Category Archives: John Deere

Getting Ready for New John Deere 2014 Tractors

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With the new year will come newly redesigned John Deere tractors for 2014 that offer updates that farmers will really appreciate.

_DSC2637Jarrod McGinnis, division manager of the 7 and 8 series tractors with John Deere, was talking about the new tractors during the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) meeting in Kansas City. You might recall that Jarrod gave us a preview of the new rides back in August.

McGinnis says the tractors meet the final tier 4 emissions standards, but farmers are likely to most appreciate the creature comforts such as a new command center. To help eliminate fatigue in the cab, refrigerators are available as an option, extra swivel in the seat to take a look behind and see how things are tracking, and the new laminated glass makes for a quieter ride. The new 8R line has much bigger tires, Jarrod tells me that this is so there is more power to the ground.

You can listen to Leah’s interview with Jarrod here Interview with Jarrod McGinnis, John Deere

2013 NAFB Convention Photo Album

John Deere Opens MyJohnDeere Platform

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nafb13-jd-batdrofAt today’s NAFB Trade Talk, John Deere’s had a big announcement about their MyJohnDeere platform collaborating software developers and companies. Cindy spoke with Product Marketing Manager for John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group, Chris Batdorf, during the fast-paced event.

“Last summer we introduced a product called Wireless Data Transfer and that helped to do away with the USB stick and seamlessly transfer production data on and off the machine to MyJohnDeere platform. What this new announcement means is now we are working with the software companies out there. Then with their customers permission, tap in to this information and serve it up on their applications.”

Customers are able to view and manage this information from smart phones, tablets, and computers when and where they need it. Chris went on to share how this new technology will increase efficiency and make the job of the farmer easier overall.

“Their able to use applications that make sense to them, but we are doing a lot of things through the MyJohnDeere platform that customers are going to see in the coming year around showing the information actually on that platform. Making it a one-stop shop, helping them to not only see their John Deere equipment but other equipment as well.”

Earlier this year we had a preview of this announcement when Chuck attended John Deere API Integrator Conference. Here a link to that post.

For companies or developers interested in connecting their applications to MyJohnDeere platform visit Developer.deere.com. More information on MyJohnDeere, Wireless Data Transfer, and JDLink, check out MyJohnDeere.com or contact your local John Deere dealer.

Listen to Cindy’s complete interview with Chris here: Interview with Chris Batdorf

Checkout photos from NAFB Convention: 2013 NAFB Convention Photo Album

Hand-Held Grain Moisture Tester

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GT 30300 Box_Case_UnitTo help producers more accurately monitor the condition of their grain during harvest and in storage, John Deere introduces the GT-30300 Grain Moisture Tester. This new hand-held device provides direct readout of moisture and test weight for 20 different grains in seconds, without pre-weighing the samples, at the touch of a button.

According to Barry Deiters, product manager with John Deere Merchandise, the new GT-30300 Grain Moisture Tester is the most accurate and advanced hand-held tester available. “The tester measures the moisture of harvested or stored grain from 5 percent to 45 percent with repeatable accuracy to plus or minus 0.2 percent and test weights with repeatable accuracy of 0.5 lb. per bushel, without having to pre-weigh the samples.”

The tester also measures the temperature of stored grains from 40 to 120 degrees F with repeatable accuracy to within 1.0 degree. Other features include a backlit LCD display for easy viewing of data, automatic temperature compensation and USB port and cord to make software updates and downloading data easy and convenient. Each unit comes with an attached swiper for grain leveling and heavy-duty carrying case.

John Deere Supports Global Harvest Initiative

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wfp13-jd-coryOne of the many agricultural companies represented at the World Food Prize symposium last week in Des Moines was John Deere, which is a member of the Global Harvest Initiative (GHI) along with companies such as Elanco, DuPont Pioneer, and Monsanto.

