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CNH’s annual magazine on sustainability and innovation

Welcome to A Sustainable Year, CNH’s annual magazine dedicated to sustainability and innovation.

This edition is inspired by two milestones that set the course for our Company: our Investor Day in May 2025, where we introduced the Road to 2030 business strategy, and our most recent Sustainability Report, which underscores our commitment to safer, more responsible operations. Together, they shape the initiatives we are proud to share with you here.

CNH is recognized as a global product leader in all the major regions where we operate. We remain committed to delivering excellence for our customers by increasing productivity, profitability and shareholder returns, while at the same time embedding sustainable practices across our operations. A clear example is our precision technology strategy, which brings AI-driven automation and smart solutions to our product lines — helping farmers achieve higher yields, use resources more efficiently and operate with greater peace of mind.

In the following pages, you will read how we are accelerating product development and advancing from precision farming to full autonomy and robotics. You will also see how Case IH’s SenseApply™ technology exemplifies

the power of “sense and act” innovation, enabling farmers to apply exactly the right amount of nitrogen, herbicide or fungicide in real time and only where the crop needs it.

We report from India on training and mentoring initiatives that are preparing the next generation of workers to thrive in our industries. We also spotlight winning strategies and best practices from our depots around the world.

As in previous editions, we have collaborated with external experts to provide additional perspectives on the topics we explore. We have also included voices from our customers, who are testing ground-breaking machines powered by lower-emission fuels, such as New Holland’s T6 and T7 Methane Power tractors and Case IH’s Austoft 9990 sugarcane harvester prototype, which can also run on ethanol. Their testimonials give a window into the day-to-day lives of the farmers we serve, confirm the excellence of our products and show how CNH supports them on their journey.

We hope you enjoy this issue of A Sustainable Year and gain a deeper understanding of how CNH is driving innovation, quality and sustainability — for our customers, our industries and the planet.

At CNH, we’ve been Breaking New Ground since 1842, with iconic brands that introduced the world’s first steam-powered tractors, twinrotor combines and precision farming systems.

Today, we operate in three segments: agricultural equipment, construction equipment and financial services, delivering smart, sustainable solutions that help farmers and builders succeed.

With forty production sites, 49 R&D centers and over 35,000 employees across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, India and Asia Pacific, our nine brands serve customers in around 170 markets with next-generation technologies and world-class products.

CNH in numbers

$19.8bn consolidated revenues

35,000+

9 Brands

40 plants employees

49 R&D centers

~170 countries in which we have a commercial presence Our segments

CNH is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CNH).

AGRICULTURE

• Global leader in agricultural machinery and technologies

• Comprehensive range of tractors, harvesters, and crop solutions

• Global distribution network tailored to local needs

CONSTRUCTION

• Global player in construction equipment — with a broad portfolio and global distribution

• Operating as an independent, standalone business

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• A leading provider of financial solutions for our customers, importers and dealers

• Enhanced customer experience to offer a competitive edge to our brands

At least every three years, CNH conducts a comprehensive Materiality Assessment, a tool that helps us prioritize sustainability topics and ensure they are closely aligned with our business decisions and the expectations of our stakeholders. These topics inform our sustainability priorities — customer solutions; operational excellence; people and communities; and governance and partnerships — and drive our 2030 strategic targets. These targets are included in CNH’s Strategic Business Plan, underscoring our commitment to sustainability.

Customer solutions

90% recyclability for new products

15% of net sales of spare parts from remanufactured components

Operational excellence

50% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions vs 2018

100% of total electricity from renewable sources

100% of waste recovered at Company plants

50% reduction of water withdrawal/hour of production vs 2018

Governance & partnerships

20% leadership variable compensation linked to sustainability goals

100% of Tier 1 suppliers involved in sustainability assessments People & communities

71% reduction in employee injury frequency rate vs 2018

Expansion of CNH Disaster Response Program with dealers and global markets

2030 SUSTAINABILITY TARGETS

RECOGNITION

RECOGNITION AS A SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE COMPANY

At CNH, we are committed to:

• Leading the agriculture and construction industries in sustainability impact

• Being accountable for measured, science-based targets and our sustainability performance

• Remaining the employer of choice in our industries

In 2024, CNH has once again been recognized for advancing the work of agricultural and construction workers around the world through its sustainability practices.

CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS

Support our customers with sustainable products, technologies and best practices

Note: The use by CNH of any MSCI ESG research LLC or its affiliates (“MSCI”) data and the use of the MSCI logos, trademarks, service marks or index names herein, do not constitute a sponsorship, endorsement, recommendation or promotion of CNH by MSCI. MSCI services and data are the property of MSCI or its information providers and are provided ‘as-is’ and without warranty. MSCI names and logos are trademarks or service marks of MSCI.

CAMERA SENSING TECHNOLOGY ENABLES PRECISION FARMING

CNH sense and act technology is helping farmers take efficiency, productivity and environmental sustainability to a new level by using machine learning to apply the right amount of herbicide, fertilizer or growth aids in the right place at the right time using its first factory-fit computer vision-based application solution.

When a farmer applies a chemical input to their field, it impacts everything from the conditions of the soil to the health of the crops to the yield potential and profits at the end of the season. Whether they are applying fertilizer to improve soil conditions or herbicide to kill weeds, every pass impacts their crop quality and future sustainability. Thus it is critical to get the application rate and placement right. Effective application can reduce erosion, chemical drift and runoff while conserving resources and protecting nearby ecosystems — including insects and microorganisms that support nutrient recycling and soil structure.

“

THE SYSTEM CAN BE UTILIZED YEARROUND, GETTING OUR CUSTOMERS THE BEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT

This naturally promotes healthier soils, reduces water contamination and ultimately improves crop growth and yield.

In response to this, sense and act technology solutions are beginning to emerge in the agriculture industry. This cutting-edge set of solutions uses sensors to detect crop conditions and then adjust machine settings in response. CNH developed its first factory-fit sense and act solution to go beyond the general trend of using this concept for herbicide, creating the most versatile solution to provide unmatched precision across both spraying and spreading applications.

The Case IH SenseApply™ and New Holland IntelliSense™ Sprayer Automation solution covers multiple seasons for live variable rate applications and available selective spray options on bare or residue-covered field conditions. “The system can be utilized yearround, getting our customers the best return on investment,” says Nick Michael, Senior Technical Product Manager overseeing sense and act technology. “SenseApply technology is the only application technology that offers live variable rate application and green-onbrown selective spraying modes in a single cab-mounted arrangement.”

How it works

The SenseApply technology offers two sense and act spraying modes — Selective Spray and Live Variable Rate Application (Live VRA).

Selective Spray can be used in two ways: green-on-brown spot spraying, where the camera spots green weeds, and Base + Boost mode, which sprays a consistent base rate of herbicide across the field.

The Live Variable Rate Application can be used in five different application types: nitrogen as fertilizer; fungicide to protect plants from harmful fungus; harvest aid chemicals that help crops ripen at a uniform rate; plant growth regulator chemicals, which also create a more uniform crop; and burndown, which applies herbicide to competing vegetation before a new crop is planted.

SenseApply technology offers the greatest benefit in fields with varying conditions,

where traditional uniform spraying means certain areas don’t get what they need or others are over-sprayed. “We thrive in those areas of natural variability, whether that’s poorly performing areas, or varying soil types that cause different moisture or different nutrient availability for plants,” says Michael.

With only one easy-to-install camera sensor and precise application controls, SenseApply technology provides the most economical and adaptable live variable rate application and selective spray solutions for growers and custom applicators. SenseApply enables operators to maximize the output of every input with a simple-to-use, simple-to-maintain solution.

Significant savings and return on investment

Farmers see the most return on investment (ROI) from SenseApply in the cost savings that they experience across the board. At the point of purchase, the solution’s affordable price and no per-acre or annual fees make it a simple investment. From there, customers see unprecedented ROI from automatically making the most efficient use of every input every time. The solution automatically applies the right rate or sprays precisely in the right spot, which saves a lot of inputs. Case IH estimates that SenseApply will pay for itself in as little as one or two years and could save farmers up to 65% on herbicide application.

¹ Based on

SAVING ON HERBICIDE APPLICATION THROUGH USING SENSEAPPLY 65%

For perspective, the average USA wheat farm spans roughly 2,500 to 5,000 acres (~1,000 to 2,000 hectares). With SenseApply technology, on average farmers can save up to 32,000 gallons (~120,000 litres) of product applied per season or $28,000 in annual savings1 — a volume equivalent to 3.5 months or 105 days of household water use2 This level of savings helps farmers be more sustainable while also improving their bottom line, season after season.

WE ASK THE CUSTOMER:

PROOF

OF CONCEPT FOR SENSEAPPLY TECHNOLOGY

Remie and Zoee DeRuwe farm 40,000 acres (~16,200 hectares) in eastern Washington State, USA, with their son Jacob and have tested SenseApplyTM throughout its development as they work to reduce herbicide use.

WE’RE WILLING TO ADAPT VERY QUICKLY AND WE LOOK OUT FOR DIFFERENT THINGS THAT FIT OUR OPERATION “

Remie DeRuwe’s family have been farming around Connell in eastern Washington State for 125 years. His son Jacob is the fifth generation to work on the land there. It’s not the easiest location to grow crops. Conditions are very dry, with only seven to nine inches of rainfall a year, and there are low levels of organic matter in the light soil, even in areas that have not been cultivated.

Perhaps because of these challenging conditions, previous generations of the family were quick to adopt new technology. “They were one of the first farms in the area to use tractors and one of the first to start using fertilizer,” says Remie DeRuwe. “We’ve carried on that same mindset. We’re willing to adapt very quickly and we look out for different things that fit our operation.”

Selective spraying with herbicides

DeRuwe has been using a no-till approach for twenty years, to try and reduce the level of wind erosion and encourage the soil to hold more of the limited amount of moisture it receives. With no tilling to control weeds, the farm uses chemical fallow, in which fields are sprayed with herbicides to stop weeds taking over during the months when no crop is growing. Typically, they would spray their

fields, which span 20,000 (~8,100 hectares) fallow acres over 75 miles (120 km), three times between spring and late summer, when they plant winter wheat.

DeRuwe says he could see the potential benefit of more targeted spraying, rather than treating every part of the field with the same amount of herbicide, but the technology available in previous years didn’t work particularly well with his sprayers. So, when CNH asked the DeRuwes to trial the new SenseApply automated sensing and decision-making system the Company was developing for Case IH, New Holland and Miller sprayers, they were keen to try it and see whether it improved the accuracy and efficiency of spraying.

