Desk
Machinery
Tractors, harvesters, implements and autonomy: launches, sales data, dealer networks and the companies that make them.
From the archive
Reporting from earlier editions of The Agrotech Daily. Figures, prices and policies may have changed since.
- Machinery, United KingdomUK combine harvester investment: strategic equipment decisions in challenging economic conditionsUK combine buyers are weighing labour shortages, automation, used-machine values and seasonal finance after machinery sales fell 11% in 2024 to about £2.5 billion, the Agricultural Engineers Association estimates.
- Machinery, IndiaEscorts agri-machinery sells 24,441 tractors in second quarter of the present fiscal yearEscorts sold 24,441 tractors in the quarter to 30 September 2020, up 23.8 per cent, as agri-machinery revenue rose 32.8 per cent to Rs 1,322.2 crore.
- Machinery, HaryanaNational Fertilizers Limited distributes cotton plucking machines to farmers in HaryanaNational Fertilizers Limited has given 95 cotton plucking machines free of cost to farmers in Haryana under its CSR programme, at events in Hisar and Bhiwani.
- Machinery, GlobalFarmBot: the agricultural robot revolutionAgricultural robots use GPS, altimeters, cameras and software to spray, irrigate, prune and harvest crops, and their use has grown since high-end models became affordable in the mid-2000s.
- Machinery, MaharashtraAshok Jadhav’s weeding innovation, feasible for Indian farmersSatara farmer Ashok Jadhav built a low-cost hand weeder from bent iron rods, brake cable wire and a bamboo handle to cut the labour cost of weeding his organic crops.
- Machinery, IndiaForty-six percent jump in the sale of Sonalika tractorsSonalika Tractors sold 17,704 units in September 2020, up 46 per cent including exports, with domestic sales up 51.4 per cent to 16,000 units.
- Machinery, GlobalAgricultural robotics and automationAutonomous tractors, robotic harvesters, drones, sensors and smart irrigation can raise efficiency and cut labour costs, but cost, skills, breakdowns and regulation slow adoption.
- Machinery, United KingdomEvaluating autonomous tractor investment: a strategic framework for UK arable farmsA framework for UK arable farms weighing autonomous tractors, covering retrofit versus purpose-built systems, labour and field suitability, GPS and mobile coverage, support and regulation.
- Machinery, United KingdomSmart plough technology: how variable depth control is changing British tillage practicesExplains how variable depth control lets ploughs adjust working depth automatically using sensors, GPS mapping and draft-force readings, and how Kverneland, Lemken and Kuhn approach it.
- Machinery, United KingdomWinter maintenance checklist: preparing your combine harvester for peak 2026 performanceA winter checklist for combine harvesters covering engine and fuel systems, belts and chains, greasing, cleaning, threshing parts, headers and storage, with brand-specific checks.
- Machinery, United KingdomDemocratising autonomy: the rise of aftermarket tractor conversion kitsRetrofit kits from AgXeed, Trimble's PTx, Monarch Tractor and John Deere can make existing tractors autonomous, though compatibility, downtime, insurance and liability remain hurdles.
- Machinery, United KingdomStrategic spare parts planning for UK arable harvest operations: a risk management frameworkUK arable farms should base harvest spare parts stocks on how likely a failure is, how hard the repair is and how badly it would stop work, with combines the top priority.
- Machinery, United KingdomRetail-led automation: how supermarkets are driving the autonomous farming revolutionMarks & Spencer and supplier Huntapac have run a commercial-scale trial of autonomous bed forming, planting and robotic weeding on parsnips in East Yorkshire, aimed at cutting carbon emissions.
- Machinery, IndiaNew energy-efficient SP coupled pump-set by KBL fitted with IE4 motorKirloskar Brothers Ltd has launched SP coupled pump-sets fitted with IE4 motors for dewatering and effluent treatment, which the company says use 14 percent less energy.
- Machinery, IndiaTop 8 agriculture equipment for farmers’ benefitA guide to eight farm machines sold in India, from sprayer pumps and trolley pumps to combine harvesters, cultivators and roto seed drills, with price ranges for each.
- Machinery, GlobalTractors: the backbone of modern agricultureTractors have moved from steam-powered ploughs to GPS-guided machines that handle ploughing, planting, spraying and harvesting, though soil compaction and fuel use remain concerns.
- Machinery, RussiaAI-based Cognitive Agro Pilot system is winning over agriculture in RussiaCognitive Agro Pilot, an AI-based autonomous driving system for farm machinery from Sber and Cognitive Pilot, was used in about 35 Russian regions during the 2020 harvest.
- Machinery, GlobalThe use of 3D printing in agriculture3D printing could give farms custom tools, spare parts, irrigation parts and livestock prosthetics, but cost, complexity, limited materials, quality control and regulation hold it back.
- MachineryBarn enthusiast’s guide: top barn styles and their featuresDescribes common barn styles, including gable, monitor, bank, pole, round, English, Dutch and tobacco barns, with the features and farm uses of each.