Feature
Kubota WorkSmart Autosteer maintains a consistent line while the operator stays in command.
Guidance to Intelligence
Turning Field Data Into Actionable Insights
By Maggie MacHale
Simple GPS systems and yield monitors seem almost prehistoric in today’ s agricultural landscape, as modern technology can sense conditions, analyze information, and respond in real time.
The National Science Foundation describes precision agriculture as a crop management strategy that gathers and analyzes data so crops receive what is needed; it was once centered on portable yield monitors and GPS-guided tractors. But today’ s systems have grown into a connected ecosystem, providing information on crops, soil, and environmental conditions, while technologies such as artificial intelligence( AI) and robotics can help analyze that information. With more technology, the goal isn’ t to just have more data, but to turn that data into usable intelligence for decision-making and operations.
Keeping Every Pass Consistent
As precision agriculture evolves, guidance technology has positioned itself as one piece of the larger picture. Precision guidance is designed for repeatable pass-to-pass accuracy, reducing overlap and missed ground. Kubota Tractor Corporation’ s new WorkSmart Autosteer system for compact and utility equipment keeps machines on a defined line to maintain consistent passes across broadacre fields, specialty crops, turf, and groundworks.
“ WorkSmart Autosteer isn’ t about removing the operator from the decision; it’ s about helping to remove fatigue and error from the equation,” said Austin Hawkins, senior manager, technology sales and marketing, Kubota North America.“ At your command, the machine holds the line, so you stay sharp, cover more ground, and still get home with something left for the people who matter most.”
WorkSmart Autosteer expands Kubota’ s precision guidance beyond larger agricultural tractors, bringing repeatable steering and pass-to-pass accuracy to a broader range of field and property applications.
Measuring Crop Conditions
Guidance tells the machine where to go, but systems are increasingly able to observe what is happening during operation for real-time feedback.
The New Holland ForageCam, announced during the 2026 Farm Progress Show, is a spout-mounted camera that utilizes AI to evaluate forage processing during harvest. The system
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