AGCO Advances Autonomy & Precision Ag Tech to Boost Farmer Efficiency

AGCO Corporation AGCO is set to highlight some of the latest innovation in precision agriculture technology during its sixth annual Tech Day in Markt Indersdorf, Germany. The event centers on AGCO’s “Farmer-First” approach innovations, which emphasizes on solutions that can work seamlessly throughout the crop cycle and can integrate with any farming equipment, irrespective of brand or age. 

Promising enhanced yields and higher profitability for farmers, and the ability to service any equipment will expand AGCO’s total addressable market. With this vision, AGCO believes it can attain the target of $2 billion in precision agricultural sales by 2029.

At the event, AGCO will demonstrate how high-performance equipment can be paired with retrofit or factory-fit precision agricultural technology solutions that integrate across different brands to deliver better outcomes for farmers. This will clearly give the company an edge compared with solutions that are brand specific or require a specific age criteria for the equipment.  Many of these solutions are powered by AGCO’s newest precision agriculture brand, PTx, which extends across every stage of the farm operation.

PTx FarmENGAGE, that was launched in August, is the next generation of farm operations management software. It is the agricultural industry's only digital platform that has the ability to manage farmers' entire operations of equipment, irrespective of brand or model year. It provides real-time information needed to more effectively run farming operations and maximize efficiency.

AGCO's Efforts to Bring Autonomy For the Whole Crop Cycle

PTx Trimble's Outrun autonomous technology, which is already in use for grain handling during harvest, is now being used in fertilization and tillage applications on two Fendt 900 Vario tractors. The retrofit kits, also available for competitive equipment, enable farmers to boost efficiency and address labor shortages. 

Harvesting solutions such as IDEALharvest, HarvestPlus, TI Headland Turn Assist, IDEALdrive and Task Doc Pro offer sophisticated automation solutions that utilize innovative sensors and intelligent AI control algorithms to simplify harvesting operations.

In the weed control operations, Precision Planting's SymphonyVision, an AI-based targeted spraying system, can differentiate weeds from crops enabling targeted spraying. This can reduce chemical usage up to 70%. AGCO will be highlighting RowPilot, an AI-guided system for mechanical weeding, which promises to improve a farmer's precision application while minimizing crop damage.

AGCO’s suite of Precision Planting technologies such as 20|20 SeedSense, vSet, vDrive, SpeedTube, WaveVision and DeltaForce offer automated planting. These solutions detect issues instantly, optimize seed placement and ensure consistent seed planting depth across variable field conditions. This helps in reducing operator workload while improving results.

All of these technologies are either commercially available now or will be released soon. AGCO’s progress in these areas is the testament to its progress on its goal to deliver autonomous solutions for the entire crop cycle by 2030.

AGCO and its peers Deere & Company DE, CNH Industrial N.V CNH and Komatsu KMTUY from Zacks Manufacturing - Farm Equipment industry are investing heavily in precision agriculture.

Deere continues to invest in the development and production of advanced technology through integrated agricultural solutions and precision technologies across its portfolio of equipment. Deere’s advanced telematics systems provide real-time alerts and information about equipment location, utilization, performance and maintenance to improve productivity and efficiency, as well as to monitor the job. The company is also increasing efforts to offer autonomous machines. 

CNH Industrial is leaning heavily on Artificial Intelligence capabilities to create the best user experience for customers. CNH Industrial plans to invest heavily in new product launches, updates to existing product lines and integrated digital technologies across its equipment lineup. 

Komatsu’s machinery is highly durable and comes with a variety of attachments designed to improve productivity and reduce labor. Komatsu’s Smart Construction platform leverages ICT (Information and Communication Technology) to visualize operations from start to finish, aiming to ease labor shortages and boost productivity through smarter resource allocation.

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