John Deere begins path to autonomy
GLOBAL equipment manufacturer John Deere will this month launch its latest farm machinery as it begins to unfurl its path towards autonomy.
First shown at the National Fodder Conference in Queensland in July, the John Deere High-Density Large Square Baler claims the ability to produce bales that are 30 per cent heavier than its predecessor.
The L341 baler features a bigger build chamber, reinforced hoops and is 457mm (18-inches) longer than a standard unit.
Since fewer bales need to be removed from the field, John Deere said that farmers will spend less time travelling across the crop.
In addition, trucks are loaded with the maximum amount of hay for enhanced efficiency, creating savings on each trailer load.
John Deere Australia and New Zealand production systems manager, Stephanie Gersekowski, said in July that technology such as the new baler along with three other new technologies, would help fodder producers save time, labour and input costs.
“In today's economic and climatic conditions, a focus on risk mitigation, productivity gains and increased profitability, along with building industry resilience, is absolutely essential to drive sustainable, long-term success within the sector,” Ms Gersekowski said.
"We want to be sustainable and profitable in terms of the production of fodder, and I feel that there is an obligation for the enterprises that support fodder production, like John Deere, to not only provide you with the best products and technology to help improve productivity on farm but continue to support and engage with industry bodies like AFIA.”
Ms Gersekowski said that the subject of autonomy has become a hot topic of discussion.
“Over the last couple of years, I've spent a lot of time talking about the opportunity with automation and there's only ever two responses I receive,” she said.
“The first is 'I want it now' and the second is 'I can't see it working for us'.
“For those who are ready to adopt there are steps to be taking to prepare for autonomy and for those who are sceptical, I will ask that you consider the solutions I'm about to run you through and ask yourselves: Can it save you on cost, can it save you on time, and can it improve your overall job execution?
“Autonomy is much more than just a driverless tractor.”
John Deere said that the foundation of its autonomy is its ‘Precision Ag’ ecosystem which optimises workflow of farm management.
The ecosystem, available in John Deere’s Operation Centre, includes the HarvestLab 3000, a small near-infrared analyser that fits directly onto a forage harvester or can be used separately for table-top analysis.
“HarvestLab supports post-season feed analysis for your fodder consumers,” Ms Gersekowski said.
“Producers can better understand the nutritional value and optimise their feed mixes to support higher milk quality or, if you're feed lotting, to support better weight gain in your cattle.”
Other products include Bale Doc — launched at the National Fodder Conference in 2023 and said it enabled near-real-time moisture and weight data in addition to bale count.
"When you are in the tractor, this information is going to allow you to help monitor and track your bale location as well as the conditions you're working in," Ms Gersekowski said.
"It really represents a mini-income statement, so every single bale you're recording is an income statement for the entire year when it comes to bale production.
"Post-season analysis via a harvest layer within Ops Center will also allow you to understand how you can change your inputs for the next season to get more productivity out of your hay, year-on-year."
John Deere also announced a new platform to be launched globally — and soon in Australia and New Zealand — called the Milk Sustainability Center (MSC).
In a joint partnership between John Deere and DeLaval, MSC allows dairy dairy customers to calculate, benchmark, simulate and optimise nutrient use efficiency and CO2e for sustainable and profitable decision-making, while complying with increasing regulatory pressures.
“For fodder producers, it will extend the value proposition that they can provide to their customers,” Ms Gersekowski said.
“These are just three examples of the building blocks that are leading us towards automation and autonomy in the hay and forage production cycles.”
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