Sugar producer deploys autonomous tractor fleet

(Photo: ASI)

U.S. Sugar has deployed a fleet of unmanned John Deere tractors in south Florida and achieved what it said is the largest commercial use of autonomous tractors in the American sugar industry. The autonomous fleet of tractors is fitted with technology developed by Autonomous Solutions Inc. (ASI) and with support from John Deere dealer Everglades Equipment Group.

“At ASI, our mission is to help you reach your potential through innovative robotic solutions, and U.S. Sugar is a powerful example of that mission in action,” said ASI CEO Mel Torrie. “This deployment demonstrates that autonomy is not a futuristic concept. It is a practical, scalable tool that helps American farmers do more with less, improve safety in the field and keep pace with global demand.”

U.S. Sugar’s new fleet includes four John Deere 8R Series tractors and one John Deere 9R Series tractor operating in sugarcane fields 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The tractors, which are traditionally manually operated, are fitted with Mobius, ASI’s autonomous fleet management system, to operate autonomously with oversight from a central command station, where a single operator will oversee multiple vehicles at once.

The decision to expand use of autonomous tractors across the entire company was determined after its successful pilot during the fall prep season. Over the next decade, the company expects to deploy the technology across its 255,000 acres of farmland, which is equal to roughly 375 square miles.

The technology is currently used for sugarcane land preparation and cultivation, and the company intends to expand the technology for other types of farming, including sweet corn and green bean land preparation and cultivation in the future.

“U.S. Sugar has always believed that combining innovation with hard work is the best way to keep feeding American families,” said Ken McDuffie, president and CEO of U.S. Sugar. “By leveraging American technology to increase efficiency and maximize productivity, we are also increasing reliability in our domestic food supply while creating new, higher-skilled opportunities for our employees.

The sugar producer said it expects its autonomous tractors to deliver measurable benefits across its farms, including improved accuracy, higher production, enhanced sustainability and increased reliability in land preparation. The technology was reportedly piloted on U.S. Sugar’s farmlands during an 18-month research and development phase.

Along with operating its 300-mile railroad, in total, U.S. Sugar farms 255,000 acres in Highlands, Glades, Hendry, Palm Beach and Martin counties in Florida and reportedly provides 3,000 jobs.

U.S. Sugar said it is working to retain current employees by retraining tractor drivers to fill other roles. The company said it is committed to hiring employees for the knowledge-based skills the new technology requires.

ASI’s solution integrates with the tractors’ existing drive-by-wire system, turning John Deere platforms into fully autonomous workhorses capable of continuous, precise operation. Based in Utah, ASI partners with various commercial industries, including logistics, heavy construction and landscaping to enhance efficiency, safety and workforce productivity. 

U.S. Sugar is leveraging this autonomous technology on state-of-art tractors purchased from Everglades Equipment Group, a company headquartered in Florida and known for its expertise in large scale farming machinery.

“Everglades Equipment Group is proud to stand alongside U.S. Sugar and ASI in bringing this next-generation of agricultural technology to South Florida’s fields,” said Mike Schlechter, president at Everglades Equipment Group. “By pairing John Deere’s trusted equipment with cutting-edge autonomous systems, we are helping growers boost productivity, improve accuracy and reduce resource use, all while keeping American agriculture at the forefront of innovation.”

Everglades Equipment Group is a family-owned and operated full-service Deere dealership with 19 locations across central and Ssuth Florida.