But the most common theme is greater automation and precision control of machinery from combine headers to fertilizer spreading to managing seeding and planting equipment.

Agritechnica, the world’s largest machinery show, takes place Nov. 9 to 15, 2025 in Hanover, Germany. Its awards are sought after by companies worldwide.

The two gold awards and 22 silvers were chosen from 234 innovations approved for the competition.

Gold:

Claas baler

Claas won one of two gold awards by creating a 70-tonne class baler, which can create eight-foot long bales that weigh at least 500 kg when made of straw. That way, the bales can fit more exactly onto some trailers for more efficient transportation. Typical bales from other large balers on the market range from six to seven feet.

The other dimensions of the bale are four feet by three feet.

The baler has also been designed for high throughput and optimal bale density.

Aebi and AG Maschinenfabrik Line Traction

The other gold medal was won by a joint development called Line Traction between Aebi & Co. and AG Maschinenfabrik and features a new drive system for Aebi’s Terratrac tractors that are specially designed for farming on slopes.

Parts of the traditional differential has been replaced with a hydrostatic system in the planetary final drives. Each wheel of the tractor can then follow the needed speed when turning, with drive shafts always running at the same speed, which improves traction and safety in challenging driving conditions.

Silver:

Deutz-Fahr tractor assisted guidance system

There are more and more cameras on tractors and Deutz-Fahr is aiming to make them do more valuable work with the development of its tractor-assisted guidance system.

Like many new automobiles, the tractors will be able to stay in lanes, corner with guidance assistance, and recognize people or objects in the way. For farmers who spend a lot of time on the road with their tractors, an advanced option will include adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, and road sign recognition. The concept was developed with Stereolabs and will be shown for the first time on a tractor at Agritechnica.

Claas adaptive drive train management for stepless gearboxes

Claas has created an adaptive drive train management system for its Axion tractors, which makes the large machines run more efficiently.

The system learns from the power requirement of the user, and in subsequent operations of the tractor, automatically adjusts the engine speed and gear ratios before load jumps occur.

Grimme easy cleaning for rotary tillers

Cleaning rotary tillers is challenging, which means the job doesn’t always get done between fields in crops like potatoes, increasing the risk of soil-borne disease transmission.

Grimme is introducing a new concept for easier and safer cleaning of rotary tillers.

The company changed the material of the housing to polyurethane so that less soil with adhere to it. The housing can be hydraulically opened, so the user is also provided with unobstructed access to the interior of the housing.

Lemken iQblue Fan Automation and automated fan control

On air drills, the air volume is determined by adjusting the fan speed. Speeds often have to be adjusted during seeding. Fan speeds usually don’t change when lines are blocked.

The automatic fan control system iQblue Fan Automation from Lemken now records the volume of air intake and uses this information as a control variable depending on the floating speed of the seed and fertiliser to be transported and the mass to be delivered per unit of time.

The air volume can also be optimally controlled in the case of implement combinations involving multiple fans. This enables practical, adaptive regulation irrespective of the machine or application.

Rauch Landmaschinenfabrik VarioSmart fertilizer spreading

Infinitely adjusting the spinner speed has long been possible on fertilizer spreaders with a hydraulic PTO drive, but adjusting the speed of both spreading discs or folding deflectors have so far been relied on in fertilizer spreaders with a mechanical PTO drive. VarioSmart, from Rauch Landmaschinenfabrik, now makes it possible for the first time to regulate the speed of the right-hand spreading disc on a fertilizer spreader with a mechanical PTO drive. This enables more precise distribution of the fertilizer at the field boundary thanks to more steeply descending boundary spreading patterns which reduces the risk of fertilizer granules falling on paths and other non-target areas.

Amazone AutoSpread

A self-adjusting fertilizer spreader is now available on the market for the first time in the form of AutoSpread from Amazone.

The fertilizer’s spread is now recorded via radar on the spreader, meaning testing distribution using a mat or tray is no longer as necessary.

Autonomous spreader settings generate a live-spreading pattern, validated by AI in the field.

Börger GmbH Bioselect RC 250

A new manure screw press allows greater consistency in the final product. That means farmers or custom application operators will know what type of manure will need to be applied and its consistency, including dry matter and fibre content.

The new Bioselect RC250 screw press separator from Börger also helps reduce energy consumption due to several design changes.

Einböck GmbH Smart-Hill

Mechanical weed control is challenged by hills and headlands. The tillage unit being pulled can end up off the row, damaging crops along with weeds.

The Smart-Hil system, jointly developed by Einböck and Claas E-Systems is an innovative extension of the camera-controlled Row-Guard moving frame.

A high-resolution camera analyzes colour and 3D surface models to precisely register the slope. In real time, the on-board computers move the cultivator tines to follow the row at 90 degrees.

