High technology in the desert

Event organizers have many things to worry about before a show. While the event takes place in a desert environment, 100-year rainfall is usually not one of them. But that happened just before Tech Day in December, held at CNH Industrial in Arizona. Fortunately, CNH – whose brand Case IH, New Holland and Raven – was able to continue with the event to emphasize autonomy, automation and new energy sources.

“It was two days in the desert that allowed us to demonstrate the breadth and reach of our technology and steel,” CEO Scott Wines said in an interview with Farm Progress after the event.

Wine said the level of information at the event was profound. One spoke with an agronomist who works at the company’s Goodfield facility, where agricultural products are processed. “Her knowledge and passion was just one example of many I saw throughout the week,” he said.

And that passion for data and technology inspired the show. Wine The brands are known for many technological innovations throughout the company’s 180-year history. Vine points to the twin-rotor combination developed in New Holland and the world’s first commercial PTO.

That innovation continues today and is on display at the event. “We set the stage for the introduction of the T7methane LNG tractor and the T4 autonomous, electric tractor. We really wanted to show the breadth and reach of the company,” says Wine.

A visitor unfamiliar with CNH’s industrial lineup may be surprised to arrive. Wine at CNH Agriculture President Derek Nielsen calls the approach a “shocking and terrifying” strategy. “He wanted people to not be able to understand everything that we were showing them and what we were doing now with our technology and capabilities,” Wine says.

Adding Raven

The most recent addition to the lineup is Raven Industries, which brings new autonomous capabilities to CNH. “They’ve given us the ability to adapt and implement this technology,” Wynne said. “Technology stacks have rapidly moved into our vehicles. I don’t think we’re years away from bringing those solutions to market.

When discussing a new technology, the first question when a concept is presented is, “When will it be commercially available?” That’s what it says. According to the technology, Vine says that the answer may not be years, but months and quarters.

Raven introduced the Case IH Trident 5550 independent applicator at the 2022 Farm Progress Show. At the event, Raven announced two new products – one ready for the market and another coming soon.

The Raven Autonomy Driver Assist Harvest solution builds on the Harvest device software. What the company is showcasing is a self-contained tractor and grain cart combination. The driver assist version keeps the operator in the cab, but connects to a tractor and cart combination for unloading. The core technology in the OmniDrive is being put to work in the fall for improved automation.

John Preheim, Raven’s vice president of product development, shows how the company is moving forward with a driver-assist harvesting device that is already entering the market. “It shows us on a continuous journey from the past to the future,” he says. Giving our customers the ability to choose which technology is most useful for them on the road to autonomy – driver assistance or driverless functionality – and bringing it all together comes next.

Another device, still in development, is the Raven Autonomy driverless deployment solution. “We’re in the early stages of testing this with customers,” Prehem says. “We’re testing it with a Case IH 335 Vertical Tillage system, so we’re at that stage.”

While it may seem like the “low hanging fruit” for farm autonomy, there are challenges to overcome—pulling balls under shanks, pulling them, and hooking baskets. “There’s a lot of effort put into how we detect and reduce these things,” Prehem said. “We’re not at all, but that’s where the challenge comes from.”

From sensors on rotating baskets and disc gangs to cameras on the tractor, these systems must be able to “see” a problem and then act. More work is ahead.

Another automation tool on display is Baler Automation, a lidar sensor (laser light to see in three dimensions) that scans the window in front of the tractor for size and direction. The tractor and baler use the data to automatically control steering, front speed and baler settings to ensure the baler follows the wind path correctly.

Alternative energy sources

The use of alternative energy sources is another task for CNS, as demonstrated by the T7 tractor’s ability to run on methane. CNH partnered with Benaman, a company that helps farmers capture methane from a well or pond, process it and power the tractor.

Interest in biodigesters and systems to capture methane is growing, but Wynne said those systems cost millions. For this on-farm energy source, he says, “We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover your well, capture methane, clean it up and use it. We’re really bullies,” says Wine.

Also on tap was a prototype electric tractor developed in partnership with startup Monarch Tractor. The T4 electric powertrain with autonomous capabilities shows what could be. High horsepower from the Monarch platform now offers performance of up to 120 hp, but Vine won’t see a fully electric tractor in cropland anytime soon.

Battery technology does not allow the type of service a farmer needs for a tractor in continuous crop country. However, in the western world, there is a growing interest in electric vehicles, where small engines are used in special markets. New Holland is an industry leader in grape harvesting technology, and this prototype tractor offers potential for the future.

When will that electric tractor be available? He says it will take a lot of “quarters” to develop wine for the market.

The goal of the Tech Day event in the desert was to show where CNH and its brands are headed. From autonomy to improved automation, from alternative fuels and energy sources, to improved use of information and data, agriculture is changing. This was an opportunity for CNH to demonstrate how it can help that change in the future.