Autonomy for Tillage

"Freedom to farm" increasingly includes machines that function almost on their own.

- By Alex Gray New Products Editor [e-mail]

Autonomous farm machinery is no longer a technology of the future — tasks such as tillage and grain cart operations are now operating nearly on their own.

John Deere and AGCO have been working toward full autonomy for years. Familiar functions, such as guidance lines, automated turns, and implement guidance, have been the building blocks for the truly driverless tractor.

Deere’s autonomous upgrades and AGCO’s OutRun aftermarket kit have moved past the trial stage, with limited commercial availability in 2025 — the first growing season in which farmers are buying and using this technology outside of testing programs. Dozens of units have tilled fields this year, according to Michael Porter, go-to-market manager of large tractors and tillage at John Deere.

Spring tillage often has farmers operating in tight windows; autonomous tillage can help alleviate labor shortages and allow planting to take place optimally, according to Darcy Cook, senior director of autonomous solutions at PTx Trimble.

“We have a mixed-fleet solution we are developing around the crop cycle — from the grain cart to tillage — and we'll have fertilizer spreading and other functions in the future,” Cook said.