New Tech at Farm Progress Show

We've had a few days to consider the new machinery and technologies displayed at the 2023 Farm Progress Show, Decatur, Ill., with 600 displays and farmers from nearly three dozen nations. Here are five that caught our attention.

FENDT MOMENTUM PLANTER

AGCO's new 30-foot Momentum planter from its Fendt brand is built for the medium-sized to small farm. Think 1,000 acres. But AGCO would also want you to consider the features of this planter.

"This addition allows family-owned farms and smaller operations to experience the best in agronomic planting, increasing their yields and improving their bottom lines," says Arthur Santos, marketing manager for Fendt planters

Brought to North America in 2020, the Momentum planter series is a clean-sheet design focused on optimal seed depth and spacing regardless of soil moisture, soil type, residue levels, terrain or operating speed. With its Vertical Contouring Toolbar, Momentum follows the topography of the field with 52 inches of vertical planting range. SmartFrame technology puts each row unit in position for row cleaning, downforce, furrow creation, seed placement and closing.

The 30-foot Momentum planter carries 100 bushels of seed and up to 800 gallons of liquid fertilizer. Its in-line tandem wheel design eliminates pinch rows and its very-high Flexion (VF) tires provide the flotation advantage of tracks with the high road speed of tires, Fendt says. The 30-foot Momentum can also be equipped with Fendt's central tire inflation system, which automatically adjusts tire pressure to reduce compaction.

With the addition of the 30-foot model, Fendt's Momentum planter is now offered in 30- to 60-foot machines with liquid and dry fertilizer systems, and in 12- and 23-row configurations with 30- and 15-inch spacing.

See more about the 30-foot Momentum planter here: https://www.dtnpf.com/…

JOHN DEERE PRECISION UPGRADE

John Deere brought the media in to talk about its precision upgrade strategy. Instead of farm managers waiting for the production of new machinery with Deere's latest technology, precision upgrades are offered as a retrofit to equipment already working on a farm.

"You don't have to buy a brand new machine to get the latest technology to your farm," says Director of Precision Ag Solutions Than Hartsock.

Deere's See & Spray Premium offering is one example of a precision upgrade. To learn how the technology is applied to an existing Deere sprayer, watch this video: https://www.dtnpf.com/…

JOHN DEERE 1 SERIES ROUND BALER

John Deere's new 1 Series Round Balers features Bale Doc technology. Bale Doc documents bale moisture and weight in near real-time, data that can be flowed to the John Deere Operations Center for post-harvest analysis.

"Operators can see in real-time what the moisture levels are of the bales they are making, the cab. This is information farmers can use to decide if they need to stop baling for the day, or apply a preservative," says Chase Milem, marketing manager for John Deere. Deere's new, standard 8-inch G5e display provides operators visibility and control over baling operations.

Deere's 1 Series Round Balers also automates gate cycle functions, automatically opening and closing the gate to produce high yields.

The John Deere 1 Series Round Baler lineup includes the 451E, 451M, 451R, 461M, 461R, 551M, 561M and 561R. The "E" model designates the baler is equipped with a regular pickup; the "M" denotes the baler is equipped with the MegaWide Plus pickup, and the "R" model shows the round baler is equipped with the High-Capacity or the High-Capacity and Precutting feeding system.

NEW HOLLAND T4 ELECTRIC TRACTOR

New Holland, a brand of CNH Industrial, brought to the show its T4 Electric Power utility tractor. New Holland says the T4 Electric provides high torque, emission-free power with autonomous technology without the need for fuel, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), engine filters or oil. The T4 comes standard with a factory-installed 725LU loader with autonomous features provided by its Smart Roof.

The T4 Electric Power tractor, first revealed in December last year, marks the first new product to come from a multi-year licensing agreement announced in November 2021 between electric/autonomous tractor manufacturer Monarch Tractor and CNH Industrial.

The T4 can do everything that an equivalent 4-wheel-drive diesel tractor can do, with up to a 56% savings in operating costs, New Holland told farming visitors at the Farm Progress Show.

The T4 Electric Power tractor is a 74 hp utility with 65 PTO horsepower. Run-time is 4-8 hours. Top speed is 25 mph.

Recharging is overnight with an AC charger. With its Premium Fast DC charger, New Holland claims a recharging cycle from 10% to 80% in less than one hour. The T4 generates exportable power for remote work by way of 110/220V electrical outlets.

Driver-assisted autonomy includes Follow Me Mode (T4 follows a dismounted operator), the Invisible Bucket (for improved viewing of loader bucket operations and 360-degree awareness by cameras installed in the roof of the T4.

See a video presentation of New Holland's T4 Electric Power utility tractor: https://www.dtnpf.com/…

CASE FARMALL ELECTRIC 75C TRACTOR

Case IH, sister brand to New Holland, brought to Farm Progress its own entry to the expanding electric power tractor segment.

Like New Holland's T4, the Case Farmall Electric 75C is a 74 hp, 65 PTO utility tractor. The electric motor performs at 94% efficiency, Case IH says.

Two AC and one DC charging options are available, from the plug-and-play entry-level AC charger to the Premium Fast DC charger that cuts recharging cycle time to under one hour. With an average four-hour run time, the Farmall Electric tractor can be recharged from 10% to 80% in less than one hour with DC fast charging.

The Farmall generates exportable power for remote work by way of 110/220V electrical outlets.

As with the T4, the Farmall 75C offers several autonomous features including: Follow-me mode (tractor moves forward and reverse, following the operator); Row Follow (the Farmall 75C uses onboard cameras to precisely follow rows through a field); Invisible Bucket (onboard cameras and screen display shows what is in front of the bucket); Safe Mode (disables the tractor and PTO when someone unexpectedly walks in front of the moving tractor).

The Farmall Electric tractor can be remotely activated by way of your mobile device. Managers also can remotely monitor tractor performance and battery level.

See the video walkaround of the Farmall 75C: https://www.dtnpf.com/…

CASE AXIAL-FLO 160 COMBINE

Case IH showed off its new Axial-Flow 160 Series combine. Key to the machine is Case's decision to add its automated AFS Harvest Command system to this mid-range machine. AFS Harvest Command supports corn, soybeans, canola, barley, wheat and rice.

AFS Harvest Command offers four performance settings:

-- Performance: Maximize grain savings and grain quality.

-- Grain quality: Maximize grain quality.

-- Max throughput: The operator can maximize throughput while automation adjusts combine settings to save grain.

-- Fixed throughput: The operator can fix the machine throughput and the machine will adjust to save grain and maintain a quality sample.

The 160 series combine offers a high-capacity, 350-bushel grain tank.

Here's a video about the new Case IH Axial Flow 160 combine: https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@dtn.com

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