John Deere releases sprayer updates to maximize yields and minimize costs

John Deere (NYSE: DE) announced updates to the John Deere and Hagie sprayer lineup. These updates were developed to give farmers cleaner fields that have less weed competition, leading to more yield potential.

"Application equipment makes an average of three passes over the same field during a growing season," said Josh Ladd, John Deere go-to-market manager for application. "The updates we are bringing to farmers this season are designed to help them save on input costs and reduce crop damage — two things that help with a farmer's bottom line."

See & Spray Updates

See & Spray Select Variable Rate

• See & Spray technology continues to develop and provide additional options for farmers looking for ways to reduce inputs and improve targeted weed control. See & Spray Select has historically been used to control weeds in fallow fields. New variable rate capabilities unlock significant opportunity for precise application, and product savings, in later season fungicide, desiccant, pre-harvest passes and more. Farmers can now see the percentage of biomass each camera detects throughout the field. Each camera rates the amount of green biomass detected and varies the volume of product applied by percentage. Farmers then adjust how much product they wish to apply on an individual nozzle level based on the green biomass percentages, giving them the ability to apply product where it is needed most. Variable Rate capabilities will require a G5 or G5Plus CommandCenter™

• See & Spray Select will be available from the factory on model year 2026 John Deere 400 and 600 series sprayers with 90-ft. (27.4 m), 100-ft. (30.5 m) or 120-ft. (36.6 m) steel booms. See & Spray Select also will be available as a precision upgrade kit for model year 2018+ John Deere sprayers with ExactApply and a 120-ft. (36.6 m) steel boom.

"The new variable rate option with See & Spray technology gives small-grain farmers the versatility to apply less or more of a solution based on the given scenario," Ladd said. "This allows the farmer the ability to precisely apply product no matter the time of season."

See & Spray Premium

• A new update to the See & Spray Premium technology is the addition of new boom sizes. Available as a precision upgrade, See & Spray Premium will now be available in 90-ft. (27.4 m), 100-ft. (30.5 m) or 120-ft. (36.6 m) booms.

• Also new for the upcoming year, See & Spray Premium will be available on Hagie STS20 sprayers.

AutoTrac Updates

Preventing crop damage is key during the application process. Now, John Deere application equipment has two new options available to reduce operator stress and ensure a more seamless application experience. AutoTrac Turn Automation (ATTA) and AutoTrac Vision 2.0 help provide consistent passes across the field with each application.

AutoTrac Turn Automation

This technology is now available on John Deere and Hagie sprayers, helping ensure consistent and accurate turns at the end of each pass, all day, every day. ATTA accurately steers the sprayer along a guidance line at the end of a field pass, smoothly guiding the machine into the next section of the field. This technology allows the sprayer operator to focus on managing the sprayer booms, adjusting their height and position in relation to obstacles in and around the field, while also controlling the machine's speed. ATTA allows the operator to plan the shape of their turns while helping reduce crop trampling and leading to overall improved yield.

ATTA is compatible with John Deere 400 & 600 series self-propelled sprayers, 800R floaters, and Hagie STS12, STS16 and STS20 sprayers, model year 2022 and newer. This new feature is included with Automation 4.0 on Gen4 displays and the G5 Advanced license for machines that have a G5 display.

AutoTrac Vision 2.0

AutoTrac Vision 2.0 transforms crop management by ensuring the sprayer wheels remain centered within each row, significantly minimizing crop damage and enhancing yields. This innovative system enables sprayers to operate at faster spraying speeds while maintaining precise control, allowing for swift operations during tight application windows. As a result, operators can maximize their efficiency by concentrating less on steering and more on the essential tasks at hand.

Sprayer operators will appreciate the capabilities of AutoTrac Vision 2.0, which boasts a maximum speed of 22 mph (35 kph), slope performance of up to 6°, and the ability to navigate curves with a radius of just 50 meters. This advanced system features a cab-mounted stereo camera array in conjunction with an under-chassis mono camera, ensuring superior performance and visibility. The camera system is capable at detecting crop heights as low as 4 inches (10 centimeters) and can effectively manage up to 90% canopy coverage, delivering outstanding performance throughout the application season. AutoTrac Vision 2.0 technology is available on model year 2026 John Deere sprayers as a factory option.

ExactApply Updates

Technology improvement to help farmers more accurately apply product is key in helping improve yields. John Deere is excited to introduce ExactApply Variable Rate capabilities — including Multi-Rate across the boom with AutoSelect Pulsing (and A+B pulse width modulation nozzle switching). With AutoSelect pulsing enabled, sprayer operators can now vary multiple application rates across the entire boom — up to 11 unique sections, leading to more precise product placement. Operators will also have increased rate range for variable rate prescriptions and curve compensation. This technology is available as a software update for model year 2023-2025 sprayers, and model year 2026 will come factory installed with updated software features and functionalities.