davidson Prizes for Innovation Awarded
Bondioli and Pavesi, AGCO PTx Trimble and CNH earned prestigious Davidson Prizes for cutting-edge innovation in intelligent design, sensors and production efficiency.
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Handy Devices
Easy-to-build ideas make your work easier. Readers send in helpful solutions to farm and ranch problems.
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Handy Devices
Easy-to-build ideas make your work easier. Readers send in helpful solutions to farm and ranch problems.
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Handy Devices
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Launched: Yamaha Tech Venture, Morton 3D Tool
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Deere Ramps Up Technology Race
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Iron Lines Aisles of Farm Machinery Show
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AGCO Expects Another Down Year in 2025
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Deere Releases Precision Kit, 'Weave'
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CNH Forecasts Sales Decline in 2025
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Handy Devices
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We Took 2025 Model Year Polaris Rangers for a Test Drive
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Handy Devices
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Handy Devices
Easy-to-build ideas make your work easier. Readers send in helpful solutions to farm and ranch problems.