Consumer Electronics Show 2021 - John Deere gets a couple of "Worst in Show" awards

[PuffyC]

Back to the CES show...in one of my previous roles, I worked bon the floor of CES as a vendor/presenter (90s). Hard to imagine how that show now has tractor companies presenting.

Also amazing to hear how JD spins their fully autonomous tractor as some cutting edge concept when self-driving has been out for years and has been used in agriculture before. This is really a tiny and unnecessary 'improvement' where JD once again proves, that it is really a marketing company.

Serious question because I don't know, but what are these other fully autonomous tractors that have been around for years? Deere's system isn't just GPS guidance where it blindly follows some preplanned route, it uses 12 different cameras to see it's environment and can actively avoid obstacles. It can (according to Deere) find its way to a field on its own, plow and plant without human interaction, and can be controlled by a smartphone, all with no driver in the cab whatsoever. You could theoretically launch this while the tractor is still sitting in the barn, then go spend the morning doing some fishing or playing golf or whatever, and when you get back home the field is plowed or planted and the tractor is back in the barn. That's the pitch anyway.

 

[ovrszd]

Surely you don't believe total farm receipts in the US for all crops [wheat corn soy cotton etc etc] all animals [beef dairy pork and poultry etc etc] only add up to one hundred billion dollars do you. Don't you need to at least add the annual farm bill [another 42 billion annually] to that 40 billon?

But if you do add that, then you need to read the farm bill and see the pork barrel attached to it. Less than half the farm bill goes to farmers. Our welfare system is tied to it.

 

[ovrszd]

The vast majority of the US Farm Bill appropriation goes directly to the non-farm public in the form of EBT, SNAP and other nutritional assistance. Surely you don't believe the value of the entire bill is $42 Billion?

Dang it,,,, should have read down again. I gotta start paying closer attention.

 

[ovrszd]

Also amazing to hear how JD spins their fully autonomous tractor as some cutting edge concept when self-driving has been out for years and has been used in agriculture before. This is really a tiny and unnecessary 'improvement' where JD once again proves, that it is really a marketing company.

Yep. My friend has been using JD GPS guidance on their planting tractors, chemical sprayers and combines for several years. Always sets me back to watch the machinery go thru the field with no one touching the steering wheel. The planters are accurate to 1.5" now.

 

[ovrszd]

Serious question because I don't know, but what are these other fully autonomous tractors that have been around for years? Deere's system isn't just GPS guidance where it blindly follows some preplanned route, it uses 12 different cameras to see it's environment and can actively avoid obstacles. It can (according to Deere) find its way to a field on its own, plow and plant without human interaction, and can be controlled by a smartphone, all with no driver in the cab whatsoever. You could theoretically launch this while the tractor is still sitting in the barn, then go spend the morning doing some fishing or playing golf or whatever, and when you get back home the field is plowed or planted and the tractor is back in the barn. That's the pitch anyway.

I agree with some of their theory. But when they start talking about going fishing, etc., they overstated the product. At least the product they have now. Maybe in the future.

My friend's first statement to me when I brought it up was "who's going to fix the tillage tool when it loses a shovel, or repair the planter when a row stops functioning?" He was not impressed. And they are absolute JD Green.

 

[PuffyC]

I agree with some of their theory. But when they start talking about going fishing, etc., they overstated the product. At least the product they have now. Maybe in the future.

My friend's first statement to me when I brought it up was "who's going to fix the tillage tool when it loses a shovel, or repair the planter when a row stops functioning?" He was not impressed. And they are absolute JD Green.

That's like the EV thread that got closed - if you try hard enough you can always imagine a scenario where there will be an issue. I don't know much about these million dollar rigs but I'd assume it would be fairly trivial to build sensors to detect such problems, and when detected it messages you on your phone and either stops or returns to the shop or whatever else you tell it to do. So maybe you have 3 of these things going in 3 different fields and then a mechanic (or you) on duty to respond when and if any problems arise. Meanwhile you can still be fishing, you just may have to cut your trip short if something breaks. I could also see big operations where they have spares, and when a problem is detected the tractor automatically ditches the broken one, picks up the spare, then goes back to work all on it's own. What Deere's doing now is simply the first baby step towards what will someday be fully autonomous farming done by our robotic overlords

 

[RickB]

I don't know much about these million dollar rigs

There, I fixed it for you.

 

[PuffyC]

There, I fixed it for you.

I'm all ears and eager to learn - educate me.

 

[ovrszd]

That's like the EV thread that got closed - if you try hard enough you can always imagine a scenario where there will be an issue. I don't know much about these million dollar rigs but I'd assume it would be fairly trivial to build sensors to detect such problems, and when detected it messages you on your phone and either stops or returns to the shop or whatever else you tell it to do. So maybe you have 3 of these things going in 3 different fields and then a mechanic (or you) on duty to respond when and if any problems arise. Meanwhile you can still be fishing, you just may have to cut your trip short if something breaks. I could also see big operations where they have spares, and when a problem is detected the tractor automatically ditches the broken one, picks up the spare, then goes back to work all on it's own. What Deere's doing now is simply the first baby step towards what will someday be fully autonomous farming done by our robotic overlords

I'm surrounded my multi million dollar machines. I watch them during planting and harvest season with interest. I see all the complexities. I encourage technological development. It has already moved my friend's operation forward. But advertising fantasy and reality have a big spread between them. I yield to my friend's family who has much more knowledge about these advances than I do.

My friends tested a new combine design this Fall. They were intrigued by it's speed of operation. But they were turned off by it's uniqueness. None of the local dealerships stock and unit specific repair parts. They won't be purchasing one until more development and R&D is done. They don't want to be the guinea pig.

Same thing applies to this tractor design. JD uses it's customers to finalize R&D. A buyer of the latest/greatest product doesn't want to be that pig.

I'm all about it. But we aren't there yet. How about JD developing something such as this and offering it free to it's largest customers for R&D. Work out the details. Then offer it for sale. What a concept.

 

[RickB]

I'm all ears and eager to learn - educate me.

Not my job. But you might want to look into the number of ground engaging elements on todays large planting and tillage equipment before claiming it would be trivial to install sensors to detect faults.