New R4044 Sprayer joins John Deere Self-Propelled Applicator Line

May 02, 2018

For farmers and service providers who value high levels of productivity and accuracy with reduced crop and soil impact, John Deere now offers a lightweight, 1,200-gal. (4542 L) capacity sprayer. The new R4044 Sprayer joins the company’s 4-Series Sprayer family, filling the niche for a lighter weight, high-tech, high-capacity machine that gets into the field sooner and keeps working longer.

The R4044 Sprayer is 9 percent lighter than the R4045 Sprayer, with a more balanced power-to-weight ratio, thanks to 325 engine hp from a 9.0L PowerTech™ engine. This allows operators to maintain speed under load as terrain changes and results in more accurate applications and greater productivity. Plus, it features the latest integrated technology, including ExactApply™, AutoTrac™ Vision, and 4600 CommandCenter™ display, found on other John Deere 4 Series Sprayers.

According to Doug Felter, product marketing manager for John Deere application equipment, today’s producers and service providers are demanding sprayers that can do more throughout the season, cover more acres per day, and make more accurate applications under often tough conditions. “Oftentimes, application windows are very narrow, so having a sprayer that can quickly handle the jobs with less crop damage or impact on the soil is a big advantage,” Felter explains. “The addition of the R4044 to the 4-Series family fills that need perfectly.”

In addition to the 1,200-gal. (4542 L) solution tank, the R4044 Sprayer features VF tires for superior traction and reduced soil impact, and steel booms up to 120 feet in width. Customers have the option of carbon fiber booms in 120-ft. (36.57 m) and 132-ft. (40.23 m) widths for additional machine weight reduction and increased productivity. A 200-cubic-foot (5.66 cbm) drybox option is also available for dry fertilizer applications.

This new sprayer also incorporates the latest guidance technologies, including AutoTrac Vision and AutoTrac RowSense, that improve application accuracy and reduce crop damage and operator fatigue. AutoTrac Vision uses a front-mounted camera to help guide the sprayer wheels down the center of the crop rows early in the season; AutoTrac Row Sense relies on wheel-mounted paddle sensors to help steer the machine down row middles later in the growing season.

The ExactApply nozzle control system is another popular technology that improves sprayer performance. It allows the sprayer to maintain consistent droplet size and pattern through a wide range of speeds, while reducing the potential for overlaps, skips and drift. Another major benefit of ExactApply is that operators have full turn compensation and shut-off functionality at the nozzle level (every 15-20 inches (38.1-50.8 cm)), which can help reduce input costs by 2 to 5 percent.

“The R4044 is one of the most accurate and productive sprayers in the 1,200-gal. (4542 L) capacity category and is perfect for customers making multiple field applications and want to minimize crop and soil impact,” says Felter. “And with the CommandView™ III cab, it offers advantages in operator comfort, visibility, ride quality and common control layout like our other 4-Series Sprayers.”

Source : John Deere

Video: 2025 USDA December Crop Report a “Dud” + Trump $12 Billion U.S. Farm Aid

The USDA December crop report was friendly corn, neutral soybeans and bearish wheat. The USDA did surprise and increase the 25/26 U.S. corn export forecast to a new record high at 3.2 billion bushels now up 12% vs. last year vs. prior at +9% vs. the export pace to date up 30% the best in 10 years even higher than 20/21! The USDA left the 25/26 U.S. soybean export pace unchanged at 1.635 billion bushels. Higher global wheat supplies will remain a weight and headwind for wheat into year end and start of 2026.
Mexico is now the #1 buyer of U.S. corn, soybeans (usually China), wheat and pork!
USDA also released its long-term early projections but expect more changes by February of 2026.
Trump announces a $12 billion U.S. farmer aid package to be paid out by February 28, 2026. This helps no one but the ag banks, farm equipment companies, seed and fertilizer companies. It does prevent more farmer bushels from being sold near-term but is not bullish grain prices long-term. The Trump administration should focus on increasing U.S. domestic demand and propping up grain futures so farmers can cover their higher costs, up since COVID of 2020.
The China U.S. soybean purchase tracker now stands at 4.521 mmt or 38% of the 12 mmt promised by China at year end or is it end of February or the growing season? Why the discrepancy vs. the fact sheet. The optics are poor for the Trump administration.
After surging to contract highs U.S. natural gas futures plunged over 30+% in just 5-trading days!
Silver traded to new record highs as the debasement and de dollarization trade continued but technicals remain overbought near-term.
Soybean futures remained in correction mode after the funds went record long futures on Nov. 19 +233,000 contracts but the $10.80 support should hold into year end when the fund profit taking/liquidation comes to an end from the year end, end of month and end of quarter selling.
The U.S. Fed cut interest rates for the 3rd time by 25 basis points to a range of 3.50 – 3.75% and they will only cut one more time in 2026 and once in 20267/ but when Powell is gone next April the replacement is willing to cut more aggressively and we could see U.S. interest rates fall to 2.0% very bullish for ag and stocks as it could reignite inflation into 2027.
After 2 months of being drier than normal in Brazil the rains have finally arrived for the 1st half of December, and a record crop is still in the cards but if this pattern continues and verifies it could start to delay the harvest. Argentina after being too wet has turned dry but they are too small, compared top Brazil in the grand picture.
The Canadian dollar surged to $0.73 after better-than-expected employment data with 180,000 new jobs in the past 3-months and 3rd quarter GDP at +2.6% but this could be short-lived.
The latest CFTC report as of 11-19-2025 reported a record long fund position in soybeans at +233,000 contracts when 2026 March soybean futures peaked on 11-19-25 at $11.724/bu.