By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Friday January 7, 2022

Jan 7, 2022 | 9:40 AM

MELFORT, Sask. — John Deere has unveiled a fully autonomous tractor that’s ready for large-scale production.

The machine combines Deere’s 8R Tractor, chisel plow, GPS guidance system, and new advanced technologies.

The autonomous tractor has six pairs of stereo cameras, which enables 360-degree obstacle detection and the calculation of distance. Images captured by the cameras are passed through a deep neural network and determines if the machine continues to move or stops, depending on if an obstacle is detected.

The autonomous tractor is also continuously checking its position relative to a geofence, ensuring it is operating where it is supposed to and is accurate to within less than one inch.

To use the autonomous tractor, farmers transport the machine to a field and configure it for autonomous operation. Using John Deere Operations Center Mobile, they can swipe from left to right to start the machine.

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John Deere said while the machine is working, the farmer can leave the field to focus on other tasks while monitoring the machine’s status from their mobile device.

The autonomous tractor will be available to farmers later this year.

John Deere revealed the tractor at the CES 2022 tech event in Moline, Ill. earlier this month.

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Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has announced the appointment of the first woman chair of the Canadian Dairy Commission.

Jennifer Hayes was first appointed to the organization in January 2017 in the role of commissioner and has held the position for four years.

A dairy and beef farmer on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, Hayes is the third generation to farm at PineCrest Farms in Shigawake, which she co-owns with her father and uncle.

Hayes has extensive governance experience which she obtained through her active participation with the L’Union des Producteurs Agricoles (UPA), defending regional interests in dairy, beef, and agricultural development.

Hayes began the four-year term on Dec. 23.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW