That’s exactly what Agco’s Fendt brand marketers decided to do this fall. That led to the creation of the Fendt Ideal Harvest Tour program.

“We’re still relatively new to the market,” says Brandon Montgomery, Fendt brand manager.

“So how do we really build brand awareness with our combine? We launched the combine at Agritechnica in 2017 and brought them to North America in 2018. Since then, we’re been making steady, big incremental improvements on the machine. This is our chance to demonstrate to North America and the world that this machine is good for everybody.”

The tour kicked off in Ohio and will finish up near Minneapolis, following the corn harvest across the U.S. Midwest.

Montgomery says putting an Ideal combine in fields across different regions gave the brand a chance to prove that the combine is capable of performing well in a variety of conditions.

“You’re finding different challenges, even though you’re harvesting the same crop. To make it believable for an audience, we have to cover a wide variety of terrain. This combine is capable of harvesting up to 35 different crops with the same processor: lentils, canola, soybeans, edible beans, corn.”

Agco has moulded Fendt into its global premium full-line brand over the past few years, and a lot of North American farmers aren’t as familiar with all the equipment it now offers compared to the other three major full-line brands.

Aside from introducing the combine, the tour is helping build overall brand awareness.

In all, the Harvest Tour was scheduled to make 11 stops in several states. The company co-ordinated with local dealers, finding farmers willing to be introduced to an Ideal and compare its performance to the machines they already own, putting them side by side in their own fields.

“A lot of first reactions range from, ‘I didn’t know Fendt had a combine,’ to ‘wow, I heard about it and I’m extremely impressed with the cleanliness of the sample, the capacity of the machine.’ ” says Montgomery.

“It’s turned a lot of heads. That’s what we’re trying to get out there. You can do one-on-one demos with dealers, but we wanted to cast a bigger net by really pushing this and getting the media attention.”

The staff have managed to put a farmer’s digital technology into the Ideal combine to demonstrate that those farmers already using cloud telematics services such as John Deere’s Operations Center could continue to do so even with an off-brand machine such as the Ideal.

“We’re showing farmers even though the steel and iron may be different … we can unitize the technology you have today to make a seamless transfer to bring that into your current mix. Technology could be one of the factors holding them back from making a purchase.”

Overall, the weather has co-operated with the Harvest Tour, and it hasn’t caused any missed days in the field.

Montgomery says the tour has been a success, and the company is considering doing it again next year, possibly in Canada as well.

The Fendt website is now accepting comments from farmers who would like to see the 2026 tour make a stop at their farm.

“We’re already getting some submissions for that,” he says.

Fendt is making use of social media, including YouTube posts, to document the tour and farmers’ reactions to the combine.

The post Fendt takes a combine on the road in the U.S. appeared first on Grainews.

Canada is one of the featured three countries, along with France and Czechia, with specific events and free admission on Nov. 12, International Farmers Day. There will also be record numbers of Canadian exhibitors at the show in Hanover, Germany from Nov. 9 to 15.

Why it matters: Canada is working to diversify its trade away from the United States and Agritechnica is a place for equipment makers to work on that goal.

There will be about 50 Canadian companies among the more than 2,700 at the show. Many of them, however, will be new to the show and will be clustered in three places.

The Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC) will host the official Canada Pavilion, in Hall 5.

This is the first time the AMC will exhibit at Agritechnica, says Donna Boyd, president of AMC.

“Given all that is going on in the world with tariff instability and other pressures on our sector, we wanted to be sure that aim see members have the opportunity to be there to benefit from all the exposure that Agritechnica offers and to be able to support them through having the first-ever Canada pavilion,” she says.

Versatile will be the anchor exhibitor at the Canada Pavilion but will be joined by seven other companies.

There will be two other areas featuring multiple Canadian companies in areas supported by the Saskatchewan (Hall 12) and Manitoba governments (Hall 6).

Other, long-established, international players from Canada, like MacDon, will have their own usual displays.

Boyd will be part of a panel discussion on Nov. 12 on the topic of import tariffs and the role agreements like the Canada-EU Trade Agreement (CETA) play in agricultural trade. Jason Friesen, a farmer from Saskatchewan, will be on a panel on Monday, Nov. 10, looking at efficient and smart farming systems on three continents.

