News

Ag technology is advancing rapidly

A technology developer says the capabilities of farm machinery are growing beyond the tools many farmers are already using.

Ryan Milligan with Powell Agricultural Solutions is the deputy team leader for the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation.  Milligan tells Brownfield since 1991 the industry has been using a data transfer standard with speeds of 250 kilobits per second to allow precision ag tools from different manufacturers to work with most tractors.  Milligan says there is only so much that can be done with limited data speeds. “As cameras and more precision sensors became available to the equipment manufacturers, they really wanted to develop a system that could incorporate digital video and all of the smart technologies, the edge-sensing technologies that come with that.”

Milligan says in the near future, precision ag equipment will be even more precise and capable of complicated tasks. “Instead of a sprayer turning off one section when they’re overlapping, it will actually be able to control one nozzle, and so you have a system that’s over four thousand times faster and more powerful for precision functions.”

And, he says the new high-speed ethernet platform would have the same speeds as commercial electronics. “And that really does unlock a lot of capabilities when it comes to using cameras for a 360-degree view around the vehicle, enabling wireless in-field communication between tractors and other machinery.”

In the future, Milligan expects equipment will have the current connectors plus a new high-speed connector side-by-side.  He says when considering an equipment purchase, the current technology is well supported and lets farmers get a good return on their investment.  He says it will only improve as new technology hits the market.

Milligan says the John Deere 8R tractor has a new connector on the back for precision ag equipment, and he expects other manufacturers will be adding that connector by the 2027 model year.

AUDIO: Ryan Milligan discusses the advancements being made with precision ag technology and interoperability with Brownfield’s Larry Lee