LIVE FROM BIG IRON 2026: Collecting Harvest Data on X9 Combine and Using Your John Deere CommandARM™

Tony Kramer: Hi, I'm Tony Kramer, your host of the Agriculture Technology Podcast. In this episode, we are live at Big Iron Farm and Construction Show 2026. 

We're going to talk a little bit about some harvest settings, some harvest reminders, and some new model year ‘27 harvest combine updates, as well as the new CommandX™ control lever coming in the model year ‘27 8 Series tractors. 

Harvest Settings Reminders with Jack Stetz 

Tony: I'm here with Jack Stetz. Jack, thanks for joining me here. We're going to talk a little bit about harvest here in September. We've got the small grains off, but we've got some beans that are going to be rolling. We're now moving into corn harvest. So we're going to talk kind of all things combines, some of the new stuff, some of the things to think about as we get going into this 2026 harvest season. 

So before we do that, Jack, why don't you introduce yourself, tell our listeners a little bit about who you are, what you do, and where you come from? 

Jack Stetz: Thanks for having me on here. So Jack Stetz, product specialist out of our Moorhead location. Started with RDO about five years ago as an intern and then went into the parts department and from then just kind of took this opportunity and ran with it. 

Tony: Well again, welcome in here live at Big Iron. So to start out, let's just kind of give a general overview, what are some of the customers when we get into harvest season, what are some of the things that you talk to your customers about, things to think about, things to remember, maybe some settings that we need to add into these machines before we get out into the field? 

Give us kind of that pre-season overview of what we can do for our combines. 

Jack: For sure. So I would say kind of the first thing that we, or myself as a product specialist we look at, is making sure everything's calibrated before we get into the field. Because not only does this machine now require a lot of calibrations with the new camera system on this machine, you do have to calibrate it with the header off. 

And yes, you can calibrate it in the field, but you pretty much almost have to cut it as short as grass to calibrate it. So we recommend calibrating it in the yard. It takes 2 minutes to calibrate. 

Another thing we look at is, how clean is your Ops Center? 

So, when we're sending new setup files or work plans to these combines, we don't want to send everything. We want to make sure we're sending the right lines, the right variety locator maps, all this different data so people don't get confused when it comes to going in the field because we know farmers just want to keep going. So as far as getting them up and going, we try to be proactive on that situation. 

Tony: So, you mentioned a couple things. One thing I want to talk about is the data, the harvest data. 

So, you talked about the variety locator files. Now, whether you're using setup files or you're using work plans, we get the variety locator files. So whatever variety or hybrid we planted with that planter air seeder, we're going to get those locator files in. So we know what we're harvesting, things like that. 

We collect all that data, where does this data go and what are some of the things we can do? Why is it important to document and get that harvest data into our systems? 

Jack: So, the nice thing about John Deere is it all goes to John Deere Ops Center. And the biggest thing is with just variety locator files in general is comparing yield. What do I want to change next year to help improve my operation? 

Makes it more efficient, more profitable, just in general, more organized as well. So guys being able to see not only in ops center, but also in the cab when it switches to the other variety, I mean, it switches like that. 

And then you're sitting down on the couch one evening and you want to start thinking, you got a random thought in your brain, you can go on John Deere Ops Center and compare, what did this field do to this field? Or what was the yield when I planted half of it this variety and the other half this variety? 

Guys are always trying to find new things and that's an easy way of doing it. 

Tony: You bring up a good point about variety or hybrid selection for next year. You talk about being able to see, making those educated decisions year over year, being able to look at, your planting data, your application or fertility data. 

We bring it full circle with the harvest data and make that educated decision for next year and the year after and the year after. So it's really making sure we get that clean data into the displays but also getting clean data out of those displays. 

The other thing you brought up was calibrations. The number of calibrations we have to do, and you also mentioned the new calibration, so the new forward-facing cameras with predictive ground speed automation. It's not just that, there's other things that need to be calibrated as well too. What are some of the key items that we really need to make sure are calibrated in order to collect that good clean harvest data? 

Jack: I would say, for example, the cameras are a big thing now, just with the combine being able to speed up and slow down on its own. 

Another thing would just be all your height sensors and how your reel speed's going, all this that's bringing the product in is trying to make it better, essentially, or trying to give you the most accurate reading, like a moisture sensor and all that fun stuff. 

A lot of people don't know or forget how to do it because they're only in the machine once a year, just like a planter. People are in the sprayers more often than anything else, but a lot of guys forget and they always rely on us to try and help them through that process. 

Tony: So definitely you mentioned the moisture sensors, the mass flow sensors, the different header calibrations, things like that. A lot of different things just to set yourself up for success once you get out into the field.  

