Reading Time: 3 minutes Several months ago Country Guide reported on the field robot project called MARS, which is an acronym for Mobile Agricultural Robot Swarms. It began as a joint research project between the European Commission and AGCO’s Fendt brand. At the Agritechnica machinery show in Hanover, Germany, in November, AGCO revealed the project has moved beyond the […] Read more

‘Xaver’-ing success
AGCO’s MARS project lands a new name ahead of its market release

New C Series RoGators
AGCO re-engineers its sprayer line with LiquidLogic technology
Reading Time: 2 minutes If there’s one word that’s taking up a lot of air in the room when it comes to herbicide discussions this year, it’s “resistance.” The growing threat from herbicide-resistant weeds has become a reality in nearly all regions and threatens to get much worse. Everyone in the industry is looking for solutions, and AGCO thinks […] Read more

Dawn of the ‘smart’ combine
Automated and self-adjusting threshing systems become the norm
Reading Time: 3 minutes Combine manufacturers have made giant strides toward machine automation. Yes, there still needs to be an operator in the cab (and we’re likely some distance away from changing that), but a growing number of today’s combines are making their own decisions about how to adjust their operations on the go for maximum threshing efficiency and […] Read more

Climate FieldView data system ready for Prairies
Reading Time: 2 minutes In beta testing in the region for much of this year, the Climate FieldView crop data system from Monsanto’s Climate Corp. has gone live on the Prairies. The Climate Corp. announced Wednesday the Climate FieldView platform is available for purchase in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta on a per-acre basis, allowing farmers to start using it […] Read more

Agco to ramp up Regina parts distribution
Reading Time: 2 minutes Prairie farmers using Agco equipment brands such as Massey Ferguson and Challenger can expect more types of parts to be in stock more often at the company’s Regina warehouse. The U.S. farm equipment firm’s Agco Parts arm on Friday announced a major expansion of its parts distribution centre in Regina, to be completed by early […] Read more
AGCO to acquire Precision Planting from The Climate Corporation
Reading Time: < 1 minute Equipment manufacturer AGCO has made a deal with The Climate Corporation to acquire the Precision Planting LLC equipment business. “Precision Planting is a strong business that plays an essential role in the growth and adoption of innovative precision ag practices that help farmers enhance their productivity,” said Mike Stern, chief executive officer for The Climate […] Read more

A Genius in the tractor cab
This systems supplier is integrating cutting-edge automotive safety systems into off-road equipment cabs
Reading Time: 4 minutes A few years ago I had the pleasure of interviewing the industrial designer who styled the cab and body of the first Challenger 65 belted ag tractors, which were then part of the Caterpillar brand before coming under AGCO ownership. Before coming to Cat, the designer had spent several years working for General Motors and […] Read more

Robot milker firm Lely to shed forage equipment business
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dutch dairy equipment manufacturer Lely, best known in the Canadian market for its robotic milking systems, plans to focus on that business and sell its forage equipment lines to Agco. The two companies announced Monday they have an agreement in principle for Lely to sell its forage division, including two German manufacturing plants, to U.S.-based […] Read more

Trumping it out
Will a protectionist administration in the White House force our ag equipment industry to move south?
Reading Time: 6 minutes It was a stunning move. Ford’s CEO and president Mark Fields appeared on CNN in January to announce that his company was scrubbing its long-planned construction of a US$1.6 billion assembly plant in Mexico. Instead, Ford will invest U.S.$700 million in a Michigan facility and boost its workforce in that state by 700. It looked […] Read more

Manage down-force
New monitors and individual-unit controls give growers a better shot at top yields
Reading Time: 8 minutes It was in March 2012 that Dr. Fred Below of the University of Illinois first published his list of the seven wonders of high-yield corn production, revolutionizing how North America’s farmers and agronomists think about corn management. Is it time to shake up that list? Even keeping in mind the differences between growing conditions south […] Read more