Reading Time: 4 minutes The Agritechnica machinery show in Germany, which takes place every two years, has its own set of Tractor of the Year awards. A group of European journalists pick what they collectively think are the best tractors in each of four different categories, including best field tractor, best utility, best speciality and best overall design. This […] Read more
And the Oscar goes to…
Brands claim top design awards at home and abroad
Re-energizing electric drive
Today’s concept tractors may never get beyond the prototype stage, but that isn’t going to stop electrification
Reading Time: 6 minutes It was one of those great opportunities that I savour. I was with two very senior executives from one of the full-line manufacturers, and we were having a casual and candid conversation over lunch. We were in a private dining room on the grounds of the Agritechnica machinery show in Germany. Eventually the conversation drifted […] Read more
The 80 per cent solution
Automated equipment and big data will go a long way in agriculture, but not the whole way
Reading Time: 5 minutes At an official dinner prior to Agritechnica in Germany, I had the good fortune to be seated next to one of the conference’s guest speakers, Dr. Hans Griepentrog. He heads up the School of Agricultural Technology at Hohenheim University in Germany, and his vision of farming technology is definitely a futuristic one. Over dinner, I […] Read more
Morris Industries gets $3.4 million for manufacturing, innovation
Reading Time: 2 minutes Morris Industries in Morris, Man. is receiving more than $3.4 million from the Western Economic Diversification Canada’s (WD) Western Innovation (WINN) Initiative, to commercialize an advanced manufacturing process and create new farm equipment products. The funding support will be a co-investment with Morris to accelerate implementation of new manufacturing technology that will incorporate advanced features […] Read more
A new Tier 3 tractor
MTZ Equipment adds the aggressively priced, high-horsepower Kirovets tractors to its lineup
Reading Time: 4 minutes Any farmer who’s ever worn a hat with a machinery-brand logo on it has likely heard of Belarus tractors, although that doesn’t mean all those farmers ever believed that Belarus really measured up to the top-selling North American-built machines, whether in green, red, blue or yellow. That’s fair enough, because right from their introduction to […] Read more
Farm machinery goes where politicians fear to tread
Reading Time: 5 minutes A couple of interesting and potentially surprising announcements arose in January from DLG, the German Agricultural Society, which organizes the world’s largest farm machinery show called Agritechnica. First, DLG revealed it is creating an independent subsidiary organization in Russia. Second, it announced it had reached an agreement with the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture to help […] Read more
ElectricPOWER your farm implements?
These 700-volt systems may be the kickstart the industry needs
Reading Time: 3 minutes For a group of young boys standing around the Fendt display at the Agritechnica machinery expo in Hanover, Germany, earlier this winter, the prototype model Former 12555X electric hay rake on show was a little like a video game. By sliding a finger across a screen, they could use the touch pad computer on the […] Read more
Farm machinery gets political
AGCO chief Martin Richenhagen fields unusual questions at a corporate press conference in Germany
Reading Time: 6 minutes Suddenly the discussion became political, turning AGCO’s Fendt-brand press conference during last November’s Agritechnica machinery show in Hanover, Germany, into one of the most unique I can remember attending. Standing on stage with a German journalist who was acting as event host, AGCO CEO and president Martin Richenhagen eventually found himself talking about larger political […] Read more
The first true robot tractor
Machinery Guide: The Greenbot autonomous tractor hits the market
Reading Time: 3 minutes Complete automation may well be the dominant focus of ag machinery design in the coming decades. We’ve already seen various levels of robotics introduced into conventional equipment, and a few limited-use autonomous machines have appeared. But no company has yet been willing to offer fully autonomous, market-ready tractors for general field duties — until now. […] Read more
Secret deals for agricultural equipment regulations
Free trade with the EU is supposed to offer a chance to standardize ag equipment regulations, but the talks are behind closed doors, and the industry is getting worried
Reading Time: 5 minutes During Agritechnica 2013 in Hannover, Germany, I was invited to an informal dinner with some representatives of DLG, the German Agricultural Society, which organizes the show. I ended up sitting next to DLG’s agricultural economist, so it was a perfect opportunity to discuss a variety of topics affecting farmers on both sides of the Atlantic. […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
