With roots in Brazil that stretch back to the 1970s, John Deere continues to make the Latin American country a key market to test and offer its innovation, whether it is precision agriculture services, connectivity tools, or an in-development ethanol engine.
Like many agricultural powerhouses, Brazil is grappling with labor challenges, which is spurring interest and investment in ag automation and precision ag, Cristiano Correia, VP global sugar cane and VP of production systems, Latin America, told AgNavigator.
Correia was one of several original equipment manufacturer (OEM) executives who shared its vision for the future during a panel at the 2026 World Agri-Tech conference in São Paulo.
Like in many parts of the world, rural farming communities in Brazil are struggling to retain labor and talent, Correia noted. This is despite the average age of Brazilian farmers being 46, lower than in many other major agricultural economies.
“The number one customer need today … is lack of labor, and it’s not even lack of qualified labor. It’s lack of labor. And the growth of ag business in Brazil is [so high] that it is even more drastic here," he elaborated.
He added, “Our long-term goal is to provide a full solution for the entire production system — from prep to seed and plant to the whole application job step, and then harvesting, and then logistics, and so forth. The first step is connectivity."
That connectivity comes from John Deere’s StarLink-powered JDLink Boost service, which launched in Brazil and sold over 10,000 units, Correia said. Connectivity is a building block for automation services and allows continuous data flow into the OEM’s digital farming service, John Deere Operations Center.
Ag machinery usage is significantly higher in Brazil because of double- and triple-cropping farming systems. Additionally, Brazilian farmers “really optimize capital assets,” given high interest rates in the country and challenging farm economics, Correia said.
Despite these challenges, Brazilian farmers are using agricultural technology to keep up with growth in the ag sector, Correia noted.
“One of the reasons [Brazilian farmers] are becoming super competitive is the technology approach they’re taking to their normal daily job in the field. So, the technology adoption curve in Brazil, it’s been great, and that’s exactly where we can help them,” Correia said.
He added, “The ag business in Brazil will continue to grow because fuel demand, because ethanol demand, because sustainable food. And the other thing you see less and less people willing to work in the field or with agriculture. That’s why we are working so hard to bring the autonomy and the autonomous solutions to support customers.”
John Deere’s Brazil-grown innovation: The ethanol engine
Beyond connectivity and precision ag, John Deere is tapping into demand for farming equipment that runs on sustainable fuel sources by developing an ethanol engine. John Deere revealed its ethanol engine prototype, which was equipped on an 8R tractor, at the 2025 Agrishow farm show in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
Brazil is one of the largest ethanol markets in the world, boosted by government policy and a robust sugar and soybean industry. “If you go anywhere in Brazil, you will find a gas station supplying ethanol as a fuel,” Correia noted.
“Sugarcane is a huge business in Brazil, and we have a big portion of that market here, so we want to make sure that we provide that solution to our customers. Now, ethanol out of corn is also growing super-fast in Brazil. The majority of the corn produced in Brazil is second crop, ... so that ethanol is already super competitive, and they are anxious for an ethanol engine solution,” Correia elaborated.
