“I have a strong rela­tion­ship with the deal­er­ship, partic­u­larly with the preci­sion agri­cul­ture specialist, Javier Losada, with whom I main­tain open commu­ni­ca­tion and close collab­o­ra­tion,” says Juan Sebastián López, a farmer in Córdoba, Spain. He farms 550ha in Córdoba, Spain, growing wheat, sunflowers and beans. This year he antic­i­pates average yields of 6t/ha of wheat, 1.7t/ha of sunflowers, and 3.6t/ha of beans.

Juan has been a life­long John Deere customer and is well-versed in preci­sion farming tech­nolo­gies. His fleet consists of four John Deere trac­tors: An 8R310, 6R250, 6R155, and 6630. All are equipped with Auto­Trac^TM and RTK signal, except for the 6630. “I’ve been farming my whole life, but today I couldn’t work without Auto­Trac^TM,” he says. “We’ve become accus­tomed to the auto-steering, which allows me to sow perfectly. I have a strong rela­tion­ship with the deal­er­ship, partic­u­larly with the preci­sion agri­cul­ture specialist, Javier Losada, with whom I main­tain open commu­ni­ca­tion and close collab­o­ra­tion.” Among his four trac­tors, Juan partic­u­larly favours the 8R310, which features auto­mated end-of-row turning and is primarily used for ploughing and culti­vating.

Afford­able Preci­sion Ag Essen­tials Package

“The main moti­va­tion for purchasing the Preci­sion Ag Essen­tials package was its attrac­tive price,” says Juan Lopez. “We can now install it on a quad, which we use to map all our fields. With this package, it’s much more afford­able, and all the neces­sary equip­ment is included. The acti­va­tion fee is annual, and prices have dropped signif­i­cantly. I believe the subscrip­tion model is excel­lent. If it becomes outdated, you can easily upgrade it because the prices are more acces­sible,” he adds.

Easy to use

Juan is convinced that the best preci­sion farming equip­ment comes from John Deere because it is easy to use, intu­itive, and highly reli­able. “I have only used John Deere, but I have friends who have purchased similar systems from other brands and faced numerous prob­lems. A contractor from our area who oper­ates eight trac­tors bought GPS antennas and displays from a cheaper brand and regrets that deci­sion,” he says.

“I trusted John Deere from the begin­ning, and I was right. The after-sales service of our John Deere dealer saves me from many prob­lems; if I’ve encoun­tered any issues, they have resolved them. In 95% of cases, they can fix it with remote access to the display (RDA). That’s one of the best aspects.” Juan partic­u­larly likes the free and effec­tive Oper­a­tions Center^TM, which he accesses from a desktop computer and his mobile phone. His first task upon arriving at work is to sit at his desk and schedule the day’s activ­i­ties using this appli­ca­tion.

Higher prof­itability

He also uses it to analyse data from previous seasons. “Having every­thing recorded is incred­ibly useful. Today, I reviewed last year’s activ­i­ties to check the dates, diesel consump­tion, and more.” Using preci­sion tech­nology is highly prof­itable for his oper­a­tion, says Juan. “Auto-steering, section control, and RTK signal are essen­tial for us. The main moti­va­tion is to save time and money, and to enhance comfort during the workday, as you can work for 12 hours without getting tired.”

“With Auto­Trac^TM you don’t have to focus on where the tractor needs to go, which makes working much more comfort­able. It works perfectly even without visi­bility. I’ve sown at night and in fog; with the LED lights, we couldn’t see anything, but thanks to auto-steering, the sowing was flaw­less. Addi­tion­ally, section control allows us to save a signif­i­cant amount of liquid when spraying, which becomes notice­able when you calcu­late the costs.” For farmers who are not yet using preci­sion tech­nolo­gies or are hesi­tant to adopt them, Juan recom­mends finding someone who is using Auto­Trac^TM or AutoPath^TM and trying it out first­hand. “I’m confi­dent that they will see just how bene­fi­cial it is and how much it can assist in their work.”

---

Exploring the Preci­sion Ag Essen­tials Package

Priced at only €2,990 (£2,526), the Preci­sion Ag Essen­tials package comprises the latest preci­sion farming hard­ware and is customis­able with time-based feature licenses. Product manager Natalia Pauge explains why it makes sense for farmers and contrac­tors to consider the Preci­sion Ag Essen­tials package.

What is the Preci­sion Ag Essen­tials package?

The Preci­sion Ag Essen­tials package is an alter­na­tive and easy way to kick­start smart farming prac­tices thanks to the low upfront cost. By purchasing the hard­ware kit, which includes the G5Plus Universal display, a StarFire^TM 7500 Universal receiver and a JDLink^TM modem. The compo­nents become the prop­erty of the customer. They are fully func­tional and can be used with any machine. The G5Plus display is compat­ible with ISOBUS imple­ments and includes docu­men­ta­tion options. The StarFire^TM receiver provides an SF1 correc­tion signal with +/- 15cm pass-to-pass accu­racy at no extra costs. Addi­tion­ally, the JDLink^TM modem trans­mits machine and farm data to the John Deere Oper­a­tions Center^TM free of charge.

If so many features are included with the hard­ware kit, why do I need the license?

The annual renew­able license will unlock addi­tional func­tion­al­i­ties, including use of the auto­mated steering system with Auto­Trac^TM, section control, and other advanced features, like AutoPath^TM, Auto­Trac^TM Turn Automa­tion, and Imple­ment Guid­ance. This enables farmers and contrac­tors to maxi­mize their oper­a­tional poten­tial with greater preci­sion.

What will happen, if I pause or termi­nate the license?

The annual license model offers maximum flex­i­bility, allowing users to continue, pause, or termi­nate their preci­sion ag appli­ca­tion after one year, ensuring they only pay for what their farm needs. Regard­less of whether any licenses are acti­vated, the compo­nents from the Preci­sion Ag Essen­tials package will remain fully func­tional, just like any other StarFire^TM 7500 receiver or JDLink^TM modem. Customers can still utilise the G5Plus universal display for docu­men­ta­tion purposes or when working with ISOBUS imple­ments. Once the license is reac­ti­vated, it will unlock addi­tional uses.

With so many offers avail­able in the market, what sets John Deere apart?

Our product is designed to meet current needs and future chal­lenges, making it future-ready. It is universal, quick to start, and user-friendly. With the free of charge John Deere Oper­a­tions Center^TM, users benefit from auto­matic syncing of guid­ance lines and bound­aries across all machines for seam­less oper­a­tion. This advanced tech­nology, devel­oped by the inventor of Auto­Trac^TM, is supported by a dealer network offering unmatched exper­tise from years of service and expe­ri­ence.

What would you recom­mend?

The Preci­sion Ag Essen­tials Package is compat­ible with any machine, regard­less of brand or age. Contact your local dealer for a demo and see how easy it is to start and adopt smart farming prac­tices across entire fleet.