I spoke with Cory Reed, Senior VP of John Deere’s Intelligent Solutions Group, about the release of GHI’s 4th annual Global Agricultural Productivity Report® (GAP Report®). “The primary metric we use to look at productivity is total factor productivity – how much are you growing outputs versus the inputs you are putting into it,” he said, adding that technology is a great way to enhance that which is why John Deere is focused on being able to make it easier for farmers to grow the productivity of their operations.

Cory talks more about increasing productivity in this interview: Interview with John Deere's Cory Reed


2013 World Food Prize photos

Howard Buffett Foundation Initiatives Announced

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wfp-13-buffett-blairFormer UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and philanthropist/farmer Howard G. Buffett were the stars at the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogues today in Des Moines, launching new initiatives to address conservation, hunger and poverty issues in Africa.

For one, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation has formed a partnership with John Deere and DuPont Pioneer to promote conservation agriculture adoption and support smallholders and sustainable farming in Africa. The effort will be piloted in Ghana and include a conservation-based, mechanized product suite developed by John Deere; a system of cover crops and improved inputs from DuPont Pioneer; and support for adoption and training on conservation-based practices by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

Additionally, Blair announced a collaboration between his Africa Governance Initiative (AGI), the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and the World Food Prize Foundation to launch the 40 Chances Fellows program.

40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World a new book written by Howard G. Buffett, inspired the program, which will encourage innovation in developing market‐based approaches that address food insecurity. Fellowship funds will support social entrepreneurs who are addressing issues of hunger, conflict, or poverty in Liberia, Malawi, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone, four of the countries where AGI has strong government partnerships.

Blair and Buffett participated in a panel and then met the press at the World Food Prize. You can listen to or download both audio files below.

40 Chances Panel discussion
Blair and Buffett Press Conference

2013 World Food Prize photos

Will We Farm with Glass?

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ZimmCast 415Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this week’s program we’re going to talk about Glass, as in Google Glass.

Bruce RasaWill this new technology be coming to a farm near you? It has actually been used on farms as part of a Google Explorers project being conducted by Bruce Rasa, Inventive Branding. Bruce was one of a select few chosen my Google to receive and use Google Glass prior to the actual public launch of the product in 2014.

Google Glass (styled “GLΛSS”) is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD) that is being developed by Google in the Project Glass research and development project, with a mission of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format, that can communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands.

Bruce spoke to a group of software developers during last week’s John Deere API Integrator Conference. He gave us a “what if” scenario for how you might use a device like this on the farm that included several videos with farmers who used Glass on their farm. He’s got some great ideas that I think you’ll enjoy by listening to this week’s program.

Listen to this week’s program here: Google Glass on the Farm

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsors, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong and Monsanto, Roundup Ready Plus, for their support.

John Deere Dealer Perspective

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Jeff BarnesJeff Barnes, Greenway Equipment, a John Deere dealership, is their manager of farm technology. He says yesterday’s announcements from John Deere of their new Developer.Deere.com portal and the MyJohnDeere Data API is a big step for the company. I talked with him to get his perspective on what the company is doing.

He says their dealership has been actively involved with John Deere as the new data transfer system has been developed. “Now it’s time when we really need these tools to come together to build out things so our customers can take that data and use it in their operations.” He says this is making precision ag easier and helping more growers make use of the data they create during the season.

You can listen to my interview with Jeff here: Interview with Jeff Barnes

John Deere API Integrators Conference Photo Album

MyJohnDeere.com Changing the Skyscape

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Chuck SchleusnerWe were welcomed to the John Deere API Integrator Conference today in the beautiful World Food Prize building which will be very busy next week for the annual WFP event. To get a preview of what John Deere is doing here by bringing in representatives from 50 companies from 8 countries and 3 continents I spoke with Chuck Schleusner.

Chuck basically set the stage for how MyJohnDeere.com is “changing the skyscape.” I visited with him before we started. He says, “We’re here today to bring together the best minds in ag technology to participate in a platform we call MyJohnDeere with the goal to help improve the productivity of the farmer, specifically those who use John Deere machines. To do that we believe we need to partner with those who can create the plans, the insights that lead to executable instructions back on our equipment . . . We believe by being open with our platform and working with these parties we can do the best for the farmer, the ag industry and ultimately our goal of feeding the world.”

