A driverless tractor demonstration stole the spotlight at the 2018 Farm Progress Show, especially since it was able to get out and in the field Tuesday before demos were cancelled for a day and a half due to weather.
Ames, Iowa-based technology company Smart Ag introduced a full-stack software platform and aftermarket kit for driverless tractors. This revolutionary development in agriculture automation was displayed with field demonstrations of AutoCart® – a software application that fully automates a grain cart tractor and provides farmers much needed labor assistance during harvest.
Smart Ag Founder and CEO, Colin Hurd, said AutoCart will address the issues of labor, profitability and productivity for today’s farmer. “At Smart Ag, we strongly believe the best way for producers to increase the capacities of their farms is to allow them to perfect the operation of their machinery – and that can be accomplished by using Smart Ag’s automation and driverless tractor technologies,” Hurd said.
Hurd was joined at the show by Chief Technology Officer Mark Barglof and Chief Marketing Officer Justin Heath for a press conference and field demo which generated quite a bit of interest. The cost of the system is $35,000 to $40,000 and is comparable to retrofitting a sprayer or planter with precision technology. Orders for AutoCart have been filled for 2018, and the Smart Ag development team will be delivering and installing 15 to 20 systems throughout the Midwest, MidSouth and Manitoba, Canada for use in this fall’s harvest and for post-harvest dealer demonstrations.
Listen to the Smart Ag team explain the system here: FPS18 Smart Ag press conference
Watch a video Iowa Farm Bureau shot at FPS:
You can also find lots of photo from the presser and demo here:
2018 Farm Progress Show