Student experiences

AMC is bringing along 11 students from the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan who will be partnered with a Canadian company to learn about no only agriculture manufacturing, but the excitement that comes with the world’s largest farm machinery show.

“It’s all part of our Careers In Ag program, just trying to open people’s minds about the tremendous number of opportunities that are available in our sector,” says Boyd.

Agritechnica features 23 large buildings of displays and attracts about 400,000 people from around the world over the week of the show. It is run every two years by DLG, which runs farmer events around the world including the Canadian Dairy Xpo and the American Dairy Xpo.

Watch for our coverage of Agritechnica during the show and afterward here.

The post Canada to have increased presence at Agritechnica 2025 appeared first on Grainews.

The Monday night ceremony at Saskatchewan Polytechnic campus in Saskatoon celebrated winners across five categories: agronomics, agtech, business solutions, environmental sustainability and equipment.

See all Agriculture in Motion coverage on the show landing page.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe opened the night by speaking to the importance of innovation in agriculture.

“It’s quite incredible when you think about how agriculture production systems have advanced,” Moe said.

“I think back to the days of crop breeding … Now I see genetically modified crops and CRISPR technology, we see some of the most advanced crop production systems in the world.”

ATP nutrition took home the first award in the agronomics category for its Synergro G3 biostimulant, the first granular biostimulant derived from a consortium of biological metabolites. It is designed to be applied with granular fertilizers at the time of planting.

Next In the agtech category, Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture Daryl Harrison presented the prize to Canadian farm equipment maker PhiBer Manufacturing for its Dash drone carrier, an all-in-one system which includes built-in flight deck and control tower. It can service up to four drones simultaneously.

Risk solutions company AG13 Risk Services won the business solutions category for its ForwardProtect, AgriEnhance and FarmElevate systems. These three digital services help producers price crop yield risk, offload the risk of forward contracting and manage particular needs in insurance coverage. Corman Park Reeve Joe Hargrave presented the award.

Langham Mayor Randall Kary delivered the environmental sustainability award to Green Lighting and Nytro’s Green Lightning Nitrogen Machine, intended to be a healthier and more sustainable way to feed nitrogen to crops. The system allows farmers to produce salt-free nitrate fertilizer on their farms.

Finally, agriculture equipment company Thunderstruck and manufacturer Shoup Manufacturing took home the equipment award for the Razors Edge Concaves. This product is designed to improve harvesting efficiency and grain quality by eliminating the need for crop-specific concaves.

The post Ag in Motion innovation awards showcase top 2025 ag technology appeared first on Grainews.

The fact that several equipment brands now use it as the venue to introduce new machinery seems to confirm that.

Claas has used the show a couple of times for the North American introduction of some models. Its flagship Xerion tractors debuted at the show in 2023 and the new 8900 Terra Trac combine the following year.

Prairie farmers got their first look at John Deere’s new C Series air carts at the show last year as well. It was also the first Canadian public showing of the green brand’s very high-horsepower 9RX 830 tractor.

And, of course, those brands that are at home on the Prairies, such as seeding and short-line equipment manufacturers, have begun using AiM to debut new models and updates as well.

So the show represents the first opportunity for many producers to get a look at what’s new on the machinery market — and there are always factory representatives on hand to explain machine specifications and design in detail.

Daily in-field demos also provide an opportunity to not just look at some of those updates, but to actually see them at work.

Manufacturers like to keep information about what new features or machines they’re going to unveil quiet until the last minute, so we can’t say just yet what to expect will be unveiled at this year’s show, but it’s likely safe to say there will be a few new things to see. Technology certainly isn’t standing still these days.

When Glacier FarmMedia, the owner of Grainews, launched AiM, it required a lot of trust not only from farmers but from companies willing to come and exhibit their equipment. So rising to the status it now has was no small feat.

“It’s a bit like a chicken-and-egg thing,” AIM’s show manager Rob O’Connor says.

“I think there’s this aspect of a farm equipment trade show where farmers want to get together to see the innovation, see what’s new and see what really will help their business.