A successful trial

SenseApply uses a cab-mounted camera to detect weeds and assess plant health in real time as the sprayer passes through the field. The operator sets the parameters in advance for how much herbicide, nitrogen or fungicide to apply. The system offers farmers the greatest benefit where field conditions vary and traditional uniform spraying means some areas are overor under-treated. For CNH, the DeRuwes’ farm offered the perfect testing ground because of its large area and hilly terrain.

For the DeRuwes, it was an opportunity to “play with different settings in terms of what rates we were going to use and what would work best for us, not to mention what the limits of the system were,” says Jacob DeRuwe.

Last year, they found that in their first pass with the sprayer, fields had around 90% coverage of weeds. On the second spray, Jacob used the system’s ability to spray a uniform base layer and target bigger weeds with a higher dose, so that by the time they got to the third and final spray, the weed coverage was down to as low as 5% and typically around 10%.

“We reallocated our resources where they needed to go and it was doing a better job,” says Remie. The green-on-brown technology, which ‘sees’ weeds in fallow fields meant on a farm the size of the DeRuwes’, “You’ll drive for acres and you may not spray anything.” He adds, "Chemicals are about ten to 12 dollars an acre. When you have 17,000 acres [~6,900 hectares] to spray, you can do the math. We just didn't apply a lot of chemicals when we didn't need to, and we saved some money."

The technology also saved time and labor. Typically, a water tender truck would accompany the sprayer to refill it every 45 minutes to an hour. But Remie explains that, “When Jacob leaves with the 1,700 gallons [~6,435 litres] of water, he doesn’t always know how many hours it’s going to be before he needs to refill. With SenseApply we don’t need another guy tied up tending his sprayer.”

Man and machine working together

Although SenseApply is an automated system, it needs the operator’s knowledge and expertise to perform at its best. As the camera works by using vegetation spectral reflectance, or the amount of reflected light from plants, to identify them or assess their health, one consideration is the angle of the sun, says Jacob.

“In the early morning, the sun’s not up in the sky, it’s right in front of you sometimes. And if you’re going up and down hills, at noon the sun might be directly in front of you,” says Jacob. “Those are the kinds of things you have to think about. Am I going to spray this way or turn around and do it the other way and make sure the system is being more effective? You learn how to run the field a little differently, and it’s easy to do, but it’s something to think about each time.”

Compared with the earliest version of SenseApply they tested, the user experience is much improved in the model that is now ready to go on the market in North America.

“It’s much more user-friendly, it’s easier to find the tools and apply the chemicals more efficiently,” says Jacob.

A NATURAL SOLUTION TO PLASTIC POLLUTION

Though on sale for less than a year, it’s already clear that Nature’s Net Wrap can save farmers time, cut costs and avoid damage to the environment.

“We don’t have to explain to farmers why we brought Nature’s Net Wrap to market. When they see it, they tell us they’ve been looking for this for many years,” says Larry Ruud, rancher in Western Canada and co-inventor with his son Austin of the world’s first certified compostable baler wrap.

Plastic net wrap and twine account for approximately 2.5 million tons ( 2.26 million tonnes) of waste per year, at least half of all plastic waste in agriculture. It ends up in landfill or is burnt – both with harmful consequences for the environment.

Larry points out that plastic net wrap can be left behind in fields, contaminating soil and water. It can also become entangled in machinery such as bale processors, manure spreaders and seeding equipment, leading

to downtime and repairs that can add up to thousands of dollars per year.

“Perhaps worse, it can be ingested by cattle and wildlife. When that happens, it can cause weight loss and death. So plastic poses a significant and often costly problem,” he explains.

As Nature’s Net Wrap decomposes naturally, it will also save farmers the time and money they currently spend burning or burying plastic bale wraps.

WE DON’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FARMERS WHY WE BROUGHT NATURE’S NET WRAP TO MARKET. WHEN THEY SEE IT, THEY TELL US THEY’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS FOR MANY YEARS “

Developing a unique product

Austin Ruud came up with the idea for Nature’s Net Wrap in 2015. Frustrated as he struggled yet again to remove plastic wound around machinery parts, he thought there had to be a better material to wrap bales. And so the Ruuds, whose ranch uses thousands of bales a year, began a nine-year journey.

Nature’s Net Wrap is made from a blend of biopolymers and natural fibers that have been tested both in the field and in laboratories. Today, the Ruuds have a product that is strong enough to meet farmers’ typical storage needs, yet is compostable and fully consumed by microorganisms and enzymes in the soil, leaving behind no microplastics.

“This is a global product first. It’s the only compostable bale net wrap on the market,” says Austin.

Their accomplishment is no mean feat. As if the task of inventing a strong, compostable non-toxic bale net wrap wasn’t hard enough, the Ruuds also wanted to ensure their product reached the largest possible market and has the biggest possible impact. Making it compatible with any baler model from any manufacturer was as high a priority as strength and degradability.

Extensive research and development

To this end, they worked with multiple universities and private testing facilities, including the University of Alberta and Lakeland College, both in Canada, drawing on their institutional knowledge and research facilities. By 2022, they had a prototype and were ready to do field tests.

“There was snow on the ground, it was the fall. When the first bale came out, we literally looked at each other and said, 'Oh boy, the real work begins now,' because we knew we had something that worked,” says Austin.

There followed two years of field tests to see how the net wrap performed through various models of balers and a range of climatic zones. When they were happy, they approached Marty Chamberland, who today is Nature’s Net Wrap’s Chief Growth Officer, but who at the time worked for CNH and knew the Ruuds and their ranch well.

“They approached me about the manufacturing side, and for access to our dealership network,” says Chamberland. “I could see straight away the need to get this product to market as quickly as possible, and that the sustainability opportunity was huge. I also realized these guys needed capital.”

Global potential

With the plastic baler net wrap market worth some $1 billion a year, Chamberland contacted CNH Ventures, CNH’s venture capital fund, which took a minority stake in Nature’s Net

Wrap in January 2024. By May, with CNH’s help, they launched in the North American market.

and vine crops, and others who use plastic netting and webbing, as well as from people keen to apply it to stop soil erosion.

The mid-season launch meant farmers already had their bale net wrap inventory for 2024, but many were keen to test Nature’s Net Wrap, ordering one or two rolls. They included farmers who wanted to avoid plastic and had already switched to sisal, which is more expensive and breaks down after just eight months.

Some ten months later, Austin Ruud is getting calls and emails from all over the world as farmers hear about Nature’s Net Wrap and want to know where they can get it.

But it’s not just farmers who get in touch.

Two cities in the USA contacted the Ruuds. Mandated to reduce plastic from their landfills, the cities wanted to use it to bale up leaves and pine needles in the autumn. They’ve also had calls from farmers who grow tomatoes, flowers

“If you think of any netted product, there’s the possibility for our blend to get made into that,” says Austin.

But that diversification lies some way down the line. Currently, Nature’s Net Wrap is the company’s only product and is solely available through CNH’s Case IH and New Holland dealer network in North America. There are plans, however, to extend that to Europe this year.

But some farmers aren’t prepared to wait. “We’ve had customers coming into dealerships of CNH brands looking for this solution only to find out that it’s a baler wrap and that their balers use twine — so they’ve bought a new baler,” says Chamberland.

That’s proof of the true potential of Nature’s Net Wrap.

WE ASK THE EXPERTS: DR BRENDA RALSTON AND RESEARCH ASSISTANT ANDREA HANSON FROM LAKELAND COLLEGE, ALBERTA, CANADA

Dr Ralston (pictured top) is a Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) scientist specializing in livestock health. She joined the Applied Research department at Lakeland College in 2021 after working for Alberta Agriculture for 35 years. In addition to her role at Lakeland College, she and her family manage a cattle ranch. Andrea Hanson is a Research Assistant and Extension Specialist and has also worked for Alberta Agriculture in various roles.

Q: Why did you become involved in the development of Nature’s Net Wrap?

Dr Brenda Ralston: Single-use plastic is a big problem in agriculture. Typically, there are three types: plastic grain bags; plastic for silage bales and silage pits; and net wrap and twine on bales. To give an idea of the size of the problem, according to Alberta Beef Producers between seven thousand and 12,000 tonnes [~7,700 and 13,200 tons] of plastic is used by agriculture producers here in Alberta every year. That’s in one province, in one country.

Now there are two associated problems. First, this plastic is difficult to recycle. Typically, recyclers want clean and dry products that are free from debris, but when you’re taking plastic off bales or silage pits in the middle of winter, there’s a lot of plant material that can be frozen onto the plastic. It’s the same with twine and net wrap. So recyclers won’t accept it. The second problem is that twine and net wrap get into the fields where cattle graze. Even if you are very diligent in removing them, inadvertently there will always be some plastic left in the field from bales, which can get caught up in equipment. We want to give producers a better option than traditional plastic net wrap.

Q: What happens when an animal eats plastic?

Dr Brenda Ralston: There’s a condition which has come to be known as hardware disease,

which is when twine and net wrap ball up within cattle’s rumen [the largest of their four stomachs]. This can lead to blockages within the digestive system, diarrhea, loss of productivity and even death. And in winter, if a cow is pregnant and has a big ball of plastic in her stomach, she doesn’t have room to eat enough to maintain the fetus and herself. This can be fatal to both.

Q: What has been your input?

Dr Brenda Ralston: We work in animal health and wellness, and we’re interested in hardware disease. We know it doesn’t affect the meat, but it can kill the animals.

Larry Ruud and his son Austin, who invented Nature’s Net Wrap, conducted an initial test on bales in western Canada. After 12 months, the wrap maintained 80% of its original strength. They approached us to help test how well and

how quickly the wrap breaks down. So we’ve been looking at two things — how quickly it degrades once it has been removed from the bales and what happens to it in animals’ stomachs.

Andrea Hanson: The Saskatchewan Cattle Association sponsored field tests under experimental conditions. In May 2024, we buried Nature’s Net Wrap inside nylon bags in a manure pile to simulate what happens to net wrap when it is piled from a winter feeding site. We also buried similar bags in different soil zones in Alberta and Saskatchewan to replicate farm conditions where the net wrap is incorporated into a field from winter feeding sites. We also have one site above ground.

It’s still early days, but when we dug up the first bags in November after six months in the manure pile, we couldn’t pull out a single piece of Nature’s Net Wrap intact because it had disintegrated quite a bit. This result indicates a level of degradation, but it meant we couldn’t do tensile strength tests, which measures how strong something is. However, we are running tests over a shorter timeframe to measure the degradation rate and get a better understanding of the process using the tensile strength measurement.

