Two John Deere Innovations Awarded Silver Medals at Agritechnica 2013

John Deere's Hitch Assist is one of two Deere innovations that will be recognized as a silver medalist at the Agritechnica 2013 event in Hanover, Germany
John Deere's Hitch Assist is one of two Deere innovations that will be recognized as a silver medalist at the Agritechnica 2013 event in Hanover, Germany

Two John Deere innovations have been recognized as silver medal award winners and will be on display at Agritechnica 2013, the world’s leading agricultural equipment trade fair held in Hanover, Germany from November 12 to 16.

John Deere’s “Hitch Assist” and “Smart Irrigation System” were both selected among 31 other innovations as silver medal award winners at this year’s event. A total of 393 innovations were submitted to Agritechnica organizers, who selected the winners based on a set of strict criteria including: importance for practical application, advantages in work performance, and improvement of operational reliability.

The Hitch Assist system allows tractor operators to easily move forwards and backwards with the push of a button, making the coupling of implements and trailers to the tractor hitch quicker, easier and safer. This innovation reduces the set-up time needed, especially for those that change implements frequently, while reducing the risk of injury or accidents as a result of climbing on and off tractors during implement changes.

Deere’s other silver medal award winning innovation, Smart Irrigation System, allows for more efficient use of water, nutrients, energy and labor, combining irrigation with the application of fertilizers to agricultural crops. From the Agritechnica announcement, this innovation “allows the farmer to plan and control site-specific and plant-specific irrigation, based on real-time measurements of the soil water content and wireless transmission of the measurement data to the office computer using a web-based expert system.”

John Deere has been an active player in the agricultural technology industry as of late and these two awards prove their innovations are simplifying processes for customers. The Hitch Assist and Smart Irrigation Systems will each be recognized and on display at Agritechnica 2013 in Hanover, Germany.