The Top 5 Agriculture Technology Podcast Episodes of 2024

Tony Kramer: Hi, I'm Tony Kramer, your host of the Agriculture Technology Podcast. I'm sitting down with agriculture technology and equipment experts to help you enhance your operation for today, tomorrow, and into the future. In this episode, we are going to recap the 2024 season of our podcast. With that, let's dive into the show. Like I said, we have finished another season of our podcast. We covered a ton of great information, had a lot of really fun guests on the show.

In this episode, we do it every year, we recap what we talked about, some of the episodes we went through. Diving in, I just wanted to mention a couple of episodes that really drew some attention, whether it was new equipment or just the conversations that we had were unique. To start out, the new John Deere Tillage Tool. John Deere released the new coulter chisel or the CC line of tillage tools. They also released the new MT or the minimum tillage tool. We talked about that.

That was a great episode that covered the ins and outs of what these tools are, where they're going to go. Go ahead, take a listen to that episode. Another one that we covered were, of course, the John Deere Precision Upgrade Kits. We talked about combines and sprayers and talked about all the different upgrades that are available out there in order to take what you have today and/or find a piece of used equipment on the market and upgrade it with the different kits that are available.

Go ahead, go back, and listen to the combine and sprayer performance upgrade kit episode. One of the last-- we're calling these honorable mention, not in the top five of our episodes, we talked about managing lawn and land utility fleets. This was a really unique one that we did at the beginning of the season in 2024. We talked with a customer who does lawn care in the summer and snow removal in the winter. We discussed how they are utilizing the John Deere Operation Center to manage their fleet, manage the logistics when they're out doing the jobs, moving around from location to location.

That was a really fun one. Go back to the beginning of the 2024 season and give that one a listen. Those were just a few we wanted to touch on real briefly, talking about some of the things that were unique, fun, interesting. Now I want to talk about our-- we deem these our top-five episodes, whether it be listenership, the number of listens we had, or views on YouTube. These were the five standout episodes of the 2024 podcast season. Starting out, we talked again, precision upgrade kits.

This one specifically revolved around planters. In this episode, I talked with Colin Artz, an account manager out of one of our South Dakota locations. Colin and I discussed just the basics of what is a precision upgrade kit for a planter. What does it look like? Who can it benefit? How do we go about ordering one of those or making the decision to order one? I encourage you go back out, listen to episode 199 on precision upgrade kits for planters.

Episode 199 - Precision Upgrades for Planters

Tony Kramer: Why would a customer go the route of precision upgrade kit versus buying or ordering a brand new planter or maybe going on the hunt or having you hunt for a used machine? Where is the value to a customer when we talk precision upgrade kits for planters?

Colin Artz: I'd say that probably the number one advantage of it is the cost. It's significantly a lot cheaper than ordering a whole new planter, because like I say, you're utilizing your equipment that you already have. The other side of it would be, we just got off of times of shortage of inventory and everything like that, and we were allocated only so many brand-new complete units that customers had to look at different options to be able to keep up with times, keep up with technology and have their farm grow as successful as possible.

Tony Kramer: This really opens the door to allow customers to get into that technology, that newer technology. Maybe they have that 2015 bar that they bought brand-new in 2015. They've really enjoyed it. They're happy with it. They know what maintenance has been done to it. Here we are in 2024, moving into model year 2025 planter orders here shortly. It's a 10-year-old planter. They want newer technology. This really opens that door to get them there.

The next thing I want to talk about, Colin, is when you order a puck, whatever level it may be, what do we get in that puck kit? How does it come to the dealership from the factory?

Colin Artz: Basically, you look at it as a menu. You look at the menu as far as how you want the planter to be built. There are so many different variations and options of how these pucks can be sent to us and installed on the planter. Basically, all said and done with, you're going to basically get everything from the bar back. There are some things that you could utilize from your old planter, such as gauge wheels or closing wheels, assemblies, different things like that. You're essentially going to get new parallel arms, new downforce, new shank, and then new meters and then all electronic cabling.

Tony Kramer: If this is a full-blown meter upgrade, we're not just getting a meter to slap on the iron that we already have. We're getting new iron with it?

Colin Artz: Yes, absolutely. We have to have new iron just because of the capability, the size, the fitting of all of the new meters and everything, plus the speeds that we could potentially be going. They're a lot more durable and stronger than what they have been in the past. That's why we're updating everything.

Tony Kramer: You are pretty much getting a brand new planter. You're not getting the hydraulic hoses, and you're not getting the bar, and I suppose the wheels. The transport wheels, the wing wheels, things like that is staying the same. Other than that, the components that really, really matter, it's all coming brand-new when you order one of these is what I'm understanding.

