AGCO Corporation (NYSE: AGCO), a global powerhouse in agricultural equipment design, manufacturing, and smart farming technologies, has earned a major industry accolade. The company’s PTx Trimble™ brand has been recognized by Fast Company with a 2024 World Changing Ideas Award for its groundbreaking OutRun™ autonomous grain cart solution. This award underscores AGCO’s commitment to sustainability, innovation, and solving some of the most pressing challenges faced by farmers today.
The World Changing Ideas Awards celebrate products, concepts, and initiatives that drive significant social or environmental progress. For AGCO’s OutRun system, this recognition marks a milestone in the evolution of farming technology—one that directly addresses labor shortages, high input costs, and operational inefficiencies in agriculture. With a focus on practical autonomy that is accessible, scalable, and impactful, OutRun represents a leap forward in modernizing the harvest process.
A Game-Changing Autonomous Harvest Solution
At the heart of AGCO’s award-winning technology is OutRun™, a retrofit autonomy kit designed to transform existing row crop tractors into intelligent, self-driving grain cart operators. This allows farms to continue harvesting efficiently—even in the absence of skilled labor—by automating the crucial task of grain collection during peak harvest times.
Unlike other autonomy systems that require investment in brand-new machinery, OutRun is engineered as a retrofit solution. This approach enables farmers to upgrade the equipment they already own, providing a lower-cost entry point into the world of autonomous operations. Currently, the system supports John Deere 8R or 8000R series tractors equipped with an IVT (infinitely variable transmission), and AGCO plans to expand compatibility to Fendt® models in 2026, with more brands and models to follow.
This flexibility is part of what makes OutRun particularly attractive to farmers operating in an increasingly competitive and resource-constrained environment. The system empowers them to use existing assets more efficiently while reducing reliance on hard-to-find seasonal labor.
Designed With Farmers in Mind
“OutRun was created with one goal in mind: to give farmers a practical and immediate solution to some of the most critical problems they face today,” said Eric Hansotia, Chairman, President and CEO of AGCO. “Labor shortages, fluctuating costs, and sustainability pressures are all converging. OutRun offers a way to rise above these challenges. It’s a true testament to the ingenuity of our team and our mission to be the trusted partner in smart farming solutions.”
AGCO’s development of OutRun reflects a broader shift toward precision agriculture, where technologies like GPS guidance, AI-powered sensors, data analytics, and machine automation are deployed to enhance productivity and minimize waste. By focusing on automation that works with farmers—not around them—AGCO continues to build solutions that are grounded in real-world application and return on investment.
Earlier this year, OutRun also received the Davidson Prize from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), further validating its innovation and impact within the agricultural engineering community.
A Vision Beyond Harvest
While its current functionality focuses on grain cart operation during harvest, PTx Trimble has plans to expand OutRun’s autonomous capabilities across multiple field operations, including spring and fall tillage. This extension will allow farmers to deploy the same platform year-round, further maximizing its utility and value.
The long-term roadmap envisions OutRun as a multi-functional autonomous system capable of managing key farming tasks throughout the growing cycle. With each enhancement, the goal remains the same: reduce labor dependency, improve operational consistency, and unlock new levels of efficiency on the farm.
Bridging Labor Gaps, Driving Sustainability
The labor shortage in agriculture has reached critical levels in recent years. Whether due to rural depopulation, shifting demographics, or the physically demanding nature of farm work, producers across North America and beyond are finding it increasingly difficult to fill roles during harvest and other peak periods. Autonomous solutions like OutRun are not about replacing labor entirely but about amplifying the impact of the labor that is available.
At the same time, sustainability remains a top concern. The precision and consistency offered by automation can lead to reduced fuel consumption, less soil compaction, and optimized resource use, supporting both environmental and economic goals. OutRun is designed not only to keep farms running smoothly but to help them do so in a way that aligns with growing sustainability expectations from consumers, regulators, and food brands.
A Strategic Milestone for PTx Trimble
The award also marks a significant moment for PTx Trimble, AGCO’s joint venture brand created to integrate Trimble’s precision agriculture technologies with AGCO’s smart machinery. This partnership combines decades of experience in farming equipment with cutting-edge expertise in geospatial intelligence and automation. OutRun is one of the first major commercial products to emerge from this collaboration—and its success signals more to come.
“OutRun is just the beginning,” said Hansotia. “With PTx Trimble, we’re building a future where autonomy and precision go hand in hand. Farmers will have more control, more insight, and more flexibility than ever before.”
Industry Recognition Reflects a New Era in Farming
Recognition from Fast Company—a media outlet known for spotlighting future-forward ideas across industries—suggests that agricultural technology is finally getting the broader attention it deserves. As the global population grows and climate pressures mount, tools like OutRun are helping shape a resilient, responsive, and sustainable food system.
AGCO is leading this charge, delivering smart farming tools not just for today’s growers but for the next generation of agricultural leaders. With OutRun, the company has proven that autonomy can be practical, affordable, and transformative—not a futuristic luxury, but a near-term necessity.
For more information about the OutRun autonomous grain cart system and to stay updated on its commercial availability and expansion,