So during the day we’ve got breakout sessions on both technical and business tracks to learn in more detail how the MyJohnDeere system works and how companies can create a developer account where they can “play in the sandbox” to test new applications that integrate with the system and John Deere data.

John Deere announced today a new web portal for developers – Developer.Deere.com – where you can create an account and see their public API’s. They also announced MyJohnDeere Data API. More on these later.

You can listen to my interview with Chuck here: Interview with Chuck Schleusner

John Deere API Integrators Conference Photo Album

Opening up at MyJohnDeere.com

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John DeereHello from Des Moines and the John Deere API Integrators Conference. Doesn’t that sound exciting? Well, to an agnerd it is. Today I’ll be learning about how John Deere is working with software and app developers as they continue to develop their MyJohnDeere.com system that includes allowing companies to integrate their applications with the system.

So, during the day I’ll be visiting with both Deere representatives and some of the developers attending the conference and sharing with you when I can. This agnerd is looking forward to it!

Of course you can find photos from the event: John Deere API Integrators Conference Photo Album

BASF and John Deere are German Neighbors

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basf-germany-13-4Global agribusiness giants John Deere and BASF are friendly neighbors in Germany, located just over a mile away from each other on opposite sides of the Rhine River.

John Deere’s Christoph Wigger, pictured here on the right with BASF’s Markus Heldt, crossed the river to speak at the opening dinner of BASF’s global media event, a literal “United Nations” of agricultural journalists from ten countries. “You as ag media play a very key role in communications,” Christoph said. “It’s extremely important that we get your support to explain to all the stakeholders what’s going on.”

As always, the key message is producing enough food to feed a rapidly growing population and Christoph says there are three key pillars to succeeding in that goal. “How do you increase yields?,” he asked. “One third comes from pesticides, one third comes from seeds and one third will be driven by machinery.” Very true!

Listen to Christoph’s remarks here: Christoph Wigger, John Deere

2013 BASF Germany Photos

John Deere Applicator Makes Sidedressing Easier

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_DSC2085On display at the Farm Progress Show in the John Deere exhibit was the new 2014 2510L Liquid Fertilizer Applicator, designed for more precise liquid fertilizer placement into the soil to make sidedressing easier.  

“The 2510L enables customers to maximize crop yields through more accurate and timely liquid fertilizer placement,” says Travis Harrison, product specialist from John Deere. This latest model is available in two different models with vertical folds that are 30- and 40-foot with a side fold widths up to 66 feet. There are 18 spacing and control options and Deere is offering one of the largest tank options, up to 2,400 gallons.

John Deere offered the media a look at all the new equipment a few weeks ago and farmers got their first look at the Farm Progress Show.  Orders have already started rolling into dealers all over the world as fertilizer application just got a bit easier with in sync sidedresser capabilities.

Listen to Travis explain more here: Interview with Travis Harrison

2013 Farm Progress Show Photo Album
 

Teen Restores John Deere Tractor for Charity

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Image 3About seven years ago, 16-year-old Austin Rhoda of Chenoa, Illinois was a leukemia patient at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN. After several years of successful treatment, he decided to give back to that organization that helped him and his family so much by doing something he loves – restoring old tractors, selling raffle tickets and donating the proceeds back to St. Jude’s.

Austin had his latest project on display at the Farm Progress Show in the John Deere exhibit – a restored 1951 John Deere A Tractor that is being raffled off this month with all proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Interview with Austin Rhoda on restoring John Deere for charity

2013 Farm Progress Show Photo Album

Data Management Key to Successful Farming

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jd-filesMost people can relate to having tons of data that is hard to manage, such as digital photos, for example. You may have photos in various places – like on your desk top, your lap top, smartphone, or server – but not organized in one place so you can easily catalog, view or share them.

