NEWS RELEASE February 27, 2025

John Deere Unveils Expanded Advanced Automation and Productivity Enhancements for Model Year 2026 Combines

New automation, digital and machine updates empower farmers with greater efficiency, improved insights and enhanced ease of operation across a variety of harvesting conditions.

OLATHE, Kansas (Feb. 27, 2025) — John Deere (NYSE: DE) announced today the enhancements farmers will find available on model year 2026 combines, including an array of automation and efficiency updates. The new features are focused on helping farmers harvest in more diverse conditions, requiring less operator intervention and providing more operational insights that help improve farm efficiency and productivity.

"These new updates are designed with farmer input to help unlock the full potential of the John Deere combine," said Bergen Nelson, John Deere go-to-market manager for harvesting equipment. "These updates are designed to help farmers during harvest – from beginning to end. From improving the grain-unloading experience to solutions that help increase the combine working time, these updates are designed to help farmers work in those often-tight harvest windows."

Harvest Automation Updates

Updates to the combine's harvest automation system are designed to give operators new harvesting-related functionality.

Predictive Ground Speed Automation – a part of the ultimate technology package – was introduced with the model year 2025 combines and incorporates predictive inputs measuring crop variability ahead of the combine for controlling ground speed. Two factory-mounted stereo cameras look ahead and measure crop height and stay in front of the cutter bar. Satellite views leverage the John Deere Operations Center^™ to generate predictive yield maps based on midseason biomass results. Together, these systems create a more productive and smoother harvesting experience, which allows less skilled operators to maintain grain quality. Customer feedback provided direction for the following predictive ground speed updates:

Operators would disengage the Predictive Ground Speed Automation feature when entering different field terrains such as waterways, ditches or terraces. To help better manage these various terrains and maintain the proper speed, a new update will incorporate these unique field attributes to adjust the combine's ground speed through these sensitive areas.
Another update is weed detection sensing. In addition to sensing crop height and mass, cab-mounted cameras used for predictive ground speed automation will now sense individual weed patches that are mixed in with the crop by detecting weed-like characteristics of plant shape and height. Depending on the weed density and operator-defined sensitivity, the combine will reduce ground speed as it harvests through these areas to reduce slugging and helping prevent reel or rotor wrapping.
Predictive ground speed automation supports wheat, barley, canola, soybean, corn, peas, edible beans and lentils.
New functionality in the John Deere Operations Center will now automatically send harvest automation files through work planner that includes crop type data from planting so satellite views of predictive ground speed automation can be utilized. This functionality helps ensure all eligible combines have the essential harvest automation files so productivity can be realized.

Harvest Settings Automation helps combine operators get into the field faster by automatically setting concave clearance, fan speed, rotor speed, sieve clearance and chaffer clearance, all based on the combine model, crop type and geolocation. Updates include:

Harvest Settings Automation will now include an out-of-crop settings adjustment that engages when the combine is passing through areas already harvested. In these areas, the system will apply defined offset values to the combine cleaning shoe settings, helping reduce grain loss and maintain a cleaner tank sample in sparse areas of the field.
Harvest Settings Automation supports wheat, barley, canola, soybean, corn and rice crops.

Productivity Enhancements

In addition to updates in automation, the model year 2026 release also includes improvements designed to enhance productivity with less operator intervention. These updates particularly benefit less experienced operators.

An update to AutoTrac^™Turn Automation automatically raises and lowers the combine head as the machine crosses specific field triggers, including coverage, exterior boundary and interior impassible boundary. This update provides true hands-free turning, benefiting farmers in several ways, including making it easier on operators who are harvesting at night as crop dust creates poor visibility. The new raise/lower automation helps reduce the likelihood of missing a crop or starting a new pass in the wrong place. This feature also benefits less skilled operators, helping maintain efficiency.
Unloading into a grain cart occurs about 10 times per hour and can be an extremely tense time that splits the attention of the combine operator between unloading and continuing to harvest the crop. A new auto-unload camera, and supporting hardware and software are now available to help consistently fill grain carts and possibly reduce in-field spills. The camera is mounted to the auger and senses the grain fill level inside the cart to automate in-line nudge commands on the tractor to evenly fill the cart. This feature also is available as a precision upgrade for older-model combines.

Gaining More Insights

Harvest updates available through the John Deere Operations Center give operators at-a-glance views of their farm on their mobile device to help make in-field decisions to manage their harvest activity.

Grain harvest weight sharing gives operators a view of the live weight of the grain in combines and grain carts that are a part of the farm's organization. This solution helps grain carts be placed in the correct place, increasing efficiency and reducing idle time.
Grain Sensing with HarvestLab^™ 3000 is now available for all model year 2025 and newer X9, S7 and T6 combines. Through the John Deere Operations Center, Grain Sensing instantaneously collects and records the percentages of crop moisture, protein, starch and oil content of wheat, barley, canola, corn, soybeans, oats and rye crops. The new hardware reduces potential crop plugging, especially in high moisture conditions and provides better documentation.

Machine Updates

In addition to updates in automation, John Deere introduced improvements to its combines. All changes are based on customer input and designed to maintain productivity and efficiency during long harvest days.

A new instructor seat will be included in all model year 2026 combines. The seat is designed to provide comfort for all riders by providing a larger seat bottom that works similar to a stadium seat. When not in use, the seat automatically flips up and the seat back can be manually folded down, serving as a shelf for the operator.
Today's farm operations require mobile devices – some that are used to complete harvest or other activities occurring across other parts of the business. These devices require sufficient battery charge and users have come to expect that charge to be completed quickly. A dual USB-C charging module is included in the new combine models and provides faster charging when both ports are in use.

To help ensure reliable capture of the needed field and machine data, John Deere also offers JDLink^® Boost^™, a satellite connectivity solution to ensure customers continue seamless work in fields with little to no cellular coverage. This is a field-installed kit with customized harnesses that allows machines to transmit data in real time to and from the John Deere Operations Center across machines, helping support the advanced automation and technologies, and providing information for farmers to better manage their fleets. This feature also better supports remote display access, reducing the time it can take to diagnose a machine issue.

To determine which updates are available for model year 2025 or available on model year 2026 combines, contact your local John Deere dealer or visit deere.com.

ABOUT JOHN DEERE

It doesn't matter if you've never driven a tractor, mowed a lawn, or operated a dozer. With John Deere's role in helping produce food, fiber, fuel, and infrastructure, we work for every single person on the planet. It all started nearly 200 years ago with a steel plow. Today, John Deere drives innovation in agriculture, construction, forestry, turf, power systems, and more.

For further information, the news media should contact:

Jenni Badding
Public Relations Manager, Production & Precision Agriculture
agpr@JohnDeere.com

Kelly Loganbill
Editorial Contact
Kloganbill@bader-rutter.com