Helping harvesters not to spill a drop

A John Deere innovation is designed to help drivers of self-propelled forage harvesters achieve the near- “impossible” task of directing all the forage into the accompanying trailers — while coping with hilly terrain, wet soil and soft ground, lodged crop, obstacles, etc.

The result is John Deere Active Fill Control, which has won a 2015 Agritechnica silver medal for innovation.

A camera on the harvester spout detects the trailer edges, and fills the trailer evenly and without spillage.