Bushel Plus partners with John Deere to expand access to harvest-loss measurement system

Bushel Plus has entered a partnership with John Deere to integrate its SmartPan harvest-loss measurement system with the equipment maker’s Harvest Settings Automation technology and distribute the tool through Deere’s dealers in the United States and Canada.

The agreement brings together Bushel Plus’s drop-pan system, which calculates grain loss during combining, with Deere’s automated settings platform that adjusts key machine parameters in real time. The companies said the combination will give operators more accurate loss data, improve calibration and strengthen overall harvesting efficiency.

John Deere’s automation technology manages rotor speed, fan speed, concave clearance and sieve settings within operator-defined limits for grain loss, broken kernels and foreign material. SmartPan provides the field-level measurements used to calibrate those limits, allowing the automated system to respond more precisely to crop and field conditions.

Farmers can deploy the pan during harvest, compare measured losses with the readings on Deere’s G5Plus display, and adjust settings before allowing the automation tool to continue making real-time corrections. Bushel Plus said the approach helps align machine targets with actual performance, reducing losses and supporting more consistent throughput.

Under the distribution agreement, Deere dealers will sell and support the SmartPan System alongside existing combine technology. The companies plan joint training, demonstrations and educational events in 2026 to help operators integrate field measurements with automated adjustments.

Bushel Plus founder and chief executive Marcel Kringe said the partnership expands the system’s reach and strengthens its role as a verification layer for automated harvesting tools. The SmartPan System is used in crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat, canola, barley, rice and milo, and is offered in three pan sizes to match different Deere combine models and field setups.

Farmers can obtain the system through local John Deere dealers or from Bushel Plus directly.