Case IH Farmall tractor

PHOTOS: Dramatic changes for tractors in the 120- to 220-horsepower range

Machinery Guide: Case IH Farmall 100A, New Holland T6, McCormick X6 and John Deere 6R Series

Reading Time: < 1 minute Only six months have come and gone since our last look at tractors in the 120- to 220-horsepower range, and yet the field of models, configurations and options has changed dramatically.  In less than a year, three different manufacturers have launched new looks, new features and new designs in these smaller, yet durable lines. The […] Read more

tractor introduction at media event

JCB finds niche in the North American farm equipment market

JCB used to be a construction brand. Now it is a farm brand too, with advanced materials-handling capability

Reading Time: 5 minutes In early March I spent a day in a Georgia field with a line of JCB equipment designed especially for the ag market, including the unique Fastrac tractor that is capable of breaking speed limits in the field. Then that evening, I joined other ag journalists in Savannah for dinner with some of the U.K.-based […] Read more


farmers standing by grain bins

Five big ideas to help take your farm in the right direction

It's time to be a game changer. Choose the right business priorities and make your move

Reading Time: 11 minutes The year is at half-time, and you’re the coach. Most of the crop is in the ground, the spring rush is coming to an end, the team is winded. It’s a time when you can make a difference. You can be in charge; you can draw up new plays, analyze your strategy and motivate your […] Read more

Kinze grain cart

Here come the farm robots

Robotic tractors are already in advanced field tests, and the results are producing great optimism

Reading Time: 5 minutes Phil Jennings of Kinze Manufacturing gets a big kick out of riding in their modified tractor when it’s hauling one of their grain carts during a real Iowa harvest. When the call goes out for the cart, the tractor starts chugging across the field to where the combine is working. Jennings just sits there and […] Read more


farming a test plot

A new farm show hits the Prairies

Ag in Motion will focus on practical demonstrations and field plots in Western Canada this summer

Reading Time: 5 minutes As a machinery editor, one of the places where I’ve come to feel most at home is in the aisles of a farm equipment show. I’ve logged many miles walking those aisles in the last few years. But I’ve also come to learn that those aisles aren’t all the same. Clearly, not all farm shows […] Read more

Industry Minister James Moore on a promotion visit for CETA

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


It was last August that Claas of America introduced its latest entry, this time into the all-purpose tractor market. Claas is widely known for its Lexion combines and, with the Xerion tractor series, the company is forecasting it will achieve the same success in the high-horsepower market. Not only is the Xerion series powerful, it also provides speed for efficient transport, plus reduced compaction and overall enhanced manoeuverability. The company says its designers have worked hard to create something new specifically for the needs of North American farmers, which includes improved power transmission, dual wheels and enhanced hydraulics. The Xerion design includes three different models, all with a Mercedes-Benz engine: the 5000 and 4500 are equipped with a 12.8-litre engine and the 4000 comes with 10.6-litre engine, capable of running at 530, 490 and 435 hp, respectively. In spite of all that power, the Xerion line is still easy to operate, with six steering modes and three driving programs.

PHOTOS: Tractors with BIG horsepower

Machinery Guide looks at offerings from New Holland, Claas, Massey Ferguson, John Deere and Case IH

Reading Time: < 1 minute There’s really no telling how much bigger these machines will get. Just when it appeared that 500 hp was a safe upper limit, manufacturers pushed right through. Below, Machinery Guide looks at five big tractor series, some with tracked technology and others with cab or transmission enhancements for 2015. All boast big horsepower, which in […] Read more

John Deere tractor dealership

Shifting borders in the farm machinery business

Get ready to buy a whole lot more from your equipment dealer than just equipment

Reading Time: 5 minutes Have you ever seen an International Harvester refrigerator, or a Massey-Ferguson cream separator? They were farmyard fixtures at one time. Farmers bought them from their local farm machinery dealership while buying a wide variety of other essentials too. Over time, those equipment dealers evolved from that “everything-you-need-we’ve-got” business model to become machinery specialists, strictly purveyors […] Read more


manufacturing production line

Manufacturing talent

Executives at the major equipment manufacturers know their brands can’t succeed without the right people on the payroll

Reading Time: 5 minutes Among the Big Four farm equipment brands, John Deere owns the largest slice of the North American market, and the bosses at its world headquarters in Moline, Illinois, have no intention of letting that change any time soon. In December they revealed their updated, long-term corporate strategy to investors, outlining how they intend to keep […] Read more

Yetter 5000 Stalk Devastator

Farm equipment to help speed up your day

Machinery Guide looks at innovative equipment from Bobcat, Sunflower, Yetter and Brandt

Reading Time: 4 minutes With spring on the horizon, Country Guide is providing a quick update on new equipment that doesn’t plant or harvest, or haul or spray. Even so, these are innovative designs that can prove just as valuable in the broader scope of all that’s happening on the farm these days. So have a look, and if […] Read more