This month’s edition of “Gizmos & Gadgets” features a roll-belt baler from New Holland, Ranchbot’s remote tank monitor, a cover crop selection tool courtesy of Precision Sustain Agriculture and an autonomous grain cart kit from OutRun.

Roll-belt baler

New for model year 2026, New Holland introduces the Roll-Belt™ 1 Series, a reengineered lineup of variable chamber round balers designed to help haymakers work smarter, bale faster and ensure producers stay connected. With three updated models, this new series integrates more durability, more feeding capacity and more technology into New Holland round balers than ever before.

Feeding performance gets a major boost in the Roll-Belt 451, 461 and 561 models. A newly designed single-roller windguard now comes standard on all OverShot Feeder pickup models. A larger 8.4-inch roller — 60% larger in diameter than its predecessor — helps better compress the crop mat and improve feeding into the chamber.

For those baling larger windrows, a new dual-roller windguard is available as an option on the Roll-Belt 561 model. The front and rear rollers pivot independently, providing adaptive control in variable crop and ground conditions. Operators can also lock both rollers together when compressing loose or fluffy windrows.

For more information visit https://bit.ly/4i2wKoU.

Remote water tank level monitor

Ranchbot Monitoring Solutions’ Ranchbot Water Monitor is a multipurpose water tank level monitor. The device talks to other Ranchbot solutions and sends real-time alerts directly to your device. Features include:

• ability to connect up to five wired sensors and 10 wireless sensors,
• solar-powered operation,
• 24/7 satellite connectivity,
• easy 15-minute installation, and
• access to the MyRanchbot platform.

Designed to withstand challenging outdoor environments, the monitors are engineered for precision and durability. Robust sensors provide highly accurate readings of water levels in various tank types, from large reservoirs to smaller holding tanks and troughs. The technology transmits this data via satellite to Ranchbot’s secure platform, ensuring you receive up-to-the-minute information on your water availability. The units are built with high-quality, weather-resistant materials, ensuring reliable performance through extreme temperatures and harsh conditions.

For more information visit https://bit.ly/4oSt5ge.

West-specific cover-crop selection tool

Thanks to a publicly available and free tool offered through Precision Sustainable Agriculture and verified by the Western Cover Crops Council, farmers throughout the West have a cover-crop species recommendation tool that suggests cover-crop species based on growers’ unique situations and goals.

Growers can browse a comprehensive database of cover-crop species best suited for their state. With the Western region addition (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming), all 50 states are now included in the tool.

The benefits of cover crops are wide-ranging, including improving soil health, weed suppression, erosion reduction and pollinator habitat. Still, selecting the right cover crops for your unique goals can be challenging. This online tool gives growers expert-verified information and recommendations. Farmers can select up to three goals for their crop. The tool then generates a custom list of cover crops tailored to the farmer’s area and priorities.

For more information visit https://bit.ly/4o7kchB.

Autonomous grain cart kit

Farmers have a limited window to complete harvest. Making the best use of time during harvest is a very important part of running a successful farm.

The OutRun Retrofit Autonomy Kit gives farmers the flexibility of deploying labor where they need it. Harvest 50%-60% faster with an autonomous grain cart instead of unloading at the headlands.

Mounted on the roof of the grain cart tractor, the OutRun kit interfaces with the tractor and enables the combine operator to use a tablet to:

1. Stage or position the grain cart around the field.
2. Call for a pickup. Command the grain cart to navigate to and align with the combine for an unload on the go.
3. Send to truck. Send the grain cart to a predefined truck unload zone so the grain cart can be unloaded. For now, a manual unload of the grain cart is required.