Hesston by Massey Ferguson launched its new double small square baler on the show floor at a media event immediately after the show doors opened. The SB.1436DB produces two rows of bales per field pass and is clearly aimed at maximizing productivity.

The new baler features an advanced electronic monitoring and control system called, SimplEbale. It automates critical baling processes to ensure consistent bale density, weight and dimensions. From inside the cab, operators can monitor flake thickness, flake count, bale length and bale weight in real time, ensuring maximum throughput.

“With its heavy-duty design and groundbreaking technology, this baler helps operators achieve better efficiency and superior results, reducing costs while increasing profitability,” said Dane Mosel, marketing manager for Hesston by Massey Ferguson, in a press release.

Also unveiled at the show was a new Farmall C series tractor from Case IH.

The new Farmall C lineup offers a 12-speed PowerShuttle and 24-speed Hi-Lo transmission, reinforced front axle, boosted hydraulic flow, heavier gross vehicle weight and increased rear lift capacity.

“The new Farmall C not only offers heavy-duty performance and maneuverability, it delivers an improved operator experience,” said Leo Bose customer segmentation lead at Case IH, in a press release. “With the new brake to clutch feature, greater visibility, and the new L635 loader, operators can enjoy significantly increased comfort and reduced fatigue.”

There was a lot to see and do at the show so check out the video below of some of the day’s events on the show floor.

Watch for new videos to find out more about the new baler from Massey Ferguson and Case IH’s new Farmall tractor coming soon to AgDealerTV.

Organized by Kentucky Venues and recognized around the world as a premier farm trade show event, the National Farm Machinery Show welcomes as many as 300,000 visitors from across the U.S. and many other countries each year.

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Day two of the NFMS saw Massey Ferguson debut its 500R sprayer to attendees, and New Holland was eager to show how its latest collaboration helps guide all of your harvested grains into a grain cart.

Heath Kehnemund, marketing product specialist with Massey Ferguson, says the company’s 500R sprayer is designed for ease of operation and requires less maintenance.

“One of the things that we do differently than a lot of our competitors on the market is we have a LiquidLogic system…” said Kehnemund, “at the end of the day if you get blown out or rained out we can actually bring that product back to the tank to be able to go out and spray the next day.”

To help keep problem areas to a minimum, greaseless bushings are standard on the 500R and the cab interior takes a common look-and-feel approach for operators.

“It’s a common cab across a lot of our platforms,” said Kehnemund, “A guy can go from one machine to another and be very comfortable.”

Automation ‘Raven’ swoops in

A second new announcement at the show for New Holland was its collaboration with Raven Industries for Raven Cart Automation.

The new automated system reduces operator error during the handoff of grain between a combine operator and a tractor operator during harvest.

“With the system set up, you have reduced chances of impact, reduced chances of grain spillage, reduced chances of operator error as a whole” said Nick Mortensen, technology marketing manager for New Holland.

Raven Cart Automation works via local radio frequency which provides no delay in connection between the combine and a tractor. The system also allows combine operators to call up to six grain carts at a time in order to keep things moving smoothly in the field.

Want to hear more? Watch for upcoming videos of the Massey Ferguson 500R sprayer and the New Holland Raven Cart Automation system coming soon to AgDealerTV.

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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 and then at points after that 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 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, Germany for Agritechnica. 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.

– John Greig is a senior editor with Glacier FarmMedia. Watch for much more detail on these and many more stories and videos from Agritechnica in our Glacier FarmMedia newspapers and websites.

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The Washington, D.C.-based American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) on Monday announced it had reached memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with equipment firms Agco and Kubota on allowing the so-called “right to repair.”

The MOUs, reached separately with each company, follow similar pacts the AFBF made in January with Deere and Co. and in March with CNH, the maker of Case IH and New Holland equipment.

READ MORE: Deere agrees to independent equipment servicing

The agreements lay out a framework under which farmers and independent repair facilities in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico would be able to access Agco and Kubota manuals, tools, product guides and information to self-diagnose and self-repair machines.

The pact also provides for support from the manufacturers to directly purchase or lease diagnostic tools and order products and parts. Farmers or independent repair shops would be able to obtain specialized tools, software or documentation from authorized repair shops on “fair and reasonable terms” via subscription or sale.

Barry O’Shea, vice-president for customer support at Agco — whose brands include Massey Ferguson, Fendt and Challenger — said in AFBF’s release that “Agco’s farmer-first focus guides us in everything we do, and we support farmers’ ability to repair the equipment they own.”

Todd Stucke, senior vice-president of marketing for Kubota, said in the same release that the company, through its dealer network, makes shop tools, parts, guides and manuals available to owners who choose to work directly on their machines.

“We strive to ensure that our equipment is manufactured to the highest engineering standards to maximize performance for our customers, and this agreement is a good step toward further protecting their safety while operating, maintaining and repairing it,” Stucke said.

The agreements emphasize that the manufacturer isn’t obliged to divulge any trade secrets, nor to allow farmers or independents to override equipment safety features or emissions controls, nor to sell tools, software or documents that either never existed or are no longer available to either the company or its authorized repair sites.

