Robot tractors

Ultradog MN · May 19, 2019

Interesting article.
I wonder if the robots inside listen to music while they're working the fields.
Click here

fastfarmall · May 19, 2019

I bet they dont get out and make adjustments or clean a sprayer tip when needed !

Traditional Farmer · May 19, 2019

Article said they constantly adjust the amount of spray and use up to 80% less spray a step in the right direction for sure.

oldtanker · May 19, 2019

Interesting Jerry.

Guys, like with the self driving car/truck, it's coming. And lets face it. When farmer A buys into automation his cost over a period of time is going to go down. Labor and keeping good help isn't cheap. And when that tractor or combine is around that 500,000 price range? You don't want a goober running it. And if that machine reduces the amounts of chemicals and or seed per acre? Farmer A is going to be more profitable than farmer B, who blew it off, in the long run. I don't care how much you like sitting the seat, that's gonna die in the long run.

Rick

Stephen Newell · May 19, 2019

I wonder what happens when the computer malfunctions and goes through the farmers house or fence plowing the neighbors property.

rrlund · May 19, 2019

Q: What do you get when you cross a tractor and a robot?

A: A transfarmer.

sourgum · May 19, 2019

Robot tractor from article linked above, interesting read. Picture from Farm Progress Show, 2016. As farmers work to cut input costs in 2019 to stay afloat one wonders how much new technology can farmers afford in a depressed ag economy. Maybe this picture represents what is coming down the road in 2025 or later.

Adirondack case guy · May 19, 2019

I guess the "Person" who still has to load all the inputs has to insure there is nothing that could plug a nozzle in your example. As far as repairing a broken part, I'm sure the whole unit will just stop and send out a "HELP" signal to the man with the I pad, and tool box.
Loren

ss55 · May 19, 2019

Technology and automation could change livestock production even more than it will crop production.

Spook · May 19, 2019

(quoted from post at 05:27:56 05/19/19) Interesting Jerry.

Guys, like with the self driving car/truck, it's coming. And lets face it. When farmer A buys into automation his cost over a period of time is going to go down. Labor and keeping good help isn't cheap. And when that tractor or combine is around that 500,000 price range? You don't want a goober running it. And if that machine reduces the amounts of chemicals and or seed per acre? Farmer A is going to be more profitable than farmer B, who blew it off, in the long run. I don't care how much you like sitting the seat, that's gonna die in the long run.

Rick

I saw toolmakers refuse to use CNC equipment. The old manual machines are no match for the new technology. And if you refused to change, you were unemployed.

ss55 · May 19, 2019

Applying only what is needed could reduce both production costs and the amount of wasted Ag chemicals going into the ground water.

ss55 · May 19, 2019

Factory automation often replaces low paid machine operators with better paid skilled workers: programmers; controls engineers; tool designers; setup technicians and repair technicians that can keep a much higher number of machines operating per labor dollar. Single person farms won't have the resources or skills for that kind of technology if they continue working alone. A business offering those skilled workers to farms could have a huge market.

Dumb question:
What are the labor costs per ace for corn and soybean production? Would state extension services have those estimates?

The Famous Grouse · May 19, 2019

(quoted from post at 05:55:42 05/19/19) I bet they dont get out and make adjustments or clean a sprayer tip when needed !

As automation technology use increases, so will the troubleshooting abilities of the machine itself.

You have to keep in mind, the current equipment we all use was built with the assumption that a human will always to there to operate and fix it.

Once that is no longer the assumption, equipment will be built differently so that the machine will be able to fix or work around the most common failure points like clogged tips on a sprayer.

I've seen industrial machines that have a "belt fed" supply of tips like machine gun cartridges. When the machine senses a clogged or worn tip, it ejects the old tip and feeds a new tip onto the nozzle and keeps going. I'd think that sprayers would include some kind of feature like this in the future.

Once automation becomes more commonplace the impliments will change as well and will have a greater ability to keep working without calling for help.

I've told my 8 and 10 year old sons that I firmly believe they will own self driving cars in their lifetime an I tell them to remember that I said that when they think back at how odd it was when they were kids and dad had to actually drive the car everywhere we went.

Grouse

oldtanker · May 19, 2019

(quoted from post at 06:24:18 05/19/19) I wonder what happens when the computer malfunctions and goes through the farmers house or fence plowing the neighbors property.

Those are issues they will have to overcome. But it's coming. Not today or tomorrow but somewhere in the future.

Sourgum: No one said it was going to be cheap.

Rick

Traditional Farmer · May 19, 2019

I don't think its 'farmers' in what now are farmers will be owning and operating these machines with this technology.This is what will put what are the BTO operators now out of business
probably all run by AI owned by some big Corporation.

sourgum · May 19, 2019

In areas where high value crops are grown like the Salinas Valley, CAL, harvestors like this robot lettuce harvestor (on the right) are working. This is apparently where the first wave of robot machinery may be integrated into high value agriculture. Salinas Valley can have 3 crop harvests per season for various reasons and they have a major shortage of people who want to pick lettuce. So robots are finding a niche in that area replacing people. Midwest agriculture is somewhat different in that 1 crop harvest per season is generally the norm and some will say that they are harvesting a low value commodity (grain).The first adopters of robot machinery in Midwest ag might be spray or fertilize suppliers who have rigs that could be retrofitted with driver less technology or purchased outright that way.

John S-B · May 19, 2019

How many people have been killed by self driving cars again???

Just sayin'.

centash · May 19, 2019

Computer generated music would be their choice....or maybe static if they are punk robots.....
Ben

Traditional Farmer · May 19, 2019

A lot less than those driven by humans,robots don't text while driving,drive drunk,etc.

1948CaseVAI · May 19, 2019

(quoted from post at 06:55:42 05/19/19) I bet they dont get out and make adjustments or clean a sprayer tip when needed !

Actually that scenario will be trivial to handle. They already constantly adjust the nozzles and if one is plugged the sensor will know and can simply rotate the plugged one out of position and a fresh one in. These engineers are not thinking in the same old ways.

Robot tractors

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