Autonomous Tech and Autonomous Machinery for an Autonomous Future

Dec 14, 2023

Winding Down 2023 With the Precision Ag Digital Digest

By Ryan Ridley
Managing Editor, Precision Ag Digital Digest

Autonomy, autonomy, autonomy… the agriculture landscape is buzzing with developments to create autonomous farming solutions.

Is autonomy the future of farming?

It’s certainly going to be a game-changing component.

In the recently released Winter 2023 Precision Ag Digital Digest, we explore various autonomous technologies from multiple manufacturers.

AGCO chats about its plans to automate the crop cycle (field prep, planting, crop protection and harvest) by 2030—some of these technologies are currently in development.

We connected with Trimble Ag and HORSCH about its testing of a fully autonomous sprayer.

With harvest wrapping up in most regions, we caught up with Raven Industries to learn about its Cart Automation technology, which allows the combine operator to sync the grain cart with the combine auger.

John Deere digs deep into its autonomous tillage solution, the 8R tractor paired with its 2260VT.

Did you know there are tractors on the market that follow you around the field? Follow Me Mode is a feature on Case IH’s new electric tractor. We chat with Case IH about several other autonomous features on this fully electric tractor.

The PAG Tech Clips section is packed with new innovations —watch and learn from the experts themselves.

We hope you enjoy the latest issue — read it online here: https://www.farms.com/precision-agriculture-digest/2023/winter/

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.