Horsch Proactive BoomControl

The new BoomControl system from Horsch optimises the spraying accuracy by analyzing the field surface with 3D radar sensors and using the collected data for proactive boom control. This minimizes the risk of errors and achieves an optimum spraying distance even on sharply ascending or descending terrain and under difficult conditions.

Geringhoff Yield EyeQ

Geringhoff has developed the Yield EyeQ scanner technology, which uses cameras to evaluate combine grain header losses. The decision-making support system evaluates changes in the settings of the head, which can then result in recommendations and automation of the header.

Schumacher EasyCut3 (EC3) QuickFit cutting system

Damaged knife blades or guards on the grain cutter bar cause the harvest system to grind to a halt. The person carrying out the repair has to work in the danger zone directly in front of the cutter bar beneath the raised reel.

The EasyCut III cutting system offers hole-free guards and knife blades. The guards and blades are bolted to the frame (cutter bar) or the rod (cutter back) with the aid of adapter plates, resulting in increased stability. During replacement, the patented design means that the fastening nuts located on the upper side only have to be released and removal or insertion carried out from the front. This prevents bolts from being lost and does away with the need for tools to be applied from beneath, thereby increasing installation comfort.

New Holland Corn header automation

New Holland is putting cameras on corn heads to make sure that its headers can keep up with the high throughput capacity of the rest of the combine.

Loss sensors are placed where plants are fed onto the divider hoods. Sensors also keep track of other header measures.

The camera uses an AI system to register the percentage of plants and the proportion of whole cobs or grain that are fed into the combine harvester.

The result of fully automating the corn header is a reduction in pick-up losses of up to 50 per cent.

Grimme Riconda sieve with new connection system

The Riconda modular sieve from Grimme, developed together with Ricon, has elements that are connected using a newly developed locking mechanism consisting of an anchor plate, sieve web bar and two bolts. The fabric in the belt is no longer interrupted but vulcanised in loops, resulting in a more resilient and easier-to-manage belt.

All of those changes result in significantly lower wear and eliminate the need for segment-specific lock parts.

Krone OptiSet on the Krone Vendro

Adjustments on rotary tedders for hay crops are rarely used, so Krone created OptiSet, so the implement can be adjusted from the cab.

The spreading angle of all rotors can be adjusted infinitely between 13 and 19 degrees with the push of a button. This enables a consistent drying process to be controlled, particularly in the case of heterogeneous grassland growth. The technology enables automatic adjustment even in autonomous operation and contributes to ensuring the efficiency and quality of feed harvesting.

There were three innovations that all were awarded silvers, based on their similar technology for monitoring silage quality on forage harvesters. Real-time corn silage processing scores enable the operator to manage quality as they are cutting corn.

The three technologies include:

• Claas Cemos Auto Chopping
• Fendt – Agco Forage Quality Cam
• New Holland Forage Cam, developed with KU Leuven, Mebios Biophotonics

Claas Jaguar 1000 overall concept

A new forage harvester with more than 1,100 horsepower also has a large 910 mm intake channel and a new cutter drum.

Class’s Jaguar 1000 also includes a new driver assist system and a shorter distance to the crop intake on the chopper head.

Nokian Intuitu Smart Pressure Assistant for Nokian Tyres Soil King VF tyres

Systems for changing tire inflation for different field and road conditions isn’t new, but Nokian’s Intuitu Smart Pressure Assistant now give recommendations to the operator for the optimum tire pressure depending on the axle load.

This uses the latest generation of tire sensor technology, which can determine the load in just a few minutes while driving.

Another two concepts both received silver medals for their ability to make fertilizer spreader adjustments easier. Both systems use image analysis and AI to determine characteristics of fertilizer and then automatically create spreader settings without spreading tests.

• Amazone EasyMatch, which use AI to recognize fertilizer
• Sky Agriculture Fertieye, a smartphone image analysis for fertiliser spreader adjustment under field conditions

Arnold NextG Duxalpha

Arnold NextG has created a 3D mapping system that helps better plan the use of tramlines in fields to guide equipment that will be using those fields.

Elevation and obstacles are automatically considered using the Duxalpha system during planning for tramlines.

The system can also be used to coordinate the movement of multiple machines in the same or nearby fields.

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While Krone has experience with self-propelled forage harvesters, powered equipment hasn’t been something Lemken is known for on this continent.

[VIDEO] AgDealerTV: Combined Powers

Their Combined Powers project has resulted in the development of a fully autonomous power unit designed to work with Lemken tillage implements and Krone haying attachments on a three-point linkage. In all, the power units have three possible attachment points, rear and front linkage and a top connection point. The companies say the concept power units have been in field trials for a year, working in a variety of field conditions — and those trials are continuing. The goals being pursued by the project team are to eliminate the need for a conventional tractor and providing an autonomous machine that can do field work even better than a human operator can.