“I think (equipment companies and farmers) need to work together to have a show like this. You have to have great exhibits with the equipment and technology the farmers want to see. Yet those companies that invest their time into something like this need a great number of farmers to make it worthwhile.”

Creating a show like AiM also required some faith and trust from investors willing to fund it.

Just as there are economies of scale on farms, the same thing applies to a show.

“There are hard costs to putting on a show,” O’Connor says, “such as having a full-time staff or the land you have to purchase, the equipment you need to acquire to put the show on. Whether you have one exhibitor or 1,000, you’re still going to have that cost.

“And the more exhibitors you have, the more people you can get through the gate.”

Comparing a map of the show grounds from the initial event in 2014 to last year’s, the number of exhibitors has grown significantly, with the show more than doubling in size along with the number of visitors coming through the gates.

The types of attractions have increased as well, offering showgoers a more interesting and varied experience.

As O’Connor notes, all of that helps ensure the equipment brands remain interested in exhibiting their newest and best, ensuring the thing we gearheads want to see is there in spades: the newest and best machines.

The post Ag in Motion’s 2025 edition on the horizon appeared first on Grainews.

Ag-Quest and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada were on site that windy day, putting seed in the ground for the upcoming show.

“We’re planting a mixture of everything,” said Cameron Kayter, a range management biologist for AAFC supervising this year’s crop plot seeding.

“So in this a case, we want to highlight all the different research that we’re doing at Ag Canada in Saskatchewan.”

AAFC’s plots were cleaned up and ready to go as soon as the ground was dry enough. This year, the plots had some of the best soil moisture in a few years when staff started seeding and they’re taking the best advantage they can.

“We have canola, camelina, we have some poly mixes, like oat-pea, stuff like that,” Kayter said.

“And then we have some forages, obviously, that we keep here perennially. So yeah, it’s kind of a mixed bag. All of our different scientists contribute a plot or two to showcase the research they’re doing.”

They’re planting some diverse crops as well, such as amaranth and fenugreek, alongside the poly mixes of chickpea-flax, lentil-flax, pea-mustard, pea-oat and canola-radish. Their perennial forages are alfalfa-sainfoin-cicer and alfalfa-sainfoin mixes.

James White, a research associate and commercial plot specialist for Ag-Quest, has been busy handling the seeding and management of multiple clients’ crop plots at Ag in Motion, including ATP Nutrition, FP Genetics, Gowan Seeds, UPL Ltd., Canterra Seeds, Belchim and Advanced Ag.

For White, the plot work begins as soon as the snow melts. just like on the farm. He ensures soil is tested, plot lengths are calibrated, seed is on its way and fertilizer blends are mixed.

“As soon as the snow is melted, and we can actually walk on site, like as soon as it was dry … I was up here doing soil fertility tests … and then it’s basically, if we have seed on hand and the products, we start treating ASAP.”

This year, the rain wreaked a bit of havoc on White’s plans. In trying to get in the field, he underwent the same struggles as producers: checking the field, pawing the dirt, moving equipment with hopes of seeding only to have to let it sit for a few more days.

Before the rain fell in the middle of May, he was only able to get ATP and FP Genetics plots completed. On May 23, he was back on site, starting with the Gowan plots. For the company, he and his summer student seeded canola, peas, wheat and flax.

However, the key difference between crop plot seeding at AiM and other typical plots is the hard deadline, making them the priority for White and other exhibitors.

“I mean, that’s kind of my biggest struggle up here,” White said.

“All my clients have been phenomenal to deal with … but you know, they are under the gun, like they’ve got deadlines and stuff. They want to have everything done as soon as they can.”

Sometimes there are delays with companies due to shipping or the need for certain products first. This year, Belchim sent two separate shipments in the mail and the rest delivered by a Belchim sales representative because they’re testing different varieties. Another company, Advanced Ag, was held up by a courier delay.

“It was honestly a bit of a nightmare,” said Greg Goodwin, Advanced Ag’s business development manager.

“I don’t know what happened, but by the skin of our teeth we got it there in time, so I guess that’s all that really matters.”