So those are just a few things to remember to do. Make sure we're doing that here as we get going. Maybe you've already had your machine out in small grains. or maybe you've been dabbling in some bean harvest here in September. But as you continue to roll on through the season, making sure you're kind of looking at those types of things. 

Now behind us here at Big Iron, we've actually got a model year 2027 X9 1100. Why don't we talk a little bit about some of the changes on this going back?. I mean, we've also got the in model year ‘25, we added some of those new technology features, things like that. 

Let's talk just a little bit about this model year 27 X9 behind us, some of the changes, some of the new features and some of that additional technology that we can get going back to ‘25. 

Jack: Yep. So one of the new features is the bigger hopper. I believe it's 550. And then another just feature that they added is a longer auger, unloading auger, 35 feet. 

The big addition to not only the X9, but just our John Deere combine fleet in general would be Auto Unload. So that's a camera system that's looking down into the grain cart and it's pretty much an advanced machine sync is what I look at it as. And as you're combining, you do not have to focus on unloading into the grain cart. It will, like machine sync, move that grain cart forward and backwards and unload it and load the grain cart evenly. So it's a cool feature to look at it. 

I believe the system is like a LIDAR. It looks at radar detection, kind of like looking at your height. It's like a heat map in your cab. So it's a cool system. 

Tony: Definitely taking another piece off of that operator, not taking a little stress away from them because they can do what they need to do and the machine will automatically move it forward and backward. So very nice, very cool feature. 

And that then goes on top of the other features that are already there with the Harvest Settings Automation, the Predictive Ground Speed Automation, things like that. 

Jack: Going back to our Predictive Ground Speed Automation, those four cameras facing forward, a lot of guys just kind of stuck in their old ways, kind of think, oh, I can run a combine better than technology sometimes. 

I would say this system proved itself because no operator can speed up and slow down a combine 0.1, 0.2 miles an hour. And when those cameras are looking at crop height, crop density, and trying to be proactive instead of reactive, we've seen productivity go up probably 25 to 50% compared to a human operator. I mean, acres per hour, throughput, it all is a lot higher. 

Tony: You bring up a really good point about the human capabilities of these operators and what predictive ground speed automation can do for that operator. 

I've had conversations with customers that say, I can outperform that technology and I can do better and run faster. 

And I'll agree with them. And I'll say, yes, if you're going to go head-to-head in one field or a portion of the field, you might be able to outperform the technology. But the thing they don't think about is harvest lasts 6, 8, 10, 12 weeks, whatever it may be. So if you look at that overall average of starting your harvest season till whatever, middle end of October, beginning of November, however long it takes you, average that out. 

Humans get tired. Humans make mistakes. Humans get brain fog. Humans get phone calls and need to eat sandwiches, things like that. 

So it's really that big picture overall advantage of being able to run at a consistent speed, keep those combines full, and not have to worry about that human interaction of speeding up and slowing down. 

Jack: A big thing is now they're able to watch instead of be the operator and have to do all these things, click all these buttons at the same time while you're still combining, while you're unloading, while you're watching the grain cart move, they can kind of just oversee it. 

They can watch, make sure everything sounds good, everything looks good, we got a good sample in the back, we can keep going. 

Another thing to note is the harvest settings automation, when you brought it up, was when guys are going, the crop's different in the morning than it is in the middle of the day than it is towards the evening. 

And one thing technology does that most operators don't is it is constantly adjusting all your settings throughout the day based on crop conditions, which most guys would probably think, oh, I'm just going to keep going because this is what works. 

But what I push a lot of guys to is using these what we call default settings. And it takes a sample of other similar combines, so like the one behind us, an X9 1100, say you were a farmer running that, and you use default settings, it would take samples of the other X9 1100s running in that area, and that would be your default settings. 

It would take a survey of them, and based on your crop conditions, it would set your combine for when you get into the field, you pretty much turn it on and go, which is, I mean, how long does it normally take a human to set a combine when they first get in the field? Not the first pass, probably. 

Tony: So rather than guessing or taking the generic settings or starting blind, you're able to use those default settings. And what John Deere is doing is kind of saying, hey, X9 1100s in your geographic area are usually running this in dry corn settings or whatever it may be. So it really takes a lot of the guesswork out to get started. 

And then of course you add in Harvest Settings Automation where it's going to start making those adjustments, like you said, throughout the day, in the morning, at noon, into the evening, always watching, always making those adjustments. It's an added feature on top of that. 

Jack: And technology never gets tired. 

Tony: Right, exactly. 

Jack: So, I mean, you think of that harvest automation setup paired with the cameras, it goes back to me saying proactive instead of reactive. 

Instead of the combine making adjustments for the material that's going through the machine, it's making the adjustments for the material that's going to come through the machine. 

