increase font size
Case IH's Trident 5550 applicator is understood to be the agricultural industry's first autonomous spreader.
Case IH has partnered with Raven Industries to launch the Trident 5550 applicator, understood to be the agricultural industry’s first autonomous spreader.
Aimed at a market looking to solve the challenges of labour shortages and the need to improve efficiency, the Trident 5550 applicator combines proven Raven Autonomy driverless technology with an agronomically-designed spreading platform for a flexible autonomous solution. Raven uses its proprietary software to control guidance and steering, speed control and path planning.
In operation, likely using a mobile device, operators can plan and complete the spreading function based on mapped field boundaries. Using a series of advanced cameras and a radar system, the Raven Autonomy system constantly senses a 360-degree environment around the machine looking for obstacles and motion initiation while operating. A perception controller processes the continuous stream of images, which interprets and detects obstacles, with a link back to the remote operator to view the cameras at any time.
If an obstacle is detected, the machine will safely come to a stop and an alert will be sent to the operator’s mobile device. At this point, the operator can evaluate the situation and determine the next course of action.
Additionally, a range of machine tasks and functions can be viewed remotely. These include fuel and DEF levels, vehicle speed, hopper levels, Universal Terminal information and diagnostic fault codes.
This latest innovation follows on from the Case IH autonomous concept vehicle launched in 2016. It comes after research found autonomous spreading was an operation that customers would likely adopt.
The Case IH Trident 5550 allows for one or more driverless machines in the paddock without an operator present. However, it also provides the flexibility of full control inside should it be required.
By operating at a constant speed and with precision, the autonomous applicator should provide spreading consistency – with human error removed – and allow for repeatable performance with centimetre accuracy.
“This is a significant milestone in our accelerated product development efforts between Case IH and Raven,” says Scott Harris, Case IH global brand president. “It highlights our intense collaboration and robust product innovation following CNH Industrial’s acquisition of Raven in late 2021.”
While it wouldn’t be unfair to call the LDV T60 “the poor man’s ute”, a change of distributor in 2023 has seen the brand raise its profile, while the recent arrival of the new LDV T60 Max Plus, will undoubtedly open the door to a wider audience for the brand.
Ag and Civil Machinery Direct, a division of Hamilton- based Waikato tractors, has recently been awarded the sole distribution in New Zealand for Kemper’s range of precision forage equipment.
While the name and technology remain unchanged and new machines will continue to carry the Novag name, all the assets, intellectual property and staff of the French manufacturer have been acquired by a new organisation called Agriculture Nouvelle Génération.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
Having already hit the headlines for recycling broken 2.4 metre vineyard posts into 1.8 and 1.6 metre, half and quarter posts for agriculture, Repost recently hit the milestone of one million posts recycled, diverting the CCA treated posts from landfill.
Tasman sharemilkers Warric and Rachel Johnson haven't let the 2006 milk payout crash put them out of business.
Labour's agriculture spokesperson says the Government’s decisions are set to hamstring growth within the farming sector.
A recent clinical study has highlighted the potential for a bioactive whey protein to support immune responses to influenza vaccinations.
Many contract milkers in badly drought affected regions around the country are coming under severe financial stress and farm owners are being urged to help them through a bad patch until the start of the new season.
Movement controls have been lifted from Mainland Poultry’s Hillgrove Farm in Otago, after the successful eradication of H7N6 strain of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
Harvesting is underway of one of New Zealand’s rarest and most unusual fruit - persimmons.
