Agriculture Technology Podcast · RDO Equipment Co.

Ep. 226 - 2025 Ag Tech Recap: Autonomous Tractors, See & Spray™ and Drone Tech

·29 min·1 clip

RDO says autonomous tillage is already running on 10,000 acres in the Midwest.

Tony Kramer sits down with Daryl Shelton for a look back at 2025 and a look ahead to 2026. The conversation stays focused on autonomy, preparedness, and what growers need in place before the technology is ready for them. Shelton draws on a long background, including 15 years at RDO, 30 years in the industry, and a career that started in a parts warehouse before time with Deere, another dealer group, and later the construction equipment side. A lot of the episode keeps circling back to readiness. That matters because the discussion draws a clear line between autonomy and full autonomy, and treats customer preparation, analysis, and practical fit as the real work before wider adoption. The Midwest comes up often. In Minnesota and the Dakotas, RDO has been working with customers on autonomous tillage tractors, with seven units already operating and roughly 10,000 acres expected under autonomous tillage during the 2025 season. Support is part of the picture too. Shelton describes dedicated resources and experts helping the precision team and customers in the field so the machines run correctly and the data stays useful. That keeps the conversation grounded. Instead of treating autonomy like a showroom novelty, the episode frames it as an operating change that needs the right people, the right setup, and steady follow-through. The order window may be close. Shelton says early communication suggests it could open fairly soon, which gives the discussion a sense of timing without turning it into hype. The tone stays practical throughout. Tony and Shelton keep coming back to what the technology means for actual farms, not just for manufacturer slides or industry headlines. They close by thanking listeners, encouraging subscriptions and reviews, and inviting people to follow RDO across social channels. It is a useful recap, and it leaves a clear picture of how 2025 autonomy work is shaping the next year.

As heard by us

Autonomy gets real when acres, support, and timing start to matter.

The 2025 ag-tech conversation here is less about demos than about what autonomy looks like once it is out in the field. Tony Kramer talks with Daryl Shelton, who brings 30 years in the industry and 15 years with RDO Equipment Company, about where things stood in 2025 and where…

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Why you'd press play

If you want a grounded update on autonomous tillage and what readiness looks like, this one stays practical.

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