Autonomy & Robotics

[Video] Sentera Showcases New Drone Tech at John Deere Farm Progress Show Tent

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Sentera showcased its drone scouting technology package with John Deere at the 2026 Farm Progress Show for the first time since it was acquired by Deere in May 2025.

[Video] New Holland RS1 Guidance Kit Provides Retrofit Option for 35-Year-Old Tractors

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Brad Littlefield, precision product marketing, New Holland, checks in from the 2026 Farm Progress Show with a look at a 1993 tractor that’s been retrofitted with New Holland’s Intelliview IV Plus RS1 Guidance Kit.

[Video] Carbon Robotics Launches Autonomous Implement Technology

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Brett Goodwin from Carbon Robotics explains how the new Carbon Autonomy Ready program enables implement manufacturers to make their equipment optimized for autonomous tractor operation.

5 Big Precision Technology Takeaways from 2026 Farm Progress Show

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0400

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 3-day event.

Carbon Robotics Launches Carbon Autonomy Ready Program, Great Plains Joins as First Member

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Designed to support a wide range of implements that farmers use today, the Carbon Autonomy Ready program establishes a technical specification and process for integrating any manufacturers’ implements directly into the Carbon Autonomy platform.

GUSS Automation Plans to Incorporate Ouster's Next-Gen Sensors

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Ouster technology equips driverless sprayers with an ultra-wide field of view, enabling them to map tree trunks, crop rows, and ground contours with a high level of detail.

John Deere Introduces Hands-Free Baling Solution to Improve Productivity, Reduce Workload

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0400

“The hands-free baling technology combines John Deere’s legacy guidance feature, AutoTrac, with our innovative Weave Automation round baler feature, creating a solution that was built shoulder-to-shoulder with our customers," says Kaylene Ballesteros, marketing manager for hay and forage equipment at John Deere.

Newly Formed Keystone AgTech Alliance to Accelerate Innovation

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The alliance will bring together research, industry, government and economic development partners to create a stakeholder-centered agricultural innovation ecosystem to hasten adoption of practical solutions to improve profitability, sustainability, workforce resilience and economic growth.

[Technology Corner] Precision Technology Showcased at Bayer Crop Science Research Farm

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Sand County Foundation, a national nonprofit conservation organization, is leveraging some cutting-edge precision technology to measure the true impacts of soil health management practices.

Are We on the Edge of a New Wave in Farm Machinery?

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0400

With the gatherings of the Farm Equipment Dealership Minds Summit and the National Strip-Tillage Conference a few days away, recent conversations caused me to pause and think about another paradigm shift in basic agricultural methodology that we, quite possibly, could be witnessing.

[Technology Corner] Using Sensors to Measure Impact of ‘Soil Health Management’ Systems

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Sand County Foundation, a national nonprofit conservation organization, is leveraging some cutting-edge precision technology to measure the true impacts of soil health management practices.

[Podcast] Talking Autonomy with Sabanto’s Craig Rupp & Bayer’s P.J. Amini

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0400

On this episode of the Precision Farming Dealer podcast, brought to you by the 2026 Dealership Minds Summit, we get the inside scoop on Leaps by Bayer’s big investment in autonomous technology company Sabanto.

Sabanto Takes Autonomy ‘Leap’ With Bayer Investment

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Craig Rupp says the investment from Leaps by Bayer validates the direction Sabanto is headed and adds credibility to its product, marking a shift from asking “if” autonomy will work in agriculture to asking “when” it will be widely available.

Sabanto and Leaps by Bayer Announce Oversubscribed Series B Financing

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:00:00 -0400

Sabanto, a leader in autonomous retrofit technology for agriculture, today announced an oversubscribed Series B funding led by Leaps by Bayer with participation by Sustainable Forward Capital, InnoVenture Iowa, Fulcrum Global Capital, DCVC, and Yara.

[Technology Corner] Farmers Gain Trust in Autonomy with PTx OutRun Retrofit Kit

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Here in the Technology Corner today, we’re talking about the PTx OutRun autonomous platform — a retrofit kit that enables autonomous grain cart, and now more recently, tillage operations. Mike Schlitt, PTx strategic marketing manager, shares a few stories from the field about how OutRun is winning farmers over in the race to autonomy.

