John Deere combine harvesters get 2026 overhaul with productivity boosts
John Deere has announced new automation and efficiency updates on its 2026 model combine harvesters that provide more capabilities and boost productivity by up to 20%.
It says this will give customers “access to digital services that streamline the collection of agronomic and machine data to power efficient, profitable and environmentally sustainable primary production”.
John Deere says its decision to remove ongoing costs to the secure and continuous data collection technology sets a new precedent in the agriculture industry and that it is the first manufacturer in the New Zealand farm machinery sector to take this step.
John Deere ANZ precision agriculture manager Benji Blevin says the announcement means JDLink, which facilitates automatic data transfer from a machine, will be put into the hands of more customers to give them greater insight into their machinery and their business.
“Connectivity is foundational to agriculture and farmers understand access to data and information about their equipment, farm and paddocks is crucial to unlocking productivity and efficiency gains.” Blevin says JDLink connectivity also granted full access to the remote backup support service, John Deere Connected Support, that includes Remote Display Access which allows a dealer to view the in-cab display and offer advice or resolve problems, saving time and cost to farm businesses.
Introduced to the NZ market in 2011, until now, JD dealers had managed their customers’ connection to the subscription service. However, farmers will now have full control to connect individual machines, their fleet or future purchases through John Deere Operations Center.
Blevin said he was excited to see more farmers begin or expand their precision agriculture journey through JDLink.
“At the end of the season, if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” he said. “Having all machines connected through JDLink allows equipment to capture information at every opportunity, and every piece of data collected can be used for analysis to make sure better decisions are made.” Farmers with older machines that don’t have a 3G or 4G JDLink MTG (modem), needed for JDLink connectivity, can still take advantage of this system upgrade by purchasing and installing a 3G or 4G MTG. Once activated, there is no additional cost or monthly service charges.