Colin Artz: Yes, you're exactly right. You're basically getting a new planter bolted onto your bar. Probably the number one thing is basically you got to pick your speed you want to go, if you will. There's MaxEmerge 5e, which is an electronic drive, Pro Series, ProMax 40, if you will, your what-you've-been-used-to meter, your standard speed. It's got a seed tube with the drop in it. That's one selection. The other side would be is going up to an ExactEmerge, where you're getting the precision. You're getting a brush belt.

You're getting delivery of the seed right down to the seed trench and capabilities of up to 10 mile an hour. After that, you can pick and choose different things from there. Again, if you want to use your old gauge wheels, you can keep your old gauge wheels. If you want to update to new ones, you're like, "Hey, maybe I want to go with spoke gauge wheels," you can get spoke gauge wheels.

If you like that 10-year-old bar, your row cleaners on there are maybe not up to date, we can get a whole pneumatic adjustable row cleaner set up for the front of it bolted on. We can get closing wheel assemblies. We can get pneumatic closing wheels. Just a huge whole gamut of options that you can get.

Tony Kramer: Now some of those options are, we need to have that major upgrade prior to those little individual options. Is that right?

Colin Artz: For sure.

Tony Kramer: Customer does that. They decide, "Okay, this is what I want to do. These are the components that I want." How is it coming to us and how is this whole process finishing up?

Colin Artz: Now, you're basically coming in and ordering it just like you are a brand-new planter. It's going to come with a serial number. Your planter is going to get a new serial number that's going to reference all of the new components that you have on it. They'll come to us delivered from the store. Usually, they'll fully complete two-row units on a pallet at a time and then a few extra boxes with all the wire harnesses and new controllers inside of that.

Tony Kramer: That makes it very easy for the customer to be able to get what they need. We get it installed for them or I guess they can install it if they so choose. That's the process, like you said, getting a new planter.

Colin Artz: Yes, you're ordering a new planter. It's essentially getting here, all the units show up, we get in contact with the customer. We tell them, "Hey, bring your old planter in." The customer has the option to take off, strip off as much of that bar that he wants to maybe potentially keep or get rid of, or we can do it all complete. Then we just start adding components back onto the planter, almost like an assembly line.

Episode 197 - The Millennial Farmer

Tony Kramer: Next one up for the 2024 season of our podcast, number four came in with episode number 197. We had Zach Johnson on our show. Many of you know him as the Millennial Farmer. This was Zach's second time on our show. We got to meet up with him down in Texas at the Commodity Classic for 2024. Now, the first time we had Zach on our show, we just talked about him and his YouTube channel and why a farmer in Central Minnesota would start that, West-Central Minnesota.

In this episode, or this time on episode 197, we talked about utilizing new technology on his farm. We were standing by a planter that was outfitted with technologies like ExactShot, John Deere's new technology that doses the seed with in-furrow fertilizer. We also talked about some of the other technologies that Zach is utilizing on his farm. Go out, take a listen to episode 197 with Zach Johnson, the Millennial Farmer.

Episode 197

Tony Kramer: What types of technologies are you utilizing, and most importantly, why? What does that mean to your farm, the technologies that are available?

Zach Johnson: I'm lucky in that my dad has always been very good at adopting new technology. He's also always been big on making sure that you can understand the return on investment on that technology and making sure that you can weed out the technology that is maybe something that looks like a really cool map or can show you some data that you haven't seen before, but does it translate into a return on that investment?

I've seen a lot of technology out there that has come and gone that just didn't provide that return on investment. I think that that's why it left us, because farmers will see that. It's obviously a business, so you need to make good decisions for your farm. Farming has obviously gotten so much more efficient as we've gone now with the amount of people that we're able to provide for with one and a half percent of us, ultimately, that are farmers. We just keep getting more and more efficient and better at what we do.

We have really hit the point where technology's taken off like crazy like it is in every other industry. I've talked to a lot of people about some of the technology that goes into these things. We're standing next to a planter right now that has the ExactShot fertilizer on it that's only going to lay that fertilizer right where it needs to be around that seed. It's going to save you, what? 60%, I think, on your fertilizer. Two-thirds of your fertilizer?

Tony Kramer: Yes, up to 60% of input savings on fertilizer.

Zach Johnson: We got stuff like this with that ExactShot fertilizer. We have got sprayers now that identify the weeds and only spray the weeds and are also capable of putting down a residual chemical at the same time if you want to do that. We are soil-sampling in as small of increments as you want. For us, it's all about making sure that the technology we use actually provides a return. Some of the things I've mentioned are those things. We'll be trying this ExactShot in the spring, which is new to us.