RDO Equipment Co. Announces Agreement to Acquire True North Equipment Locations

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400

RDO Equipment Co. today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire True North Equipment’s John Deere agriculture locations in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Ag Autonomy’s ‘State of the State’

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Four distinct paths to autonomy are emerging, each one with different winners, timing & challenges

Sabanto, Verdant Robotics Announce Technical Integration of Autonomous Tractor with SharpShooter Precision Application

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Sabanto, a leader in autonomy retrofit solutions for agricultural machinery, and Verdant Robotics, developer of SharpShooter precision application system, have integrated their systems for the first time.

Build the Data Muscle Before Taking the Big Tech Leap

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

If a farmer doesn’t have reliable field data, clean boundaries (or a practical boundary strategy) and disciplined documentation, the most advanced technology in the world won’t deliver consistent results.

[Podcast] Talking AI, Leadership Lessons & More with Brilliant Harvest CEO Remi Schmaltz

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0400

On this episode of the Precision Farming Dealer podcast, brought to you by Ag Express, we go 1-on-1 with Brilliant Harvest founder and CEO Remi Schmaltz.

[Technology Corner] Dealers Gather for Inaugural AI Workshop & Networking Event

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:00:00 -0400

Leaders from AgRevolution, Agriteer, Young’s Equipment, LoneStar Ag, KanEquip and more gathered in Rosemont, Ill., for the inaugural ViNE Event, hosted by the Vi by visorPRO team.

Innovative Farmer Plants Entire Crop Autonomously

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Equipped with Sabanto, Panorama and Starlink, Quint Pottinger became the first farmer in the Bluegrass State to plant his entire crop with a driverless tractor, joining fewer than 50 farms nationwide, according to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

[Podcast] Autonomy Takes the Wheel: Farmer Plants Entire Crop with Driverless Tractor

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0400

On this episode of the Precision Farming Dealer podcast, brought to you by Ag Express, Quint Pottinger explains how he was able to plant his entire corn crop this spring with a driverless tractor.

Survey Says … Over 40% of Farmers Believe AI Could Improve Their Operation

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:17:00 -0400

In Purdue's monthly survey, 400 farmers were asked, “Given your current labor and equipment, how much would artificial intelligence (AI) tools improve your operation?”

[Technology Corner] Thinking Outside the Box to Implement Precision Tech in Challenging Fields

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:00:00 -0400

I got my first taste of precision ag in the desert the other week during my visit with Jake Nordenberg, who works as a precision specialist for 24-store John Deere dealer Stotz Equipment in Buckeye, Ariz.

Ag Autonomy’s ‘State of the State’

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"The old paradigm of software in ag equipment was that software was used to enable your machine. That paradigm is dead. The new paradigm is that your machine is the hardware that enables the intelligence of software," says Chris Hunsaker, who breaks down the forces, paths, challenges and opportunities surrounding autonomy in ag.

Niqo Robotics AI Weeding Platform Expands into New Crops, Markets

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

At the core of Niqo’s expansion is Niqo Sense, a proprietary AI camera system that can be integrated into multiple form factors and retrofitted onto existing farm equipment.

Why Nobody Can Agree What a Field Robot Should Look Like & Why the Argument Will Be Settled the Same Way It Always Has Been

Thu, 28 May 2026 12:55:00 -0400

"Autonomous systems are coming. That is not in question. The question is which platforms reach the ecosystem density needed to become the foundation, and which ones follow the Fast Hitch into the history books regardless of their technical merit," says Graham Gleed.

[Technology Corner] Innovative Farmer Boosts Efficiency with 360 RAIN, Precision Tech & Mixed Fleet

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 22 May 2026 14:00:00 -0400

On this special road edition of Technology Corner, we pay a visit to innovative farmer Robert Boyle in Coolidge, Ariz. Boyle reveals some of the secret weapons — including 360 RAIN — that help boost his profitability and efficiency on soils receiving only 7 inches of rain annually.

ePropelled Launches Integrated Propulsion & Power System for Ag UAVs

Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

While initially developed for agricultural UAV applications, the same propulsion and power architecture can also be applied to a wider class of uncrewed systems, including ground based robotic platforms used in precision agriculture and autonomous field operations.