Focus on field work quality

Rather than just focusing on a power unit capable of accurate guidance across a field, the unit is designed with a primary focus on the quality of the field work it does, the companies say. The power unit is able to do that through complicated software that relies on AI (artificial intelligence). It uses a variety of sensors to gather data and interpret its surroundings.

“The speciality of the process unit is it is controlled by the implement and not vice versa,” says the description in the press release. “This detail was considered imperative for achieving optimum results. The implement and the drive unit act as one integrated smart system. Based on the long experience in the application of ISOBUS and TIM on Krone and Lemken machines, the drive unit and implement communicate and interact, sharing literally all types of data.”

The autonomous units are built around a 230-horsepower diesel engine, but power is transferred to the drive wheels and PTO via an electric drive system rather than a conventional mechanical powertrain. The companies say they chose an electric driveline because the industry is entering a “post-combustion engine era.” Using this approach will allow for an easy replacement of the diesel engine as a power source in the future with such systems as battery-electric or hydrogen power.

Three steering modes

The unit is capable of both pulling and pushing implements, and it’s compact — only 5.5 metres long and 2.7 metres wide. Three steering modes, front-wheel, rear-wheel and four-wheel steering, make the unit very manoeuvrable. It rides on four, 38-inch drive tires for maximum traction.

The intention is to have the machine’s progress monitored remotely through a mobile device, allowing it to provide progress reporting to the operator. At the moment, a radio controller is used to control the power unit for connecting to implements, but that function will eventually be enabled through a mobile device as well.

“Operators control and monitor the combination from a mobile device, transmitting jobs and job reports via a communication module and the agrirouter, the established data exchange hub,” the companies explain.

The Combined Power project is also aiming for a high level of reliability, with the intention of having the units capable of operating 24 hours a day.

As development and field trials continue, the companies are inviting comments from potential buyers about what functions they would like to use the units for through a survey feature on the website www.combined-powers.com.

“Thanks to its enormous versatility, the unit is designed for year-round work and a long service life,” said the companies this spring. “Intensive trialling in all types of conditions and seeking feedback from farmers and contractors will continue this year.”

The post Autonomous tillage and haying appeared first on Grainews.

When it began large-square baler production in 1993, the brand claims to have been the first to offer tandem axles, as well as a three-blade cutter system which help produce a denser bale.

Over the years the balers have been upgraded to include a variety of features, including the Multi-Bale model than can build one large bale that includes nine pre-tied smaller bales within it. Krone now offers six large square baler models that offer five different chamber sizes. In 2017 it also began offering the BaleCollect accumulator, which is towed behind the baler. It can bunch up to five bales together in the field.

The post Krone celebrates large-bale production anniversary appeared first on Grainews.

The Comprimas use the company’s NovoGrip belt and slat system, which Krone claims helps produce a denser bale in both dry hay and wet silage operations. As standard, the Comprima balers include a three-year or 30,000-bale warranty on the NovoGrip components.

The new balers also use a camless pickup that improves feeding and reduces the risk of material wrapping around components while helping build a more uniform bale.

Krone is a family-owned company based in Germany that specializes in haying equipment. Its North American division has been in operation since 1973. For more information go online and visit krone-na.com.

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The mowers use a low-profile design with welded-on plates to protect the cutters from damage. The SafeCut disc hubs use a shear pin to prevent damage. They also use Krone’s quick-change knife change system.

Both mower lines are available in working widths up to 11 feet 10 inches (3.61 metres).

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First unveiled to the public at the 2015 Agritechnica machinery show in Germany, the Premos 5000 is the first machine of its kind. It’s able to turn windrows of straw or hay into pellets right in the field. That provides several new options for producers when it comes to transporting, storing, feeding, bedding and even selling straw or hay. Because the pellets are so dense, they allow for much more efficient storage and cheaper transportation. That also creates the potential for entirely new markets for them, according to the company.

Although Krone’s marketing team say the design of the components within the Premos 5000 allow for a much lower power demand than most current, stationary pelleting systems, the machine can still demand up to 400 horsepower from a tractor under maximum load conditions.

The two newest Premos prototypes to hit the field incorporate some design changes from the original pair. And there may be more refinements ahead for the machine as field trials continue ahead of a market launch. A date for its official release to dealers hasn’t yet been announced and is likely at least a year or more away.

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One of the machines the product specialists wanted to show was the BiG Pack 1290 HDP II large square baler, which offers the highest capacity and densest bales of any of the brand’s machines. According to Gress, the HDP II is the result of engineers designing a machine that pushes the limits of the previous line of High Densisty balers. It offers up to 70 per cent more throughput capacity than the 1290 HDP model. At the same time, it packs up to 10 per cent more material into a bale.

