A revolutionary piece of agricultural technology is making waves in the fields of southern Saskatchewan. The NEXAT, a multi-functional farming system manufactured in Germany, has arrived at Chute Farms Joint Venture at Moose Jaw.
Rhett Chute says NEXAT reached out to them earlier in the summer to see if they would be interested in trying the prototype, and they were able to reach an agreement.
"It’s unlike anything farmers have seen before. It’s just a monster of a machine," said Chute. "It’s powered by two 550 horsepower engines. On the combine side of things, it has a 1000-bushel grain tank, and it’s running a 50-foot MacDon header. When that thing’s in the field, it’s got probably 20 percent more capacity than our combines have."
The NEXAT system is designed to be modular, allowing farmers to switch out attachments depending on the season. Right now, Chute Farms is using the combine attachment for harvest, but come spring, they’ll swap it out for a seeder, and later a sprayer.
"It’s kind of a three-in-one deal," Chute explained. "Another key feature is they run on tram lines, so every single year NEXAT is going to run on the exact same track it did the year before. For farmers, it’s going to reduce compaction significantly."
Compaction is a major concern for farmers, especially those practicing no-till farming. Chute believes the NEXAT’s ability to follow consistent tram lines year after year could be a game-changer.
"You’re never going to avoid compaction, but the best thing you can do is try to limit it. That’s kind of their claim to fame."
Another standout feature for Chute is the machine’s cab, which can rotate to give operators a full view of both the front and rear of the machine.
"I’m pretty sure it’s the first-ever machine to do it," said Chute. "You just flip the cab around and look behind you to make sure everything’s working. It goes up and down; it’s a pretty neat cab."
The NEXAT has been turning heads both in the field and on the highway.
"We were combining along Highway 2 for a couple of days, and there were a lot of people stopping and staring," Chute said. "It’s not like anything we’ve ever seen before, that’s for sure."
Although the machine is still new to the region, Chute is optimistic about its future.
"I believe in a couple of years they’ll have a market here. If I had to guess, you’d probably see a couple more around."
He adds that while they've only had it for about a month, it's doing about 30 to 40 more acres a day than what we’re doing with our combines (that's per combine).
Chute points out that in a year, it’s supposed to be fully autonomous, and the way everything is changing to autonomous, they’ll find a way to make it happen.
NEXAT has been testing 16 prototypes around the world, with three in North America. Last year they had one system at Elie, Manitoba, while the other two were in Nebraska.
Chute Farms Joint Venture is testing one unit for harvest. NEXAT will be doing a couple of upgrades on the other two units over the winter, and then they'll have all three units operating through Spring seeding.