Autopilots, drone field monitoring, yield maps, variable-rate fertilizer application, and section control on sprayers. Ukrainian farmers actively used all these technologies before the full-scale invasion. What’s changed since?
As Taras Pylypaka, regional sales manager at Trimble Ukraine LLC, puts it, farmers aren’t abandoning precision farming technology, but the market is significantly affected by external factors — the temporary occupation of land, rising input costs, falling profitability, lost export opportunities, and so on. So it’s no surprise the market isn’t developing as dynamically as before.
We asked Trimble how the company operates in Ukraine under these conditions, what solutions it offers farmers, how they help increase farmers’ profits, and what the most common problems are that operators run into when working with its equipment.
What machinery does Trimble equipment integrate with?
Trimble is an American company founded in 1978. It was one of the first to introduce precision farming navigation systems, a pioneer of new technologies (the first to introduce RTK technology back in 1992), and a leader in precision agriculture solutions.
It entered the Ukrainian market in the early 2000s. Today it has a network of official dealers covering the whole of Ukraine, as well as two official service centers providing clients with warranty and post-warranty service.
According to ABA “Astra” product manager Andrii Tarasiuk, all Trimble navigation equipment and autopilots today can be paired with practically any agricultural machinery, regardless of brand, configuration, or year of manufacture.
 product manager ABA “Astra” |
«One of our clients is now planning to install this equipment on an MTZ tractor from 1997. Imagine, the machine is more than 25 years old, but Trimble solutions can still integrate with it. So it’s a universal system that can be adapted to whatever a modern farmer needs». |
For our part, we can confirm we’ve seen more than once how farmers work their fields on old MTZ tractors using Trimble guidance systems. To which Taras Pylypaka noted that a modern farmer understands — without navigation equipment, work is harder. It makes fieldwork many times easier, especially in difficult weather or at night. It lets you cut fertilizer and crop-protection costs, and eliminates double application of expensive inputs.
You can learn more about working with Trimble navigation equipment at a seminar on January 16-18, which the company plans to hold together with ABA “Astra” in Vinnytsia.
Trimble regularly runs training sessions
The seminar will let you refresh your knowledge, learn about new work methods and result processing, find out which issues working with Trimble precision farming systems can be resolved on your own, and which are better left to the service team. And, of course, to talk with farmers who have long used this brand’s guidance systems (people like that are a real source of knowledge and useful tips).
It’s also worth noting that training participants get follow-up premium Trimble service support, including free online consultations while carrying out work and help resolving issues as they come up. Details on the support format can be confirmed with ABA “Astra” representatives. You can register for the seminar here (opens in a new tab).
Trimble displays
Part of the seminar will separately cover working with the GFX line of displays.
In 2022, the company introduced two new displays to the Ukrainian market, the GFX-1260 and GFX-1060. There are now three models in this line in total (including the GFX-350, familiar to many). Essentially, these are agri-tablets that help quickly and easily exchange information across the farm. According to Taras Pylypaka, the displays differ only in their functional content.
 sales manager Trimble Ukraine LLC |
«We select displays for clients with the functionality they actually need. So they don’t overpay for functions they’ll never use. For example, does the farm need a small display that lets you connect any ISOBUS-compatible towed implement? Then go for the GFX-350. Need a large display with control of up to 6 application channels and up to 255 sections? Then the GFX-1260 is right for you». |
Andrii Tarasiuk adds that the displays have a flexible architecture, so there’s no need to buy the full functionality right away. What does that mean? For example, this year a farmer might buy a small display with a simple receiver and use it as a guidance indicator only.
A year later, having seen the benefits of such a system, they may want to unlock ISO. Then they’ll add cabling to the display and get a system that lets them control the implement.
And in a year and a half to two years, once they’ve expanded, they may want to add an autopilot. And so, without spending a large sum all at once, they’ll gradually roll out precision farming on their farm.
In 2022 the company introduced two new displays to the Ukrainian market, the GFX-1260 and GFX-1060
The display’s installed — how do you figure out its functionality?
Buying displays for parallel guidance is only half the job. But is it easy for an operator to figure out the software?
Andrii Tarasiuk explains that the displays run on Android and have the intuitive Precision IQ software.