Dr Brenda Ralston: The second study looks at Nature’s Net Wrap in the rumen and is supported by the non-profit Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) and the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership in collaboration with the Alberta Beef Producers. The first two phases of the study are being carried out at the University of Saskatchewan with research scientist Dr Gabe Ribeiro. These tests have been approved by the Animal Care Committee and the animals involved are under continuous veterinary care.

The first phase involves looking at the breakdown of Nature’s Net Wrap in an artificial rumen. Next, Ribeiro will put samples for different periods of time into animals that have been cannulated — a portal has been inserted into their rumen — again to see the breakdown. The last phase of research will take place in early 2026. We will look at incorporating the wrap into high-forage rations for cattle and study the cows’ performance and any effects it might have on them. We should have some results from that by the end of 2026.

Q : Biodegradable plastic has been around for decades and became widely used in plastic shopping bags from the 1990s. Why hasn’t this happened earlier?

Dr Brenda Ralston: The plastic used to wrap bales operates under totally different conditions. It must be strong enough to run through baling equipment and the bale must stay intact for up to two years above ground. Such bales might be hay, green feed or straw, with different moistures and coarseness, which affects the wrap’s performance. But then we also want it to break down when it’s in a manure pile. It’s a tricky product and it has taken years to develop.

Q : What has been the industry reaction to the results so far?

Dr Brenda Ralston: RDAR, the Alberta Beef Producers and the Saskatchewan Cattle Association have all been very supportive. They see single-use plastics as a challenge for producers when it comes to disposing of them and an animal welfare issue with hardware disease. Nature’s Net Wrap is a solution that will give producers an alternative option. And when we talk to producers, they’re very interested, too.

WE ASK THE CUSTOMER: SPREADING THE WORD, NOT PLASTIC

One farmer from Alberta is already telling his peers about the benefits of Nature’s Net Wrap after trialing it last season.

Kevin Mathieu has had cows die on his farm in Ponoka County, Alberta, Canada after eating plastic, which gets stuck in their stomach, causing a blockage. He’s also wasted far too many hours cleaning plastic net wrap from his machinery and had to pay his employees to do likewise. But looking ahead, he can see seasons when those costs are eliminated.

A successful trial

Last autumn, he trialed enough Nature’s Net Wrap to make about two hundred of the straw bales he puts in pens for his calves to lie on — about 10% of the total he needs every year. “I heard about it at the show in Saskatoon and thought we should have had this 15 or twenty years ago because we have to deal with the consequences of traditional plastic net wrap all the time. We’ve really noticed it building up over the last three to four years and causing a nuisance. At the time of the trial, we’d baled all our hay already, so we tried it on straw,” he explains.

He’s been bowled over by the results.

The bales held together well over the harsh Alberta winter when temperatures can get down to -40°C (-40°F). But by the end of the calving season, when manure had built up in the bedding pens, Nature’s Net Wrap had all but disappeared.

“We were testing how strong the wrap was when we were stacking the bales, trying to be as rough as possible, and they held together. Then when my son was clearing out the pens,

he said he hadn’t seen any Nature’s Net Wrap in the manure at all. It had totally disappeared already. All he could find was little bits of plastic from the bales we had wrapped in plastic. I didn’t think it would break down over winter, so I’m excited about this,” he says.

Cutting costs as well as plastic waste

The advantages of the new net wrap are environmental and economic: it reduces the amount of plastic the farm uses, cuts down maintenance time and protects livestock.

“Cows right now are worth an average of C$5,000 [~$3,500] and I’ve lost cows to plastic. It takes an hour to cut plastic off my hired spreaders and clean them, which costs me about C$150 [~$100] an hour. With four spreaders and a loader, that’s C$500 to C$600 [~$350 to $430],” he points out.

On top of that, he also has to deal with plastic that gets caught up in seeders, causing downtime during peak season that can easily amount to C$600 (~$430) per hour. Not to mention the toll the blockages and the cleaning can take on the machinery itself.

Further improvements

The one thing Mathieu would like to see improved is the current length of the Nature’s Net Wrap rolls. At five thousand feet (1,524 meters) long, they are shorter than the typical plastic wrap rolls, which are seven to nine thousand feet (2,133 to 2,743 meters). “My son was changing the rolls so frequently, he was running along behind the combine. But that’s growing pains and I’m sure we’ll get there,” he says.

According to Marty Chamberland, Chief Growth Officer for Nature’s Net Wrap, the

“When the old-style plastic net wrap gets caught behind the seals of the bearings, it can cause them to fail prematurely, so we have to carefully clean them,” he says.

length of the roll is currently dictated by the manufacturing process. “We’re being careful in the manufacturing process to add more length to rolls as we get comfortable running larger volumes. We hit a ceiling at five thousand feet [1,524 meters] long — now we’re shooting for six thousand [1,830 meters] and we’d like to get to seven thousand [2,133 meters],” he explains.

For the coming season, he estimates he’ll order enough to cover about half his baling. But it may be more. “I’ve probably still got eight to 12 rolls of the old plastic net wrap that either I’ve got to use up or sell. But I would say that this year, I will use Nature’s Net Wrap for all my straw and half my hay. Then going forward I will use it on all my bales,” he says.

Mathieu also mentions that some bales covered in Nature’s Net Wrap broke when pulled out of ice in mid-winter. “It wasn’t as strong as traditional net wrap to pull out of the ice. But that’s just management at our end. This fall, when we stack the bales, we’ll just stack them differently, so the wrap doesn’t make contact with the ground,” he says.

This is music to Chamberland’s ears. He’s confident that this year, Nature’s Net Wrap will be able to meet demand not only from Mathieu, but also the farmers hearing about it from Mathieu and others like him. As the word spreads, plastic use will decline, helping to improve our environment and making farming that much safer.

ETHANOL — A LOWCARBON FUEL OF THE FUTURE

Case IH has developed the world’s first ethanol-fueled sugarcane harvester, which it is currently testing. Farming doesn’t get much more sustainable than a harvester that runs on the very crop it reaps.

Ethanol fuel made from fermented and distilled sugarcane juice is a major boon for agribusiness. By taking advantage of an abundant and renewable resource, ethanol offers a viable alternative to fossil fuels. This is not only true in Brazil — the world’s secondlargest producer of ethanol — because numerous biofuel producers around the world, including the United States, India and others, stand to gain.

Ethanol produces at least 90% less nitrogen oxide (NOx) than diesel and greatly reduces the dependency on direct fossil fuel use for farmers. It is also much cheaper than diesel due to lower production and transportation costs.

Many Case IH customers in Brazil grow sugarcane, making it widely available even in remote rural areas. New equipment can be integrated into ongoing farm operations without the need to invest in adapting infrastructure. By growing sugarcane and using machinery run on ethanol, farmers can become more self-sufficient and save costs, creating a virtuous cycle inside their operations.

The Austoft 9990

Previously, efforts to develop an ethanol-fueled engine that could power farm equipment fell short because diesel engines can’t burn ethanol efficiently, since it requires a spark to ignite.

That changed when CNH and its partner, powertrain specialist FPT Industrial, took a heavy-duty engine running on compressed natural gas (CNG) which uses a spark for ignition (Otto cycle engine) and adapted it in Brazil to run on ethanol. The results were so encouraging that the Cursor 13 engine was mounted for field-testing on a Austoft 9990 sugarcane harvester.

The Austoft 9990 boasts a host of technological innovations and went through over 300 hours of field-testing. Intelligent Feed Rate Control, which automatically adjusts the harvesting speed according to the density of the sugarcane, allows gains of up to 10% in productivity. It is also equipped

with the FieldOps™ telemetry system, which allows the operator and management team to monitor machine performance in real time, increasing operational efficiency. To date, nearly ten thousand of these machines have been produced at CNH’s plant in Piracicaba in the southeast of Brazil.

Developing the Austoft 9990 into an ethanol-fueled harvester required more than simply swapping one engine for another. It involved countless hours of engineering, adaptation and testing, and installing new software, fuel injectors and additional fuel and exhaust sensors. Larger radiators were added to cool the engine, which was running hotter.

The harvester is being trialed at a farm owned by the São Martinho Group in Brazil’s São Paulo state and the results have been very encouraging. The new engine is now just as powerful as its diesel equivalent, with 420 horsepower. Farmers can reduce their fuel bill by about 40% because ethanol is much cheaper than diesel and as fuel makes up about 30% of overall costs, that amounts to a considerable saving.

Taking time to perfect the design

The new ethanol engine concept caught the attention of our customers when it was first unveiled in 2024 at Agrishow in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, one of the three largest agricultural technology trade shows in the world. But when the Austoft 9990 harvester powered by the new engine was shown at the same fair a year later, it inspired serious interest from farmers.

“Every week I get a call from a customer asking me when it’ll be ready,” says Nilson Righi, Case IH Tactical Marketing Manager for Latin America.

However, testing on the harvester will continue throughout 2026 because Case IH is keen to maximize its performance, ensure longterm customer satisfaction and secure CNH’s reputation for innovation and quality.

“We know that it works. We still have some adjustments to make, to boost fuel efficiency, and want to clock many hours to test its longevity,” says Righi. “We’re only going to launch this when we know it is the best product it can be.”

decarbonization efforts, including the purchase of new, low-emission farm equipment. That will build on efforts such as a ban on burning sugarcane fields and the increased production of biomasses such as sugarcane bagasse, the fibrous residue left after juice extraction, to generate energy.

“FARMERS

CAN REDUCE THEIR FUEL BILL BY ABOUT 40% BECAUSE ETHANOL IS MUCH CHEAPER THAN DIESEL, AND AS FUEL MAKES UP ABOUT 30% OF OVERALL COSTS, THAT AMOUNTS TO A CONSIDERABLE

SAVING

Case IH engineers are on site at the São Martinho farm to receive first-hand feedback from the harvester operators.

“They help us develop it. We are partners,” Righi says about the longstanding tradition at CNH of working with and for customers to develop next-generation farm equipment.

In the next few years, CNH expects to reach the final stages of the development project so that deliveries could start afterwards.

At the same time, Case IH will launch a dedicated training program for users. Existing training programs have already helped more than 20,000 people in Brazil get the most out of Case IH harvesters, promoting technological inclusion and regional development.

