As the farming ecosystem continues to balance new-age technology with the tactile craft of agriculture, electric tractors are poised to be a key player. Recent conversations at a farmer-owned research and development incubator illustrated the progress and obstacles in making these green-leaning contraptions. Big names from the farming industry offered their predictions on electric tractors and what they mean for the future of sustainable farming. Among them were Derek Muller with John Deere and Ajit Srivastava with Michigan State University.
Derek Muller serves as the business manager for battery electric systems at John Deere. He specifically pointed to the fact that the company has been aggressively working on developing electric tractors, but they’re experiencing real hurdles on that path. These obstacles include noise attenuation, user-friendliness, and affordability. Muller pointed out that John Deere is experiencing an increasing market interest in electric tractors. This trend is further pronounced in Europe, where agricultural policies tend to be more forward-thinking.
Ajit Srivastava, an agricultural engineer and professor at Michigan State, hosted a farmer feedback session to gather insights directly from those who would use these tractors. His mission is to help smallholder farmers everywhere be more productive and prosperous through innovative approaches. In this session, he brought an example of such an electric tractor that could be commercially available in roughly the $30,000 range.
Reactions from farmers such as Don Dunklee showed the strengths and weaknesses of electric tractors. Dunklee expressed satisfaction with the performance of the electric tractor he tested, stating, “The steering is really responsive. It just seems to run really smooth.” He noted the machine’s quiet operation, saying, “Probably the biggest thing would be it’s relatively quiet.” Even with all the advantages he sees, Moore admitted that the electric tractor can’t do it all for him just yet.
Brendan Dowdle, the chief business officer of Bonsai Robotics, demonstrated remarkable modular, automated electric farm robots. Robots like the ones above would be intended to complement conventional, larger farming machinery. In another session, Tim Bucher, CEO of Agtonomy, presented his thoughts on the challenges of integrating autonomy software into farm vehicles. Though Bucher had always been an electric tractors evangelist, he understood there were other intricacies at play to begin rolling them out.
“It also just makes me feel better.” – Tim Bucher
Muller was sure to repeat the point that electric tractors are not the only goal for John Deere. “For John Deere, it is not the only solution,” he stated. According to him, electric tractors represent a significant step forward. They are only one of many options available to farmers.
Muller further highlighted the importance of the operator to the future of technology in farming. “Not that we want to take the operator off the tractor,” he said. “The operator would be there, but they can focus on how well the operation is going rather than making sure the tractor is in the rows.”
Farmers and industry leaders joined TFI for a historic summit. They had inspiring discussions with each other and thought leaders on the future of agriculture and technology. Electric tractors have enormous potential. Their broader adoption will depend upon overcoming existing barriers and meeting a unique set of requirements that farmers need.
