A John Deere Publication
John Deere introduced the original GreenStar™ display, commonly referred to as the "brown box," in the early 1990s. John Deere announced the G5 display family in early 2023.
Agriculture, Ag Tech February 01, 2026
Tech@Work
Beyond the brown box: A legacy of progress.
At just eight years old, Ramarr Robertson and his siblings raised sheep—a gift from their father and a lesson in responsibility disguised as a way to earn a few bucks. That first taste of ownership grew into a lifelong pursuit of farming and innovation. The family farm has always been about expansion—not just in acres, but in mindset.
"To survive, you have to keep expanding," he says. That philosophy guided him from the original GreenStar™ display brown box monitor, John Deere's first precision ag monitor, to the newest G5 display that now runs his combine.
The brown box was his first glimpse into ag technology. As technology evolved, so did Ramarr's operation. The decision to upgrade came after learning that row guidance could help when fields of corn had blown down—keeping the combine on the exact rows planted using AutoPath™.
AutoTrac™ transformed his harvest, allowing his father to work longer hours with less fatigue. Today, Ramarr watches as his combine hums through the cornfield. It can be stressful when someone is learning how to run the grain cart, but with Machine Sync, the speed and location of the grain cart can be adjusted from the combine's display. AutoTrac and AutoPath have turned stressful tasks into streamlined routines. "There's enough stress in life," he says. "It's nice to just relax and let the machine do its job."
When not farming, Ramarr enjoys riding a horse on wooded trails. Even as tractors and combines have transformed the landscape, his love for horses remains constant, reminding him that progress doesn't mean leaving behind what brings joy.
For him, embracing new technology is not about replacing the old, but about growing alongside it. Whether riding wooded trails or guiding a precision combine, he proves that true innovation is rooted in both tradition and a willingness to evolve. ‡
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