In-Person Farm Machinery Show Returns
2022 National Farm Machinery Show Highlights New Equipment, Cutting-Edge Technology
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (DTN) -- After a COVID cancellation last year, the National Farm Machinery Show opened its doors here again last week to farmers eager to see what's new and what's coming in equipment and cutting-edge technology.
DTN caught up with Kurt Coffey, vice president of Case IH North America, and Jake Ridenour from Trimble Ag at the event. Following are some comments from each, as well as videos from the show.
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THREE THINGS: KURT COFFEY, VICE PRESIDENT CASE IH NORTH AMERICA
-- On Technology. "Farmers are not spelling out exactly what they want. What they're saying is, 'Here's my issue. I have a challenge.' And, in the case of our combine with AFS harvest command, 'I want to save more. I want less damage. I want to have less going out the back. I'm having a hard time with scarcity of labor.' We hear (that) pain. And it turns into a technology, which is harvest automation. Harvest Command with 16 sensors (that monitor harvest and grain flow) multiple times a second. There's a laundry list of technologies coming (from Case IH) that optimize productivity for our customers. What we aspire to is that (our) customers use our technology to gather, collect, manage and then be able to own it and share it as they wish."
-- On Automation. "We've talked about the (AFS Command) combine? Look at AFS Soil Command. It gives (farmers) the ability to manage soils and tillage practices on a prescription or a micro basis. We're at the leading edge in industry. These are differentiators. The writing is on the wall. We're doubling down in this journey."
-- On Autonomy. "I can tell you that we were with one of our key partners, a large customer, in the last few weeks. The discussion we had there was about the direction (of technology). Now my (discussion) with a totally different-size customer or a different geography with different regulations would be completely different. This is what I mean by multifaceted. Go back to what solutions are we offering? (For farmers), the main issue is 'I want to make more, and I need to grow as a better steward and be more sustainable.' And the No. 1 issue right now across dealers and our customers is scarcity of labor. (Moves such as) our investment in Raven (Industries) brings leading technology into the house of (CNH Industrial). It telegraphs where we're focused in the future."
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THREE THINGS: JAKE RIDENOUR, TRIMBLE AG
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-- On Trimble Virtual Farm. "What we've done is taken a look at how we sell Trimble products. With Trimble Virtual Farm, you can log on to an interactive website and look at a virtual tour of a farm. It (shows typical problems) we hear about from growers every day. You can then look at a certain problem (from a library of more than 600 videos) and see what Trimble solution fixes that problem."
-- On Technology Choice. "That's an issue for growers. They buy products that didn't match what they wanted (to do). Virtual Farm takes a different look and focuses on the specific issue on the farm. We can absolutely nail what solution fits that farmer perfectly."
-- On Farm Technology Advisers. "A technology adviser on a farm (is a good idea). He's able to train the team and he's able to train all the operators. You want somebody that's technically savvy, somebody who knows how to move data. (A technology adviser) allows you to really focus on your data and make sure that everything is set up correctly. They also need to be a coach. This person needs to be able to talk to the other team members and the operators and really be able to get them to understand (how systems work) and how that helps produce good data downstream."
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VIDEO BITES FROM THE SHOW
-- Kubota L3302, L3903 compacts. 33 horsepower and 37.5 horsepower. Restyled LA526 loader; LED head- and work-lights. Independent PTO switch on HST models.
-- WR Series Hesston by Massey Ferguson self-propelled windrower. Close center auxiliary hydraulic system for 10% fuel savings or 10% power boost; 150-gallon fuel tank; engine choice up to 7.4 liter, six-cylinder AGCO engine.
-- Great Plains BD 7600 HD 50-foot drill. Split box; 180 bushels of capacity. Great Plains says BD 7600 can seed a quarter on a single fill.
-- Massey Ferguson 6S. Four-cylinder, 145-180 horsepower. Targets hay and cattle markets, more.
-- Kinze Manufacturing 1121 Grain Cart; 1,000 bushels of capacity; 90-degree auger, tip spout, on-board scale system, tracks or tires. Coming 2023, new row-crop configuration.
Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@dtn.com
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