John Deere significantly beefed up its hay and forage implement offerings when it introduced its new 2015 product line. The most notable additions were the two L Series balers that will be market ready for the upcoming season.
PHOTOS: John Deere square balers
Buyers have a choice of a standard feeder system or one that pre-cuts the crop feeding
New 6 Series tractors from John Deere
New and updated models in the brand’s utility and mid-range tractor categories
At its dealer convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last August, John Deere unveiled three new models in its 6R Series tractor line. It beefed up the previous 6170R, 6190R and 6210R models and re-released them as the 6175R, 6195R and 6215R, each with five more rated horsepower. But they actually get 10 more maximum horsepower through […] Read more
Yours, mine and Deere’s
One topic has dominated the online blogs of ag machinery editors in the past couple of weeks. It’s the sudden debate over what machinery ownership really means in the age of digital technology. The resulting controversy has generated pages of online reader comments. It seems questioning what ownership means has touched a nerve. I think […] Read more
JCB Fastrac updates meant to appeal to North American farmers
Grainews test drove the 4000 Series Fastrac tractor at JCB’s Georgia facility
It’s been about 24 years since U.K-based JCB introduced the ag industry’s first high-speed tractor, the Fastrac. That was back in 1991. This past January, the company debuted a reengineered version of that tractor, the new 4000 Series, at an event in Quebec. The new tractor also made an appearance at the National Farm Machinery […] Read more
PHOTOS: Taking a close look at the 4000 Series JCB Fastrac
The 4000 Series addresses criticisms of previous generations
In early March, members of the farm media were invited to JCB’s Savannah, Georgia, facility to see all the brand’s new equipment, including the 4000 Series Fastrac.
Loader tractor or telehandler?
JCB executives believe once North American farmers get used to telescopic handlers, they’ll never go back to a conventional ag tractor and loader
European farmers have been buying telehandlers in pretty large numbers for decades, but here in North America, on-farm materials handling has been pretty much the domain of the ag tractor equipped with a front-end loader. Telehandler sales numbers here have been relatively small — so far. Executives at JCB think a large number of farmers […] Read more
A lot of Ram trucks
The number of ways we’ve seen farm machines get into the Guinness World Records Book in past couple of years is imaginative to say the least. Some of those record setting efforts have come directly from brand marketing people, like my last blog entry which looked at setting a land speed record for a tractor […] Read more
Blue lights improve night spraying
LED light kits designed to better illuminate sprayer booms
Night spraying can offer advantages, such as reduced wind speeds to minimize drift and slower rates of evaporation. But defective nozzle spray patterns can be much more difficult to see in the dark, even with boom lighting. The Belgian company Comatra Safety Systems is offering Canadian farmers what it thinks is an ideal solution to […] Read more
AGCO updates its RG700 RoGator
The RG700 sprayer gets enhanced features, and becomes the RG700B
AGCO says it’s giving its RG700 self-propelled sprayer an update for model year 2015, with a simplified drive system to improve performance and make for easier operation. The RG700 is the junior model in AGCO’s RoGator line. With a 700-gallon-tank, it debuted last season as the newest and smallest member of the RoGator family. The plan […] Read more
The market looks strong
It’s hard to know what to make of the ag machinery market so far this year. 2015 started off pretty shaky. By the end of February AEM (the Agricultural Equipment Manufacturers Association) reported that farmers were clearly keeping their chequebooks in their pockets. Monthly sales reports showed Canadian farmers bought over 60 percent fewer combines […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
