John Deere Unveils 'Hands-Free Baling' at Farm Progress Show
Key Takeaways
- •John Deere announced a hands-free baling system at the 2026 Farm Progress Show near Boone, Iowa.
- •The capability combines tractor automations (AutoTrack, AutoPath, AutoTurn) with baler-side technologies including baling gate, speed, and weave automation.
- •Weave automation, a component of the system, was launched by Deere the previous year.
- •Baling has traditionally required near-constant operator input, making it one of the more labor-intensive steps in forage harvesting.
- •Farm-equipment makers have cited persistent agricultural labor shortages as a driver of demand for autonomous and assisted-operation technology.
John Deere is introducing what the agricultural manufacturer describes as a hands-free baling experience, the latest step in its broader push into automation and autonomous machinery that has increasingly defined large-equipment releases across the farm machinery sector.
Speaking with Brownfield at the Farm Progress Show near Boone, Iowa on Wednesday, Deere hay and forage marketing manager Kaylene Ballesteros said the company's weave automation launched last year.
"This is a continuation of the value from the weave automation. So if you take our current auto-track, auto-path, auto-turn automations, so all of the 'autos.' You take that existing tech that you can do on the tractor today, and then you also take our legacy tech on the baler which is our baling gate and speed automation, with weave automation. Those three things (when) you marry them together and now you can have hands-free baling," Ballesteros said.
The hands-free baling capability combines tractor-side automation features — AutoTrack, AutoPath, and AutoTurn — with baler-side technology, including baling gate automation, speed automation, and the weave automation introduced last year. For hay and forage producers, baling has traditionally required near-constant operator input — steering the tractor while managing baler settings at the same time — so stacking these automation layers addresses one of the more labor-intensive steps in forage harvesting. Automation of this kind also matters amid persistent agricultural labor shortages that farm-equipment makers have cited as a driver of demand for autonomous and assisted-operation technology.
The announcement was made during the 2026 Farm Progress Show, an annual outdoor farm equipment trade show held near Boone, Iowa. The event is one of the largest agricultural equipment exhibitions in the United States, drawing exhibitors and visitors from across the country — a venue where manufacturers including Deere routinely debut new equipment and technology ahead of the fall harvest and equipment-purchasing season.
Source: Brownfield Ag News
