Michigan farmers get first look at electric tractor

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Agriculture is among the largest sources of climate-warming emissions in the U.S. Though tractors are a small culprit, experts believe an environmentally friendly machine would still attract buyers interested in sustainability.

At an August event, researchers at Michigan State University asked farmers what they thought of a new electric tractor. The market is so new they’re still trying to figure out if they’ve designed it well enough to excite growers of specialty crops like carrots, asparagus and blueberries.

The small, battery-powered machine isn’t meant to replace the giant diesel tractors used on big commercial soy or corn operations. Powerful enough technology for that could be decades away.

Researchers say they think electric tractors could be game-changing for smallholder farmers who grow a large majority of food around the world and for growers who care about being more sustainable and want to market their crops as such.

As farmers at the demonstration took turns climbing in—some surprised by its quick acceleration—they gave real-time feedback to the Michigan State University researchers who have been developing it for over two years. The farmers remarked on the motor’s quiet whir. Most were intrigued or at least open to the idea. Some were concerned that the battery on the underside of the carriage would mean a lower clearance over the field, while others worried that it would simply be too expensive.

There are downsides—electric tractors are aimed at filling a niche, not overturning the status quo. And while battery technology has come a long way, they can’t last all day or match the massive horsepower of a diesel engine that sets giant tractors cruising through the sprawling grain and soybean operations of the Midwest.

Ajit Srivastava, an agricultural engineer and Michigan State professor who hosted the farmer feedback session, wants to help smallholder farmers across the world. Such farmers grow about a third of the world’s food, but many do it with only hand tools. He started trying to emulate a pair of oxen made of off-the-shelf parts, so anyone could build it themselves.

This article and video were provided by The Associated Press.

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[Electric tractor during a demonstration]

[People watching the demonstration]

[Electric tractor being driven]

Ajit Srivastava (interview): “So this is an electric tractor, especially designed to meet the needs of Michigan’s specialty crop industry for a source of sustainable energy, sustainable power. It’s designed to be a utility tractor which can run on, if needed to be, on solar power or regular electrical energy for weeding operations primarily. Every farm has to have a tractor that they can use for multiple usage.”

[Aerial shots of electric tractor during the demonstration]

Ajit Srivastava (interview): “You need a large tractor for primary tillage, but you till once. But you do a lot of other operations, like weeding, spraying, that are light-energy operations. So you do those many, many times. So that’s why we focused on light-duty tractors, because they are used a lot more often.”

[Ajit Srivastava speaking during the electric tractor demonstration]

[Don Dunklee climbing into the electric tractor cab for a test drive]

[Don Dunklee in the electric tractor cab]

[Don Dunklee pushing the electric tractor pedal]

[Don Dunklee driving the electric tractor]

Don Dunklee (interview): “We want to get everything electric on the farm, and tractor’s the last electric implement to get.”

[Details of an electric motor]

[Self-driving and GPS electronics]

Don Dunklee (interview): “For cultivating on a farm, it would do a really good job. For my particular farm, I don’t know that it would work because I do so many other tasks that aren’t related to the actual growing, like hauling lumber, cutting woods, dragging logs, digging holes. And this tractor wouldn’t do that, but the work that they’re doing on this tractor is absolutely phenomenal. I can see down the road how great this can be when they get the project done.”

[Details of the electric tractor and weeding implement]

[Tire tracks]

[Electric tractor driving inside the arena]

Don Dunklee (interview): “I’ll be happy to see next year when they have more of the development along, especially on the electronic side of it. Be happy to see what they come up with over time. I know it’s a development in progress, and like it should be, there’s always going to be glitches. My farm’s been glitches the whole life, so when there’s a glitch, you fix it.”

[People inspecting the electric tractor during demonstration]

[Electric tractor driving in the arena]

This script was provided by The Associated Press.

The related lesson for this video will be published next Wednesday.