So, less chances of plugging, less chances of not being full, because that's when a combine works best is when it's full. So I mean, they work hand in hand like you wouldn't believe. It's an amazing system. 

Tony: One other technology I wanted to touch on that not a lot of people know about. It's out there. We've had it for a couple years now, but Grain Harvest Weight sharing or grain cart scale sharing into the cab of the combine. 

Tell us a little bit about how we can get those grain cart scale numbers on our display in the combine. 

Jack: So, I mean, it all depends on compatibility, right? 

Depends on the cart you have and how old that cart is, whatever controller you have on it. there's likely a chance that it is compatible with our John Deere combines. It is pretty much either tying into our ISO or Bluetooth. 

And how it works is you pretty much see to the exact pound how much you have in each cart, vice versa. 

So just more simple work, easier for grain cart drivers and combine operators to kind of know how much more they can put in. Efficiency is kind of what it boils down to. 

Tony: Yeah, really all logistics and efficiency. 

I know a lot of people like to use that. I always call it the scoreboard on the side of the grain cart. Kicker is there, you can only see it when the grain cart is right next to you can't see it anywhere else. But with the Harvest weight sharing, you're able to see that right on your G5 Display, right in the cab of the machine. 

So very neat feature, gives that combiner, all of those combine operators a little more visibility as to what's in the grain cart or multiple grain carts if you got multiple in the field. 

So it's definitely a convenience feature that helps that operator, a little less stress, a little more comfort. 

Jack: A lot of guys sometimes second guess themselves. So they like to look back at that to know that it's accurate or one things off, just kind of make adjustments as you go. 

Tony: Absolutely. 

I just want to thank you, Jack, for taking the time out of your day here at Big Iron to talk a little bit about some of the things to think about when you're going into harvest and then some of the new things coming with model year ‘27 combines or even going back to model year ‘25. Great to learn about this stuff and great to chat with you. 

Jack: Thanks for having me. 

John Deere CommandARM™ with Jared Roelofs 

Tony: I'm here live at Big Iron 2026 with Jared Roelofs. We're going to talk a little bit about the new drive strategy and command arm setup when it comes to the new 2027 8R, 8RT, and 8RX tractors. 

Before we get started, Jared, this is actually your second time on the show. Why don't you remind our listeners a little bit about who you are, what you do, and where you come from? 

Jared Roelofs: I'd be stationed out of our Hawley, Minnesota location, product specialist there for a few years now, and just helping support the technology and everything that encompasses. 

Tony: Awesome. Well, like I said, we're going to talk a little bit about the new CommandARM™ and the drive strategy with these CommandX™ hand controls, I guess. 

So these are coming in model year 2027 and newer 8R, 8RT, 8RX tractors. Lot of differences. I shouldn't say a lot of differences, but there's some differences in spec level, feature level, things like that. 

So why don't you tell us a little bit about the three different offerings, how they differ from each other, and kind of, you know, what's the right pick for your operation when it comes to CommandX ™ control levers? 

Jared: Sure. Yeah. Some of this may look familiar for those operators out there who had run the CommandPRO ™ that we had on our IVTs and EVTs in the past here. It's kind of building off that platform. 

So I think you mentioned it, we have the CommandX™, the CommandX™ Plus, and the CommandX™ Pro. This would be like the CommandX™ Pro that we have sitting here now. 

Bulletin, I'm not sure if we can see it behind us, but that's got the other two offerings and kind of just specking down, simplifying those as we move left across that bulletin there with command X being, we don't have the reconfigurable buttons on the backside. 

We also don't have that activation button and we don't have the foot throttle. Still have a left hand reverser. And then as far as initiating motion, you still have your creeper side, creeper gate on the left side and our main shift gate on the right there. 

Still two reconfigurable buttons, still your set speeds here: your auto track button, your scroll dial, so we have those on there as well. 

The rest of the command arm has changed pretty significantly. Throttle’s kind of, people might notice that's in a different location. Button layout is a little different. SCVs now, they're reconfigurable, so you know, like control one, control 2, and a lot of that can be changed from your from your control setup in your display there. Do have our G5E here for our convenience screen with like our HVAC on it, radio, lights, those kind of things. It's not having to go through that G5 Plus command center anymore. 

Do have a wireless phone charger there as well. So kind of nice there. But yeah, just building off one another, I guess the CommandX™ Plus then you would still wouldn't have these back buttons for reconfigurable. You got your front two, but then you bring back the activation button and then the foot throttle as well. 

And then the CommandX™ Pro would be what we have here. It would be get your configurable buttons on the backside, activation trigger, and then have that foot throttle as well. So a lot of different options, a lot of different updates. 

Tony: You had mentioned the SCV levers, they're now labeled C1, C2, C3. 

