More information means greater efficiency out in the field, and that’s why our friends at John Deere were glad to show off their latest line of 7 and 8 series tractors to the farmers attending Commodity Classic in San Antonio. Leah caught up with Jarrod McGinnis, Deere’s marketing manager for these machines. He told her one of the biggest features for both series is the new CommandView III Cab that features better seating, a quieter cab, and a new CommandARM and CommandCenter Display, which really turns that tractor into a mobile office.

“We’re trying to get more and more integration into that screen, so the first thing we did is make it a 10-inch screen, so you can see more at a glance,” Jarrod said, joking that it’s so easy to use a dad could do it … whether it’s him referring to his 70-year-old father or his 11-year-old daughter referring to Jarrod himself. “We want that technology to be very friendly, easy to use, [and put] a lot of technology right there at your fingertips.”

He said the 7 series of tractors just started shipping out to customers in the last couple of weeks, so they’re looking forward to hearing from those farmers when they really start going in the fields. Specifically on the 8 series, they get the new cab and bigger engines, just like the 7s, and they also have larger rear tires, new easy-changing wheel weights, and improved LED lights. Both of these new tractors are expected to help a producer’s bottom line.

“With the CommandCenters, since it’s easier to learn, they spend more time working and less time learning themselves or training another operator,” plus Jarrod said remote access allows those farmers to share information with experts who can help right there in the field.

Listen to more of Leah’s interview with Jarrod here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/commodity-classic/classic-14-deere-mcginnis1.mp3″ text=”Jarrod McGinnis, John Deere”]
2014 Commodity Classic Photos