Recently, John Deere’s collaboration with SpaceX to provide SATCOM service to farmers has captured significant attention. With a target of connecting 1.5 million machines globally by 2026, John Deere aims to revolutionize farming operations. The partnership with Starlink will enable technologies such as autonomy, real-time data sharing, and remote diagnostics, empowering farmers worldwide.
While John Deere and Starlink’s collaboration promises widespread connectivity, alternative solutions are emerging rapidly. Future Farming explores four other noteworthy connectivity options, offering insights into the evolving landscape of on-farm connectivity.
Connected Farms How does your technology work? Connected Farms provides complete fence-to-fence connectivity services from satellite to mobile phone messenger device through to satellite on the move and private networks. This encompasses many solutions to ensure that farmers and agribusiness receive the appropriate connectivity solution that matches their needs. What hardware does a farmer need to purchase? CommsXtend is a package that includes all the hardware required for it to operate effectively – including a router, high gain meandering antenna, required cables and Connected Farms Dynamic SiM. Satellite Mobility for Agriculture is a package that includes all the hardware required for it to operate effectively – including the antenna that connects with the Starlink LEO network, baseband modem, and required cables. What do farmers need to use this system? Can it be used on machines? Yes, these solutions are designed to be mounted on machines and vehicles or provide coverage that can be integrated into the machines systems and technology. Where is it available (in what countries?) CommsXtend is available in Australia, New Zealand and very soon in the UK Connected Farms’s Satellite Mobility for Agriculture is available in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Our Private 4G/5G networks are also available in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The solutions of Connected Farms are designed to be mounted on machines and vehicles or provide coverage that can be integrated into the machines systems and technology. - Photo: Connected Farms How reliable is it in daily use on the farm? All our solutions have been meticulously designed specifically for farms and rigorously tested on farms, so they have the utmost reliability and ability to withstand the harsh environments found on farms. How can farmers integrate it with existing software systems on a farm (of machines and other data platforms)? CommsXtend is plug and play. For Satellite Mobility for Agriculture, we offer a full integration into existing systems on farm such as software on machines and their data platforms. For Private 4G/5G Networks, we work with the farm’s machinery and precision system suppliers to offer full integration into existing systems such as operational software on machines and their data platform. What are the costs of using the system for farmers? This varies based on what farmers are hoping to achieve as part of their farm operation, monthly prices start at AUD $ 20 AUD (US $ 13.11) and hardware prices start at AUD $ 1450 (US $ 950.47).
Ag Leader How does your technology work? We offer many solutions based on what the grower is looking to achieve. But the base level consists of an in-cab colour touch screen display that serves as the interface between the grower and the machine and serves as a data recorder. A GPS receiver on the roof inputs speed and position into the display. From there the grower can choose to autosteer, run an implement, install field drainage fields or record grain yield. What hardware does a farmer need to purchase? They will need our in-cab display and a GPS receiver and then can add on as they see fit. Ag Leader is very versatile in what we can do, support and we offer growers a year-round solution with a comprehensive product line-up. What do farmers need to use this system? Our systems can install on farm vehicles of almost any age. The systems of Ag Leader can be installed on farm vehicles of almost any age. SeedCommand and InCommand allow precise planter monitoring. - Photo: Ag Leader Where is it available? We sell our products worldwide through a dealer network so growers always have a local touchpoint for support. How reliable is it in daily use? Ag Leader products are high-quality and very reliable. Some of our units from the early 1990s are in the field and performing without fail. How can farmers integrate it with existing software systems on a farm (software of machines and other data platforms)? Through a GIS software they can. We offer a GIS software, SMS, which is very good at reading log files from almost any brand of precision ag display and can also export out to those various displays. What are the costs of using this system for farmers? It can vary but the base level display, GPS receiver and cabling is around US $ 4,000.
TerraFlex (Trimble) TerraFlex allows field data collection on any modern Android or iOS device. – Photo: Trimble How does your technology work? TerraFlex is an easy-to-use solution for collecting accurate field data. Farmers can build flexible forms to capture information about on-farm assets, including their precise location and images. In a farming context, TerraFlex can be used to precisely measure field boundaries, capture the location of obstacles or hazards within fields, complete health and safety checklists, and document damage to farm machinery or implements. This data is then synchronised to the TerraFlex cloud application where it can be reviewed, and then exported.
