Karen McMahon

March 4, 2011

1 Min Read

John Deere equipment will continue to get much smarter in the future. The company announced at Commodity Classic its plan to introduce a suite of products under the FarmSight umbrella that will take precision farming to a new level.

The FarmSight plan includes a robust telematics program that will extend JDLink capabilities. Farmers will be able to monitor machines from office computers or mobile devices. They will watch machine activity and location along with receiving notices of machine trouble.

Jerry Roel with Deere said the goal is to let users see in their office or mobile device what’s on a tractor, combine or other vehicle’s display.  

Another part of FarmSight will be machine-to-machine control. One example cited was a combine taking control of a tractor and grain cart as it nears the combine for unloading. The benefit will be an efficient unloading process. Roel said Deere hopes to offer this technology in time for the 2012 harvest season. It will also be extended to other equipment and activities. 

About the Author(s)

Karen McMahon

Karen McMahon has been a well-respected and award-winning agricultural journalist for more than three decades. In 2000, she served as president of the American Agricultural Editors' Association (AAEA), a group of more than 400 professional farm writers. She also is active in the Agricultural Media Summit (AMS) and served as chairman in 2001 and chair of the sponsorship committee for several years. She has attained the top Master Writer Award level from AAEA and won various writing awards from the Am. Society of Business Publication Editors and Minnesota Monthly Publications Association.

Karen joined Farm Industry News as senior editor in 1998 and was named editor two years later. Prior to that, she was managing editor for five years of another Penton publication, National Hog Farmer. She grew up on a diversified crop and livestock farm near LeMars, IA, and earned her degree in journalism from South Dakota State University. Since then, Karen has worked in agricultural communications.

Her experience on magazines and organizations includes work on Hog Farm Management, the National Pork Producers Council, and Hogs Today/Farm Journal.

Karen may be reached at 9520851-4680

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