John Deere acquires GUSS Automation
John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy, headquartered in Kingsburg, California.
Global manufacturer John Deere is collaborating with German company Volocopter to develop large drones for agricultural use.
A demonstration of the VoloDrone was shown at the recent 2019 Agritechnica Event, equipped with a JD spray rig – making good use of the machine’s 200kg load capacity.
Powered by 18 rotors, giving it an overall diameter of 9.2 metres, the unit incorporates a fully electric drive system using replaceable lithium-ion batteries, said to offer flight times of up to 30 minutes.
The drone uses a standardised payload attachment system, meaning a variety of implements can be easily attached and carried. In the case of the sprayer unit – seeing twin spray tanks, a pump and spray boom. The company suggests that the set-up has a capacity to cover up to 6ha/hr, with less noise and improved spray management than conventional helicopters, largely due to its low attitude in flight.
Both partners of the collaboration suggest that for agriculture, the concept will offer benefits in areas of poor topography, along with uses in the crop protection, seed distribution and frost control.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.
A tiny organism from the arid mountains of mainland Greece is facilitating a new way of growing healthier animals on farms across New Zealand.
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