Future of grain
HIGHLIGHTING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN GRAIN PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION
AGCO upgrades Minnesota facility
AGCO Corporation is in the midst of a multi- year, $42 million upgrade and expansion to its engineering and manufacturing facility in Jackson, Minnesota. As of fall 2014, all Massey Ferguson® and Challenger® tractors built in Jackson must pass five quality-assurance tests before being delivered to dealers and farmers. New end-of-line testing procedures ensure each tractor to come off the line performs at or above engineering specifications and is ready to work hard for farmers. The new tests — a jounce test, PTO dynamometer test, and chassis dynamometer test — make up the fifth quality-check gate at the Jackson facility. Quality-check gates one through four verify proper functioning of the hydraulic system, cab electronics, overall systems and fit, finish, and tire or track width.
AGCO has invested heavily in manufacturing critical components in-house. The recently completed 30,000-square-foot expansion of the component manufacturing area houses two new laser cutters, a new material handling system, and an array of state-of- the-art welding and machining equipment. All components manufactured in Jackson are first designed in 3-D virtual-reality programs. Operators share 3-D component information through each step of the manufacturing process with touch screens, and manufacturers are not allowed to move to the next step if the real model does not match the 3-D model. This technology helps keep the finished components as consistent as possible.
AGCO plans to continue the installation of additional robotic welders, sheet lasers, and new tube lasers over the next 24 months. These changes will increase component-manufacturing capacity by 20 percent, improve productivity, and positively impact quality of all AGCO equipment built in Jackson. •
Who are you following?
Farmers are using Twitter to stay connected and up to date with industry news. Each month, Ontario Grain Farmer magazine will highlight Twitter accounts we think you should consider following or hashtags (#) that will help you join specific conversations.
@NavabiAlireza
Dr. Alireza Navabi took on the professorship in wheat breeding funded by Grain Farmers of Ontario, SeCan, and the University of Guelph earlier this year. Navabi is new to Twitter but is gaining a following with his tweets about research and news from the wheat industry.
#SWAC15
Use #SWAC15 to discuss the upcoming Southwest Agricultural Conference held on January 6 and 7, 2015. Sessions include MAXIMUM Corn!, designed to educate attendees about crop inputs; Soybeans: The Next Level, a session about soybean agronomics; and Colliding Expectations, new ways to use environmentally conscious ideas on your farm.. •
The Digital Toolbox
The smartphone, tablet and computer are important tools on today’s farms. Each month, Ontario Grain Farmer magazine will highlight an app, online tool, or website that may help you in the field or in the farm office.
Grain Storage Manager
The Grain Storage Manager (GSM) app is a free tool that allows grain farmers to manage the storage of their crops. The GSM app lets the user create virtual bins, set their capacity, location, and crop and then track the crop. Users can see the percentage of capacity, total bushels housed, and each transaction. The app has other features to calculate shrinkage and bin capacity and is able to set reminders to check bins. Information can be downloaded into a spreadsheet.
This free app is available for Apple and Android devices. •
