Claas won an award at Agritechnica for its concept around boosting combine power with a hybrid electric engine for use when power demand is highest.

Future of high horsepower could be diesel, with a boost

Smaller tractors are being electrified, but larger tractor engines have more flexibility and could be mixed with other power sources

Practicality now drives engine and power innovation in agriculture equipment, with companies finding solutions that make more sense on the farm instead of depending on electrification. The near future will include cleaner diesel combustion engines, hydrogen and battery, and often a combination. Why it matters: The power required by farm equipment will not be met […] Read more

CNH has launched electric utility tractors for Case IH and New Holland. This is the Farmall 75C from Agritechnica.

Battery-powered tractors proliferate, but under 100 HP

There were numerous battery-operated tractors at various levels of commercialization at Agritechnica, but almost all were under 100 HP equivalent range. That’s because most of those tractors or power units work intermittently around a farm yard and don’t need full 12-hour power like tractors that work in the field at busy times of the year. […] Read more

Combine assembly at Brantford before the plant was sold to MCC.

The final years of Brantford’s MF combine assembly plant

Declining sales and accumulated debt necessitate drastic measures

In this final instalment of a four-part series on the Brantford Massey Ferguson combine plant (read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3, here), the story wraps up with a look at the plant’s final days and what was left unfinished as Massey Ferguson abandoned combine manufacturing in the 1980s. As the 1980s began, the […] Read more

Equipment makers take steps to solidify supply chain

Equipment makers take steps to solidify supply chain

Manufacturers are adding component inventory after COVID disruptions

Agricultural machinery companies around the world are reducing their supply chain risk by finding multiple suppliers for key components and bringing some of their manufacturing back to their home countries. Agrievolution Alliance, a coalition of 13 agricultural machinery trade associations, presented an update on the global market at Agritechnica, the global farm machinery show recently […] Read more


The Horsch Solus SX concept could seed cereals and small oilseeds, along with corn and soybeans, at optimum row widths with one machine.

Blurring the lines between planter and seed drill

Horsch has created a concept to bring the advantages of a planter to smaller-seeded crops

Is it a planter or a drill? If a concept machine created by Horsch eventually comes to the market, someone might have to invent a new category. “We’re trying to mix and trying to get the best of both worlds, which is a seed drill and a corn planter,” says Laurent Letzler, who manages Horsch […] Read more

(Video screengrab from Macdon.com)

Bourgault becomes third shortliner acquired by Linamar since 2017

Leadership say they want to double the business of the maker of Highline equipment and Freeform Plastics

In 2017 Linamar, a company best known as an auto parts manufacturer, purchased Winnipeg-based header and swather manufacturer MacDon. It followed that up by bringing implement brand Salford into its fold in 2022. In late December the company announced it is now adding Saskatchewan-based air drill manufacturer Bourgault into its family of shortline ag equipment brands.

Julian Hauslein, chief technology officer with Recalm, demonstrates the company’s Ancor noise cancelling speakers at Agritechnica.

Hearing protection offered in large equipment

Noise cancelling speaker helps maintain hearing, reduce fatigue in large farm equipment

A German company has developed noise-cancelling speakers that ride on the back of an operator’s seat and reduce the risk of hearing loss. Recalm was part of the agri-food startup program at Agritechnica, the world’s largest farm machinery show, which was held in Hannover, Germany, in November. The speakers are based on common noise cancelling […] Read more


A rotary combine endures testing on the same bump track in the 1980s.

Massey Ferguson assesses the competition

Company finds ways to see what engineers for other brands are testing

In the third instalment on Massey Ferguson’s manufacturing history in Ontario (read Part 1 and Part 2 here), we examine what it was like to be a combine field test engineer for the company in the 1970s. Here is a compilation of recollections from various engineers who worked at MF’s Brantford plant during that time. […] Read more

New Holland's new CR11 combine showcases a significant boost in processing capacity, but with the same weight and width as previous models.

New Holland combine boosts productivity, maintains size, weight

The new design changes how drive lines work, bringing more lines inside the combine

New Holland’s new CR11 combine moves more bushels than any previous New Holland combine, but takes up the same space on the road thanks to award-winning engineering. The CR11 Increases productivity for the New Holland line, as it has 775 HP, two 24-inch rotors, a grain tank capacity of 20,000 litres and an unload rate […] Read more