Machinery

Two Manitoba growers say using a planter to seed canola was a much 
different experience than working with an air seeder

I think it’s something to look into, as far as what type of machine we should be using for canola,” said Andrew Delgarno of Newdale, Manitoba. “Maybe it’s a planter; maybe it’s an air drill; maybe it’s an independent opener machine. I’m not sure what the answer is, and I’m not sure what the seeding […] Read more

Italian manufacturer Maschio Gaspardo’s North American operation just introduced a tracked, broad-acre planter to Canada

Haven’t heard of Gaspardo-brand planters? Stephano Paolini plans to change that. As key account manager for the Italian company Maschio Gaspardo, he’s been spending time talking to Canadian farmers about the brand’s Maximetro precision planter. Moving in to Canada With some of its manufacturing now done in Iowa, the brand is working to increase its North American […] Read more

During Ag Days at Brandon, one Manitoba farmer discussed the results of his experiments with a planter and lower seeding rates for canola

Through the summer and fall of 2011, articles and discussions of using a planter to seed canola at a lower rate than conventional rates intrigued us,” Perry Chapman, a farmer from Virden, Manitoba, told an audience at Ag Days in Brandon. “We realized it was something we had to try for ourselves,” he continued. Chapman […] Read more

AGCO has decided to “retire” the 50-year-old SpraCoupe brand in 
favour of its more popular Gator sprayer lines

Citing the need to comply with EPA emissions regulations and diminishing sales volumes, AGCO recently announced it will discontinue production of its line of SpraCoupe compact, self-propelled sprayers for the North American market in 2013. Graceful retirement Mark Sharitz, AGCO’s marketing director for application equipment, said production of all SpraCoupe 2013 models — including the […] Read more

2D codes on Vermeer-brand balers give operators in the field direct access to videos showing service procedures

Have you ever found yourself in the field working on a breakdown and wishing you had a mechanic beside you to help get through the repair? Mobile digital technology may actually be able to grant that wish — in a way. Combining 2D codes (also known as QR codes) and a smartphone, it is now […] Read more

The DirectDrive drive transmission option on 6R tractors provides most of the conveniences of an IVT but with the efficiencies of a mechanical gearbox

If you’re mulling over the purchase of a 6R John Deere tractor, you’ll find there is now an additional transmission option to choose from for the 2013 model year: the DirectDrive. The company believes this gearbox is an ideal middle ground between the traditional power-shift and the step-less IVT (Infinitely Variable Transmission). “We’ve added the […] Read more

In the last issue we took a close look at John Deere’s 7R tractors. This time we see how owners and test results rate a sampling of the smaller 6R models

Back in 2011, John Deere introduced the 6R Series as part of an update to its tractor line-up in the mid-horsepower range. Last summer the company announced the addition of 12 more models to the 6 Series family, which now also includes the 6M and 6D tractors. With Deere’s current model numbering system, the more […] Read more

The MyJohnDeere.com website, Trimble’s Connected Farm and AGCO’s AGCOMMAND telematics systems can now all be accessed with a smartphone

Do you have a smartphone clipped onto your belt or in your purse? If so, you’re one of roughly half of all Canadians that do, and that number is steadily climbing. The question people used to ask is “why should I get one?” Now, the question seems to be “why don’t you have one?” According […] Read more