IT’S ALL ABOUT THE ARMREST: NEW HOLLAND UNVEILS GENESIS T8 WITH NEW AND IMPROVED SIDEWINDER™ ULTRA ARMREST

Mar 04, 2019

By Leslie Stewart | Farms.com

New Holland announced their new GENESIS T8 tractor with PLM Intelligence™ recently at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky.

And the enhancements are receiving excellent reviews across the industry.

“The new cab on the Genesis T8 provides the latest technology and ultimate comfort, allowing our customers to be more productive every day,” Brian Osterndorff recently explained to Farms.com

Osterndorff is co-owner of Robert’s Farm Equipment, based in Chesley, Lucknow and Mount Forest, Ont.

Similar comments came from the farm-show floor in Louisville.

“This is the culmination of five to six years of customer clinics, getting feedback, and infield tests with customers to make sure we’re providing the most ideal cab experience,” explained Luke Zerby, marketing manager for New Holland.

The reconfigured cab features a brand-new SideWinder™ Ultra armrest to provide easy access to key controls.

“We’ve taken the external controls that used to be behind you and put them in the armrest or the display,” Zerby told Farms.com at the February event.

With the no-look operations, a farmer can focus on the task at hand.

The SideWinder™ Ultra features configurable color-coded hydraulic remotes to control all eight valves from any hydraulic button in the cab.

The CommandGrip™ handle features an ergonomic design with improved button placement and allows the producer to control transmission functions and hydraulic remotes.

“It’s a nice, robust system with lots of customization,” Alan Crocker of Stewart’s Equipment recently told Farms.com.

Stewart’s operates its equipment dealership in Erin, Ont.

“It allows the operator to easily manage all functionality of the tractor and implements,” said Crocker recently.

Users have the option to program up to nine configurable buttons for quick functionality.

Zerby sets two of his buttons up to control his lights while he’s working in the field with a grain cart.

“When I’m coming up to the grain cart, I can flip off the lights, so I don’t blind the other operator.

“As soon as I pull away, I’ve got my stadium lighting back on again and I can see everything in my field.”

Users can easily access controls for the multi-zone HVAC and defrost system through the armrest for increased climate comfort and visibility.

The SideWinder™ Ultra offers Bluetooth connectivity so that producers can easily control their phone and radio through the built-in controls.

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.