Deere celebrates 75 years of SP combine harvesters

John Deere celebrates 75 years of producing self-propelled combine harvesters this year – a machine innovation that transformed the cropping industry since its entry into the commercial market in the 1940s. John Deere Australia/New Zealand managing director Luke Chandler said Australian farmers embraced the self-propelled machines when they first entered the market, transitioning from the more labour-intensive tractor-pulled harvesters. “The introduction of this equipment to the Australian farming landscape was a pivotal point in time for the industry and alluded to what was ahead in terms of new-found productivity gains stemming from machinery technology,” Mr Chandler said. “Farming businesses and families have travelled on this remarkable technological journey with John Deere, which has propelled Australian agriculture to maximise on the unparalleled advantages in productivity and helped build stronger industry resilience. “Self-propelled harvesters empowered farmers to focus on what’s truly important to them, which is growing the best-quality produce possible and making the most out of every harvest.” To mark the diamond jubilee milestone, all combine harvesters manufactured in 2022 will be branded with a special 75-year anniversary badge. Deere also celebrates 10 years of the iconic S Series combine harvesters working on Australian farms. Mr Chandler said the S Series brought another transformational wave to the cropping industry, this time through incorporating advanced technology to capture and analyse farm data. “The precision agriculture capability of the S Series, and what it can help farming business achieve, has not stopped evolving since that time and it remains to be one of Australia’s most trusted harvesters,” he said. Deere launched the new X Series combine last year which is again set to revolutionise harvesting operations, with capacity to harvest 12ha of wheat per hour, among many other desired capabilities. “We see this machinery as a game-changing harvest solution for growers, especially considering the challenging harvest we’ve just been through where getting the crop off quickly and efficiently was paramount,” Mr Chandler said. “The X Series brings a new level of capacity to the Australian market and already we have seen an eagerness from farmers to adopt this technology.” For more information on S Series or X Series combines, please contact your local AFGRI Equipment branch today.