AGCO brands win ten 2023 AE50 awards

AGCO Corporation received ten AE50 Awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) for 2023. Each year, an international panel of engineering experts recognizes the year’s 50 most innovative designs in engineering products or systems for the food and agriculture industries. Ten of such AE50 awards went to AGCO brands.

“Innovation is core to our vision of being farmers’ trusted partner for industry-leading, smart farming solutions and we’re honored to be recognized with ten AE50 Awards across our brand portfolio,” said Eric Hansotia, AGCO chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Helping farmers maximize yield while reducing inputs and impact delivers real value to farmers and motivates our team to accelerate the pace of farmer-first innovation in every area of our business.”

The Fendt 700 Gen7 Vario is the brand’s most popular workhorse tractor. Redesigned to improve performance, reduce costs, and increase productivity, the tractor is one of the most versatile and operator-friendly tractors in its market segment with five models ranging from 203 to 283 engine hp, a standard VarioDrive CVT, FendtONE operators’ station, fuelefficient AGCO Power 7.5L engine, and agronomic-boosting features such as the VarioGrip Central Tire Inflation System (CTIS).

Geo-Bird from Fuse is a free and intuitive web app that automatically optimizes waylines for multiple fields and implements, saving farmers time and money and supporting greater sustainability. Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) waylines help farmers reduce time and cost requirements; turns, wheel traffic, and headland overlap; fuel usage and CO2 footprints; and yield-robbing soil compaction. Geo-Bird’s waylines are exportable to terminals of multiple brands for greater ease of use across disparate operations.

The Pit Level Monitor Model AP-6010 from AP (Automated Production Systems) uses electronic pressure transducers to efficiently measure effluent depth in manure pits below swine confinement facilities. This innovation provides swine facility operators with more accurate management information regarding manure pits, including early warnings of water leakage and remaining storage capacities.

The Massey Ferguson LB2200 Series Large Square Baler merges the reliability of previous models with new technology advancements. A new pickup design improves baler feeding and parts reliability, while also reducing noise. New axle and tire offerings with a single bogie suspension improve ground clearance and rideability. Common Electric Architecture (CEA) provides greater information and control via ISOBUS terminal for Tractor Implement Management (TIM), bale length, bale eject, and bale chute fold.

The Massey Ferguson WR Series Windrower provides up to 282 peak horsepower and an industry-exclusive closed center hydraulic system for increased fuel efficiency and available header horsepower. This also eliminates the need for a secondary pump for auxiliary functions such as a triple windrow attachment (TWA). Technology updates improve field efficiency, reduce operator stress, and allow real-time tracking and data management. MF Guide ensures accurate autosteering to minimize pass-to-pass overlap. Optional rear steer is available for road transport speeds up to 24.5 mph.

Recon SpraySense from Intelligent Ag is a retrofit sprayer product that measures pressure and flow at each nozzle to help ensure applications match targeted coverage and rates. GPS capability and a database of nozzles from major manufacturers infer accurate droplet size. Each nozzle’s performance is condensed as a single Spray Quality Score and provided to operators via an iPad application. Recon SpraySense is a turn-key solution and provides state-of-the-art technology on sprayers old and new.

ReClaim from Precision Planting replaces nozzle bar endcaps in sprayers and provides a return path back to the tank for improved product agitation and circulation, faster boom priming, and improved boom cleanout. ReClaim also improves sprayer cleanout with compressed air that pushes product back to the tank where it is drained and properly disposed. These improvements reduce build-up in the boom, product waste on the ground, and crop damage from misapplication.

Precision Planting’s Radicle Agronomics is the world’s first, fully-automated soil laboratory. Its small footprint, self-calibration technology, and ability to run hundreds of unattended samples, replaces manual, error-prone processes and provides efficiency and improved accuracy to professional agronomists. Cloud-based software connects all steps of the field-to-lab process so agronomists can deliver superior nutrient management recommendations to their clients.

Precision Planting’s EM HD is a new liquid fertilizer controller and sensor that uses an electromagnetic flow sensor to provide row-by-row, high-speed liquid fertilizer rate control on row crop planters, side-dress implements, and strip-till implements. Immediate feedback from the flow sensor allows the system to make high-speed changes to the liquid valve control, which maintains a more accurate and consistent flow of fertilizer to the implement’s application point.

Precision Planting’s Blockage Expansion Module (BXM) is a monitoring component for non-singulated crop seeding implements that combines and connects multiple blockage sensors into a single connection point for 20|20 seed monitoring systems. By simplifying the implement’s electronic components and providing more user-friendly and actionable data, BXM improves the growers’ ability to diagnose issues arising in the delivery of products from the commodity tanks to the application point.