The future potential of ethanol fuel

The timing couldn’t be better. Brazil has committed to becoming carbon-neutral by 2050 and the farming industry has a central role to play in achieving this goal. As of 2025, sugarcane growers will be able to get carbon credits (Compatibility BIOS, CBIOs) for

There is also a new but fast-growing trend in Brazil to produce ethanol from corn (maize). This will greatly increase the availability of the biofuel throughout the country, in turn making it more attractive as a fuel for any agricultural activity.

Indeed, the sugarcane harvester won’t be the only ethanol-driven machine in the future. After initial bench testing by FPT Industrial, in August 2025 the ethanol-powered engine was mounted on a Case IH Puma tractor in the Curitiba plant, Brazil, and deployed for field-testing at São Martinho to pull a chaser bin alongside the biofuel Austoft 9990.

The team will continue the testing phase with the goal of refining the product and providing farmers with increasingly sustainable solutions.

WE ASK THE CUSTOMER: COLLABORATING TO DEVELOP A NEW ETHANOLDRIVEN HARVESTER

Agricultural company São Martinho operates four industrial complexes with a crushing capacity of 24.5 million tonnes (~26 million tons) of sugarcane and 1.2 million tonnes (~1.32 million tons) of corn, featuring 100% mechanized harvesting and a fleet of 150 cane harvesters. The Boa Vista Unit, in the Brazilian state of Goiás, is the only facility dedicated to producing corn-based derivatives such as ethanol, dried distillers’ grains and corn oil, while also producing ethanol and bioenergy from sugarcane, and is recognized as the largest distillery in the world. The units in São Paulo focus on the sugarcane-based production of sugar, ethanol and bioenergy, with the São Martinho Unit in Pradópolis, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, standing out as the largest sugarcane processing facility on the planet.

For nearly a year, São Martinho’s fleet has included a Case IH Austoft 9990 harvester fitted with a Cursor 13 engine that was designed to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), but has been adapted to run on ethanol. Test results are very encouraging and herald a new era for farm machines and for agriculture more broadly.

Engineers from Case IH and one of Brazil’s largest agro-industrial companies are collaborating closely to field-test ethanolfueled machines that could further advance the farming industry.

“It’s a paradigm shift for us at São Martinho and for the industry,” says Luís Gustavo Teixeira, Director of Agroindustrial Technology and Innovation at Mill São Martinho. “This new technology is good for the environment and good for the bottom line — it opens new horizons for the business.”

But before the new machine is ready for market, it is undergoing rigorous testing to ensure outstanding performance and endurance. There is no better place to do that than at São Martinho, not only because of the scale of the operation and the rigor of testing, but also because of its close partnership with Case IH that continuously pioneers the next generation of farm machines.

Tough routine

Field-testing involves more than running the machine around the field a few times. The Austoft 9990 prototype undergoes a grueling 24/7 shift with temperatures in the field that can easily reach 40°C (104°F). It does the same ‘real-life’ routine as other harvesters, experiencing the most diverse conditions possible and its performance details are carefully compared against its diesel counterpart.

“We submit the machinery to much higher stresses than the market average,” says Teixeira, who is a trained agronomist with a PhD in soil science.

So far, the trial has been promising. There have been adjustments to the software and the engine’s power curve, but that is a normal part of the development phase in such a groundbreaking project.

“At first sight, you can’t tell any difference from the other harvesters and even up close, the differences are nuanced,” he says. “In the development phase there are always things to be adjusted and improved, but it’s going very well — better than we had expected.”

The rest of the trial phase will focus on further improving the power and efficiency of the engine and perhaps tweaking specs.

“These are all details — part of any development process — but as a whole they are important because they add up to make a good product great,” Teixeira explains.

Win-win partnership

São Martinho, with 350,000 hectares ( 865,000 acres) of land, offers more than just challenging terrain for field-testing. It acts as a research laboratory based on a partnership that goes back several years and exemplifies CNH’s focus on building machines with and for customers.

For some time, the technical teams of Case IH and São Martinho have been holding weekly meetings to identify new opportunities, explore further co-operation and monitor the progress of existing projects. Two longstanding objectives have been to boost the efficiency of machinery and create alternatives to diesel power.

In the case of the Austoft 9990 prototype, that means the engineers from Case IH, FPT Industrial and São Martinho genuinely work as one team in the field, observing and adjusting

the harvester over the months. The machine is also always driven by the same four operators to ensure continuity and improve observation.

“This relationship was built, it wasn’t coincidental. It’s a process based on a mutually beneficial win-win mentality,” says Teixeira about the unique partnership with Case IH. “We contribute to new technology and in return we get high-performance equipment.”

Teixeira has no doubt that ethanol-driven technology will soon dominate the sugarcane industry and make significant advances in farms focusing on other crops, provided that its technical, operational and economic feasibility are confirmed. As part of a growing trend in Brazil to produce more corn-sourced ethanol, São Martinho is doubling its corn processing capacity to 1.2 million tonnes (~1.32 million tons).

“For the sugarcane industry, ethanol obviously fits like a glove,” he says, citing cost and logistical advantages. “But it also opens new horizons beyond that.”

WE ASK THE CUSTOMER: MORE POWER TO METHANE

The New Holland T6 Methane Power tractor is helping a Norwegian company use vehicles with reduced emissions and fulfill contractual obligations without compromising on power or increasing costs.

This year’s Nordic World Ski Championships, in the beautiful city of Trondheim in central Norway, was disrupted by sleet, rain and slush. Huge quantities of artificial snow saved the day, but the unusually warm mid-winter weather was a stark reminder that efforts to reduce carbon emissions, which contribute to global warming, are much needed.

One initiative by Trondheim city council is to insist its contractors increase their use of non-polluting vehicles, with a target of 60% of operating hours by 2035. That has encouraged Graver, an earthworks specialist, house builder and Trondheim council contractor, to invest in four New Holland T6 Methane Power tractors. “We use methane-powered tractors in our

contract work with the council to sweep roads and for clearing snow,” explains Svein Tore Sæther, Chief Executive of Graver. “They were also used up at the ski championships this year, clearing snow from car parks. They’re very efficient.”

According to Ove Juel, CNH Sales Manager for the Nordic and Baltic region, the only other tractors that would qualify as non-polluting are electric, but they don’t deliver the same power.

Powerful, reliable and sustainable

Graver took possession of its first methane tractor in November 2022, just as winter was setting in, adding three more shortly after. To date, its fleet of four have clocked up more than nine thousand hours of service — saving some 314 tonnes (346 tons) of CO2 emissions. They

have proved virtually trouble-free compared to traditional tractors — the only malfunction to date has been a defective light switch.

“

THE DRIVERS LIKE THEM. THEY’RE RESPONSIVE, POWERFUL AND SMOOTH

“That’s pretty impressive,” says Sæther. “They’re really reliable and we’ve actually been able to use them for longer than the contract stipulates. I think we’re up to 80% of total hours. And the drivers like them. They’re responsive, powerful and smooth.”

The T6 Methane Power was based on the diesel version and its output matches the 175 horsepower of the diesel model. According to Sæther, they cost about the same in terms of fuel-efficiency, service and maintenance. The only differences he can think of are that the methane-driven engine is slightly quieter than a diesel and the tank for the methane is attached to the front of the hood.

Importantly, the tank is big enough to take fuel for a day’s work — on average about seven and a half hours. “We can drive for a full day, but if we need to work a little bit overtime, we have to refill it,” says Sæther.

Further improvements

There are fewer refueling stations for methane than diesel fuel and returning to base to top up can mean an hour’s drive. “We could do with more supporting infrastructure and maybe some mobile services — so they come to us,” says Sæther. He adds that more infrastructure is in the pipeline and would-be new suppliers are going through the stringent approvals process to produce, store and supply methane locally.

Reducing emissions across the board

The T6 Methane Power is available globally and New Holland has already sold 12 of the methane tractors in Norway, the largest market in the Nordic and Baltic region, according to Juel. Most have been bought by farmers and contractors looking for alternatives to diesel, but with equal power.

Back in Trondheim, for Graver, the methane tractors not only help it meet its contractual obligations with the council, but also help the company meet its own net-zero ambitions.

“We are really focusing on our own emissions too, especially in the cities because of poor air quality. Pollution is a big deal in Norway and so is global warming. The methane tractor helps us reduce our pollution. Other things we are doing include using local materials, dealers and suppliers to cut transportation, and to think smarter. When we build houses, we are using more timber, avoiding plastic and concrete,” explains Sæther. “It’s a more traditional, less harmful way to build.”

This time, the Nordic World Ski Championships were able to go ahead thanks to artificial snow and Graver’s efforts clearing the car parks of slush. Curbing vehicle emissions can help curb global warming, and Graver is playing its part.

WE ASK THE CUSTOMER: HOW BIOPOWER IS GAINING TRACTION ON THE FARM

The T7 Methane Power from New Holland will help farmers transition to more sustainable farming practices and access the new biogas ecosystem that is gradually expanding across Europe.

Christophe Rousseau is a farmer, entrepreneur and biomethane pioneer. So when CNH brand New Holland suggested he try out its powerful new T7 Methane Power, which runs on compressed biogas, he leapt at the chance.

“During the silage season it worked eight hours from nine to five without refueling,” he said. “That’s a minimum requirement. But the production version will have a fuel capacity 30% greater than the prototype I tested.”

A comprehensive redesign

Following the successful introduction in 2022 of the smaller New Holland T6.180 Methane Power, a mid-sized tractor with a 175-horsepower engine, the brand set about developing a larger and more powerful model. Engineers at New Holland’s Alternative Fuels Center of Excellence in Basildon, UK, took advantage of the T7’s larger chassis to design and build a tractor with substantially more on-board gas storage.

The T7 Methane Power develops just as much power as the diesel-powered T7.270. But by rethinking the fuel storage layout, New Holland engineers have created a tractor with a tank capable of holding a total of 657 liters (~173 gallons) of gas and still within the design envelope of its diesel cousin. This results in much greater capacity than its smaller T6 precursor, enabling it to run for many more hours between refueling stops, while working with bigger implements or hauling heavier loads. A forthcoming technological innovation will soon enhance the tractor’s autonomy even further.

Introduced in 2023 at Agritechnica, the largest agricultural machinery show in Germany, the T7.270 Methane Power tractor again demonstrates New Holland’s commitment to being a Clean Energy Leader, advancing the brand’s objective of ultimately offering farmers a full range of machines using alternative power.

Greener fields

But the use of biomethane-powered tractors can only become widespread once the supporting infrastructure is in place, a challenge that CNH is addressing through innovation and industry partnerships.

