In its fourth quarter of 2021, John Deere experienced a strong demand for its precision agriculture products with uptake of its automation activation packages doubling over the past year.
This includes its AutoPath system which automatically creates guidance lines from a map of crop row lines for each field.
From a sales point of view, this has led to more customers being enabled with the company’s highest-value software for precision agriculture.
John Deere intends to continue adding value to AutoPath through new features and new technologies as part its professed commitment to the automated mechanisation of farming.
It is also envisaged that AutoPath will prove to be a foundation for further automation of operations in the future.
AutoPath essentials
AutoPath increases the functionality of the existing Gen 4 Displays and SF 6000 Receivers.
This includes the SF3 correction signal and embedded software which may be linked to the John Deere Operation Centre throughout an entire production cycle.
The technology takes data from the sowing operation to know exactly where the coulter units travelled to plant seeds.
Having done so, it is then able to create a guidance line for each subsequent path, making in-season fertiliser applications, manual cultivation for weeding or crop protection passes easier and more accurate.
Precision spot spraying
In addition to the data and tractor management tools, the practical application of this technology will see the company’s ‘See and Spray Ultimate’ system be released to a wider customer base although it will still be limited.
Selective spraying of weeds is obviously something that the company is excited about and it is hotly pursuing the technology. So far it is only maize, soybeans, and more recently, cotton, that may be treated with the spot spraying system.
Despite the enthusiasm, the company chose not to expand upon the extra capabilities that are in the pipeline, only adding that it is experiencing a strong demand for the tool in its present form.
Solid results despite strike
Despite the trials and tribulations of this autumn’s UAW strike, net income showed a gain of 19%, leading to a total of $5.96 billion for the 2021 fiscal year.
The forecast for 2022 earnings is $6.5-7 billion, reflecting the expectation of a continuing strong demand thanks, in part, to firmer commodity prices.