ALL ABOUT TRACTOR BY PAUL WALLEM The future was everywhere at the 2024 National Farm Machinery Show, Feb. 14-17 in Louisville, Ky. What would have been exotic and far-out five years ago is now in mass production, with displays at this show. Electric-powered and autonomous tractors were numerous, but so were many other innovations in tillage, planting, and harvesting. The immense Kentucky Exposition Center is the annual location for this farm show, with 27 acres under one roof. Another wing will be added by next year. Mahindra had a significant presence this year. Built in India, the assembly is in Houston, which is also the location of the U.S. headquarters. I asked what their target market is in the U.S. They aim for the hobby farm market (often 40 acres or less). A 71 HP tractor is their largest. A 1945 company, they first started marketing in the U.S. in 1988. At his BIG IRON booth, Mark Stock was busy with visitors. President and co-founder of BIG IRON, his company now includes Sullivan Auctioneers. The combined organization comprises over 300 auctioneers nationwide. I asked Stock how much of his revenue comes from outside North America. He answered 5 percent of online quotes and 2 percent of sales. He added that the majority of their sales comes from online bidders. Next was a conversation at the Purdue University booth. USDA sponsors their Agrability program and has a presence in 20 states nationwide. It is a program that provides assistance to farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers, as well as farm family members impacted by disability. The new CaseIH AF11 combine drew a lot of attention. The 775 HP engine makes this the most powerful combine offered by CaseIH, with a 567-bushel grain tank and a 396-gallon fuel tank. This release comes 46 years after the first axial-flow design began development. I then came upon an exhibit that floored me. A huge, complicated-looking machine that was strange to me. I was told the Nuhn Lagoon Crawler X is built for use in slurry pits. It is four-wheel drive, remote controlled, and stirs the liquid manure in holding tanks so that it can be pumped out. Pipping Concrete Co. is building such a tank in Darlington, Wis., with a 20-million-gallon capacity. Machines like the Lagoon Crawler X are a must in this kind of holding pit. (We didn’t need either one of these in our 35-cow dairy herd in the 1950s). The number of new attachments for better tillage and planting equipment was everywhere. The estimated attendance for this year’s show was 300,000. Eight hundred exhibitors participated. The championship tractor pull exceeded 73,000 in attendance, with 3-engine modified participants nationwide. Each brought their own truckload of decibels. Autonomous equipment keeps being added, not just in tractors but for harvesting and other jobs. The newly released Claas Xerion 12 fits into this category. I discussed it at their booth. CEMOS is an interesting system on this 653 HP tractor. It provides the ability to self-analyze and adjust settings when conditions change. This makes it more approachable for a novice operator. Hydrogen fuel research and development keeps advancing. Kubota has announced a release in 2025 of their hydrogen-powered fuel cell tractor. Cummins is preparing a hydrogen engine for Versatile. Other manufacturers are involved as well. We can only dream what this show will have on display in the next five and 10 years. One thing is certain: Every year, new ideas will show up! Paul Wallem was raised on an Illinois dairy farm. He spent 13 years after college with corporate IH in domestic and foreign assignments. He resigned to own and operate two IH dealerships. He is the author of THE BREAKUP of IH & SUCCESSES & INDUSTRY FIRSTS of IH. Farm Equipment Magazine recently announced their inaugural Hall of Fame dealers, which includes Wallem. |