What hardware does a farmer need to purchase? TerraFlex allows field data collection on any modern Android or iOS device. For data collection at higher levels of precision (from meter-level down to centimetre-level), TerraFlex can be operated with a Trimble global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as a Trimble receiver. When using an external GNSS receiver, users may also need some simple mounting accessories for their devices to allow them to be carried in the field more easily. If collecting data while operating an all-terrain vehicle or similar farm vehicle, compatible mounting systems are available from third party accessory vendors. What do farmers need to use this system? To collect field data and fill in forms, farmers need a modern cell phone or tablet with the TerraFlex app installed and a subscription to the TerraFlex service. To collect higher accuracy data using the same system, users need a Trimble GNSS system and a suitable form of GNSS corrections. The Trimble Catalyst DA2 GNSS antenna is the most used GNSS system with the TerraFlex solution. because of its relatively low upfront cost, small size, and simple operation. Where is it available? Trimble TerraFlex and Trimble Catalyst are available worldwide, from Trimble Geospatial distributors. How reliable is it in daily use? The TerraFlex solution is designed to be available whenever customers need it. Both the TerraFlex software and the Catalyst GNSS positioning service can be operated in offline conditions. In the absence of access to the internet, data collected with TerraFlex is safely on the user device, and automatically synchronised to the cloud for viewing in the office when the device’s internet connection is restored. The DA2 GNSS receiver doesn’t require access to the internet to receive corrections to improve the real-time quality of positions it generates. In offline environments, the DA2 can leverage Trimble’s satellite delivered correction service Trimble RTX. How can farmers integrate it with existing software systems on a farm (software of machines and other data platforms)? Field data can be exported from the TerraFlex cloud app to many common geographic formats, including shapefile and KML. If farmers have used TerraFlex to capture field boundaries and obstacles, these can be exported to shapefile and imported to their farm management platform. They then can be used as an accurate source of information for on-farm activities. What are the costs of using this system for farmers? Trimble TerraFlex and the Trimble DA2 GNSS receiver are available worldwide and pricing varies per region. Prices for Trimble TerraFlex service and the Trimble Catalyst subscription services for the DA2 GNSS receiver begin at less than US $ 50 per month per user and increase, based on the service level, precision level and duration of service.
Myriota What sort of technology does Myriota offer farmers? Myriota delivers direct-to-satellite IoT connectivity to help the agriculture industry with efficient, reliable solutions that enable sensing of anything, anywhere. Our network delivers scalable, affordable IoT data services and energy-efficient hardware. We offer exceptional battery life for our devices, with 2 AA lithium batteries running for up to 10 years, delivering 10-30X better battery life than alternatives. We use predictive algorithms to only wake units and send data when a satellite is overhead. 4 A partnership between Taggle Systems and Myriota has paved the way for efficient water consumption data collection from remote locations. - Photo: Myriota What hardware do farmers need to purchase to use it ? Farmers can utilise Myriota connectivity through one of our partner products to help them improve operations on their farm and enhance their asset management and monitoring. Our partners integrate our connectivity into their devices which provides reliable satellite IoT connectivity in even the most remote places. Farmers can purchase directly from our partners. In Australia they will find partner products through Gallagher and Elders, and in the US at Walmart and Amazon. Our partners have products which help with monitoring of water and other on-farm liquid tanks, pumps and bores, gas tanks, water troughs, water meters and asset tracking. Our partners are Lonestar Tracking, Grundfos Solar Connect, Agbot, Gasbot and Taggle Cockatoo. Myriota connectivity does not require any infrastructure to provide connectivity, as our module communicates direct-to-satellite. As a result, partner solutions are often very simple to deploy, and do not require an external power source, WiFi, or cellular towers. Where is it available (in what countries?) Our partners – like us – are global and product availability is dependent on where the farmer is based. Products are available globally. How reliable is it in daily use on the farm? We pride ourselves on a reliable network that offers farmers better resource visibility than ever before, combined with long battery life to deliver improved Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Solutions are set-and-forget. Coupling this with our partners rugged product designs, the results are solutions that require minimal manual checks and maintenance while offering reliable data. How can farmers integrate it with existing software systems on a farm? There are many ways these solutions can be integrated with other smart farming equipment and software. If a farmer has remote water meters, the Taggle Cockatoo can provide readings direct to their visualisation platform so that manual checks are drastically reduced. They could also pair a rain gauge that informs you of rain level with a tank level monitor for better management of water assets. Partner products come with their own apps and visualisation platforms for viewing data. What are the costs for farmers? Costs vary depending on the solution. Some regions offer rebate schemes for farmers investing in innovative farming technology. For example, farmers in Australia can benefit from the ‘On Farm Connectivity Program’ which allows them to claim up to 50% off eligible partner products. In the US the USDA runs a similar program. The costs of partner products are available on their websites.