This year is Advanced Ag’s first time exhibiting at Ag in Motion and its first time doing plots under such circumstances and hiring someone else to manage those plots — all of which added to Goodwin’s stress because the company is typically very hands on with its products and research. He said it is passing off a lot of control, which Advanced Ag isn’t accustomed to doing.

For its plots, it’s seeding CDC Simmie red lentils and AAC Starbuck wheat, and will be running a fertilizer trial to showcase how its products compare to traditional fertilizers. Goodwin described its main product, ACF-SR, as a “tool kit” that does a bit of everything.

The Advanced Ag website says that it’s a biological technology that uses microbes and is “proven to enhance germination, promote plant growth, increase yield, and improve overall soil health.”

Through further research and development for ACF-SR, they’ve developed other products such as SRP, a later season foliar product for plant health, later stage development, and improvement of disease resistance, as well as a live seed that’s still in trials.

“So basically, from seed to seedling and to set it up for success, it (the live seed) delivers some hormones, et cetera, early nutrients in the early stages,” Goodwin said.

“And then, ACF-SR kind of takes over from there. And then SRP is the one that is foliar.”

Both plots will use a standard fertilizer, but instead of fungicide, one plot will use SRP as the plant health product. The company will compare yield, cost per acre and performance rate.

Of the exhibitors who spoke to Glacier FarmMedia, all were excited for the upcoming show, but Advanced Ag more than most.

“We have a pretty significant (product) presence in Saskatchewan…. We sort of entered the market and there’s a lot of people using the product, but not a lot of people that we’ve talked to directly.”

The company runs a small team of seven and often relies on product representatives across Saskatchewan. Goodwin said this will be the first time it will be able to speak with many of its customers in north-central Saskatchewan, despite supplying close to 30 farm operations in the area.

“We haven’t had a chance to meet a lot of Saskatchewan folks, so this is our all-in,” he said.

“We’re just jumping into it, and the first time we’ll get to meet a lot of people, and we’re really excited for that.”

The post Crop plots prepped for Ag in Motion appeared first on Grainews.

The German based company expanded to North America in November 2024, and will soon be holding the Canadian Dairy Expo (CDX) on April 2-3 in Stratford, Ont. A trade show in the United States is set to take place in Vermont in November.

Starting her role in February 2025, Schmidt-Machinek is responsible for managing DLG’s activities on the North American continent, including Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

In addition to trade fairs, DLG North America “will be offering the region’s farmers access to technical solutions and best-practice knowledge, enabling informed investment decisions.”

Schmidt-Machinek has worked with DLG for more than 25 years, most recently as project manager for Agritechnica — the world’s largest exhibition for agricultural machinery held annually in Germany.

In her new role, Schmidt-Machinek will lead the transfer of DLG’s relevant exhibition and agricultural expertise to North America.

The post DLG North America appoints new managing director appeared first on Grainews.

Rob O’Connor, COFS show director, said the show’s dynamic nature is on display this year.

“There’s nothing ‘always the same’ at this show,” he told attendees at the opening ceremony of the thirty-first annual show.

He noted that one of the key changes this year was an expanded “international effort” aimed at attracting international buyers to Canadian farm equipment manufacturers.

“We expect it to continue to grow in the coming years,” he said.

One of the dignitaries speaking at the launch was Senator Rob Black, who chairs the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee and is author of “Critical Ground”, a recent report on soil health in Canada. He touted the importance of using innovation and technology to meet the sustainability challenges Canadian farmers face. He noted the importance of agriculture and the need to ensure it has the tools it needs to succeed.

“Through innovation, collaboration and strong leadership, agriculture will overcome these challenges and build a bright future for Canadian farmers,” he said.

Next to take the stage was Rob Flack, Ontario minister of agriculture, food and agribusiness, who noted that agriculture in Ontario is an overlooked powerhouse. The long-time agri-business executive called on all attendees to promote the sector, noting it contributed $51 billion to Ontario’s economy last year, and was quickly growing.

He added that the sector employed 871,000 people in 2023, accounts for one in nine jobs in the province, and total employment in food and beverage exceeds that of the auto sector.

“That’s why it is so important to invest — not spend, invest — in our farmers and food industry,” Flack said.

A major focus of the show is farm equipment, and O’Connor noted that Canada is a major player in this industry, and Ontario leads the country in export sales of equipment.

