‘Overlooked logistics: Navigating the future of autonomous farming’
Craig Rupp, CEO of Sabanto and a pioneer in autonomous farming, shares his perspective on the practical realities of autonomy in agriculture. As one of the first to operate a fleet of autonomous tractors, Rupp offers unique insights into why a standard autonomous tractor may often be more effective than a dedicated field robot. In this series of bi-weekly opinion pieces, he explores the reality of autonomous farming and what it could mean for farmers today.
The Logistics of Autonomy
In my previous article, I discussed one of the most overlooked challenges of autonomy: logistics. At the time, I focused simply on the issue of moving autonomous vehicles from one location to another, but there’s more to the logistical challenges I believe industry is overlooking – the size of the fields, the sheer size of the machinery, and the often remote or dispersed locations of those fields.
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It makes a damn-fine headline!
Why is it overlooked? At first glance, autonomy is straightforward case. What’s not to like? The concept is inherently appealing – the “Oracles of Ag” confidently painting the utopian picture of the future where machines run continuously, eliminating the need for human labor and significantly improving efficiency. It makes a damn-fine headline!
Truth be told, even we were so taken in with the potential of autonomy that we kept an internal scorecard to track how long our machines ran without interruption. Our record stands at 48 hours, which felt like a remarkable milestone, ignoring the fact that the 500-acre field we were in was a bit like a unicorn here in the Midwest US.
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Running between office and fields
First, consider the size of the field. We encountered this issue firsthand deploying a system on a 450-acre farm. The first week was a success but as time went on, the honeymoon was over. You see, the farm is located in Florida and uses furrow irrigation, dividing the 450-acre operation into over 50 individual fields, each about 8 acres. Our system took approximately 45 minutes to complete a mission in each of these fields. The farm manager found themselves constantly running between his office and his fields to keep the system operational. Before long, it became apparent that it was less of a hassle for him to keep a human operator in the seat.
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Pursuing autonomy with large tractors
Next up, the sheer size of the equipment. I believe that companies pursuing autonomy with large, high-horsepower tractors will find themselves in a bit of a conundrum sooner rather than later. In conversations I’ve had with retailers across the U.S., many have stated that their average field size is on-the-order of 40 acres. With a 30-foot implement running at 7 mph, the system would require roughly 2 hours to complete a single field operation. If it takes 30 minutes to head out to the system, move it to the next field, deploy it, and get back, good luck with your product market fit.
Fields spread across multiple locations
Last up, consider the remote or dispersed locations of those fields. How does the system get to the field? How do operators get back? Will deploying the system require two people? Will a truck and trailer be necessary? I cannot imagine having to secure an autonomous system to a trailer several times a day. Many of our farmers have fields spread across multiple locations. In Indiana, for example, one of our customers keeps a system parked at each location year-round because he has enough acreage in each location to make it worthwhile. In Georgia, another customer tows his 4-wheeler behind the system to move between fields during the day. At the onset of each day, he uses his truck to refuel the system.
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Ensuring autonomy delivers practical value
The promise of autonomy in agriculture is undeniably compelling, but true success depends on overcoming real-world challenges like logistics. And that’s without even touching on the differences in field geometries across regions like Europe, the U.S., and Brazil, shaped by historical land divisions and regulatory frameworks. Ultimately, it’s not just about building cutting-edge autonomous technology—it’s about ensuring that technology integrates seamlessly into diverse farming operations and delivers practical value. To achieve this, farmers will need to address the unique logistical challenges specific to their operations, while manufacturers face the task of developing highly-mobile systems that can scale flexibly based on field size and conditions.
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