Building a Strong Smart Farming Foundation: AGCO’s Full Fleet Connectivity Approach

As the global internet of things (IoT) accelerates into the tens of billions of connected devices, it’s important to recognize why IoT is valuable. IoT is fundamental not because people can, for instance, see how many steps they take in a day, but rather because the data it gathers, connects, and processes allows them to do things better.

This ability to use data to improve operations is especially important for AGCO customers. In an increasingly challenging business environment for farmers, they need to make more informed decisions to increase operational efficiency. To do this requires them to gather more data that is more accurate and of finer detail, and then process the information into better decisions and actions. This processing needs to be in real-time, or close to it, and it is complex enough that it often needs to be done in the cloud.

This underlying need for better efficiency is the primary driver for the full connectivity initiative at AGCO. AGCO is a collection of brands from all over the globe, and all brands and regions agree that the machinery we make for professional farmers will be connected to the IoT through telemetry hardware and AGCO Connect software. All AGCO customers will be able to pull data off of their machines for monitoring, processing, or sharing, so they can make more informed decisions that improve yield, reduce input use, or reduce risk.

Precision Planting’s SmartFirmer®

However, full connectivity through AGCO Connect will just be the beginning. The future is one where multiple sensors on the machine are pulling data about the soil, weather, and other environmental factors. Connectivity is also the foundational step that will make our machines Smart—meaning they will more often be gathering data, processing it, and adjusting automatically. For example, the IDEAL™ combine has smart features such as self-calibrating and self-correcting sensors that enable growers to make decisions immediately in the field. Another example is with Precision Planting’s SmartFirmer® tool that uses sensors to measure the furrow as it is firming each seed into the bottom of the trench which provides growers the ability to see what the environment the seed is being placed in and what type of variability a grower may have in the field.

Fendt® IDEAL™ combine

Smart machines are all made possible through the foundational step of full connectivity. In the near future, through the collaboration of all brands and teams, all our professional farming machines will be connected. This connectivity will allow AGCO to help farmers be more efficient and ultimately successful.

To learn more about AGCO’s smart farming solutions, talk to your local AGCO dealer or visit, https://www.fusesmartfarming.com/.