Technology on display: Farm innovation shaping the future

This year’s Farm Progress Show was all about the future — autonomy, efficiency and sustainability were on full display.

Walking the show grounds in Decatur in central Illinois, it was impossible to miss the technology reshaping agriculture right before our eyes.

One of the head-turners at the show was J&M’s new 14 Series grain carts. These massive carts can unload over 900 bushels of grain per minute.

They also make the operator’s job easier, with better visibility and a special spout that lets you unload more precisely from different angles.

AGCO also made a big splash this year. Across its Fendt, Massey Ferguson and PTx brands, the company showed off everything from high-horsepower tractors and smart front loaders to autonomous grain carts and precision sprayers that operate with the help of Starlink connectivity.

The future isn’t just coming — it’s already rolling across the field. And it wasn’t just the equipment that turned heads.

A brand-new Drone Zone gave attendees a front-row seat to live aerial application demos, both dry and liquid. For many, it was their first time seeing drone sprayers in action.

Oh, and let’s not forget the Air Tractor — a full-sized ag plane flown in and parked right on the show grounds. Talk about a showstopper.

Between that and the ride-and-drive areas where folks could test out the latest UTVs and autonomous machines, there was no shortage of things to see, touch and test.

Cover crop demo plots also drew a crowd, offering a hands-on look at how different mixes perform under real-world conditions.

Thinking back to my first Farm Progress Show as a farm broadcaster, it’s almost hard to believe how far we’ve come.

The show was held at a different farm every year. I arrived in the dark, hours before the gates opened, prepping for a 5:45 a.m. live broadcast from a drafty media tent.

I don’t remember if it rained, but I do remember it was cold — cold enough that I needed coffee just to keep my teeth from chattering while reading the markets.

We didn’t have tablets or Wi-Fi. Just market numbers I’d scratched down on a piece of paper as I talked with someone back at the radio station who had access to them, gloves that made turning the pages a challenge and a landline I had to dial barehanded to call into the station.

Technology has certainly transformed how we report on ag — and how farmers operate — but some things haven’t changed.

Farmers still walk the showgrounds, or drive golf carts or side-by-sides, looking for the latest equipment.

They still strike up conversations with complete strangers, swapping stories about weather, yields and what’s working back home.

They still take home a stack of brochures to leaf through in their favorite chair, right next to their saved copies of AgriNews.

The truth is farming has always been a blend of grit and innovation. Today, that means apps and automation.

Tomorrow, who knows?

But the heart of the American farmer — the determination, the curiosity, the drive to adapt and improve — that’s one thing that hasn’t changed.

And that’s what continues to move this industry forward.