John Deere innovations at work

One of the primary roles of the newly established European Technology and Innovation Centre (ETIC) in Kaiserslautern is the development of advanced technologies and software and their integration into agricultural machinery, for precision farming applications and the automation of routine machinery operations.

At this month’s official ETIC opening, John Deere demonstrated two of its Agritechnica silver award winning systems (tractor-implement automation and extended sprayer solutions), which are already commercially available. In addition, the company presented two advanced guidance solutions for passive and active implement steering, which are designed to bring the highest precision to tillage, seeding and planting operations.

Tractor-implement automation

Tractor-implement automation enables two-way data exchange between the tractor and more complex implements via an extended ISOBUS system. During operation, the system allows the implement to take command of certain pre-assigned tractor functions to make the operator’s life easier. In the field demonstration, a John Deere 864 round baler tells the tractor when bale formation is nearly complete. It then slows down and stops the tractor, starts the netwrapping process and finally releases the bale automatically before the next cycle begins.

Automatic control of tractor functions such as forward speed, hydraulics and pto operation is enabled by the open ISOBUS design, which can also be applied to other makes of equipment. One such application, developed by the Austrian implement manufacturer Pöttinger for a forage wagon, was also awarded a silver medal at Agritechnica in 2009.

During operation, the forage wagon slows down or accelerates the tractor depending on the density and shape of the grass swath, which is recorded by a sensor mounted on the front of the tractor. This determines the intake rate of the forage wagon’s pick-up, and results in increased productivity and reduced operator fatigue.

Extended i-Solutions for sprayers

John Deere has extended its intelligent, innovative and integrated solutions for trailed sprayers by introducing additional technologies that increase productivity, minimise operator error, reduce costs and protect the environment throughout all stages of the spraying process, from filling to spraying and diluting chemical residues.

A number of challenging farming conditions continue to face larger arable farms and co-ops, including the correct timing of spray applications, changing weather conditions, higher spraying speeds, reduced application rates and increasing environmental restrictions, all of which affect their overall economic prospects. John Deere’s extended i-Solutions are designed to give customers the confidence that their spraying operation will result in the best possible crop care and health.

Extended i-Solutions consist of a new tank fill calculator, the Sprayer Pro automatic boom master and section control system, and the Auto Dilute continuous spray dilution system. With these features, John Deere offers a completely new and fully integrated system to fill the sprayer more accurately with chemicals and water, to spray more accurately and to dilute chemical residues in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way possible.

Based on the actual application rate and the remaining area that needs to be sprayed, the new tank fill calculator works out the amount of chemical and water required per individual fill or partial refill for the entire spray application, and can print off the details for the operator.

Using a GPS signal, Sprayer Pro automatically controls the spray boom master valve and individual section valves at the headland and on irregular shaped fields. It switches them on and off more accurately than any operator is able to do manually.

Auto Dilute manages the controlled dilution of residual liquid in the sprayer after an application. Depending on the chemicals used previously and the next crop to be sprayed, the operator can choose a preset menu programme to initiate the most efficient dilution and rinsing process.

Advanced solutions for implement steering In the satellite guidance market, John Deere already offers a wide range of steering systems to meet all customer needs. Two advanced guidance solutions are now available that go beyond the level of automatic tractor steering, to provide passive and active implement guidance. These are designed to enable implements to operate in a straight line even on difficult, hilly terrain, and to meet the very high demands of speciality crop farmers.

The John Deere iGuide system for passive implement steering automatically keeps trailed implements on track, and therefore helps to avoid gaps and overlaps. iGuide works with a highly accurate positioning signal (within +/-2cm) provided by a second StarFire RTK satellite receiver mounted on the implement itself. The tractor is then able to compensate fully for implement drift on slopes as well as in curves.

Work quality is dramatically improved and tramline or row spacing is significantly more accurate, with further benefits when using the rows or tramlines for subsequent fertiliser and crop protection applications. The iGuide system can be fitted to all trailed implements when working with John Deere AutoTrac tractors equipped with a GreenStar 2 display and a StarFire RTK signal.

Limerick Show 2010

Limerick Show was held in Greenpark Racecourse, South Circular Road, Limerick without a break, since it was revived in 1929. There is evidence of a Limerick Show having been held at various venues throughout the then suburbs of the city as far aback as the 1880’s until the start of World War 1 in 1914.

