Autonomy is an opportunity to increase productivity and predictability.

Everyone is talking about autonomous agricultural machines. Are we witnessing one of the greatest evolutionary leaps in the history of agriculture going back over 10,000 years – or 'merely' the next logical development step? How would you know whether it is a genuine leap?

Thijs Verploegen: Autonomy is no sudden Big Bang – but it can be a genuine leap when it transitions from a trade show highlight to an everyday tool. We have been working in automation for over 25 years – steering systems were the first major step forward. The leap is accomplished when autonomy functions reliably: in a safe, reproducible and scalable manner. And that's exactly where we're going with it.

Thiebaud Rusterholtz: The pressures on farms are growing all the time: they are required to deliver higher yields and at the same time produce higher quality products – while complying with strict environmental and sustainability standards. Autonomous systems help farmers design their work processes more efficiently. Round-the-clock solutions help to reduce stress during busy peak times, compensate for labour shortages and reduce the day-to-day work load of drivers and machine operators.

Why should any farmer or contractor be concerned with the subject? Where are the greatest opportunities? Is it more about productivity, personnel, precision, documentation – or all of the above?

Thiebaud Rusterholtz: Autonomy supports farms in a wide variety of ways. In regions where skilled workers are in short supply, highly advanced assistance systems enable planned work processes to be implemented reliably. Precise pre-planning not only ensures that the job is done on time, but that the quality of work is consistently high. In areas with an acute lack of machine operators, autonomous solutions offer an effective means of making up for a shortage of staff and ensurin that tasks are completed on time.

Thijs Verploegen: Reality is changing: labour is scarcer, time frames are tighter. Autonomy is an opportunity to increase productivity and predictability – without the stress automatically increasing with it.

Many sceptics say: "It's not for me – too complicated, too risky." How would you respond to that?

Thiebaud Rusterholtz: As a team, we consistently put the needs of users first during all phases of development. The aim is to develop a highly complex system that is also as easy and intuitive as possible. The challenge for us is to enable users with wide-ranging levels of expertise to sit in the operator's seat. Our guiding principle in Development is 'Keep in simple'. It's embedded in our way of thinking.

Thijs Verploegen: Fair enough. Farming is no playground – scepticism is healthy. I know that well enough in my day-to-day work. Our answer is: autonomy must be reliable almost to the point of being boring. Easy to use, safe and efficient.

Suppose someone wants to gradually move their farm in a more autonomous direction, but doesn't know where to start. What specific first steps would you recommend?

Thijs Verploegen: Start with the basics: get your machines, fleet, and fields properly set up. Nowadays it's very easy to do this with CLAAS connect. Next, field-test it, e.g. with an autonomy kit or rental machine. The key is, start small, learn well, then scale up – rather than converting the whole farm at once.

Thiebaud Rusterholtz: The first important step is to precisely record the field boundaries so that all work processes can be performed correctly and accurately. Basically, the same standards that apply to conventional fieldwork also apply to autonomous work: all the same preparatory measures are required.

CLAAS is keen to stress that automation takes on tasks, but does not take control. How is the role of farmers and contractors changing and what will they be doing differently from today in five or ten years time? Which factors will become more or less important?

Thijs Verploegen: The role is clearly shifting: less time behind the steering wheel, more systems management. Farmers and contractors are increasingly becoming process managers: planning, orchestrating, supervising, assuring quality. Predictability, data quality, reliability, serviceability are all becoming more important. "Who has spent the most hours on the machine?" is becoming less important as a measure of performance.

Thiebaud Rusterholtz: Up until now, the responsibility has lain mainly with the machine operator. They had to set up the implements correctly and adjust the driving behaviour of the tractor to the conditions, for example with regard to slip, soil moisture or soil compaction. With the advent of autonomous systems, these tasks and responsibilities are shifting increasingly to the farm manager.

CLAAS develops its systems in close cooperation with farmers and contractors. Can you give any concrete examples where customer feedback has influenced development?

Thijs Verploegen: The set-up was a concrete example: customers said it must be a mobile system that can be done on the machine – and guided, not complicated. So we rely less on 'form-filling' and more on step-by-step workflows which reduce errors and make it easier to get started. Autonomy gains acceptance not through more features – but through fewer hurdles to everyday operations.

Was there a moment – in the field trial or with the customer – when you thought: "Now it's getting serious, now it's kicking off – autonomy is no longer just a theory any more"? What happened? And what motivated you personally to get involved in this field?

Thijs Verploegen: The first time I saw a prototype of the XERION 12 series without a driver was a moment I'll never forget. Because one thing was clear: it's not just about technology – this can win back time. Time for decisions, for the farm, for people. Autonomy is only good if it solves genuine problems – not if it's just designed to impress.

Thiebaud Rusterholtz: It was an experience with the XERION that got me hooked too. Some weeks before Agritechnica 2023 it struck me in Grubbenvorst just how tangible autonomous agricultural machinery has become. A tractor weighing around 18 tonnes was working entirely autonomously and pulling a nine-metre wide plough – with no driver to be seen.