John Deere expands automation at CES as the world faces a shortage of farmers

While John Deere is no longer the number one selling tractor brand in the world (a title stolen from the ‘green giant’ by India’s Mahindra in 2010), the Illinois based company is still the world’s largest producer of agricultural equipment.

Deere used CES 2025 to showcase its expanded range of fully automated products, including broadacre tractors, orchid equipment and lawn mowers.

For Deere customers automation isn’t just about efficiency savings. More importantly, automation will ensure that we can continue to buy the agricultural produce that we need at a price that we can afford.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average age of an Australian farmer is around 58 years old. This trend is mirrored in most developed nations. In 2023 the National Farmers’ Federation “calculated the food supply chain was short at least 172,000 workers”. In California, over 50% of agricultural jobs cannot be filled and I don’t see this situation getting better for farmers any time soon. Young people don’t want to farm and, in Australia it seems, none of us want to give up living on the coast. It’s a recipe for food insecurity. This is where farm automation comes in.

According to Deere, “GPS guidance, stereo cameras, sensors and AI technology to perform essential tasks on the farm without an operator in the cab”. This is not necessarily new technology. What is new is the expansion of the autonomous range to settings other than broadacre cropping. Autonomous tractors working crops such as wheat or sorghum have few obstacles to navigate, making automation relatively easy. Environments such as orchards, dynamic worksites or commercial landscaping settings present a much harder nut to crack. Likewise, this is the case with landscaping equipment such as autonomous mowers.

By adding additional sensors, including Lidar and cameras, specifically advanced ‘stereo’ systems, Deere has been able to bring automation to these ever-changing environments.

Bravely, Deere didn’t launch this technology with the help of a paid celebrity endorsement. Instead, John Deere invited customers that are actually already using fully automated equipment to come to CES 2025 and show us how automation is meeting their needs.