A number of prominent city business people, with the support of the fifth Earl of Dunraven, revived what has now become one of Ireland’s leading Agricultural Shows. Greenpark became home for the Society’s Annual Show, due to ninety-nine year lease obtained from the Limerick Race Company and the generosity of the Earl of Dunraven, who decided early on that without buildings to house the Cattle, Horticulture, Craft and Trade Stand sections these would not grow in popularity. His foresight proved to correct over the years.

For a number of decades the event was known as the “Horse Show”. The mid-week date, until 1988, was an occasion where local business people by tradition, granted their staff a half-day so that they could visit the “Horse Show”, which they did in their thousands.

Limerick Show Society has been fortunate in the quality and the leadership given by various officers since the 1929 revival. They have been conscious that they had a major part to play in bringing to the farming community in particular, the vast and rapid changes which the mechanical age brought to farming since the 1930’s. The traders of the region were strong in their support - and they still are – and availed of the opportunity which Limerick Show offered them to display their new machines and goods.

From 1997 to 2000, due to the development of housing in Greenpark, the Show moved to a green-field site in Adare. This was given, courtesy of the County Limerick Hunt, and the show took place for four years in the beautiful surroundings of Clonshire.

Meanwhile work started on the new racecourse in Patrickswell. In 2001, because of the Foot & Mouth outbreak in Britain, Limerick Show, along with many others, did not take place.In 2002 we moved into temporary offices in the new racecourse. Building of the new office then took place and we are now housed permanently here.

Cappamore Show

Cappamore Agricultural Show Wednesday 18th August 2010 is one of Ireland’s leading One Day Shows and is very highly regarded among exhibitors and regular Show supporters throughout the Munster region as well as nationally.

This year, the Show Committee will host its 55th Annual Show. A full listing of events and special features are featured on this site. Cappamore Show has become an integral element of the social and cultural fabric of the East Limerick/ West Tipperary area and is a highlight of the Social calendar of the area each year. This event is perhaps unique in that it incorporates both displays and competitions in areas such as Cookery, Crafts, Agricultural and Horticultural produce and other areas that draw on the traditional skills, arts and crafts of the region, as well as more traditional Show sections such as Cattle and Horse showing and jumping classes.

John Deere AMS marks 10 years of precision farming success

At the opening of John Deere’s new European Technology and Innovation Centre (ETIC) in Kaiserslautern, Germany, in June 2010, Dr Thomas Engel, general manager of John Deere Agricultural Management Solutions (AMS) in Europe, took the opportunity to look back upon his division’s achievements.

Having started in 2001 with the first generation GreenStar display and StarFire satellite receiver, along with John Deere’s yield mapping and parallel tracking system, AMS has gained an increasing share of the precision farming market over the past 10 years and is now considered to be one of the market leading system suppliers in Europe.

Explaining the success of the company’s precision farming technologies, Dr Engel highlighted two key factors: “John Deere is the only agricultural equipment manufacturer that develops and manufactures its own high-tech components in-house, such as the StarFire receivers, controllers and GreenStar displays for guidance systems. We can therefore offer fully integrated guidance and telematics solutions, with access to all other machine components.

“This level of integration helps us to achieve a high degree of automation, not only in guidance applications but also for increasing machine performance and efficiency. Another John Deere exclusive is our own StarFire correction network, which provides our satellite receiver customers with a choice of accuracy levels, depending on their needs.”

AMS Europe was officially established in summer 2000. At that time, just 15 employees started to develop satellite-based guidance systems as well as telematics applications. Subsequently, the AMS product range has been enhanced and diversified to meet changing customer requirements in the key areas of productivity, documentation and farm business management. For example, in 2002 John Deere introduced the AutoTrac fully automated guidance system, which has since become a best seller.

“Today, all large John Deere tractors and combines in Europe and the CIS are sold AutoTrac-ready, so they can be easily equipped with complete guidance systems to optimise their performance,” said Dr Engel. To date, John Deere has sold more than 100,000 StarFire receivers worldwide and a similar number of AutoTrac systems, with a significant percentage of these sales in Europe.

Another fully integrated innovation has been the HarvestLab system for self-propelled forage harvesters, which analyses and documents the crop’s dry matter content and automatically adjusts the length of cut. Future sensors could also be used to measure such ingredients as protein and fibre.