He also adds that ABA “Astra” service engineers always run training sessions for operators on working with Trimble displays. They show how to add new implements, how to carry out tasks, manage correction-signal subscriptions, and so on.
product manager ABA “Astra” |
«We also recommend our clients install the TeamViewer QuickSupport app, which helps manage the device remotely. When an error appears on the display and the operator can’t fix it themselves, they give our service engineer access through this app. The engineer sees the error remotely from their own workstation and explains to the operator exactly what needs to be done». |
Both sides benefit in this situation: the dealer takes some of the load off their service engineers, and the farmer doesn’t pay extra for a site visit.
Andrii Tarasiuk also points out that the displays have an AutoSync feature, which automatically syncs all guidance lines, field names, boundaries, materials, implements, tractors, and operator information across all connected devices. And this information is never lost. So when the field-work season begins, the operator only needs to turn on the monitor, select the implement, and their assigned task loads automatically.
Andrii Tarasiuk
As Andrii says, some clients who haven’t used the system think they’ll need to call in a specialist every year to set up all the tasks again. In fact, this is only done once.
product manager ABA “Astra” |
«For example, a farmer buys a new ISOBUS-compatible HORSCH seeder. After the sale, our service engineers come to the farm and add it to the navigation system. Next season, the operator just needs to go into the «Implements» menu and select this seeder». |
How the war has expanded Trimble’s functionality
A lot has been said about how precision farming systems help save on fuel, seed, fertilizer, and crop protection by reducing overlap area, and how autopilots increase operators’ daily productivity. Here’s a fresh example from Trimble.
One client in Vinnytsia region used the RangePoint RTX signal, which gives an accuracy of up to 10 cm. Then he decided to work a season with a different signal — CenterPoint RTX — which gives 2.5 cm accuracy. As a result, the number of rows in his field increased. That is, the field area stayed the same, the implement stayed the same, but there were more rows thanks to positioning precision.
It turns out that after switching the correction signal, this farmer’s land-use efficiency — and accordingly their profitability and yield — increased.
Taras Pylypaka also told us that clients have started using Trimble systems for demining fields. There have already been cases of machinery hitting mines, but no one was hurt thanks to the autopilot and the absence of an operator in the cab.
sales manager Trimble Ukraine LLC |
«The war has changed everyday life, including in the agricultural sector. Farmers have to adapt and look for new ways to use the Trimble equipment they already have. And here we can talk about our modularity, standardization, and uniqueness, since our system can easily be combined with other systems that complement the existing autopilot system and make it possible to build a remotely controlled complex used for demining». |
The most common problems working with Trimble
Operators most often run into problems with functionality they use very rarely. This includes, for example, entering subscriptions for satellite correction signals. In spring, an operator drives into the field, turns on the system, and it either doesn’t start, or starts but doesn’t work. The reason is fairly simple — the annual subscription has expired, and the system signals that it needs to be activated. But even after the operator is given this subscription, they don’t know where to enter it.
Here it’s important to understand that there are two types of licenses: a permanent one, purchased once per device and always active, and correction signals, which are provided annually under subscription terms. By the way, during the full-scale invasion, Trimble started providing correction signals completely free of charge.
Trimble displays run on Android
Operators can also sometimes run into difficulty when they need to configure more advanced functionality.
sales manager Trimble Ukraine LLC |
«The environment an operator works in every day — going into the menu, selecting an implement, creating an AB guidance line, and turning on the autopilot or parallel-guidance system — comes easily to them. But when they need to work with variable-rate prescription maps, or set up the system to work with several products at once, in those cases certain additional settings need to be made in the system, which can cause the operator some difficulty». |
By the way, situations like these are exactly what pushed ABA “Astra” and Trimble to hold a training seminar for operators, farmers, and anyone else planning to work with navigation equipment. It starts January 16 in Vinnytsia. For more detailed information, contact ABA “Astra”.
REGISTER FOR THE TRAINING (opens in a new tab)
ABA “Astra” Agro-Building Alliance is one of the largest suppliers and service operators of agricultural machinery in Ukraine. The company’s core activities are the sale of new and used agricultural machinery, warranty service, and the sale of spare parts.
“Astra” offers its clients a wide range of machinery for practically every type of agricultural work: Fendt, Valtra, Manitou, Berthoud and Horsch, Framest, Bogballe, Valley, Trimble, Oros. The company supplies customers with the widest range of genuine spare parts to support all models of agricultural machinery from world-renowned manufacturers. Servicing agricultural machinery holds a key place in the company’s operations, covering nearly the entire territory of Ukraine and ensuring a fast response to farmers’ requests.
“Astra” has been operating on Ukraine’s agricultural market for 25 years, providing agricultural producers with quality machinery, innovative agricultural technologies, and a consistently high level of service
