Deere & Co. reported net income of $1.208 billion for the second quarter ended April 29, 2018 compared with net income of $808.5 million for the quarter ended April 30, 2017.

The startups participating in the program will receive intensive mentoring, $40,000 in seed funding, field trips to investor and mentor companies, outreach, networking and presentation 
opportunities.

Deere & Co. plans to construct a new 33,000-square-foot facility at the Iowa State University (ISU) Research Park as a design and test lab for agricultural spraying and applications technology.

Last week in Valley City, N.D., John Deere showcased their largest version of the 1895 No-Till Drill to date with a 60-foot model. Offered in addition to the release of the drill is the RelativeFlow Blockage Monitoring system, designed to monitor each primary tower and secondary hose on the drill for seeding blockages, and alert users of any particular issues from the cab before they occur.

At the John Deere seeding equipment preview event in Valley City, ND, Product Manager Tyler Rumbold breaks down key features of the newly introduced John Deere 76-foot 1870 Air Seeder. Constructed to be 24 feet wider than the previous largest model, the drill includes seed opener modifications to optimize nutrient uptake. The release also includes TruSet compatible technology, which allows for in-cab depth adjustment on seed placement, and RelativeFlow, which alerts users of potential tower blockages in real-time.

Robotic harvesting vehicles are being tested in Florida and California to pick strawberries and replace labor-intensive tasks normally performed by dozens of farm workers. Also, robotic machinery is being tested to harvest apples and other crops, and efforts are underway to develop small agriculture field robots.

The manufacturer received the American Farm Bureau Ag Data Transparent (ADT) certification, which verifies to producers that a technology provider or product is in compliance with specific core principles for ag data ownership, consent and privacy.