Taken together with the Deere and CNH MOUs, AFBF said the four agreements cover about 70 per cent of the farm machinery sold in the U.S.

“Farmers and ranchers urged us to find a private sector-solution to the challenges of repairing their own equipment,” AFBF president Zippy Duvall said in the same release. “These agreements represent ongoing efforts to ensure farmers have access to the tools necessary to keep their equipment running, and to keep food on the table for families across America.”

The MOUs with Agco and Kubota both took effect as of May 17. They also commit the companies and AFBF to meet at least semi-annually to assess how the MOUs are working and suggest changes as needed.

The MOUs also allow for the AFBF or either company to withdraw on delivery of written notice, but the parties agree to “co-operate in good faith” to schedule a meeting within 30 days of that notice to discuss the “ongoing viability” of the MOU.

The MOUs’ “intended beneficiaries” are farmers in the 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico; neither agreement mentions any commitment to provide the same services to farmers outside U.S. territory. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Toromont Industries announced Monday it will sell its AgWest Ltd. arm to Dutch equipment distributor Mechan International, effective May 1.

Neither company would disclose the financial terms of the deal Monday, except that it will be in cash and “is not expected to have a material impact on Toromont’s overall future operations, revenue or earnings.”

AgWest operates three dealerships and three parts-and-service satellite locations in the province, handling all Agco’s product lines including Fendt, Massey Ferguson, Challenger, Sunflower, White, Rogator, TerraGator and Wilmar. It also holds exclusive rights to distribute Claas combines in the entire province.

The AgWest network includes its head office location at Elie, about 30 km west of Winnipeg, plus its dealerships at Brandon and Neepawa and satellite locations at Swan River, Morden and Russell.

Mechan plans to continue to operate the business under the AgWest brand and retain the current management, staff and number of sites, Toromont said.

“Mechan’s global presence, deep agricultural knowledge, and solid distribution reputation offer a strategic fit with AgWest’s people, customers and suppliers,” Toromont said.

“Thanks to the dedicated AgWest team, loyal customers and strong supplier support, the AgWest business has improved consistently over the past few years,” Toromont CEO Scott Medhurst said in a release.

Concord, Ont.-based, publicly traded Toromont created AgWest in 2014, when it bought two Manitoba ag dealership chains and merged them under the one banner.

In its 2022 annual report, Toromont said AgWest “benefitted from a recovery in commodity prices and strong execution leading to higher market penetration and growth in combine and tractor market shares.

“Improved operational execution and added customer deliverables contributed to much improved overall performance,” the company said.

Mechan is an arm of Zweegers Equipment Group, a Dutch investment firm focused on equipment. Toromont noted Zweegers has a “long association with agricultural equipment including the distribution of Agco and Claas products worldwide.”

“This acquisition aligns with our aim to expand the geographical footprint and add new equipment brands,” Mechan board member Ronald Slaats said in that company’s release.

“For us, people, and local entrepreneurship are paramount, we share our ‘boots on the ground’ approach and deep-rooted passion for equipment, working towards a sustainable future. We are convinced that AgWest’s culture and working methods are in complete harmony with this,” Zweegers CEO Gerrit van der Scheer said in the same release.

Agco’s Americas vice-president for distribution, Bill Hurley, said in a separate release Monday that Mechan’s ownership of AgWest would bring “expanded capabilities, investment and international perspective to the table.”

Mechan’s resources, he said, offer “substantial growth opportunities for Agco products in Manitoba, especially for our Fendt brand as it continues its very successful expansion into the region.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Georgia-based Agco, whose brands include Massey Ferguson, Fendt, Challenger and Valtra, said in a statement it expects operations at some facilities to be affected for “several days and potentially longer.”

The ransomware attack comes at a time U.S. agricultural equipment makers were already facing persistent supply chain disruptions and labour strikes that left them unable to meet equipment demand from farmers.

Agco did not disclose the names of the facilities or if any data was stolen, but said it was still probing the extent of the attack that occurred on Thursday and working to repair its systems.

Tim Brannon, president and owner of B+G Equipment in Tennessee, told Reuters he has not been able to access Agco’s website for ordering and looking up parts since Thursday morning.

“We just have to trust that it will be over as soon as possible because we are coming into our busiest time of the year and it will be very damaging to our business and customers,” Brannon said.

Agco, which competes with larger rival Deere and Co., sells tractors and combines and manufactures and assembles products in 42 locations worldwide with 1,810 dealerships in North America.

Dealers are now struggling to keep up with orders that were already backlogged.

The company told dealers that it was “prioritizing” the most business-critical systems in an email read to Reuters by a dealer who declined to be identified.

“I’ve got about nine orders that I need to place right now,” the dealer said.

He said Agco told him “digital systems” had been impacted worldwide.

Agco did not respond to requests for additional comment.

Ransomware attacks have targeted food and fuel companies in the U.S. in recent years, including the Colonial Pipeline oil network and meat processing company JBS. Last autumn, at least three grain handlers in the Midwest were hit with ransomware attacks.

— Reporting for Reuters by Nathan Gomes in Bangalore and Bianca Flowers and P.J. Huffstutter in Chicago.

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