That is a dilemma facing modern farmers collecting and using increasing amounts of digital data to run their operations and precision agriculture extension specialist Dr. John Fulton with Auburn University says addressing data management is a key issue for production agriculture. “Getting data off the machine automatically is the number one barrier that farmers say is keeping them from moving forward in data management,” said Dr. Fulton during a session at last week’s John Deere Product Intro for the media.

jd-intro-fultonFulton says bigger machines have led to more data. “There’s more to it than guidance systems, it’s rate control, variable rate, section control – all that technology’s built-in,” he said. “But how big is not really the question, it’s the processing that’s really limiting us” and that will need to be addressed on the software level. “Getting it down to where it’s organized, where I can view it, simply bring it up when I’m on the road,” he said. “The key to success is being able to visualize the data.

Dr. Fulton says farmers have told them in surveys that they need wireless data transfer that is automatic, simple and web-based, and they need local support to make it happen and he thinks the introduction of wireless data transfer for MyJohnDeere.com is an example of what is coming.

Listen to Dr. Fulton explain more here: Interview with Dr. John Fulton, Auburn University extension

John Deere Product Intro photo album

More New from John Deere

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Lots of new products from John Deere for 2014 will be on display this week at Farm Progress Show.

jd-intro-windrowerBesides what we’ve already told you about, there’s the new W235 Windrower featuring more horsepower, a larger cab, Integrated AutoTrac™ and CommandCenter™ display and more.

The W235 Windrowers will be offered in two configurations, a Rotary and a Draper. The Rotary will be compatible with 994 and 995 heads and the Draper will be compatible with the 600D head.

jd-intro-tracksThe S-Series Combines will be making new tracks when the fields get muddy. For the first time ever, John Deere will be offering 36″ tracks that will provide better flotation with reduced compaction and fuel use in challenging field conditions.

Other enhancements to the S-Series line-up include a new Interactive Combine Adjustment™ (ICA) which automates combine settings while harvesting on-the-go.

John Deere is also adding the new 2510L Liquid Fertilizer Applicator to its nutrient application product line. See it in person this week at Farm Progress Show!

John Deere Product Intro photo album

New Sprayers from John Deere

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jd-intro-sprayerTo meet evolving application needs of customers and Final Tier 4 emissions requirements, John Deere is introducing the new, completely redesigned John Deere 4 Series Sprayers.

jd-intro-breaAccording to product line manager Brea Harms, the R4030 and R4038 Self-Propelled Sprayers offer greater productivity, more uptime, and reduced cost of operation while delivering faster, easier and more precise product application.
“We’ve added the Solution Command System for push-button automated loading and a new front-fill option that makes loading easier and faster with 3-inch Quick Fill couplings at the front of the machine,” Brea says. She also explained during a classroom session how the new sprayers can help farmers deal with herbicide resistance. John Deere's Brea Harms

We learned quite a bit about these new sprayers during the media introduction in Columbus, Ohio. Check out the video below narrated by product manager Laura Robson and look forward to seeing them in person at Farm Progress Show.

John Deere Product Intro photo album

John Deere Wireless Data Transfer

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As more farmer are using new technology in precision agriculture, they are gathering increasing amounts of machine and production data. With that comes the need for moving, storing, and utilizing that data more efficiently between people and devices.

jd-intro-kathyTo help farmers, John Deere is introducing Wireless Data Transfer to enable the wireless transmission of data between the GreenStar™ 3 2630 display, MyJohnDeere.com, and the producer’s farm management information system.

Kathy Michael, product manager, John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group, says with the introduction of Wireless Data Transfer and data sharing on MyJohnDeere.com, overall data collection, transfer, and management will be much easier. “Wireless Data Transfer is really exciting for our growers. They’re eliminating the use of USB sticks to get that information to their machines and get that documentation data back from the field.”

