m5 kubota

Would an autonomous tractor really fit your operation?

Sabanto is offering field trials of its autonomous conversion kit

Tech startup company Sabanto displayed an M5 Kubota tractor equipped with its autonomy conversion kit at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show at Woodstock, Ont. in September. But the company was willing to do more than just show off the modified tractor at its booth in order to introduce it to potential customers. The Chicago-area company was […] Read more


 Kubota's KATR autonomous off-road machine is designed to be the foundation for a system that can carry out a range of farming (and other off-road) tasks.

Ag brands show more autonomy, EV innovation at CES

Kubota, John Deere unveil new concept and production models

A decade or two ago no one likely would have imagined the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas would become the chosen venue for farm equipment brands to debut their machines. But in the last couple of years, major brands have started to use it to reveal their newest technologies. This year Kubota was back […] Read more



Cat Command

Cat machines allow for semi-autonomous control

Cat Command allows an operator to be miles away from a machine

There’s more than a little chatter about autonomous equipment operation in farming these days, but that same topic is taking centre stage in other industries too, such as mining and heavy industry. In mid-November, Caterpillar expanded the compatibility of its Cat Command semi-autonomous technology to its mid-sized wheel loaders. Granted, few if any farms will […] Read more

agco ceo eric hansotia

Agco sees retrofit tech as best way to introduce autonomy

Recent disruptive technologies have seen growth start with aftermarket systems

When auto-guidance appeared on the scene, grassroots demand from producers and aftermarket system suppliers was what pushed the technology forward. And as autonomy becomes the newest most disruptive technology in ag equipment, Agco’s senior vice-president and general manager for precision ag and digital, Seth Crawford, sees it becoming mainstream in the same way auto guidance […] Read more


deere 8r tractor with agco outrun autonomous system

Can autonomous systems cut costs?

Agco claims its prototype Outrun system has shown ROI benefits

Could having autonomous equipment working on your farm improve the operation’s overall profit picture? Agco claims it has demonstrated exactly that during initial field trials of its Outrun retrofit autonomy kit, which it introduced to the farm media near Salina, Kansas in late June. “What we’re providing is a kit that takes a tractor and […] Read more

john deere tractor in field

Heading for a fully autonomous fleet by 2030

John Deere intends to offer a full suite of autonomous equipment in five years

As John Deere unveiled its 2025 model year product line in late February, it brought the company one year closer to a significant date: 2030. That’s when the brand has promised to be able to offer a complete fleet of autonomous equipment, able to handle a full farming season from seeding to harvest with self-driving […] Read more


A concept robot participates in the Field Robot Event at DLG Feldtage in Germany.

Ag shows boost focus on farm robotics

At farm equipment showcases, autonomy has joined the mainstream

Although we’re barely on the eve of widespread adoption of full autonomy in farm machinery, it is slowly becoming mainstream thinking across the equipment industry — and farm machinery shows are starting to tailor events to better showcase it, even in concept and prototype machines. To do exactly that, German agricultural society DLG — the […] Read more

Staff of SB Quantum at work. The Sherbrooke, Que. company was chosen to be part of John Deere’s annual Startup Collaborator program for 2024. It has developed technology based on a novel quantum magnetometer that can more accurately measure fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field.

A quantum-sensing startup gets Deere backing

John Deere's Startup Collaborator program helps new companies develop, explore innovative tech

Glacier FarmMedia — A Canadian firm that uses quantum sensing to improve navigation for autonomous vehicles is among six start-up companies from around the world that will be collaborating with John Deere. “This is a perfect opportunity to find a technology that’s really interesting that may have a large application to solving customer problems that […] Read more