Using On-Farm Data To Unlock The Full Potential Of Machinery

One of the most keenly discussed topics in agriculture is the recent, rapid advances in farming technology, and the part played by data and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. John Deere now makes acquiring and using data for precision farming that much easier, says Stehan Cloete.

- Stehan Cloete

The perception of tractors is gradually changing, according to Jacques Taylor, managing director of John Deere sub-Saharan Africa.

Speaking at John Deere’s recent Tech Day event, Taylor said that the tractor had evolved from being strictly a workhorse to becoming a medium for collecting, transferring and acting on farm data. Although still a key ingredient, the machine itself was not the focal point anymore.

A SINGLE CONVENIENT PLATFORM FOR DATA

With this in mind, John Deere has made it possible for third-party solution providers to access a farmer’s data (with his or her consent, of course). This means that farmers will now be able to access all of their technology solutions in one place. In addition, John Deere and Claas recently announced that they would be teaming up in their data-sharing approach so that a farmer with a mixed fleet could transfer data seamlessly to a single platform.

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