Kathy says full introduction of the wireless data system will be coming in 2014 but farmers can get a preview at the fall farm shows, starting with Farm Progress Show next week. Interview with John Deere's Kathy Michael

Kathy gave a demo for dealers at the product intro event in Columbus this week, which you can watch here:

John Deere Product Intro photo album

New John Deere 7R and 8R Series Tractors

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jd-intro-13-jerrodJohn Deere is rolling out five new 7R Tractor models from 210 to 290 engine horsepower for 2014.

Jarrod McGinnis, division marketing manager for John Deere, says the new FT4 engine and the transmission options help the 7R Series Tractors offer greater productivity and value to customers. “These new machines are more fluid efficient and offer increased horsepower for exceptional engine, hydraulic and PTO performance that many customers want in a highly versatile row-crop tractor.”

Besides that, they have some great new comfort and efficiency features, such as the roomy CommandView™ III cab that is quieter due to a laminated front windshield that dampens outside noise. The cab features an operator’s seat that swivels 40-degrees right for easier viewing of rear implements. Other options include the convenience of an in-cab refrigerator and LED lighting package that provides 40 percent greater illumination compared to HID lights.

Jerrod also talks about the similar new features for the more powerful 8R Series Tractors with FT4 engines in this interview: Interview with John Deere's Jerrod McGinnis

John Deere Product Intro photo album

I got to take a ride with a John Deere manufacturing rep Mark Mohr to check out some of the new features of the 7R series tractors for 2014. Take a look:

How Deere Delivers Distinctive Value

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jd-intro-13-1The theme of this year’s
John Deere product introduction is Delivering Distinctive Value and the company’s vice president for sales and marketing told the dealers during the big floor show last night that they are the front lines of accomplishing that goal.

“It starts with the partnership between John Deere and John Deere dealers,” said Luke Gakstatter. “The products, the solutions and the technology that John Deere brings to the equation and the level of service, customer support (from our dealers) packaging that up all together.”
Luke says delivering distinctive value involves three particular value drivers. “It’s all about performance, it’s about uptime, and it’s about cost of operation,” he said.

jd-intro-13-lukeThe new products coming for farmers and ranchers were designed with those three drivers in mind – and they are exciting. New 7R and 8R tractors, redesigned self-propelled sprayers, S-series combine updates and tracks, a brand new windrower, and new technology solutions like wireless data transfer.

It’s an exciting time for John Deere because it’s an exciting time for agriculture!

Listen to my interview with Luke here: Interview with Luke Gakstatter

John Deere Product Intro photo album

John Deere Virtual Tractor Intro

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jd-intro-13-virtualThis was SUPER cool!

John Deere did a Virtual Reality introduction of its new 8R tractor for the media here in Columbus, Ohio and it was pretty much the coolest live special effects I’ve ever seen. The screen was a tractor and the video was projected on and around it to give the 3D effect. It was awesome. That is a virtual tractor here in the photo.

Unfortunately, I was so awestruck that I held my iPhone the wrong way to shoot the video but you can definitely get the idea from the clip below. Check out photos from the first day of the intro which included a ride and drive and the big floor show.

John Deere Product Intro photo album

John Deere Gearing up for Product Launch

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ams13-deereAt the Ag Media Summit last week, our friends with John Deere were talking about the upcoming 2014 product launch in Columbus, Ohio.

“We’re launching a lot of our new products for 2014 at the Columbus Convention Center,” said Barry Nelson. “We’re bringing in about 45 of the ag media … and the final wave of all the dealers that come in to learn about the new machines that they’re going to be able to sell.”

The theme is “Delivering Distinctive Value” and Barry says it’s not just about the machinery itself, but the technology that goes with it. “A lot of the new technology we’ll be rolling out – new wireless systems, advancements in precision technology,” Barry added.

We are looking forward to being there next week in Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 21-22, for the 2014 John Deere product launch event. It will be me there this time, since Chuck will be at the AgVocacy 2.0 Conference in Charlotte, NC. Can’t wait!

Listen to my interview with Barry from AMS here: Interview with Barry Nelson

2013 Ag Media Summit Photo Album