Tag Archives: Agco

René Koerhuis

11/11/2014

Väderstad Appareo service tool

Väderstad Appareo service tool Agritechnica 2013

AGCO and Appareo Systems announced to enter a joint venture, building on the existing IAS (Intelligent Agricultural Solutions) business structure. This collaboration will focus on more advanced electronic technology centered around data collection, wireless communication, advanced sensors and intelligent machine control. Also part of IAS is AGCO’s technology strategy Fuse Technologies that was introduced one and a half year ago.  Appareo Systems is a leader in the custom design, development and manufacture of innovative electronic and software solutions for aerospace and agriculture original equipment manufacturers. At last year’s Agritechnica the company showed an iPad app developed for Väderstad to order parts straight from the field without parts numbers.

It is another step forward in connecting precision farming equipment to agronomic Big Data. AGCO and Appareo follow Monsanto that took over The Climate Corp and Precision Planting and the cooperation between DuPont Pioneer and John Deere of a year ago.

René Koerhuis

06/12/2013

Agco and Raven Industries recently announced to start cooperating in the area of precision agriculture and telemetry / telematics. This means that Agco’s telematics system AgCommand will be connected with Raven´s Slingshot system. According to the press release the cooperation is a first result of Fuse Technologies, the new precision agriculture program from Agco.

AgCommand mainly focuses on telemetry communication between tractors and harvesters of Agco, while Raven Slingshot focuses on precision agriculture and site-specific work with machines. The integration of both systems automates the exchange of data and makes it possible to work with API (Application Programming Interface). This means that the various companies in the food supply chain can exchange agronomic data digitally with each other.

AGCOMMAND vloot locaties

René Koerhuis

14/07/2013

Agco recently announced its new technology strategy Fuse Technologies. This platform is aimed at offering ‘leading-edge precision ag solutions’, says Agco. Interesting and about time as the various Agco brands all have their dedicated solutions for precision farming. AgCommand telematics for MF & Challenger vs. Variodoc telematics for Fendt and MF Auto-Guide vs Fendt Vario Guide steering systems. Besides Agco joined forces with precision ag specialist TopCon.

Fuse Technologies successor Fieldstar?

Fieldstar monitor

MF Fieldstar terminal

What amazes me is that Agco is not marketing and communicating its Fieldstar precision farming system anymore. Mid nineties of last century, Fieldstar was the pionering system in precision farming. The system was developed by the Danish combine harvester manufacturer Dronningborg. Partly owned by Agco at that time, it also manufactered the MF combines. In from 1997, Agco bought all shares. Fieldstar was a yield mapping system that registrated cereal yield per square meter using GPS. As precision farming is not only about yield mapping, but also about applying inputs at the right spot, they created the precision farming circle or cyclus. I couldn’t find it online, so I scanned it from my internship report of September 1998. With Fuse Technologies, Agco seems to initiate a renewed path of own precision farming developments. I’m very Q-rious what the strategy will bring! Will they pioneer again with revolutionary innovations? The near future will tell!