We actually haven't had liquid fertilizer on a planter for quite some time. I think just having the ability to place it correctly is going to be huge for us. Certainly, it sold me on it, at least into trying it. I really am hopeful. I really think that there's a lot here with the ExactShot. Same thing with the sprayers. Right now, our sprayer is not hooked up with the seeding spray for certain operations that are growing certain crops and trying to do certain things. That'd be huge.

The chemical savings on that is incredible. In the right situation, some of this technology is just unbelievable and it just continues to unfold. Farmers figure out what's worth it and what's not. As we go, we're really learning a lot about what provides the return for us.

Episode 198 - John Deere Product Launch (Commodity Classic 2024)

Tony Kramer: Next up on our list for 2024 is number three, and that is episode 198. We were talking, talked to Zach Johnson down at the Commodity Classic. Many of you know at the Commodity Classic in 2024, John Deere had a very large product launch. They launched new air seeder/air carts. They launched new design, new styling, and new components to the S7 Series combines. We got a lot of different things that came out in the 2024 or John Deere's 2025 model year product launch.

One of the ones that I want to talk about specifically is those new High Horsepower 9RX Tractors coming in at 710, 770, and 830 horse with that new JD18 engine. Big tracks, big power, get the power to the ground where you want it. Now I encourage you not only to go back and listen to episode number 198 on the podcast, but also go out to RDO Equipment Company's YouTube channel. We had a great walk around at our field days this summer, talking all about the new 9RX high horsepower offerings from John Deere.

Episode 198

Tony Kramer: Let's dive into it. John Deere here at the Commodity Classic launched three brand new high horsepower, new design, everything from the ground up, 9RX tractors. The biggest one we're standing here, the 830, they've got a couple of other models. Talk to us a little bit about what those models are and tell us a little bit about the engine. I know there's some fun things that we can learn about that.

Michael Porter, Go To Market Manager, John Deere: Like you mentioned, three new models. On the smaller end would be the new 9RX 710, then the 9RX 770, and then the one we're standing next to would be the 9RX 830. Those numbers represent the rated horsepower for each of those models. Then on the very top end with the 830, the peak horsepower for that would actually be 913. Again, a major jump in horsepower from our previous machines. Like you alluded to, the engine in all three of these machines is the new JD18 engine from John Deere.

A lot of great benefits from this. One of the biggest ones being obviously the new high horsepower capabilities, but also about how it does this with emissions. With emissions on this, it's able to meet Final Tier 4 emissions using only exhaust gas recirculation. More commonly EGR. No diesel particulate filters and no diesel exhaust fluid or commonly referred to as DEF. Customers are really excited about the opportunity to get something this powerful without maybe some of the hassle or added morning startup with having to fill a DEF tank as well.

Tony Kramer: Those added fluid costs or whatever you want to refer to it as, the diesel exhaust fluid, having to put that in the tractor, huge benefit for the customer of not having to do this with this new JD18. Now another thing that is massive on this tractor is this track system that we are standing next to right now. Tell us a little bit about how this differs from the traditional 9RX.

Michael Porter: The main thing you hit on, it's bigger. It's a longer track. It's a taller track. That's really to help deliver that 830 horsepower to the ground. Starting here with the newer drive wheel, that allows us to do is the angles changed, so we're actually getting more track wrap around this drive wheel, which gets more engagement with the lugs. Really just helps transfer that power better through the machine.

As we go down towards the bottom, we've added an idler on the bottom, and that's really to help spread out some of the weight to keep a more consistent footprint to what we have with our traditional 9RXs because this machine is a little bit heavier. Total ballast, it can be up to 84,000 pounds. Again, with that 84,000 pounds and 830 horsepower, it takes a pretty aggressive and new design track to get all that power to the ground.

Episode 196 - Pre-Season John Deere Operations Center Reminders

Tony Kramer: Coming in at number two on our list of episodes for 2024, we go back to episode number 196. In that episode, it was a pre-season preparation. Beginning of 2024, we talked about everything that can be done within the John Deere Operation Center prior to a planting season or just a growing season in general. Talked about things to be prepared with, getting all of your information in there, making sure your information is in there, but then also utilizing historical data to make educated decisions for what we're going to do this year.

The big thing to remember, the John Deere Operation Center, it's a business system. It is a tool that you can utilize on your farm to make day-to-day decisions, make year-over-year decisions, and use that as a tool to better your operation. Go out, take a listen to episode 196, talking pre-season dos within the John Deere Operation Center.

Episode 196

Tony Kramer: What is the value of the John Deere Operation Center to a small grains customer?

