Ahead of the Curve

New Brains and Brawn for Legacy Weed Shocker

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Decentralized digital controls and tougher running gear designed to handle today’s higher horsepower tractors highlight improvements to LASCO’s new Lightning Weeder.

Large Plant Model Allows LaserWeeder Operators to Update ‘Targets’ with a Thumb Tap

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Carbon Robotics machines update global system each time they go to the field, boosting data in the machine-learning library which currently holds images of150 million plants

Diesel Prices Should Fall Eventually

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Forces at work within the economic structure of the oil refining business seem to be indicating the beginning of a stable market of softening of diesel fuel prices over the coming years — barring catastrophic geo-political upheavals.

Relaxing CAFE Standards Offers ‘Time Out’ to Refine Engine Design

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 23:00:00 -0500

The “Better Fuel Economy at All Costs” push has spawned complexity issues for powerplant serviceability and longevity. OEMs may now have a chance to make needed design changes.

Ag Equipment Makers Investing in Future Workforce Training

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 23:00:00 -0500

The manufacturing sector is actively trying to raise awareness of the growing shortage of skilled workers in the U.S. as the nation’s aging workforce is retiring and its birthrate continues to decline.

Where There’s a Will…Or Is There?

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Friends who mingled in the aisles of the Associated Equipment Distributors Summit in Orlando early this year reported brisk off-the-record discussions concerning U.S. workforce ills such as a looming skills gap in technical and trade professions, and the thinning of the nation’s workforce itself.

Where There’s a Will … Or is There?

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

U.S. Industry is clamoring for skilled workers in a society plagued by three gaps that need to be filled before dreams of rebuilding national manufacturing can be come reality.

Robotic Hand to Replace Berry Pickers?

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

University of Arkansas researchers work with food scientists in the Ag Experiment Station to develop a robotic hand that could replace dwindling numbers of available human harvesters.

Another Global Manufacturing Earthquake is Brewing in China

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Industry watchers estimate if China’s auto production goes fully global, BYD will quickly supplant Toyota as the world’s top-producing car manufacturer.

An Interactive Robot Points the Way to Smarter Farm Equipment

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

CNH engaged Agrishow 2025 visitors with a talking robot which answered questions and followed commands of voice prompts offering a glimpse into the future of machinery operation.

Manufacturing's Evolution and the Rise of AI-powered Robots

Sat, 17 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Newly-issued patents leveraging artificial intelligence are paving the way for robotic swarm technology to do the heavy lifting in the aviation and aerospace industries. Will OEM ag and construction makers take note?

Ethanol’s Path to Acceptance is in Focus, Will Regulators See It?

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Technology is leading bureaucratic politics again, especially as the use of ethanol becomes technologically viable.

Large Domestic Autonomous Aerial Applicator Comes to Midwest

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Growers in the western Corn Belt and parts of the Southern Plains may notice a strange, slow, high-wing spray plane at work this summer over row-crop fields and some pastures — a sight that likely will become commonplace soon.

Cook With It or Run It Through a Fuel Injector?

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The Clean Fuels Alliance America celebrates National Biodiesel Day March 18 praising Rudolf Diesel’s commitment to farm-grown fuels when he invented the first compression-ignited engine in 1877.

Ham or Eggs? Or Both? Portions Will Vary Widely

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Amid the shiny predictions of nearly unlimited markets for agricultural feedstock for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel lies a devil in the details of refining facts and blending regs.

USGS Maps Likely Below-Ground Hydrogen-bearing Formations

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

A late-2024 government study release shows at least 30 states in the U.S. could be sitting on naturally-occurring subterranean hydrogen deposits. Which begs a question!

3-D Technology Reveals Cover Crop Biomass on Farm Fields

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

The problem of “not seeing the forest for the trees” may have a solution with 3-D technology being used to estimate biomass of cover crops growing in farm fields.

Smelling Salts for the Nuclear Power Industry?

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Government contract for nuclear-generated power is welcome surprise for those convinced the U.S. power grid needs additional capacity. Agriculture and rural landowners have a stake too.

Common Barcode Is Headed for the Museum of Vintage Technology

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Adoption of the QR code to track inventory and tell the story of the production of various goods is coming to a supermarket — and maybe your farm gate, too. Check out Dan Crummett's latest blog for details on these new developments.

Diesel Fuel Detergents Can Save Time, Fuel & Emission-Related Problems

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Global performance chemical producer’s research shows significant improvements in down-time for diesel engine emission maintenance and fuel consumption with injector-cleaning detergents

Drone Mapping Technology Slashes Chemical Costs By 70%

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Recent digital technology improvements have spawned the ability to scan entire fields quickly and inexpensively with drones, then provide maps identifying specific weeds and their locations — all in about 12 hours.

Performance Technology Opens the Off-Road Door for Propane

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In the U.S. propane is a staple on many farms, fueling home and shop heat as well as vital grain drying energy.

New Diesel Engine Oil Development on Track for 2027

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0400

Oil marketer engine test labs are likely to get a lot noisier later this year as technicians there begin evaluating various new diesel engine oil formulations for a projected new category release in 2027.

'Smart' Machinery Getting Better Eye Sight

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Over the past 40 years agricultural scanning technology has developed rapidly from sprayers with only the capability to recognize brown bare soil from very green growing plant material to machines capable of guiding moving sprayers to target individual plants

Change to FAA Regulation Allows 1 Operator to Fly 3 Sprayer Drones

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:07:18 -0400

The FAA recently granted Texas-based drone manufacturer Hylio a regulatory exemption that allows 1 operator to simultaneously pilot 3 heavy-lift drones instead of requiring an operator and observer per 1 drone over 55 pounds.

Ethanol-based Aviation Fuel Offers Massive Market

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

LanzaJet, a 2010 startup that pioneered a proprietary technology to produce “Sustainable Aviation Fuel” (SAF) from ethanol feedstocks, opened a full-scale ethanol-to-jet refinery in Soperton, Ga., in late January drawing much fanfare from industry and government entities.

Equipment Expo Reveals Possible Move Toward OEM Collaboration

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

After Farm Equipment’s Executive Editor, Kim Schmidt, returned from 2023’s edition of Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany, we visited a bit about her overall takeaway from the massive global exposition of farm equipment and new technology.

Ethanol-based Aviation Fuel Offers Massive Market for Ag

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 09:34:41 -0500

U.S. corn producers have a lot to lose or gain depending upon the future direction of the nation’s ethanol industry and how it reacts to a new Sustainable Aviation Fuel facility in Georgia using imported ethanol.

New Manufacturing Group Aims for Increased Efficiency & Domestic Production

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0500

A new collaboration of 4 U.S.-based industrial manufacturing companies has organized under one new name and management umbrella to offset the effects of supply-chain and geo-political interruptions, while at the same time boosting manufacturing efficiency.

5 Ag Tech Takeaways From the 2023 Nebraska Ag Expo

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 13:52:28 -0500

We were on the ground at this year's Nebraska Ag Expo in Lincoln, Neb. These are our top takeaways from the show’s Innovation Hub.