Bob Cochrane, general manager of Highline Manufacturing and CEO of the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada, said Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show has become an important event for the sector.

“I am very excited to be here today, as both an exhibitor, and as a representative of AMC,” he told attendees. “We’re very excited to showcase our products to producers at this showcase of all things agricultural.”

The post Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show kicks off 2024 event appeared first on Grainews.

Opening day saw the clouds roll in and the skies open up, but few were complaining about the much-needed moisture that rolled through much of Western Canada on Tuesday.

“We had some rain here yesterday for the first time ever,” show manager Rob O’Connor said of the nearly 10 cm of rain that fell.

Crews have made short work getting the site ready for Wednesday and, with the gates now open, the grounds are ready to roll for what’s anticipated to be a busy day.

“The weather today is looking really good… The site is drying up really well and we’ll probably attract a very large crowd,” said O’Connor.

“Usually, the Wednesday show is always our highest attended day.”

One of the featured exhibitors on Day Two is Morris Equipment, which is using the show to highlight its latest seed drill.

“It’s hard to be anything than to have a mood that’s absolutely ebullient today,” said Garth Massie, Canadian sales manager for Morris Equipment. “There is so much enthusiasm and, I think I speak for all the farmers in a big chunk of Alberta and Saskatchewan, we’ve got some rain, there is a little bit of hope, so I’m profoundly enthusiastic.”

The Saskatchewan-based company will be debut its 80-foot Quantum air drill to complement a line that already includes 40-, 50-, 60- and 70-foot models.

“As farms have grown bigger, there is a need for larger equipment. Formerly, we only went up to 70 feet; now we’re helping out some of those customers that have been asking for something larger,” said Massie.

“This 80-foot (model), it’s going to fit the bill for a lot of customers. We’ve had a very positive response to it.”

Massie said the air system has been modified with the primaries across the back allowing for more efficiency due to the need for less hose to get to the seed runs.

“It’ll be a neater, tighter, tidier machine overall,” he said.

Ag in Motion runs until Thursday.

— Alex McCuaig reports for the Western Producer from Medicine Hat.

The post At Ag in Motion: Exhibitors ready after rainy first day appeared first on Grainews.

O’Connor said he wasn’t sure what to expect after momentum building during the show’s first five years was quashed when the COVID-19 pandemic response quashed in-person events.

However, combined attendance for the first two days of the 2022 event topped 22,000 — a figure on track for matching or exceeding previous years.

“It’s rejuvenating, actually, to be able to come back to an in-person event, having these big crowds and all of our staff together, all of the exhibitors and farmers that come to the show. Having everybody back, it feels really good after a two-year hiatus,” he said in an interview.

Ag in Motion, billed as Western Canada’s largest outdoor farm show, is an annual event mounted every summer at a permanent site near Langham, Sask., about 40 km northwest of Saskatoon. The event is owned and operated by Glacier FarmMedia, owner of this website.

This year’s three-day AiM show wraps up Thursday night.

O’Connor said the decision to go live again was complicated during the winter months as new waves of the COVID-19 virus emerged.

“There was a lot of hesitation at the time of planning that with the show be smaller. We didn’t know the effects of the pandemic,” he said. “But the team buckled down. We worked with our exhibiting companies and sponsors and we got it back to where it was.”

This year’s show featured a revamped and expanded livestock section which appears to have been well received, he added.

In addition to 543 exhibitors and thousands of farmers, AiM this year played host to the federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers, who took a break from their annual meeting in Saskatoon this week to spend half a day meeting with exhibitors as they toured the show site.

On the subject of ministerial talks toward a new agricultural policy funding framework, “we have seen a lot of progress, and I’m hopeful that we will be able to reach an agreement this week,” federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau told reporters Tuesday before heading to Saskatoon.

Sustainable agriculture, she said, needs to be “in the heart of our discussion and in the heart of the next agreement” — and ministers will discuss how to improve ag sustainability at the farm level while also ensuring agrifood businesses and farmers are “competitive in the world market.”

The post Farmers, exhibitors hail Ag in Motion’s in-person return appeared first on Grainews.