In recent years, autonomy has become a hot topic in the Technology Corner. With retrofit kits being used for tasks such as mowing and tillage, farmers have begun to see the potential of this technology for improving their operations. However, the use of autonomy for planting cover crops is still in its early stages.
Jake Warford, a precision specialist at Linco-Precision in Nokomis, Ill., believes that they are only just beginning to tap into the full potential of autonomy in their customers’ operations. Currently, the focus at Linco-Precision is on the sod market, which requires frequent mowing over large areas and is labor-intensive. However, Warford sees opportunities for autonomy in more row crop applications. He believes that there are significant benefits to be gained from using autonomy for tasks such as fertilizer and lime spreading as well as cover crop planting.
Last year, Warford himself demonstrated the endless possibilities for autonomy by using it to sow cover crops and wheat. At Linco-Precision, they offer the Sabanto autonomy kit as a solution for implementing this technology in farming operations. According to Warford, Sabanto’s philosophy is to take a gradual approach by starting with crawling before moving on to walking and running phases as they continue to explore and expand the use of autonomy technology in agriculture.
