I just got back from the 2026 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, where precision technology was hotter than the 100-degree heat indexes during the rain-shortened, 3-day event.

As I begin to sift through my notes, interviews and videos, here are a few big tech takeaways from my 26,000-step journey across the nation’s largest outdoor farm show.

Autonomous Implements

When I learned that Carbon Robotics was going to be at the show, I assumed its well-known LaserWeeder would be front and center. But instead, I was surprised to see a Carbon Autonomy-equipped John Deere tractor and a Great Plains Manufacturing implement on display when I approached the booth.

The Seattle, Wash.-based company announced the launch of its Carbon Autonomy Ready program, enabling implement manufacturers to make their equipment optimized for autonomous tractor operation using the Carbon Autonomy kit.  

Great Plains Manufacturing was announced as the first company to join the program.

“We believe the Carbon Autonomy platform can transform the ways that modern farmers work their fields, and Great Plains is the perfect first partner to launch this program,” says Carbon Robotics founder and CEO Paul Mikesell. “Our belief is that autonomous farming implements will help farmers be more efficient and lower costs by extending working hours, solving skilled operator shortages, and increasing tractor utilization.”

“At Great Plains, we see producers continually fine-tuning their operations to capture small, incremental gains in yield and efficiency. Real-time adjustments will be critical to maximizing those efforts,” says Doug Jennings, senior product manager at Great Plains. “We look forward to expanding sensing, communication, and control channels through this agreement with Carbon Robotics to provide producers with the most efficient, timely field adjustments possible.”

The Carbon Autonomy kit is compatible with 2019 or newer John Deere 6 or 8 series tractors and is currently available for pre-order in the U.S. 

Dealers Invest in Precision Spraying

I got an up-close look at Ag Zen’s AI-powered precision spraying technology (see how it works in the demo in the video below), which has been picked up by over 260 dealers this year, including AgRevolution, AgriVision, Greenway, KanEquip, PrairieLand Partners and Sloan Implement, to name just a few.

“You can talk to your local dealer and they probably support it,” says Vishnu Jayaprakash, AgZen CEO and founder. “That growth all happened basically in one quarter. Dealers have seen the value that we can bring to growers. That’s the only way you get pretty much every color dealer signing up to support and sell this.

“We can now measure coverage on the soil, so every residual pass we can optimize,” he adds. “We’re also measuring and controlling how quickly the droplets evaporate and die. With dicamba coming back, that’s going to be important to make sure there’s no off-target movement. 

“This year was great for us. Farmers as small as 2,000 acres paid the system off in 1 year. Farmers as large as 400,000 acres have been paying it off since 2024. We’re excited about expanding those use cases.” 

Real-Time Kernel Processing

The major OEMs always have some type of new technology on display, and this year was no different. 

New Holland debuted ForageCam, which allows producers and operators to view real-time kernel processing scores and make adjustments to meet desired forage quality. 

As New Holland precision director Paul Welbig explains in the video below, the system features a spout-mounted camera with AI-powered vision to constantly analyze the chopped corn flow. 

For dairy and beef producers, feed quality is the most important indicator of forage harvester performance,” says Patrick Weitzel, forage harvester marketing manager for New Holland North America. “With ForageCam, producers and custom operators are getting a real-time KPS and can assess right away if the quality is high enough the moment their forage is running through the harvester. In the past, we had to guess from the cab what the score was or send samples to the lab to determine the KPS. Now, we instantly know the forage score and quality.”

JD, the New AI Assistant 

John Deere introduced JD, the AI assistant built into the Operations Center that gives farmers a new way to put their data to work, simply by asking a question. 

Jackson Baca, product marketing manager with John Deere, gives us the scoop in the video below.

“Farmers have more data available to them than ever before, but the value comes from their ability to use it in the moments that matter,” said Jahmy Hindman, chief tchnology officer at John Deere. “JD changes the experience from navigating through a sea of data to simply asking it a question. It puts advanced data analysis within reach by enabling farmers to receive answers tailored to their farm and their needs in a matter of seconds.” 

Ag Leader’s New API Interface

Before thunderstorms brought our day at the show to an abrupt end, Ag Leader introduced us to its new application programming interface (API) that enables third-party camera sensor providers to integrate with RightSpot, Ag Leader’s pulse width modulation (PWM) rate control system.

In the video below, Logan Handsaker explains how the new API gives farmers and dealers greater flexibility in addressing challenging weed control issues by allowing them freedom to choose from a select group of camera sensors that will interface with Ag Leader’s application system.

“Farmers are looking for solutions that help maximize every spray pass while reducing input costs and improving herbicide effectiveness,” says John Howard, crop care product manager at Ag Leader. “By opening the RightSpot platform to compatible camera sensor technologies, Ag Leader is making it easier for customers to adopt the technology that best fits their operation without sacrificing the precision, accuracy, and reliability of their application system.”

Stay tuned for more Precision Farming Dealer coverage from 2026 Farm Progress Show in the coming days!