Alberta farmer express

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poplars are DYING ‘everywhere’ AND THAT’S RAISING CONCERNS Some producers may gain farmland, but the trees also provide benefits for crops » PG 3

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Farmers once again railing against slow grain movement Slow grain movement this winter is bringing back bad memories for many

Meet DOT: the selfdriving power implement A Saskatchewan-based company has developed an autonomous tractor — minus the tractor

BY JENNIFER BLAIR

BY JEFF MELCHIOR

AF Staff

AF contributor

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espite recent improvements to rail transportation in Canada, farmers are still forced to rely on a largely unreliable system. “Rail is the backbone of the economy, but it’s also the Achilles heel,” said Mark Hemmes, president of Quorum Corporation. The 2016-17 crop year was one for the books. Despite a slow start, the system set records for total

SEE grain movement } page 9

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igger doesn’t always mean better — but that’s been the story of farm machinery for decades. However, could the era of huge, hulking tractors and the big implements they pull be coming to an end? Norbert Beaujot thinks so, even though the founder of SeedMaster spent most of his career building some of those increasingly heavier and larger machines. But the equipment made by his company and other manufacturers has some serious flaws, said Beaujot. “We’ve become leaders in building really big equipment that’s successful in many ways but always carries with it inefficiencies and other kinds of hidden costs such as compaction and overall fuel usage,” he said. Beaujot caught the imagination of Prairie farmers last summer when he unveiled a fully functioning DOT Autonomous Power Platform at the Ag in Motion outdoor farm show. The U-shaped machine is a self-propelled, hydraulically driven platform that replaces the pulling of implements such as seeders in favour of, essentially, carrying them. And most startlingly, there’s no cab. Instead, GPS technology similar to that used in self-driving automobiles means the DOT platform can be programmed to follow a specific route and stop on a dime for any obstacles. All the while, it sends back a stream of data so the producer can monitor progress and diagnostics remotely with a tablet equipped with specialized software. Putting a seeder or sprayer directly on the platform also means a smaller engine and

Norbert Beaujot was first inspired by autonomous cars but then had an idea for something much more radical — a cabless platform that can carry different implements.  PHOTO: SeedMaster and DOT video lighter machine that burns considerably less fuel. And no cab means an end to the long, tiring hours involved in operating traditional equipment.

Farmers intrigued

Switching over to an entirely new set of machinery is obviously a major undertaking. But Beaujot’s creation has definitely piqued the interest of many producers. T:10.25”

“I think it’s coming. I think there’s a big fit for it. I’d buy a prototype today if I could,” said Justin Kelly, a wheat, canola and pea producer and agronomy consultant from Cut Knife, Sask. “We already have auto steer so half the time I’m sitting on a tractor or sprayer or something like that and I’m not driving it anyway.

SEE autonomous tractor } page 6

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