• Read more: Kubota expands its line and grows again
• Read more: New Vermeer bale wrapper

To get that capacity and density, Krone had to beef up the design of the HDP II version of the 1290.

“To get a higher throughput, we increased every component,” said Gress. “Starting with the pickup, a bigger cutting rotor and a bigger packer system, so we can put more material through the baler.”

With so much density in the bales, the 1290 HDP II needs eight knotters to put two additional twines around the bales to keep them intact.

“When you have more material in the bale it wants to expand,” adds Gress. “That’s why we have eight Knotters on that baler instead of the six on the smaller HDP.”

The 1290 HDP II also has a massive twine storage capacity, capable of holding 27 bales of it. And the twine storage area lowers hydraulically to make reloading much easier.

To make things easier on the tractor’s driveline, the HDP II uses a hydraulic motor system to start the flywheel, gearbox and plunger mechanism turning so there is less stress on the tractor PTO clutch when engaging it. Power flows through the baler in a newly designed, more direct, low maintenance driveline arrangement to reduce power loss. It also uses slip clutches rather than shear pins to protect system components.

“When you start, you activate the hydraulic motor from the tractor, which accelerates the baler up to 150 or 200 r.p.m., depending on the oil flow in the tractor,” he continues. “Then you activate the PTO shaft. So it’s not such a big challenge for the tractor to start the system up from zero. Then when you’re in motion, you can activate the pickup and cutter with a button.”

That also allows the pickup to be stopped independently of the rest of the baler functions in the event of a blockage.

The HDP II gets a heavier flywheel, that weighs 600 kilograms. The larger mass provides more inertia and offers shock protection for the tractor. The number of plunger strokes per minute has been boosted to 45, and the faster-moving plunger forces material into a larger pickup pre-chamber.

The BiG Pack HDP balers can be outfitted with options that include an integrated moisture sensor in the bale chamber, an integrated weigh scale on the bale chute and a rear camera to help when backing up.

To help boost its competitiveness in the North American market, Krone has decided to relocate its head office and distribution centre from the Southeastern U.S. to Shelbyville, Indiana. The company is building an entirely new US$15 million facility that should be operational later in 2017.

“Krone wants to be the leader in balers,” added one of Gress’ team.

The post Krone packs more hay into a bale appeared first on Grainews.

“We can handle it like corn,” said Kai Lüpping, one the technical staff behind the Premos 5000’s development as he stood beside the machine on display at Agritechnica. “It’s not one big bale.”

Krone says the Premos name comes from the Latin word “premise,” which means to press, and that is basically what this machine does. Windrow material is picked up in the typical manner, then a conveyor feeds it through a pair of 80 centimetre diameter rollers that compress and force it through 16 millimetre extrusion moulds.

The company claims that by eliminating pretreatment, such as chopping, horsepower demands are halved when compared to stationary pelleting machines. The Premos 5000 will still need a tractor with about 400 horsepower.

The 29,000 psi compression forces generated during the pelleting process create temperatures of about 80 C. When combined with 12 to 16 per cent moisture content in the material, durable pellets are formed that can be handled by conventional grain handling equipment. If windrow material is too dry, that’s no problem, the Premos 5000 has an “integral intelligent wetting system.” Producers could also pretreat the material with molasses to increase moisture content and improve feed quality.

• PHOTO GALLERY: Krone’s Premos 5000 pellet harvester

Pellets that aren’t properly formed are dropped back into the material flow along with other uncompressed fines and go through the forming rollers again.

“The pellets that are not good — broken or something — fall back through to the straw and go through again,” Lüpping explained.

The nine cubic metre hopper holds up to five tonnes of pellets. The Premos can fill that hopper in about one hour making it three to five times more efficient than other stationary pelletizers currently on the market, says a press release from Krone.

Pelletizing forage in the field offers some advantages over conventional baling or ensiling. Because the pellets are dense, they contain three to four times more material than a standard bale occupying the same space, so transportation is more efficient. And the high temperatures created during the pelleting process kill any pathogens that may exist in the forage, reducing the risk of feed-related illnesses in livestock.

And if pellets are used for bedding, they can reduce manure volumes. That’s because the pellets are very absorbent. Just 250 grams of them can absorb up to one litre of liquid, according to the company.

Krone also sees a use for the Premos 5000 in creating biofuels. The company says their research has shown that 2-1/2 kilograms of straw pellets can substitute for one kilogram of heating oil.

The Premos development project began three years ago.

“This year there are two models,” said Lüpping. “Next year we’ll build some more.”

The Premos can also be used outside the normal growing season by pelletizing shredded bales.

The Premos 5000 should be market ready for 2017, with a retail price around 250,000 Euros, that’s roughly C$372,500.

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