Farmers embrace AI more than any other tech, McKinsey says

Curt Bennink | September 8, 2026
https://www.agriculture.com/new-holland-s-ai-powered-foragecam-monitors-kernel-processing-in-real-time-12111730

New Holland released ForageCam for its 2027 lineup of FR Forage Cruisers, giving producers the ability to capture real-time kernel processing scores (KPS). This allows operators to monitor live crop flow and quality to help optimize performance while hitting the target KPS.

“For dairy and beef producers, feed quality is the most important indicator of forage harvester performance,” said Patrick Weitzel, forage harvester marketing manager for New Holland North America. “With ForageCam, producers and custom operators are getting a real-time KPS and can assess right away if the quality is high enough at the moment their forage is running through the harvester. In the past, we had to guess from the cab what the score was or send samples to the lab to determine KPS. Now, we instantly know the forage score and quality.”

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How It Works

ForageCam is a spout-mounted camera with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered vision that continuously analyzes the chopped corn crop flow, monitoring the percentage of fully processed kernels and comparing it against the target processing levels that have been predetermined by the operator. 

“The technology is analyzing the KPS as the feed is going through the spout and it’s going to display that number on the monitor for the operator,” Weitzel said. “Once you see that number in the monitor, you’ll know if the processing number is too low or too high. We’re focusing on the technology around that quality, ensuring the machine is dialed in.”

This data is used to continuously and automatically adjust the kernel processor to help achieve the desired forage quality, eliminate underprocessing, boost productivity, minimize fuel consumption, and reduce machine wear.

“Before this technology, you were relying on using a shaker box with the sieves, or you were relying on samples submitted to a lab,” Weitzel said. “The lab is always going to be the most accurate way of getting your processing, but there is a delay in the results and you’re taking a small sample out of a huge pile. It’s just a snapshot. ForageCam is taking several snapshots every second. It’s not supposed to replace the lab, but working with the lab results, it is going to give you a full picture of the processing. You  don’t need to overdo it just to be on the safe side. You can open that gap up just a smidge to get better throughput, better fuel efficiency and less wear on your processor.”

The ForageCam allows operators to set the desired KPS based on livestock type to help ensure every corn kernel is properly cracked to maximize nutrient absorption. 

KPS monitoring and mapping data captured by ForageCam can be viewed live on the IntelliView IV Plus display or later via detailed reports and map layers in FieldOps.