36 / 44
By GeoFF GeDDes
TECH@
WorK
Future farming
THOuGH THeY maY sOuNd liKe
something from the
Terminator
movies,
driverless tractors are far from science
fiction. That point was driven home
recently with the unveiling of autonomous
technology at the Farm Progress Show
near Boone, Iowa.
“Finding skilled operators for farm
equipment today is getting harder,” said
Luke Zerby, who manages the Precision
Land Management program for New Hol-
land Agriculture.
Using roof cameras, optical detec-
tion devices and cutting-edge software,
driverless tractors can be programmed to
perform tasks like tilling or planting and
are operated remotely by producers.
For some, it may conjure images of fu-
turistic machines running amok. The real-
ity, according to Zerby, is more technical
than magical.
“Operators view everything through
their home computer or tablet, so they
know exactly what’s going on,” said
Zerby. “If an animal crosses the tractor’s
path or a power line appears that wasn’t
accounted for in the programming, the
tractor will recognize that and stop.”
Using a cab-top radio for Wi-Fi commu-
nication, the tractor sends an alert to the
operator asking for direction. The farmer
can then have the machine plot a new
course around the obstacle or plot one
himself.
It probably sounds remarkable to those
outside of agriculture. Many insiders,
however, see it as a natural progression.
“The idea of precision technology
started in 1994,” said Leo Bose, marketing
manager for Case IH’s Advanced Farming
Systems. “By the early 2000s, it evolved
into auto-guidance systems with hands-
free technology in the cab.”
Fast forward to 2016 and the possibili-
ties are intriguing for the producer’s bal-
ance sheet. “It’s about driving efficiencies
that impact the bottom line,” said Bose.
Bose also cited a shortage of quality
labour as a key issue addressed by this
technology. Yet he quickly put fears of
“machines replacing humans” to rest.
“What it actually does is allow farmers to
redeploy human assets on-farm to boost
efficiency,” he said.
While those marketing the technology
tout the potential, some end users have
mixed emotions.
Penhold-area grain farmer Wade
McAllister can imagine the benefits the
technology could provide for his operation.
“I’m not sure about using it with more
complex equipment like air seeders, but it
would be nice with a grain cart to free that
person up for other work,” he said.
At the same time, he sees a price to the
progress. “The reason I farm is that I love
being out in the field,” said McAllister.
“It’s why farmers farm, and if you take
that away from me I would probably find
another line of work.”
From his perspective, “sitting in an
office and staring at a computer” holds
little appeal. “Maybe at bigger farms
where they have many pieces of equip-
ment it makes sense. For the average
farm, though, I think producers love being
hands-on with their machinery,” he said.
Of course, bringing such a concept to
market is not without challenges.
“Right now this is just a concept,” said
Bose. “The future depends on customer
interest, state and provincial laws, and the
regulations governing fully autonomous
vehicles.”
One of the main obstacles is that
this technology is often equated with
driverless cars. Bose, however, sees an
important distinction. “We’re not out on a
highway driving at high speeds. We’re in
a fenced field with obstructions that have
been identified and are known year after
year,” he said.
Even though the destination is still a
long way off, Zerby marvels at the journey
thus far that has brought us to the point
where fully autonomous vehicles could be
available to farmers in the not-so-distant
future. “In the past 10 years, we’ve seen
more improvements in production tech-
nology than in the previous 100 years. It’s
hard not to be awed by what lies ahead.”
Photo:Case iH
Winter
2017
Grains
West
36
driVerLess traCtors are driVingProgress for ProduCers
FUTURE FOCUS:
Fully autonomous vehicles, like this Case IH tractor prototype, could be
available to western Canadian farmers in the not-so-distant future.