HANOVER, Ger. — Massey Ferguson released its new high-horsepower 9S tractor at Agritechnica.
It’s the next tractor for Massey Ferguson with the unique 18 cm gap between the cab and the engine, which makes it more conformable for the operator and with better sight lines.
It’s also new highest horsepower tractor available from Massey Ferguson at 425 maximum horsepower. Five other versions of the 9S will step down in horsepower to a low of 285.
The tractor is engineered for flexibility, with a significant range of weight that can be added to the tractor depending on use, and all the latest automation, including automated headland turning.
The tractor will first be available in Europe, then later in the rest of the world.
Precision conditioning for hay?
Also in the AGCO area, Fendt has created a way to change the conditioning level as a mower is cutting through a hay field. I well remember a hay crop where most of it was ready to go, but one area with more biomass was not. I fed those bales first, but it was not optimal.
The new Fendt adjustable conditioner will have three ways to evaluate when the conditioner should be changed. A farmer will be able to alter it from the cab, or it can be automated, either from a satellite evaluation of biomass used to create field map, or from sensors on the mower. From a complexity perspective, a quick control from the cab would make the most sense to me.
Automation options developing, but slowly.
There are many agriculture companies dabbling in automation, artificial intelligence, or both. AI, especially I think is losing its precisions and is being applied to anything with advanced computer processing. That also means the technology is becoming more prevalent.
The newest forms of autonomous units, shown at Agritechnica, are coming from companies not involved in making tractors today, including Kuhn and various startups ranging from Naio to Robotti to AgXeed, which might be the most market-ready autonomy product out there, with sales already to 20 countries, including Canada.
The vanguard of autonomy is in horticulture, with the most market-ready advances being adopted in fruits and vegetables. There are a couple of reasons for this, including labour being so important and so difficult to find in fruit and vegetable production. There are also standardized production areas in fruit and vegetable – trees and vineyards are planted to exact specifications.
There are lots of companies buzzing around agriculture looking for how they can join the rush to agriculture automation and artificial intelligence. I met a guy from Britain, who lives in Sweden, as I was picking up pizza near where I’m staying in Hannover. He works for a company that provides software that manages sensors in large machines and uses computers to monitor and recommend maintenance. They expect there are places where such software could provide value in agriculture. Also, in a strange quirk, that guy’s uncle is a former premier of Nova Scotia, John Savage.
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