One of the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural equipment has its eye on new services far beyond the nation’s farm fields.
Deere & Company, the maker of John Deere tractors, lawn equipment, and construction vehicles, last fall issued a request for proposals from aerospace companies to bolster the connectivity of its farm implements using satellite-based communications.
The company said it hoped to form strategic partnerships with vendors who could connect both new and retrofitted machines to smart agriculture systems. Although Deere currently provides some connected services, officials noted, its satellite ambitions could allow farmers worldwide to utilize advanced technology — despite living in rural areas less likely to be served by terrestrial wireless providers.
They would also help the company generate more money from services. Deere has set a goal for software subscriptions to account for 10% of total company revenue by 2030.
Jahmy Hindman, the Illinois-based company’s chief technology officer, told CNBC early this year that satellites in low Earth orbit could eventually allow farmers to track crop performance with a geospatial map — removing the “friction” that currently hinders the transmission of data from the field to the “cloud.” Hindman told the network ahead of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that Deere was in the process of finalizing its satellite vendor.
Jonny Spendlove, the company’s senior product manager of connectivity, later told Tech Brew that the company is looking for a partner with a satellite network either already in orbit or under construction. Deere, he said, is “ready to go today.”
