MOSINEE, Wis. (WSAW) - Autonomous tractors have entered the agricultural sector, and they're assisting farmers in flourishing in their businesses.
An autonomous tractor operates without requiring a driver.
In the entire United States, there are just 20 autonomous tractors. All of these can be found in the Midwest region. Within the state of Wisconsin, Mosinee boasts having the sole such tractor.
It takes roughly 30 seconds to initiate the autonomous tractor. After around three hours of operation across 110 acres, the tractor finished planting soybeans in Michael DeJong’s field and returned to its starting position automatically.
"As farmers, we must determine how to advance our farming practices, yet execute them safely and sustainably. The challenge is to achieve greater output with fewer resources," stated Michael DeJong, who owns the farm. DeJong Farms .
After the tractor is operational and you outline your field, you begin and end its operation at the appropriate points. John Deere app.
"You initiate it; you end it. You can direct it to various locations. The app allows you to modify the tillage equipment," explained Bryan Thul, who handles product marketing and autonomy responsibilities at John Deere.
If you're positioned too near to it, it will sense your presence and immediately halt. However, this feature isn't limited to detecting just humans.
"A garbage bag might flutter across the field or some similar harmless object appears. This allows the tractor to identify it, process what action should be taken, and then proceed," explained Thul.
Technology is advancing rapidly, and farmers such as DeJong aim to stay current with these changes. This autonomous tractor represents yet another progression in that direction.
"We aim to cultivate a robust harvest. We strive to produce high-quality crops for our consumers," stated DeJong.
What is the price of this equipment? John Deere didn’t wish to disclose that information. However, both DeJong and John Deere concur that technology is enhancing the effectiveness with which individuals manage their agricultural lands.
"It can genuinely assist farms in sustaining themselves far into the future without needing to expand their workforce when they may lose an employee," stated Thul.
"Once we returned from our lunch break, we found it had finished its assignment, neatly parked itself, and was awaiting our arrival," stated DeJong.
Currently, corn and soybeans are the sole crops sanctioned for use with these self-driving tractors. However, John Deere anticipates that these automated machines could pave the way for significant advancements in farming practices.
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