In the UK, the Company has invested in renewable agricultural start-up Bennamann to develop small-scale on-farm refueling stations so farmers can fuel their tractors from their own biogas micro-digesters that process manure from dairy herds.

In the meantime, New Holland is working with agro-entrepreneurs in France such as Mr Rousseau to explore the practicalities of using methane-powered tractors.

As a guiding light in the Association des Agriculteurs Méthaniseurs de France (AAMF) [Association of French Agricultural Biogas Producers], Mr Rousseau has a wealth of expertise in the everyday challenges and economics of developing the use of biogas.

He runs a thousand-hectare (~2,470-acre) livestock and cereal farm, the Ferme de Come, in Burgundy, France. Besides fattening cattle and selling meat directly to the public, Mr Rousseau has taken a close interest in the shift to clean energy. He has installed solar panels on the roofs of farm buildings and built a biogas and cogeneration plant that generates 500 kWh of electricity, fed by manure from his herd.

Turning waste into fuel

Mr Rousseau’s farm at Domecy-sur-Cure is located close to the main highway between Paris-Lyon-Marseille, and he has a friend who owns a fleet of 200 trucks running on compressed natural gas.

DURING THE SILAGE SEASON IT WORKED EIGHT HOURS FROM NINE TO FIVE WITHOUT REFUELING

Growth in France has been rapid, encouraged by a shift in subsidies from the use of biogas to generate electricity in favor of supplying gas directly to the distribution system. The EBA reckons this positive regulatory environment will help underpin billions more euros of investments in biogas plants across Europe by 2030.

Another key factor for users is cost. Subsidies and other supportive measures for CNG and biogas will play an important role in making these fuels competitive, alongside the technological progress already under way.

But if these lorries — like New Holland’s T7.270 Methane Power tractors — could run on biogas, they would be greener still. So aided by a grant from France’s Energy Transition Agency, ADEME, they built a substantial second biogas plant in the nearby town of Avallon. Their company collects organic waste from food retailers and food processors and uses it to generate biomethane on a commercial scale. The gas is pumped into the local gas distribution system. This plant could supply fuel for T7.270 Methane Power tractors operated by Mr Rousseau.

In the UK, some farmers are developing on-farm filtration plants to enable farm biogas to be used in methane-powered tractors and loaders. For now, Mr Rousseau’s T7 Methane Power must either go to his biogas plant in Avallon, or he must bring compressed biogas to the farm in a special truck.

The plant is a pioneering contribution to the energy transition, but it also highlights the complexities that innovators are working hard to resolve. Food waste has to be pasteurized at 70˚C (158˚F) before it can be added to the biogas digester to kill any pathogens, says Mr Rousseau. And the resulting gas must be filtered before it can be pumped into the distribution system or used in trucks or tractors.

Seeking economies of scale

Looking across the European continent, there’s every reason to foresee a bright future for biogas-powered farm machinery.

At end-March 2025, the European Biogas Association (EBA) counted 1,678 biogas plants in Europe, up 9% year-over-year.

France topped the ranking with 760 plants, followed by Germany, Italy and the UK.

Mr Rousseau applauds the way CNH and New Holland are leading the development of methane-powered machinery worldwide. The T7.270 Methane Power performs every bit as well as the diesel variant, he says. With the right incentives toward the biogas sector, he’s convinced biogas has a great future in Europe.

As the story of the T7 Methane Power shows, developing more sustainable farming practices doesn’t begin or end at the farmyard gate. It takes hard work and determined collaboration between farmers, innovators and policy-makers to create a whole new energy ecosystem.

ADVANCES IN AUTOMATION FOR CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES

Two new automated systems, Click&Dig and a perception sensing system, are being introduced on CASE Construction Equipment’s wheel loaders to improve productivity and safety.

“They are Click&Dig, which has three automated processes for wheel loaders — AutoDig, AutoDump and AutoMetering — and a perception sensing system, an AI-based system of cameras and sensors that detects obstacles and people around the vehicle to improve safety and support the operator’s decision-making.

Precision and productivity

The advanced electronics team’s purpose is not to replace operators, according to Antonio Venezia, Director of Electronics for Construction Equipment at CNH. “I don’t spend eight hours a day every day in my car, but operators spend eight hours a day working in our vehicles,” he says. “The most important part of our job is to help them do their jobs better, in a more comfortable way.”

Customized safety

At CNH’s CASE Construction Equipment plant in Lecce, southern Italy, a team of young engineers is working toward a long-term goal of creating fully autonomous construction vehicles. The team, led by Advanced Electronics Manager Andrea Gravili, will reach a milestone this year, with two important automated functions coming to the market.

I DON’T SPEND EIGHT HOURS A DAY EVERY DAY IN MY CAR, BUT OPERATORS SPEND EIGHT HOURS A DAY WORKING IN OUR VEHICLES. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF OUR JOB IS TO HELP THEM DO THEIR JOBS BETTER, IN A MORE COMFORTABLE WAY

Click&Dig represents a significant step forward from the basic automatic functions available on construction vehicles up to this point. The automation will be fitted to CASE wheel loaders in the factory and supports operators with digging, dumping and metering — the process of spreading out the load from the bucket. As well as reducing operator fatigue, it increases precision, for example ensuring that the wheel loader dumps precisely one ton, or whatever the order size may be, of the material it is carrying into a delivery truck.

Click&Dig can also record the way an operator wants the maneuver to be carried out, so that it is repeated, even as the operator gets tired.

CNH's Perception sensing system recognizes different types of obstacles typically found on a construction site, from piles of rocks to other vehicles to people, says Gravili, and does not rely only on what it can ‘see’. “When the system is looking behind the vehicle, it can recognize or detect obstacles using both a camera and a radar,” he explains. “If there is dust on the camera, we can rely on the radar.” The operator is then alerted to press the brake.

The system had to be trained differently to the obstacle recognition systems used by the car industry, says Venezia. On a construction site, vehicles do not always need to completely avoid each other as cars do on the road. They may need to come close, for example when a wheel loader is collecting from or delivering material to another type of vehicle.

Perception also uses monitoring inside the cabin of the wheel loader and can be programmed to recognize the operator’s face when they climb inside. The vehicle then offers that operator’s customized settings at once.

CNH is developing Perception’s capabilities so that in future, the monitoring system will recognize changes in the operator’s level of attention and fatigue, compared with their baseline, says Gravili, and offer prompts to help keep them more focused.

The future of automation

In the longer term, construction vehicles could be operated remotely when working in isolated or hazardous locations, with no one in the cabin at all. CNH already showcased a remotely operated prototype, the CASE 1021G+ X-DRIVE wheel loader, at the BAUMA construction equipment trade fair in April 2025. This prototype is equipped with the new Click&Dig automation features, which minimize operator fatigue and maximize comfort and productivity.

Venezia says that rather than wait ten years to craft a fully autonomous vehicle, CNH is

developing and deploying the elements of an autonomous system, with the intention that they will all work together as “an orchestra” in future.

“The idea is to start the journey of digitalization today, and that each piece developed will be an important part of the future product,” he says. So, the Perception system has been taught to work with Click&Dig and the team is working on a new AI assistant which is being taught to work with both systems. It will offer the operator advice on the most effective way to perform a particular maneuver, after evaluating their way of working for a couple of cycles.

Gravili works very closely with the university in Lecce to hire engineers with skills in AI and automation. The team’s work is cutting-edge — Perception and Click&Dig already have eight unique system patents between them.

“We want to bring innovation to construction and look to the future with bright eyes,” says Venezia.

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Improve the efficiency and quality of our processes and products

HOW AI IS ACCELERATING INNOVATION IN AGRICULTURE

CNH’s global strategy is turning data into decisions and agricultural machinery into intelligent collaborators, empowering farmers across the world with effortless and streamlined technology tailored to their needs.

Over the past decade, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a quietly powerful force in agriculture, making the farmer’s experience smoother and smarter. On modern combines, tractors and sprayers, AI systems now make complex decisions in real time, such as adjusting settings, guiding vehicles and improving yields.

“For many years our combines have had AI features and our farmers might not even have known about it,” says Francesca Protano, Head of Technology Strategy and Product Innovation at CNH. “That means we did a very good job. And it is not by chance that our customers can rely on the best combine harvesters available on the market today.”

Now, as AI systems grow more capable and customer expectations rise, those invisible improvements are entering a new phase. With better processing power, more structured

“

IF YOU MAKE IT SEAMLESS AND TRANSPARENT, THE FEEDBACK FROM FARMERS IS REALLY POSITIVE

Fragmented data, legacy systems and rising pressure

Agriculture is one of the world’s oldest industries, and CNH has been supporting farmers through innovation and engineering for over 180 years. But today they face some of the most urgent pressures. Climate change, labor shortages and shifting regulatory frameworks are forcing farmers to get smarter about solving their problems. AI offers one solution but scaling it across a global and fragmented industry is no simple task.

datasets and increasing industry pressure to do more with less, CNH is embedding AI into more machines, speeding up product development and shifting from precision farming to full autonomy and robotics.

“We are in the third wave of AI,” says Protano, “where things are moving from promising pilots to genuinely effective tools.” This wave is defined not just by capability, but also by speed, scale and sustainability. And agriculture is feeling the urgency.

At CNH, part of the challenge lies in managing the Company’s own diversity. Over the past two decades, it has grown through major acquisitions across regions, product lines and engineering cultures. “We collect a lot of data,” says Protano, “but in different formats and often of variable types. We work a lot on data quality to make it usable.”

Creating a common data asset is just the first step. Reliable AI also demands highperformance computing, seamless integration and widespread user trust, especially in rural areas where connectivity is inconsistent. “In agriculture, connectivity is one of the tricky points,” says Protano. “Farmers typically work in areas where internet coverage is unreliable or non-existent.”

CNH is setting up a number of partnerships to tackle this issue, allowing farmers working in the remotest regions of the world to take advantage of the latest technology. In May 2025, for example, the Company announced an agreement with Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, to offer farmers robust and affordable high-speed satellite connectivity, maximizing the potential of its precision technology and improving data streaming capabilities.

Embedding intelligence, extending capability

Despite the challenges, CNH’s AI strategy is delivering results. The goal is not to replace the farmer, but to extend their capabilities by making machines smarter, tasks easier and operations more resource-efficient and environmentally responsible. “We are reducing the effort,” says Protano. “If you make it seamless and transparent, the feedback from farmers is really positive.”

