Idaho Farmer to Sell Driverless Tractor

A seed potato farmer from Post Falls, Idaho, has started a company that will deliver the first driverless tractor this summer.

The tractor has no cab, steering wheel, seat, or gauges, said David Farb, founder of Farb Guidance Systems. He said the tractor will require just 75 horsepower and will be roughly half the size of a contemporary tractor.

Farb expects to build about 60 units in 2016 and has already received commitments for 100 units. The price tag: $160,000 to $170,000. He’s working to build a network of dealers in Idaho.

“We think that once these get in the dirt that it will be an explosive type market,” Farb said. “It’s pretty hard to say no to it at the cost and what it does for you.”

The tractors will have several sensors to alert farmers of trouble. They’ll be guided by GPS maps and be able to pull small implements.

Farb explained machines have evolved to be bigger, more powerful and more expensive to enable a single operator to cover more ground. With driverless equipment, his company calculates growers will achieve the greatest return on investment with multiple, smaller machines. Smaller equipment will have added benefits for precision agriculture.

With big equipment, growers must utilize large zones for their variable-rate applications. Farb anticipates automated sprayers of the future will use single nozzles to treat individual plants.

“We believe we can get it down to the plant scale,” Farb said. “That’s not precision agriculture. That’s surgical agriculture.”

Source: Capital Press S