John Deere Technology Looks To Increase NW Grower Productivity

Whether you’re in the middle of harvest, or your already wrapped up for the season, perhaps a new combine is in your future.  Bergen Nelson with John Deere said some of the latest technology they’ve rolled out can help growers across the Northwest increase productivity, in some cases by 20%.  And that’s thanks to the Predictive Ground Speed Automation, which is available on their new S and X series combine.

“That has two cameras on the front of the combine cab. It looks out 28 feet in front of the machine," he noted.  "Those cameras measure crop height and crop density. And then we bring a satellite imagery into the machine from Operation Center using our digital tools and seeing the predictive yield layer map and then comparing that to what the camera is seeing in real time, we can use that information to speed up and slow down the combine all automatically, kind of like adaptive cruise control in a in a customer's car."

Nelson said Predictive Ground Speed Automation allows the grower to maintain peak feed rates throughout the day, making sure they are getting the most capacity out of the machine as the yield is changing.

Do Growers Need To Purchase A Large Combine For The Latest Tech?

He added the S and X series, as well as the T series are a great fit for any growers that deal with rolling hills, such as the Palouse in eastern Washington and northern Idaho.  Nelson said if you’re happy with the current size of your combine, you don’t need to move to the larger series just to get the latest technology.

“A customer that I was with this year, they have an S 780 today and they demoed an S7800, which is the new model with the automation and with automation they saw more productivity out of the same exact machine, the same cleaning show. And I think that was really eye opening to us and the customer that they can buy the same model again. To get even more productivity, you know, so they're not having to make that stair step up to an X9 or a larger machine as long as they use automation, they're seeing the productivity gains on their farm.” 

Learn more about the latest technology offered by John Deere, whether that’s combines, tractors, or any other implements by visiting John Deere's Website.

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