High-end precision farming

“Now that guidance systems and basic documentation are becoming more commonplace, we are widening our focus,” Dr Engel added. “We are now concentrating on the next level of RTK-based precision farming applications that can deliver even higher levels of accuracy and operator comfort.”

The latest generation of AMS guidance systems includes iTEC Pro (intelligent Total Equipment Control), for fully automated headland management, as well as iGuide and iSteer solutions for passive and active implement steering. “With iGuide, we can compensate for implement drift on slopes or hilly terrain,” said Dr Engel. “Using iSteer, the implement takes active control to keep itself on the right track, which is extremely beneficial for speciality and row crop farmers.”

Moreover, AMS helps farmers to exploit the benefits of documentation, such as lower input costs, optimum yields, reduced environmental impact and increased productivity. Using GreenStar documentation, customers are able to carry out map-based variable rate applications – the basis of site-specific farming. And with the JDLink wireless communication system, John Deere has also developed telematic solutions for fleet management, remote machine diagnostics and maintenance.

The future is open to all

When it comes to the development of new AMS solutions, compatibility and versatility become increasingly important. “Depending on the required level of integration, John Deere systems are also available for use with other makes of equipment,” said Dr Engel. ”Our first product of this kind was the AutoTrac Universal steering kit introduced in 2006, which brought the benefits of our established AutoTrac system to a customer’s complete machinery fleet. This was followed in 2008 by the GreenStar Lightbar, our entry-level manual guidance solution.”

But this open approach does not just mean being able to transfer a guidance system from one machine to another. Since 2001, AMS Europe has also been committed to the ISOBUS standard. “ISOBUS standardises data communication between tractor, implement and farm management systems,” said Dr Engel. “We are actively engaged in the implementation and further development of the ISOBUS standard, so that we can support our customers in the future all year round, across all their field and business operations – no matter what kind of implement they use.

“An important step on this road to an open future is our automatic section control system for sprayers, seeders, planters and spreaders. The new Application Pro Universal modules work with John Deere ISOBUS implements that support section control functionality, as well as with specified third-party implements. This option is unique within the precision farming market.”

And what is beyond ISOBUS? Dr Engel concluded: “With the integration of other global navigation satellite systems such as Galileo and the Russian GLONASS into our StarFire receiver network, as well as many other opportunities for further automation and electrification, there remains much more to do for our 80 AMS staff members and the several hundred AMS experts in John Deere’s sales branches and dealers across Europe – our best years are yet to come.”

Gator gets new olive livery

John Deere has introduced a new version of its popular XUV 850D high performance 4x4 utility vehicle, in olive and black livery. This model is aimed at customers who prefer an alternative to the usual bright green and yellow colour scheme, including shooting and countryside estates and farms, outdoor adventure centres and wildlife parks.

This olive and black Gator is fitted as standard with aggressive tread, off-road style tyres, but otherwise is the same specification as the existing XUV model, complete with a steel tipping cargo box. It is available with all the same attachments and options, including road homologation, and the standard four post ROPS frame can also be upgraded to a deluxe full glass cab if required.

The XUV Gator is specifically designed for off-road and rough-terrain performance, and is based on a hydroformed steel frame for increased durability. It also offers a true four-wheel drive traction system – activated by a simple dash-mounted electronic rocker switch, this on-demand system incorporates lockable front and rear differentials to maintain excellent traction in the toughest ground conditions.

The XUV Gator’s 24hp (850cc) liquid-cooled, three-cylinder Yanmar diesel engine is the most powerful and quickest accelerating in its class, with the fastest top speed at 30mph in high range. Advanced clutching ensures smooth power delivery and engine braking assistance from the dual range, continuously variable transmission.

All round independent suspension offers improved handling, operator comfort and ride quality, with 175mm (7in) of suspension travel and 270mm (nearly 11in) of ground clearance. This enables the XUV Gator to follow rough and bumpy terrain with ease while keeping all four wheels firmly on the ground, whether the vehicle is fully loaded or unladen. Maximum payload capacity is 635kg and towing capacity is 590kg on level terrain.

Additional operator friendly features include a glove box and storage compartment, cup holder, 12V power outlet and integrated 50mm (2in) rear hitch. Base UK list price of the new John Deere olive and black XUV 850D utility vehicle, which is available in limited numbers this summer before full production starts in November, is £11,033 plus VAT.


Gearys Garage Ltd. Kilmeedy, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick., Ireland.