These innovations include "sense and act" technology like the SenseApply™ sprayer application system, which uses machine vision to identify weeds and automatically applies treatment only where needed. This technology was developed through CNH’s acquisition of Greek start-up Augmenta. Recent research reveals it can deliver significant savings and return on investment, as well as reduce herbicide application.

Vision-guided steering, meanwhile, is applied on tractors in vineyards, enabling the vehicle to turn at the end of each row without human input, even in areas with poor GPS coverage.

From a farmer’s perspective, the appeal is straightforward: less waste, lower cost, better results and less reliance on manpower, helping to overcome labor shortages. And, Protano notes, farmers like the simplicity. “The less input they give, the happier they are. If the machine does it for them, they see the benefit.”

The acceleration effect: faster cycles, smarter systems

For CNH, AI is not just transforming what its brands’ machines do, it’s changing how fast they get built. “AI can certainly accelerate the development of innovative features,” says Protano. “It can improve development cycles and testing cycles.”

This acceleration is partly powered by generative AI, which now assists in coding CNH’s software modules. It’s also driven by field data collected from sensors, uploaded to cloud platforms and looped back into product design. That data doesn’t just support engineers; it sometimes reveals what customers need and how they are using machines in ways the designers didn’t anticipate, prompting new features or models.

Ultimately, AI allows CNH to serve more varied customers across more geographies with more relevant tools. That might mean specialty equipment that replaces hand-weeding with machine learning, or automation that helps new operators work more effectively with less training.

From smart machines to sustainable growth

CNH’s AI strategy is not a sudden pivot, but a cumulative shift, layering smarter tools onto a base of existing capabilities, structured data and a global user base. It’s a strategy designed to be flexible, regionally relevant and applicable to a variety of technologies. Rather than locking into one solution that fits all, CNH is intentionally working with a range of cloud and software partners to keep its architecture adaptable.

Whether it’s sprayers that detect weeds or tractors that navigate without GPS, CNH is using AI to rethink how machines work and how quickly they can evolve. As Protano puts it, “We are already in the third wave of AI. Now it’s about how fast we can go.”

“WE ARE ALREADY IN THE THIRD WAVE OF AI. NOW IT'S ABOUT HOW FAST WE CAN GO

WE ASK THE EXPERT DR DENNIS BUCKMASTER

Dennis Buckmaster is a professor at Purdue University and an agricultural engineer by training. Over the past decade, he has focused on digital agriculture, data systems and AI.

Q: How is AI changing how farmers interact with their equipment?

A: I would categorize machinery-related AI into two classes. First, image-processing algorithms embedded on the machinery, for example, to differentiate weeds from plants. Second, generative AI, which is largely language-based and involves human interaction. Both come into play.

AI makes complicated operations smoother: controlling settings, machine paths and things that used to require a skilled operator. And generative AI can facilitate machine interaction. Maybe the farmer is looking at the dashboard wondering where he or she should adjust the air pressure in their planter. There is a menu path, but generative AI could help make that adjustment.

Q: How is AI already adding value?

A: Automatic adjustments are remarkable, whether for planting, spraying or harvesting with less damage to crops or wasted products. Another benefit is coordinating machinery. AI reduces the need for operator skill — or at least reduces operator stress. They don’t need racing-driver intensity every moment. Maybe they can take a sip of coffee or have phone conversations while they work.

Q: What are the biggest misconceptions about AI and farming?

A: I see two extremes. Some say: “it’s not good enough to trust,” but it is, in many well-vetted cases. The other perspective is: “it’s perfect. I’ll just trust it” — and no, you need to verify. I often say, in these early stages, AI is like an adviser earning your trust. If I meet someone with great credentials, I still make sure they’re doing the right thing. Treat AI the same way.

Q: How significant is the data quality challenge?

A: Interoperability has been my word of the year for several years now. We still don’t connect data on production, markets, machinery, facilities and personnel. AI could help with that. Farmers make strategic decisions — what to plant, what variety, when, where — every year. They need context to make these decisions better, but simple things, like what was planted on a given day, are often not readily accessible.

Most decisions are in the moment, not strategic. That’s where data streams come in. Where is my machinery? How full are the tanks? What’s the best route to keep things running? We need data to provide live status for smarter work in the field and around the barnyard.

Q: What kinds of sensors are creating opportunities for AI-driven decisions?

A: Internet of Things sensors give us data on soil, machinery, stationary equipment, crop status, inventory. All that complements what we get from machinery alone. Weather forecasts are important, too. A farmer may think: “that field needs water. Do I irrigate or wait for rain?”

AI can weigh the likelihoods more objectively than people, but humans should always have the option to make the final decision.

Imaging technology will open insights into the state of soil, crops and grain bins. We can identify stresses and what’s causing them, leading to quicker treatment. We’re even using imagery in the barnyard, where equipment studies the feeding, breeding and grouping of cows.

AI REDUCES THE NEED FOR OPERATOR SKILL — OR AT LEAST REDUCES OPERATOR STRESS. THEY DON'T NEED RACING-DRIVER INTENSITY EVERY MOMENT. MAYBE THEY CAN TAKE A SIP OF COFFEE OR HAVE PHONE CONVERSATIONS WHILE THEY WORK “

Q: How can AI work in areas without strong internet coverage?

A: You can’t shut down just because you’re offline, so you’ve got to have some edge computing capacity — data storage and computer power on or near the farm — or reliable ways to transmit data. LoRaWAN (long-range wireless) can carry small bits of data several miles, so it’s good for tracking machinery status or relaying sensor data. There’s a new Wi-Fi standard called HaLow, which is license-exempt in the US. It’s lower bandwidth than home Wi-Fi, but could be great as a private on-farm network. TV white space and low-earth satellite could provide connectivity, too, with approval for use in mobile equipment. Agricultural machines stay in a defined area, such as a cluster of fields, so they don’t need huge areas of connectivity.

Q: Are there use cases that need higher bandwidth?

A: Absolutely. A drone can be used to spot anomalies, but unless you’ve got powerful edge compute, you’ve got to upload the imagery for processing — and those will be large amounts of data. That’s why agriculture needs symmetrical connectivity: upload speeds and capacity that match those available for downloads.

Q: How close are we to large-scale deployment of autonomous systems?

A: Technically, it’s close. But widespread adoption is still years away. You’ve got to get the equipment to the field and support it with fuel and supplies. Plus, there’s a huge

inventory of existing equipment. A fiveyear-old tractor that’s not autonomy-ready doesn’t need replacing. Some machines can be upgraded to be autonomous if they have the right computer systems, but it’ll take time.

Q: Are there cultural or social barriers to autonomous farming?

A: Yes. Many farmers just enjoy the physical aspects of farming. They don’t necessarily like the office work. There’s a meme I like: “I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do laundry and dishes.”

The agriculture version is: “I want AI to do the business and taxes so I can drive the tractor, not drive the tractor so I can do the business and taxes.”

Q: Where might AI surprise us over the next few years?

A: Generative AI can be an always-available adviser. Some farmers don’t want to deal with data, and may prefer to say: “Here’s my data. What does it mean?” AI could answer that without them having to write code, allowing them to analyze data in ways that are otherwise out of reach.

Q: Any final advice for decision-makers trying to evaluate AI?

A: Stay optimistic. Good AI needs good data and getting good data feels slow and unrewarding at first. But over time, it builds and you’ll hit a leapfrog moment. Farmers have been collecting yield data since the 1990s and now, with AI, that data becomes useful. We’re getting there.

ENGINEERS MASTERMIND AUTOMATION AT A DEPOT WITH MANY MOVING PARTS

Automation has delivered significant cost savings, productivity gains and sustainability benefits at CNH’s principal parts depot in Lebanon, Indiana, USA. But engineering the transformation with zero downtime, and without losing track of a single spare part, was no simple matter.

CNH’s master depot in Lebanon, Indiana, is like a copyright library: it holds a wide range of spare parts for many models across the Company’s portfolio. Every year, it must add the parts from new models to its inventory while keeping stock for older machinery. When it began to run out of space, the Lebanon depot turned to the Company’s planning and process engineers for a solution.

Jason Kimmerling, Manager Warehouse Processes, and his eight-member team of engineers, project managers and support team are constantly on the lookout for ways to improve CNH’s North American depot

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IT’S NOT ONLY ABOUT EFFICIENCY AND PROFITABILITY. THEY LOOK AT WHAT CAN IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR TEAMS

network, which comprises two depots in Canada, and six depots and a packaging center in the USA. Digitalization and automation are big parts of the remit, but so are the efficiency of warehouse processes, the layout of buildings and the wellbeing of the people who work in them.

Kimmerling and his team are really innovative in their approach to continuous improvement. They don’t just focus on efficiency and profitability. They look at what can improve the health and safety of their teams; the quality of service they deliver: and the sustainability of the depot’s operations.

Kimmerling saw that automating the retrieval of spare parts could help free up space and bring additional benefits to the Lebanon depot. But implementing the transformation was enormously complex and there was no blueprint to go by as this would be a first for CNH. The warehouse works almost 24/7 to serve CNH’s brands’ dealers in North America and around the globe, as well as other depots, so there was no downtime available to install the physical infrastructure for automated retrieval nor to implement, then test new systems.

Meticulous planning

The depot in Lebanon is huge, covering 78,000 square meters (840,000 square feet) of indoor space, with an additional 47,000 square meters (506,000 square feet) dedicated to outdoor storage. It takes 15 minutes to walk from end to end at a very brisk pace — most employees get around on electric carts. It houses 350,000 part numbers within the building, from tiny nuts and bolts to giant augers, tanks and tractor cabs. Some parts are so big they are kept in an outside yard.

Most automated storage systems only work for products that come in relatively small, standard sizes, so the first challenge for Kimmerling’s team was to select a solution that could handle a variety of sizes. Next, the system had to be much more efficient in its use of space. Lastly, the solution had to be scalable, as the team wanted to test the technology on a small corner of the warehouse first.

The team opted for AutoStore™, a Norwegian vendor specializing in storage automation which deploys a physical, 3D grid, like a Rubik’s cube, to stack bins of varying sizes. Each bin can be sub-divided to store multiple products. When an order is placed, the system locates the right bin and sends an automated cart to collect it. The carts travel along the roof of the cube and send down cables to retrieve the bins. The bins are then transported to a packaging station, where employees lift out the spare parts and prepare them for shipment.

