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John Deere showcases state of technology

By Jill Schramm 5 min read

From an autonomous tractor to an intelligent sprayer, a John Deere showcase of the latest farm equipment gave Minot-area producers a look at agriculture technology now and into the future.

The showcase featured several pieces of equipment that are on the lot or will be in the next year or two. Farmers could kick the tires on a new combine or watch a drone in action during the two-day event Aug. 26-27, held in an open field provided by North Central Research Extension Center, just south of Minot

"It's all the latest technology, and some of this technology is not even available to farmers yet," said Stewart Opland, director of Precision Ag at Gooseneck, Minot. "It would be something they would have to order for '27 and even model year '28."

Bringing it all together in one place was an opportunity of timing. Gooseneck was able to host a showcase for the first time because of the combination of equipment already at Gooseneck for testing, equipment that happened to be coming and equipment available to bring down following an event in Canada.

"I know we have more new pieces in one spot than if you went to an actual John Deere Company show somewhere else in the U.S.," Opland said.

There was a new 6M 180 tractor connected to a new automatic weave baler. Opland said the baler weaves back and forth to make a good square bale.

Also on display was the 27 Model X9-1100 combine, which makes a number of improvements over previous models, with a 50-foot hinged frame, flexible cutterbar. Another item was a 616R sprayer with See & Spray technology.

"This is the Generation 2 of See & Spray. It actually identifies the weeds and sprays only the weeds. So, we've seen anywhere from 40% to 60% chemical savings with that machine. With the Gen 1, which was the previous version, I would say we probably have 60 of those machines out currently running in western North Dakota," Opland said.

The showcase included the 8RX, a 540-horsepower tractor. Typically, a horsepower that high is reserved for the big track tractors, Opland said. More of a row-crop tractor, the 8RX will be available in 2027.

Also displayed was a 9RX 770 track tractor, N560F no-till air seeder and a 1,450-bushel air-seeding cart with five tanks. The cart, which won't be available until 2028, is probably only one of three built at this point, Opland said. It was generating the most interest at the showcase.

"Everybody wants to get their crop in quicker," Opland said. "So, there's been a lot of buzz around that 1450 air cart for seeding."

Also gaining interest was the See & Spray sprayer because of its ability to cover more acres, use less chemical and save money, he said.

The real showstopper, though, was an autonomous tractor, set up in the field to demonstrate its capabilities.

"It just does its thing," Opland said. "It drives itself autonomously. There's nobody who needs to be in the seat and you start it on your phone. You just have to have a valid boundary, and it knows where it can go and where it can't."

All the owner has to do is move the tractor to the next field when the first field is tilled, he said.

The technology is currently available and has been demonstrated previously.

"We actually ran it for the first time last spring in southern North Dakota. We haven't had anybody who's purchased that technology yet, but it's available for purchase. You can add that on any tractor that's autonomy ready," Opland said.

He added farmers may be a little hesitant because autonomous technology is new and they need to know more about it. The value of the tractor is in its ability to get work done when there's a shortage of manpower, or when hired help can't be found, he said.

"They want to know what it does for their operation," Opland said. "It's like See & Spray. When we first started, guys weren't excited about it, but now they kind of maybe see what it can do for their operation. How much chemical it can save them, being able to not use as much water, makes a huge difference. So, that's kind of growing on them, and I think autonomy is going to be the same way."

Visitors to the showcase also could view drones available from John Deere's supplier and watch a flight demonstration of a drone, spraying water in this case rather than chemicals. Opland said drones have their niches, particularly for spot spraying for weeds.

Experts from both John Deere and Gooseneck were available to answer questions about any of the equipment.

The farm economy, with currently depressed commodity prices, creates a more challenging environment in which to sell high-cost equipment. However, producers measure the investment over the long term and assess how a purchase can pay for itself over time, Opland said.

"We've seen less demand, for sure, but we still see guys wanting to know 'How can I invest and make the equipment help me make more money,'" he said.

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