Ryan Stien: Tony, I think there are some unique things and there are so many places in the world today to back up even a level higher on ag data, farm data, logistics management. There's a lot of fantastic tools and the evolution of what you can do on the farm has grown so much, especially in the last five years. When I think about the core value of the operation center, it really comes into we can document your agronomic inputs on the farm. We start calling it the digital twin or the digital replica of the farm.

You think about on the agronomic side of that, that's having your fields, all the fields that you farm, you can get your products loaded in, so your seeds, your chemical, your fertilizer loaded in, and your John Deere equipment. The equipment is where the John Deere Operation Center starts to differentiate from other platforms that are in the market because now we're not solely looking at the agronomics. We're also looking at your equipment.

Working with John Deere, we know that there's a significant investment that customers put into their equipment. Monitoring how the job is progressing, monitoring how well that investment in your equipment is returning for the grower is a really unique portion of the operation center. That's I think what I think of the operation center in general is that equipment monitoring and that equipment viewpoints, not just where is it at and how many hours, but how well of a job is it doing in the field.

That's where it starts to pull away from just being an agronomic tool only.

Tony Kramer: Yes. I couldn't agree more. I've actually said that whether it be in conversation with people or maybe even past episodes, I truly view the John Deere Operation Center as a business system for farmers. If you run your own private business, maybe you do QuickBooks for all your financial stuff, or we as a John Deere dealer, we have a CRM system, a customer software that allows us to sell parts, to know and understand what's going on from a service aspect.

The John Deere Operation Center is just that from an agronomic perspective with-- you talk about the machines, the agronomic data, all of it together. There was definitely a shift. With the introduction of the John Deere Operation Center, John Deere brought in all of the equipment. Prior to that, we had Apex, which was solely agronomic data. Like you said in the start of your comments there, it's so much bigger. It's not just the agronomic data. It is total farm, total operation, everything there.

The John Deere Operation Center is a tool that should be on every farm for that very reason.

Episode 200 - RDO Equipment Co. Founder Ron Offutt

Tony Kramer: Rounding out our list at number one for what we deemed our top five episodes for this season, we hit episode number 200 this year. Middle of the summer, we hit episode 200. We put that one at the top of our list because any of you podcasters, YouTubers, whatever you are doing out there, 200 episodes is a huge accomplishment. I want to take the time to say thank you to all of our listeners, everybody out there that has subscribed to the show, shared our show with family, friends, coworkers, anybody else in the ag industry or outside of the ag industry at that point. I just want to thank you guys.

If it wasn't for you listeners, those of you watching on YouTube, we wouldn't be doing this all the way through episode 200. I'm very excited to continue on with this. With that, at episode 200, I got the opportunity to sit down with the founder of RDO Equipment Company, Mr. Ron Offutt himself. This was a great conversation that I got to have with Ron about getting the business started, where he came from with his dad and farming, and how this all transpired.

One of the things that really hit home in that episode was Ron Offutt talks about having passion in whatever it is you do. Now, of course, we're in the ag industry, in the equipment business. Ron has a very strong passion for agriculture. Even outside of agriculture, Ron hits the nail on the head with talking about having passion is really what's going to propel you in your career and your professional life. That was a great episode, huge accomplishment to hit episode 200.

We couldn't be happier about what this podcast has done, where it's gone, and where we're going to take it into the future here. Go out, listen to episode 200 with RDO Equipment Company founder, Ron Offutt.

Episode 200

Tony Kramer: What advice do you have to these young kids that maybe they're not sure, maybe they don't know anything about the agriculture industry? What can you share with them that would encourage them to either continue into the agriculture industry or even take a look at the agriculture industry? What could help them brighten their future?

Ron Offutt: I got a philosophical thought. When you're young, you got to have two or three different jobs maybe to make sure that's not something you want to do permanently. If you're thinking about it, give it a try someplace, either working for a company or being a farmer, which is a difficult deal to get started, but give it a try. If you create the passion within yourself, that you really love what you do, math, work just becomes a joy. If you hate it, work is a big pain in the butt. You got to follow your passion and your desires.

Tony Kramer: I can attest to that theory, that mindset. I have found that passion in the ag industry here at RDO Equipment. Great organization that you have built, founded back in 1968 and built it to where we are today. Kudos to you and everything you've done in your career and everything you've build.

That rounds out our list for episodes of the 2024 podcast season. Again, we want to thank each and every one of you for listening. Please take a moment to subscribe to this podcast if you haven't already. You can subscribe to the show on the many different podcasting apps that we're streaming this out to, such as Apple, Google, Spotify, as well as many others. While you're out there, drop us a review. We'd love to hear what you think about the show. Lastly, make sure to follow RDO Equipment Company on Facebook, Instagram, and X, and also catch our latest videos on YouTube. You can also follow me on X, @RDOTonyK.