Tell us a little bit about that, about making them configurable and how you would do that, or maybe why you would do that. 

Jared: I guess why would more so be the personal preference or operator preference there, but under your control setup, you can go in and reassign those, you know, if rather than one, two, three, 4, you want, you know, 1342 I mean we can you can move those around just not necessary I guess you wouldn't necessarily have to go out and swap hoses you would just reconfigure your toggles there on which SCV you wanted where. 

Tony: Yeah, so really it comes down to how is that implement connected at the back of the tractor and what hoses are plugged in where. One isn't necessarily, doesn't necessarily have to be one. You could reconfigure this to SCV #4 or whatever it may be. 

Jared: Yep, absolutely. 

Tony: Definitely a neat feature there for kind of operator comfort and what they want to do and how they want these controls to happen. You did mention the phone chargers, so here That's actually kind of been a hit. People been loving that, seeing that. So yeah, we've got a wireless phone charger here on the side of our G5 display. 

We've seen all different kinds of mounts in tractors and on different rails, but now we've got that fully integrated from the factory right beside your display. 

So going over to the CommandPRO™, so is this on certain models, certain transmissions. Tell us a little bit about where this CommandX™ control lever is going to come into play. 

Jared: Yeah, so gone are the days of our IVT scroll wheel, I guess. That's no longer going to be offered. It will be all these CommandX™, CommandX™ Plus, and CommandX™ Pro. To my understanding, the standard power shift would be the only one still with the orange knob. Everything else will come with one of these command options here and spec them appropriately for operator preference there. But in the eights, won't be in nines or anything like that for ‘27. 

Tony: Yeah, and they're definitely, if you look at it, so you mentioned CommandPRO™ that came out a number of years ago, but this also is resembling our combine control levers, our sprayer control levers. We're kind of, kind of keeping it all in that family of that more ergonomically designed control lever. 

Jared: Yep. Yeah, absolutely. And customizable with your reconfigurable buttons and then you can save setups. 

So, if I like having my joystick set up a certain way and you like running that implement a different way, we can save those profiles and then just flip back and forth between them rather than reconfiguring every single button on there. 

You can save and reload profiles that way, which has been around, but it's definitely a nice way to customize it for your operator preference there. 

Tony: Yeah, and you talk about those customizable buttons and everything you can do with them. I think that's one of the highly overlooked features of these Command X control levers is 

I don't have to move my hand from that control lever. I don't have to go down to my SCV paddle levers anymore. I can configure all those ABCD buttons for different features on the tractor, correct? 

Jared: Absolutely. And it's not just SCVs. I mean, we can turn around, we can put auto track functions on here. 

So if you're shifting your line a bunch, we can set a shift line on one of your rocker switches. Heck, we can set your volume on there if you want to turn up and turn on the radio. 

So they are very, it's not just, SCV functions there that we can reprogram and do. And, on the push buttons that aren't rocker switches, you can turn your PTO on and off there. 

And, or, similar to like engaging your Harvest Smart on a combine or things like that. I mean, you can reconfigure those buttons to what you feel you're going to use most and utilize without having to, like you say, reach your arm over anything, just a more ergonomic set up there for operators when you're spending hours in a cab at a time. 

Tony: Yeah, definitely a lot of new neat features when it comes to creature comforts, operator comforts, but also convenience, efficiency, things like that. 

You talked about the different levels, the CommandX™, the CommandX™ Plus and the CommandX™ Pro. 

Couple different reasons why you'd get one over the other, whether it's simplicity or you want all the configurable features, things like that. So a lot of great features, a lot of great things coming with the new model year ‘27 and newer command arms, the CommandX™ control lever. 

Even we've got the convenience display and that phone charger in there. So a lot of great updates to this. 

Jared: Yeah, absolutely. Definitely a learning curve for some. 

I know we've caught a little flack for not having your IVT scroll wheel anymore, but there is still a scroll wheel on there and you can still use those with your presets. That is still an option. But yeah, it's definitely a different look for sure for a lot of operators. 

Tony: And you bring up a good point here that, the guys that want simplicity, that's where that basic command X comes into play. 

Not a lot of configurability, no activation button on the back side. So if you do want that simple CommandX™ control, go with that CommandX™. Or if you're the guy that wants all of the configurability, all of the features, things like that, we've got that CommandX™ Pro all the way at the top. And then of course that CommandX™ Plus in the middle. So best of both worlds. 

So it's a lot of different options depending on how you want your tractor specked and what you want to do. 

Jared: You bet. 

Tony: Thank you, Jared, for taking the time out of your day to chat with me here at Big Iron 2026. Here in the tent, we've got some simulators going with that, people learning how to run the Command X control levers and whatnot. 

So yeah, thanks again for doing this. 

Jared: Absolutely. Thanks.