Innovation is the driving force behind John Deere’s ongoing programme of creating and developing intelligent solutions. At the recent TechAgro show in Brno, the company’s research and development efforts have once again been recognised with the award of gold and silver medals for its latest combine and planter technology.
John Deere’s S700 Series combine harvester has won a TechAgro Grand Prix Innovation Award for 2018. The judging panel commended the combine’s new ICA2 & Active Yield automatic features as a big step forward in harvesting efficiency and intelligence.
The all-new S700 combine harvester range was announced in summer 2017 and introduces a new dimension in harvesting innovation. Integrated Combine Adjustment 2 (ICA2) is the first system for completely automatic optimisation of the combine on the market.
After optimising machine settings such as forward speed, grain quality and losses and cleanliness of the sample using ICA, the ICA2 system changes the settings automatically to maintain the pre-selected output at a constant level. Without the need for any operator input, the system sustains the required quality of work and takes advantage of the combine’s full potential, daily and throughout the season. According to a study conducted by the University of Göttingen in Germany, ICA2 can improve utilisation of the combine’s built-in capacity by an average of 20 per cent.
“We are delighted to receive this award, which is valued recognition of the work done by John Deere product designers and engineers to bring this new product to market,” says Carsten Heftrig, John Deere’s combines product marketing manager for Region 2. “The new S700 Series is the biggest advance yet in improving harvesting technology and deserves its new name of the Automated Combine.”
Following a gold medal at the 2015 SIMA show in Paris, John Deere’s 1725NT high-performance planter has now been recognised with a silver medal at the TechAgro fair. The machine provides new levels of accuracy at planting speeds of up to 16kph (10mph) and beyond.
This innovative technology delivers seed to the bottom of the furrow in a rearward trajectory that truly matches the ground speed of the planter at any desired seed population. This delivers precise seed placement in the furrow with no bounce and no roll, whether planting maize or soya beans at high seeding rates. A cartridge of brush bristles gently cradles the seed on all sides, with full control, to deliver each seed to the bottom of the furrow even in rough planting conditions. The 1725NT’s row units handle the vast majority of seed shapes and sizes, achieving 99 per cent seed singulation.
Featuring a road transport width of only 3m, John Deere’s eight-row high-performance planter concept offers a granular fertiliser option and has been designed to work in both conventional tillage and no-till conditions. Mounted on a tractor, this unique electric-drive planter can be powered by an external generator attached to the tractor pto and is fully integrated into John Deere’s FarmSight range of precision farming solutions.
The TechAgro fair in Brno in the Czech Republic is the biggest event of its kind in Central Europe, with more than 120,000 visitors, and ranks among the three largest agricultural shows in Europe. TechAgro recognises the latest innovations in the farm machinery business with its Grand Prix competition. A total of 91 exhibitors applied for the awards in 2018, and an 18-member jury selected 17 of these. Prizes and plaques were handed over at the show’s awards ceremony, which was attended by the Czech Minister of Agriculture.
