Agri Heritage Co., Ltd. manages about 75 hectares of farmland, primarily focused on paddy rice, soybeans, and barley in Seiro Town, Niigata Prefecture. In early spring (April–May), the heavy workload means they sometimes spend an entire day in the tractor cab. To address this, they initially introduced the FJD AT1 and AT2 auto steer system (hereafter referred to as FJD systems) " to reduce the burden first".

"In April and May, we're mostly on the tractor, sometimes driving it on the job all day. At first, reducing the load was the biggest thing," says CEO Yoshifumi Araki. As they continued to use the FJD system, their goals gradually shifted.

"Since we invested money into autosteering, we felt like we had to 'earn it back.' We especially felt that way this year." By automating the driving with auto-steering, they gained more space to think and try various things. We talked with Mr. Araki and Director Toshiyuki Yoshida about their experience with FJD systems.

Perfect Row Alignment, Even at Ultra-Low Speeds

Trenching or digging grooves before planting yams is often done at less than 1 km/h. This is an extremely slow and meticulous process that requires great care. In this task, the effect of autosteering is clear.

"It's a very tedious job, but the FJD system maintains an error within 2 cm. The 120 cm row spacing is perfectly aligned. This year, other producers who saw the work were saying, 'This is amazing'. Before, we had to constantly watch the front and stare at the back to prevent drifting, but this year, we were even able to read books in the cab while working."

Uniform Rows Simplify Later Management

Agri Heritage utilizes FJD autosteering systems for all crop planting tasks across its fields. For crops like barley and soybeans, the uniformity achieved during planting directly translates into significantly easier management later in the season.

The company states, "When planting is uniform, the subsequent management becomes easier. The benefits of auto-steering during planting and transplanting are truly significant."

Consistent pitch promotes uniform growth. Straight planting maximizes the use of the entire field without waste. Furthermore, harvesting the uniform rows with a general-purpose combine becomes simpler. Ultimately, this reduces the waste of materials, fuel, and time, leading to a direct improvement in overall profitability.

Precise Straight Lines Become Normal, with Room to Experiment

Straightness achieved during rice paddy preparation directly impacts the subsequent travel path of the rice transplanter that follows. Ensuring straight plowing benefits the entire fieldwork process.

"Auto-steering is particularly effective during puddling, especially in fields where water doesn't drain well," they explained. "Even when the water is deep, and you can't see the field surface, you don't lose the centre line. I am usually in charge of puddling, and Mr. Yoshida follows up with the rice transplanter. The finished quality of the paddy preparation is completely different depending on whether the tractor runs straight or not."

"Additionally, the freedom to hand over the steering to the auto-steering system gives us room to think about other things, which is beneficial. For example, we tried increasing the tractor speed this year, but the finish was poor," said Mr. Araki, laughing. "That's a lesson learned through experimentation."

Beyond "Easier": The Strategy of Continuous Improvement

Autosteering is ultimately a tool. Mr. Araki emphasizes two critical elements for success: the "importance of fundamental operation" and maintaining the "habit of constantly thinking."

"I believe auto-steering is only effective if you have the prerequisite skill to fully operate the tractor. If you become accustomed to autosteering without understanding the basic operations, unexpected issues can arise that you won't be able to handle."

Mr. Araki continued, "Moreover, I think 'sense' is crucial in agriculture. For example, having the 'sense' to constantly ask, 'Is this tillage depth really right?' or 'What is this switch on the tractor for?' It's the 'sense' to not just stop at 'I can drive the tractor,' but to continually ask, 'How can I do this better?'"

Regarding the FJD system's benefit, Mr. Araki indicated, "The great thing about autosteering is that because you don't have to focus on steering, you gain the capacity to think about other things. We shouldn't stop at simply finding that 'it's easier now'; we have to look ahead. This is a mindset I share with all my employees." 

Agri Heritage actively incorporates labour-saving farming technologies, such as direct dry seeding, early winter direct seeding, and crop growth prediction using xarvio FIELD MANAGER, continuously thinking about cultivation suited to the climate and soil. It appears that autosteering plays a role in creating that space for strategic thinking.