It sounds simple, but the system required months of preparatory work. Kimmerling and his team had to select which spare parts from an inventory of hundreds of thousands were suitable for automated storage. The products had to be categorized by size, weight and whether they were fast or slow sellers. With this data, they carried out simulations for the optimal size and composition of the grid for different sets of products. Cost-benefit analyses were carried out to determine the initial size of the pilot project, while IT technicians checked that all interfaces between customer service, warehouse and AutoStore systems connected seamlessly.

Going live

The pilot, covering 930 square meters (10,000 square feet) of the warehouse floor, went live in January 2022. It housed 27,274 bins and handled about 20% of the warehouse’s business by volume. Orders are shipped within 24 hours and emergency orders on the same day, and automation allowed parts to be retrieved two to three times faster than before, maintaining the warehouse’s high standards of customer service.

Efficiency gains have significantly improved the team’s work-life balance, as well as aiding retention. In addition, the actual day-to-day activities have been made much easier, as employees at the automated stations no longer have to bend or reach for spare parts.

Meanwhile, the Lebanon depot is increasing the area under automation five-fold. To make room for the expansion, 36,000 spare parts in 12 aisles had to be relocated and re-catalogued. Almost 100,000 bins are being added to the automated grid, which will house products from 200,000 different locations in the current warehouse. Amid all these changes, Kimmerling’s team must keep track of every part, at every moment of the day, to ensure no order goes unfulfilled. The expanded system was completed in April 2025 and is expected to deliver significant annual cost and efficiency savings.

Further innovations

Two more firsts! The Lebanon repacking center is the first facility in North America to install an automated packaging machine and CNH is the first manufacturer in the industry to install this specific technology. The OPERA system scans products to determine the optimal size of packaging needed and then builds a box

around them. It can handle 650 packages per hour, which is about what one person can box in a day. This allows the warehouse to raise productivity, cut back on waste and become more sustainable by reducing the consumption of packaging material.

The success of the AutoStore automation initiative at the Lebanon depot has convinced CNH to automate 85% of a new warehouse in Toronto, Canada. Thanks to ultra-high-density storage technology, the new facility occupies less than half the area of the one it replaced, further enhancing operational efficiency.

Kimmerling and his team are now supporting CNH’s warehouses in Europe on how to introduce automation at their facilities. But they are not resting on their laurels. “We are constantly looking for new opportunities to improve our cost base, improve our customers’ experiences and implement new technologies that are right for us,” he says.

PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES

Promote employee wellbeing, wellness and a culture of ethics. Engage our communities

TOGETHER FOR CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE

Various CNH stakeholders, including agricultural brands Case IH and New Holland, brought together conservation experts, policymakers and farmers to a one-day workshop at the New Holland Campus Farm in the Chesapeake Bay area of Pennsylvania, USA, in July to share best practices and innovative ideas.

Opening the event, CNH’s leadership highlighted that sustainability is a shared journey — one that may look different for each participant but ultimately connects everyone involved. "When we innovate, we think about how we can help customers raise productivity and reduce inputs,” said Chun Woytera, CNH’s Chief Quality & Customer Advocacy Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer. “Sustainability isn’t something any one group or company can achieve alone. By coming together, we

can learn, grow and create solutions that make it easier for farmers to adopt conservation practices — because when our customers and local partners succeed, so do our industries and communities.”

This shared success goes beyond farming operations. Conservation practices not only protect soil, water and biodiversity, but also contribute to healthier and more productive crops and, ultimately, healthier food. Strengthening these connections is key to building resilient crop and food systems for the future.

Conservation agriculture in action

The workshop aimed to bridge gaps in practical guidance, which can often be fragmented across the agricultural value chain, by showcasing equipment and technologies that make farming more resilient, efficient and environmentally responsible while also enhancing the quality of crops that nourish both people and animals.

In the long term, these practices show how farming methods that care for the land improve the quality of the food system we all depend on.

Testing techniques for conservation agriculture

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the USA and its watershed is home to some 83,000 farms that must contend with nutrient pollution, soil erosion, rising temperatures and extreme weather. On the New Holland Campus Farm, CNH brands test new conservation-friendly technologies such as methane-powered tractors, as well as autonomous technology and precision tools. This hands-on approach allows us to share practical conservation techniques with local farmers.

“Given its role in promoting sustainable initiatives across the area, including restoring stream bank vegetation and improving soil quality, the campus farm was the ideal location for the conservation workshop,” explains David Eberly who runs the New Holland campus farm. “It all feeds into promoting a healthy, economical and sustainable crop system.”

Showing what works

The 2025 workshop was built on a pioneering Farmers’ Workshop held at the farm in 2024, which focused on conservation practices, funding and technical assistance. “This year we wanted to expand it to show not only the value of those practices, but also how we can be a partner and help producers and conservation organizations to implement those practices,” says Ryan Romanowski, Subsidies and Funding Manager for CNH North America.

The program was developed in partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and included presentations from sustainable crop specialist Professor Heather Karsten from Penn State University and Eric Rosenbaum, who leads the crop productivity improvement group Pennsylvania 4R Alliance. There were also contributions from farmers’ groups such as the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance.

The event provided the perfect showcase for CNH’s brands’ equipment designed for conservation farming, including the New Holland Methane Power tractor. It demonstrated how alternative fuels can lower farming emissions, and how no-till seed drills and precision farming can be used to improve soil and crop quality, ensuring a healthier soil ecosystem and providing water quality benefits. Some 150 people attended — more than double the previous year’s Farmers Workshop.

Learning from innovative farmers

“The workshop was a unique opportunity to bring farmers, experts, funders, policymakers and us, the equipment manufacturers, together to talk about conservation solutions,” says Romanowski. “Everybody was there to learn from one another. But that’s not all. It also helped raise public awareness about sustainable crop production practices.”

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IT ALL FEEDS INTO PROMOTING A HEALTHY, ECONOMICAL AND SUSTAINABLE CROP AND FOOD SYSTEM

According to Eberly, the first innovators are always the farmers. “They’ve been making equipment and altering it to make it work the way they need. We, the experts and the policymakers, need to listen to them,” he says. This approach brought valuable perspectives and reinforced the need for collaboration across the crop and food system. For example, CNH representatives heard concerns such as the difficulty of transporting equipment on rural roads and the limited infrastructure for methane fuel — and took note for future solutions.

They point to a photograph of a big pile of soil pushed back from the road that had been washed from the fields of a farm neighboring New Holland’s Campus Farm. “This shows that the neighbor has lost soil from their field,” says Eberly. “That pile accumulated in a couple of weeks and the township had to keep coming out to push it back after the rain. The operator told me he couldn’t remember the last time he had to do this to the roads by our fields. They get the same amount of rain and are subject to the same weather. That’s the difference employing these conservation methods make.”

“We were able to discuss not only what we offer, but also what farmers need. We’ve got to be their partner,” Eberly adds.

Doing what’s right for the land

But both Eberly and Romanowski note that conservation takes time to bear fruit. “The effects of the practices are really measured in decades” says Eberly. They both stressed that those making lasting change succeed out of a love for the land and the belief that conservation delivers better results.

While the full effects take time, the workshop demonstrates that planting buffers, improving soil, water and air quality, and responsible farming help protect the environment while enhancing efficiency and crop quality. Healthier crops mean healthier food, reminding us that sustainable practices are vital not only for the land and the environment, but for the wellbeing of our diets and the resilience of the entire food system — a responsibility we all share.

MENTORING TO EMPOWER STUDENTS EXPERIENCING POVERTY

Volunteers at CNH’s India Technology Center are coaching students experiencing poverty to boost their confidence, professional skills and employability.

In India, as in much of the world, the promise of education is profound. It is often regarded as a bridge to new possibilities, helping individuals rise above social and economic barriers.

But the relationship between education and social mobility is complex. Students who are facing economic hardship often struggle at university. Their problem is not intellectual ability — these young people have already beaten multiple odds, and passed rigorous exams, just to get there. It’s a question of self-confidence.

“Some of these students are from villages. Some are from cities, but are first-generation learners, so their parents have not been able to guide or support them with their studies,” explains Kavita Sah, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at CNH in India.

AT CNH, WE BELIEVE TRUE PROGRESS HAPPENS WHEN OPPORTUNITY IS SHARED “

The fifty mentees for the 2025-26 academic year have been selected and mapped with mentors. The project is underway with seventy sessions completed.

ITC’s partner in the mentoring project is Buddy4study, an Indian education NGO that helps to select applicants and provides the tech platform where the mentoring takes place. Buddy4study also offers relevant content on its platform, including tips for writing resumés and how to practice for job interviews.

Leading from the top

“When these students enter university, they may find themselves at a different starting point compared to peers who have had access to stronger academic support or communication skills, particularly in the English language, early on. This can affect their confidence and lead them to underperform at university and later in life, too.”

Providing guidance to start a career

The engineers at CNH’s India Technology Center (ITC), one of the largest R&D centers in the Company’s global network, wanted to make a difference to the academic and

life outcomes of such students. In 2023, they launched Project Margdarshan (“guidance” in Hindi), a mentorship program for engineering students who are facing economic hardship. Now in its third edition, the program involves nine hours of one-to-one mentoring over the course of a year. The goal is to build the selfconfidence of mentees, with coaching sessions devoted to developing communication and presentation skills, polishing CVs and conducting mock job interviews.

Forty students and forty ITC volunteers took part during the 2023-24 academic year, and 45 mentees are taking part during 2024-25.

“At CNH, we believe true progress happens when opportunity is shared,” says Narinder Mittal, President of CNH in India. “Through Project Margdarshan, our people are helping young minds turn potential into purpose. This helps create a ripple effect of confidence that strengthens not just individuals, but entire communities.”

The program was conceived to enable those who have succeeded to give back to society, but mentors also gain an insight into how young people think today. ITC attracts around a million applications a year, but only accepts the top two thousand engineering students in the country. Some applicants can’t afford private tuition, so they study with YouTube tutorials, which

Mentoring

demonstrates how technology is democratizing education and lowering barriers.

Some mentors report that students today are very clear about their strengths and shortcomings, which they do not see as failings but as gaps they need to fill. They saw their coaching sessions as conversations about how to tackle perceived shortcomings and how to overcome them.

For example, one mentee was an engineering student from Kashmir whose goal was to get a job in data analytics, even though he was studying metallurgy. After he was offered a position in a data analytics firm, he wrote to his mentor saying the coaching sessions had really helped him crack the interview.

All the mentors said they had felt both joy at watching their students succeed and a deep feeling of gratitude for the privileges they themselves now enjoy.

