John Deere continued its acquisition streak this week, scooping up California agtech company GUSS Automation, nearly three months after purchasing remote imagery company Sentera.
Launched in 2018 by Dave Crinklaw, GUSS — which stands for global unmanned spray system — specializes in autonomous sprayers that utilize GPS, LiDAR, and proprietary software to navigate orchards and vineyards to apply herbicides.
Previously, John Deere and GUSS formed a joint venture in 2022 and launched several vehicles, including an autonomous herbicide orchard sprayer called Electric GUSS. John Deere plans to expand GUSS’ commercial reach and boost innovation, including the automation company’s integration with John Deere’s precision ag capabilities like Smart Apply.
Per the acquisition, GUSS will keep its name, branding, headcount, and manufacturing facility in Kingsburg, Calif., and will be sold and serviced exclusively through John Deere dealers. GUSS deployed more than 250 vehicles thus far and sprayed over 2.6 million acres total, John Deere stated in the press release.
“Joining John Deere enables us to tap into their unmatched innovative capabilities in precision agriculture technologies to bring our solutions to more growers around the world. Our team is passionate about helping high-value crop growers increase their efficiency and productivity in their operations, and together with John Deere, we will have the ability to have an even greater impact,” Gary Thompson, COO at GUSS.
John Deere’s autonomy building blocks for farmers
The acquisition comes as John Deere spent the week demonstrating its automation capabilities at the 2025 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill., which took place Aug. 26-28. In its booth, John Deere laid out its autonomy building blocks, including its connectivity service JDLink Boost, an autonomous perception system, StarFire 7500 receiver, G5 CommandCenter and G5 Advanced, and more.
John Deere’s autonomous perception system — revealed earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show — is 16 cameras built into the roofline of the vehicle that provide a 360-degree view outside the cabin, detecting obstacles that might be in the vehicle’s path, Michael Porter, go-to-market manager for large tractors and tillage, told AgTechNavigator.
With these automation products, a farmer can “pull into a farm that they have previously mapped, or map it, and then get out of the cab and use ... Operation Center mobile, start the tractor, and have it do tillage without an operator in the cab,” Porter elaborated.
The autonomy building blocks can also serve as a roadmap for farmers who are looking to test the waters of automation, Porter explained. For instance, a farmer can start by using John Deere’s assisted steering system called AutoTrac and then move to AutoTrac Turn Automation, which adds turning around at the end of a row, he added.
“Wherever you are on that journey, there is probably a next step for [the farmer] that gets them closer and closer, instead of maybe just jumping all the way straight to autonomy,” Porter elaborated.
John Deere’s Operation Center adds Pro Service
Beyond automation, John Deere is also expanding the capabilities for its Operation Center service — a cloud-based portal where farmers can manage their equipment. Last month, the OEM launched John Deere Operations Center Pro Service, providing reprogramming and diagnostic help for farmers, the company shared in a release.
John Deere has a “long-standing commitment that dates all the way back to 1982 in offering tech manuals to dealerships,” Kent Brown, senior group product manager for digital service experience at John Deere, told AgTechNavigator. Pro Service users can search for repair and diagnostic help by asking an AI-powered chatbot questions, he added.
“If customers utilize their equipment in Operation Center, they can do anything they want in regards to diagnosing and repairing,” he elaborated.
