CNH Industrial, parent company to Case IH has entered into an agreement with AGuru Machinery, a strip-till company based in Congerville, Ill.
"AGuru Machinery expands our capabilities within our strip-till portfolio and serves as a reminder that we are committed to advancing soil management technology, agronomically sustainable practices and the future of farming," says Monte Weller, Case IH global product leader for crop production. "Strip-till is a game-changer for soil health, cost savings and yield productivity."
"We have always said, 'different isn't always better; better is always different,' and we knew this technology partnership would result in continued research and better technology for AGuru and Case IH customers," AGuru president Bill Preller says.
"This agreement will allow us to incorporate more options to serve our farmers more effectively and efficiently," says Scott Harris, global brand president for Case IH. "The future of farming depends on ingenuity and creative solutions. At Case IH we've been solving these problems for over 180 years, and we are confident and proud to call AGuru Machinery a partner moving forward."
Preller shared his strip-till vision with Strip-Till Farmer editors this past summer at the 2022 Farm Progress Show.
"There have been some very established players with very good products that are 20 years old," Preller said. "People are looking for what’s new — they want to know what’s different and innovative.
"In the last year, we sold three high-end products to three customers who all fit a very specific profile. They farmed 6,000 acres. They were multi-generational, professional farmers. They had two 4-wheel drives and two field cultivators. They bought our strip-till rig and went 'cold turkey.'
"These aren’t your fringe type operations. They’re mainstream all the way. They received some environmental incentives, but a great deal of their motivation came from the labor savings of strip-till compared to conventional tillage. And then there’s the agronomy aspect of strip-till — it’s a better agronomic system, and these folks are figuring that out. The future of strip-till is the future of row crop agriculture. I believe that strip-till will eventually be a mainstream practice."
Preller's prediction is coming to fruition. Today's announcement marks the latest big move in what's been a momentous 4-month stretch in the strip-till equipment market. John Deere officially re-entered the strip-till arena in late 2022, launching a new series of strip-till units that became available for purchase in February 2023.
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