Featured Story August 26, 2025
Aaron Wells Is Driving the Future of Farming - No Hands Required
Aaron Wells didn’t grow up imagining he’d help build autonomous tractors. Raised in a town of just 525 people in Wisconsin, he first found his calling in the Air Force, deploying F-16s across the globe. “I could fix almost anything that breaks on an F-16,” he says. “I lived in Italy, traveled through Africa and the Middle East, it was an amazing ride.”
That ride eventually led him to John Deere, where he now leads engineering at Blue River Technology, focusing on perception systems and software that allow tractors to operate without a driver. “I’m an engineer at heart, a builder by nature,” Aaron says. “What’s been constant is my drive to build things that work in the real world.”
Building Tech That Matters
Aaron’s journey from aerospace to agriculture might seem unconventional, but it’s exactly the kind of cross-disciplinary thinking that fuels Deere’s innovation. “We’re helping feed the world, support farmers, and steward the land with some of the most advanced machines ever built. That’s not just engineering. That’s impact.”
Autonomy isn’t just a cool feature; it’s becoming a real game-changer for farmers. “At John Deere, we’re making autonomy useful, reliable, and accessible at scale,” Aaron explains. “Every breakthrough we make helps solve real problems for farmers. Whether it’s reducing time in the cab or enabling them to focus on more valuable parts of their business.”
The autonomous tractor is like the Swiss Army knife of agriculture,” Aaron says. “If we can make it autonomous and dependable, we can help farmers do more with less.
A Hot Meal and a Big Win
One moment that stuck with Aaron came from a customer running autonomous tractors. Her name was Betsy. “Betsy told me, ‘This was the first time I had a hot meal during harvest—EVER!’ That hit me. This is working. This is the dream we’ve been chasing for seven years!”
Aaron’s team started small. There were just six people working out of a yoga studio, holding plank competitions between debugging sessions. Today, they’re building scalable autonomous platforms that can handle a variety of tasks. “The autonomous tractor is like the Swiss Army knife of agriculture,” Aaron says. “If we can make it autonomous and dependable, we can help farmers do more with less.”
What’s Next for Autonomy
The pace of innovation? Lightning fast. “You can have a great idea today and see it on a customer’s machine in 10 days,” Aaron says. “We want product improvement to feel like brushing your teeth, not like going to the dentist. Every time you turn the key, it gets better.”
What Drives Him?
Aaron’s world includes his wife and two curious daughters who keep him grounded and remind him why building a better future matters. “They’re a big part of why I do this,” he says. “It’s not just about machines, it’s about impact.”