The innovative brush belt used on the ExactEmerge row unit carries seeds down to the trench rather than dropping them down a seed delivery tube.

Running like a Deere

John Deere’s new high-speed planter maintains placement accuracy at 10 m.p.h.

John Deere is breaking the planting speed and accuracy barriers of traditional row-crop planting with the introduction of a revolutionary new seed delivery system,” reads the opening line on the company’s press release announcing the launch of the ExactEmerge row unit. At the same time, the brand also introduced the MaxEmerge five-row row units capable of […] Read more

tractor

AGCO introduces new tractors

New models unveiled at U.S. farm shows last February

At farm shows in Kentucky and California, AGCO pulled the wraps off new tractor models in all three of its North American brands: Massey Ferguson, Challenger and Fendt. The all-new 8700 Series Masseys, which will replace the existing 8600s, made their debut at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California. The new five-model line will […] Read more


Cultivation in moderation

A decade or two—or maybe three—ago, tillage slowly became a dirty word on the prairie. I can remember hearing many farmers in the 1970s express a the-more-passes-the-better opinion when it came to cultivation. But that coffee-shop wisdom was flawed. In fact, serious erosion of prairie soils was making magazine headlines at the same time many […] Read more

Specialty tools make tire repairs easy

Impact-driven tire dismounting tools can make on-farm tire repairs quick and easy

With dozens of tires in use on the average farm, fixing flats is likely the most common repair producers have to pay for. But with the cost of a commercial tire changer running into the thousands, its often more cost effective to take flats to a tire shop than make the necessary equipment investment for […] Read more


What the judges thought

Nominations have now closed on the Farmer’s All-Time Favourite Machine competition, and your submissions were handed over to the judges, who were charged with the task of selecting three finalists in each category. Picking those finalists was no easy task. We said at the start of this competition that the judges would take a few […] Read more

UAV aircraft drone

Robots take to the field

A completely autonomous equipment fleet scouts out weeds, 
creates a work plan to control them and carries it out

The RHEA (Robot Fleets for Highly Effective Agriculture and Forestry) display shared space with another organization in one of the smallest booths at Agritechnica last November. But the commercial possibilities in agriculture for its ground-breaking robotics project are enormous. “We have developed a fleet of robot tractors that work together in the field,” said Constantine […] Read more


Mower conditioner farm implement

Vermeer introduces a mower-conditioner line

The company is making a move to be a stronger player in the forage and biomass equipment marketplace

Vermeer, one of the earliest companies to be involved with round baler technology, has announced it intends to increase its presence in the global forage and biomass equipment market. The company wants to introduce new products related to “The collection, transportation, handling and processing of various biomass materials for power generation and/or production of second […] Read more

White 9550 pull-type combine

The combine that never was, part three

White’s attempt at creating a pull-type combine with rotary threshing technology came crashing down in the mid-1980s. Here’s why

After emerging from bankruptcy protection in 1981, White Farm equipment intended to come roaring back to the marketplace — in part with a new four-model line of rotary combines. Its first rotary model, the 9700, had been launched in 1980. It was later updated and renumbered the 9720. The new combines would compliment that model […] Read more


Vintage photo of a Ford tractor assembly plant.

Tracing the timeline

While production at New Holland’s Basildon U.K. factory has been uninterrupted for the past 50 years, it has been affected by some major corporate changes. Here’s a look at some of the milestones. 1962 Ford begins construction on the Basildon factory 1964 On May 15 the Basildon factory opens its doors the same year Sperry New Holland […] Read more

Young corn growing in a field.

Is soil compaction affecting your yield potential?

If farmers want to continue to increase yields, they may need to pay more attention to the condition of the soil, says an agronomist

We’re subsoiling soils all over this planet. People have been doing it for tens and tens of years, successfully,” said Elston Solberg, senior agri coach and president of Agri-Trend Agrology, during a field day near Liberty, Saskatchewan. “It’s going to be a big part of agriculture in Western Canada as sure as I’m standing here. […] Read more