ITC is a young organization — it only became operational in 2021. CSR projects such as the mentoring program help to build a sense of shared purpose, pride and belonging among employees, particularly when they are led from the top.

“Buddy4study says we are the only company in India where mentors have completed one hundred percent of the sessions for two years running,” says Sah. “That is the kind of engagement and empathy our employees have for the students they are mentoring.”

What students say about ITC’s mentorship program

Deepesh Lodhi

“When I first joined college, I struggled a lot with communication — both in Hindi and English,” says Deepesh Lodhi, a third-year Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi, one of the top engineering colleges in India. “I had stage fright, lacked confidence and found it difficult to express myself clearly in front of others.”

“The CNH-ITC mentorship program has truly been a turning point in my personal and professional growth,” he says. Over the course of a year, Lodhi and his mentor focused on his communication and public speaking skills. His mentor encouraged him to keep a diary to develop his writing skills in English. The

daily practice and other assignments helped to build up his confidence.

“These exercises not only helped me improve my spoken English, but also made me more confident as a speaker and leader,” Lodhi says.

“What truly stood out was my mentor’s commitment and support — he always encouraged me to reach out whenever needed and was always approachable despite his busy schedule.”

Lodhi is now secretary of the ITT Delhi chapter of the National Service Scheme (NSS), a community action program led by students.

“Today, I lead projects including a spoken English and communication program for our non-teaching staff members — an initiative directly inspired by my own learning journey,” he says.

Sneha Kumari

Sneha Kumari is a Computer Science and Engineering student at Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women. She describes the CNH-ITC mentorship program as a “truly transformative journey — both personally and professionally.”

Kumari was mentored by Anil Kumar Beeka, an Engineering Manager at ITC. Together, they

focused on time management, interview skills and confidence building. “Sessions such as Introduction to Interview Skills, Preparing for an Interview and Case Study Interviews helped me overcome my hesitation and communicate more effectively,” Kurami says. “Mr Beeka’s mentorship was invaluable in boosting my confidence and preparing me for professional challenges.”

Adil Pintoo

“Being a curious person, I was searching the web for mentorship programs and, fortunately, came across the Buddy4Study website, where I discovered the CNH-ITC mentorship program,” says Pintoo, a B. Tech student at IIT. “For me, the program was the guiding hand I needed during the crucial years of my college journey and in life as well.”

Pintoo and his mentor discussed a range of topics from how to polish a resumé to how

to handle personal health emergencies.

“Talking with such an experienced mentor helped me gain clarity and confidence in areas where I was uncertain,” says Pintoo.

“He reminded me that, in the long run, life will be okay and that I just need to focus on the present and do my best. As an added benefit, the sessions also helped improve my expression and communication skills. It was reassuring to have someone of my mentor’s experience — someone you can fully express your insecurities to and discuss the challenges you face in life.”

Shambhavi

“The mentorship sessions have been an enriching experience,” says Shambhavi, a B. Tech student at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida. Her mentor, Amit Kumar, Embedded Software Engineer at CNH, helped her with goal-setting. “We started by

discussing the criteria for effective goal-setting, which later evolved into enhancing interview skills,” she says. “Mr Kumar shared valuable insights from his experiences with various companies and organizations, which helped me prepare for my interview with Defence Research and Development Organisation, a government agency in Delhi.”

Alpesh Pal

Alpesh Pal is in his second year at IIT. From his mentor, Abhinav Dixit from ICT, he discovered “what it was like to work in a corporate environment and how to approach decision-making and planning.”

“One of the most impactful sessions was on goal-setting, where I learned how to set goals strategically to improve my chances of success,” he says. “Mr Abhinav also guided me on how to become more job-ready and build a smoother, higher growth trajectory for the future.”

TRAINING HELPS CLOSE AN INDUSTRY-WIDE SKILLS GAP

At CASE Construction Equipment’s site in Pithampur, India, young people from underprivileged backgrounds can train as backhoe operators, helping to address a shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry.

Over the past decade, India’s economy has almost doubled in size, from around $2 trillion to $3.7 trillion. The country’s construction market has played a big part in this rapid growth and India is now the world’s third-largest market for construction machinery, behind only the USA and China. The number of Indianmanufactured vehicles sold each year has increased from around 10,000 two decades ago to close to 150,000 now and is likely to reach 250,000 by 2030, according to the

Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (ICEMA).

However, construction firms in this booming market have struggled to find enough qualified operators, particularly for backhoe loaders, which are the mainstay of India’s construction sites. Construction Equipment customers shared their concerns about this labor shortage with Shalabh Chaturvedi, Managing Director for CNH Construction in India, leading the Company to join the Infrastructure Equipment Skill Council, based in Bangalore, southern India, along with other equipment makers. It was established by the Indian Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to train and certify operators and technicians according to the industry requirements and standards.

CASE then saw a further opportunity to do more to bring new operators into the sector in the region around its plant in Pithampur, central India, and at the same time address the challenge of growing unemployment in the country. The Indian government has made it a priority to tackle the vicious circle in which a lack of access to good education and training keeps sections of the population trapped in economically disadvantaged situations because they are not qualified for higher-paying jobs.

Practical training to kick-start careers

In 2022, CASE started the Hunar program, which trains people in the region as backhoe loader operators. Most participants were economically disadvantaged after leaving school at a young age with few qualifications. CNH also works to place as many of the newly qualified operators into jobs once they complete the course. Participants receive 210 hours of training over 32 days and on average 70% secure employment at the end.

Because Hunar is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative for CNH, legally the Company cannot directly benefit from this initiative, so it cannot hire the program graduates. Rather, the aim is to benefit its neighboring community.

But students do stay on site during the course and have their accommodation and food provided, says Kavita Sah, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for CNH in India. The course provides both practical training on backhoes at the CASE Hunar Training Center and also

at CASE’s site in Pithampur. It also includes classroom learning, and basic vocational and social skills, including how to use a computer, open a bank account and prepare for the world of work, with which some students from underprivileged backgrounds need support.

Between June 2022 and June 2025, more than 520 people have been trained, of whom 370 are working. Sah and her team follow up with monthly calls to previous participants to find out if they are still working and where. If their first jobs don’t last, then CNH helps the former students a second time to find employment, she adds.

Broad social impact

One of the most important impacts of the Hunar program is that the financial benefit of the higher wages that participants subsequently earn as trained operators goes

back into their community. Around 1,200 to 1,400 family members have benefited from program graduates being in work, Sah explains.

This has been the case for Mohan Kumar, 30, who completed the course in June 2022. His father is a daily wage laborer and that single income could scarcely meet the basic needs of their family of four. Kumar spotted an advertisement for the Hunar course and visited CASE’s Hunar Center. He enrolled, completed his training and then began working with an uncle as a junior backhoe loader operator. He now earns 15,000 rupees (~$174) a month.

After leaving school, Harshit Patidar completed the training at the age of 18. He has since been working as a backhoe loader operator earning 13,800 rupees (~$159) a month, allowing him to support his family financially.

In India, more than half of backhoes and other construction machinery belong to individual owner-operators, rather than construction or rental companies. After qualifying, operators can work and save a deposit to take out a loan to buy their own machine, either to operate themselves or hire other operators. One of the previous students who has achieved this reports that he can earn around 8,000 rupees (~$92) a day as a backhoe owneroperator, says Sah. By sharing his example with program participants, CNH shows trainees the opportunities that exist for them in the rapidly growing construction market.

Hunar is “paving the way to employment for the underprivileged, but at the same time also solving an industry problem,” says Chaturvedi. The program has been such a success that the Company is now looking at opening more training centers in other regions of the country.

EVENT MANAGEMENT TO ADVANCE SUSTAINABILITY

CNH REINFORCES ITS COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

The UN Global Compact initiative mobilizes companies to align their strategies with ten universal principles in the areas of Human Rights, Labor, Environment and AntiCorruption. CNH is already a signatory to the Compact, but has become the first representative among agricultural machinery

manufacturers to join the Brazil Network. The Company also joined the Platform for Agriculture and Forestry, reinforcing its existing commitment to a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) linked to the agriculture agenda, including sustainable agriculture and soils.

CNH brand CASE Construction Equipment broke new ground by delivering the first sustainable roadshow of its kind in the UK. Not only did the two-day event in Derbyshire promote electric construction machinery and sustainable waste management, but the event itself was officially recognized as sustainable with an ISO 20121 certification.

ISO 20121 is renowned internationally as a model for organizations to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability in the planning and delivery of events. CASE secured certification with an approach to event management that was first applied at the 2012 London Olympics.

Caterers served with, and on, recyclable dishes and staff carpooled to and from the event to reduce carbon emissions. 58% of the cars used were either hybrid or electric models, resulting in a 96 kg (~212 pounds) reduction in CO2 emissions, equivalent to driving from London to Paris in an average car.

The show featured two electric mini excavators, a mini track loader prototype and the brand’s inaugural electric compact wheel loader, which is now in full production. Customers were able to get to grips with them and learn more about how these machines will benefit their businesses.

FEEDING AOTEAROA, ONE MEAL AT A TIME

CNH’s agriculture brand Case IH has partnered with Meet the Need, a grassroots farmer-led charity working to tackle food insecurity across New Zealand. For every Case IH tractor sold in the country, a donation will be made to the charity’s Feeding

Aotearoa program (‘Aotearoa’ is the Maori name for New Zealand). The initiative has already provided over 2.3 million nutritious, protein-rich meals to more than 130 food banks and community groups nationwide since it launched in 2020.

In October 2025, CNH India won the Mahatma Award for Sustainable and Responsible Business Practices for its Sustainable Environment Project. This initiative focused on preventing crop stubble burning and promoting eco-friendly farming solutions across rural communities. The Mahatma

AN AWARD FOR SOCIAL IMPACT

Award, inspired by the principles of Mahatma Gandhi, ranks among the most prestigious recognitions in the field of social impact. As such it celebrates CNH India’s ongoing commitment to building a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future through innovation and community impact.

BIKING NEW GROUND FOR EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK

Now in its fourth year, Biking New Ground — Move Together coincides with European Mobility Week (September 16-22). This initiative encourages employees, partners and stakeholders to embrace cycling as a more sustainable mode of transport. In 2025, it has grown into a cross-country movement involving more than 2,000 participants across 19 CNH sites in Italy, Belgium, Austria, France and the United Kingdom. By choosing the bicycle, employees reduce emissions, improve their wellbeing and strengthen the sense of belonging within CNH’s international community.