How to establish order in the farm with the help of agricultural technologies

Agrotechnologies help producers not only to increase yields, reduce costs and simplify work processes, but also to bring order to their farms. By "order" we mean absolute transparency of actions of workers involved in production, maximum protection against theft or "rent" of agricultural equipment, as well as reducing unnecessary costs.

Telematics solutions (telematics - the field of informatics covering telecommunications) help farmers today to achieve a level of control over their farms that was difficult to imagine 15-20 years ago. You can read about how these technologies work in our report.

Every novice farmer is faced firstly with the need to purchase agricultural equipment. This is a basic need. Then, when the fleet of machinery is already formed and experience of sowing and harvesting campaigns is gained, there is a need for automation of production processes. That is, for machinery to work smoothly, as efficiently as possible, without disruptions.

Therefore, using telematics, satellite positioning and wireless communication systems, you can remotely monitor and control all your agricultural machines. And do it in real time.

Today there are many telematics products from different manufacturers of agricultural machinery. In most cases, they are similar, except that somebody offers a wider range of functionality, while others simpler. But almost every major brand is engaged in development in this direction. As a benchmark, we'll take the JDLink telematics ecosystem from John Deere, on the example of which we will consider the possibilities of agricultural technology in establishing order in your farm.

Real-time monitoring of the location of agricultural machinery

The basic function of telematics is to provide accurate information about the location of all your agricultural equipment (in the case of JDLink - on full-color Google maps), which can be obtained by sitting in the office or in any other place where there is internet.

First of all, this function allows you to organize your fleet of machinery more efficiently. If in a normal situation you have to be on the phone constantly coordinating drivers, with the use of telematics you can call them only if necessary. For example, if you need to send several cars to the same point, you can immediately see which cars are closest. Working with the shortest possible delays is especially important during the harvest, when every day is on the count, but also at any other time, the more efficiently the process is set up, the better.

In addition, it is possible to set working geo boundaries for each machine individually. In case of a long harvest, when the machine has to be left unattended overnight, if it is out of the specified area (attempted theft), the owner will be notified immediately.

Also, if one of the mechanics tries to "rent" a car for unauthorized work during the day, the owner will know about it due to the analysis of working hours that the service provides.

Reducing fuel consumption and increasing machine productivity

Take the harvest campaign as an example. The telematics system monitors the harvesters' work by combining machines and specific data (yield, productivity, moisture information, etc.). In other words, you can monitor the settings of each individual machine for maximum results.

For instance, you can set alarms on your mobile phone to know in real time when the fuel level is low, when the yield falls below a certain level and other parameters. With complete data on productivity, you can see how many hectares the machine harvests per hour, compare the efficiency of machinery and correct imbalances in their work.

All this is especially helpful when seasonal workers are hired or there are newcomers to the team, as the machines always work to their maximum capacity. In addition, accurate fuel consumption information helps reduce non-productive hours, such as idle time.

Remote service diagnostics

Telematics also enables remote access to the technician. This can be a member of the dealership (in the case of JDLink) or any other technician. This feature is used for remote diagnostics, updating machine and software settings, which increases the total uptime.

In addition, the system saves repair time as the service technician does not have to travel specifically for diagnostics. Almost all malfunctions can be identified remotely and the necessary spare parts can be ordered in advance.

If you have signed up for service from the manufacturer of agricultural machinery, the dealer himself can call you and offer, for example, to replace the air filter on the tractor.

This could go unnoticed for a while, but if the filter is not replaced in time, the engine will overheat. Therefore due to telematics it is possible not to plan the schedule of repair work. The dealer or other service operator can take all these issues on themselves, working "on a case by case".

Application of digital technologies in agriculture is part of the new reality

Given that technology continues to change our lives by offering some new services almost every year, the introduction of innovations in one of the most knowledge-intensive areas - agriculture - is an inevitable process.

What do we have today, resorting to telematics solutions in agriculture?

In real time with the help of wireless technologies we receive information about the technical condition of the equipment, about the quality of the works, about the time of sowing/ harvesting. In addition, telematics makes it possible to use electronic maps of seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products, monitor electronic yield maps and track meteorological data.

As a result, the owner of the farm now receives all the necessary information, even from outside his office. Through the use of these technologies, it is possible to significantly reduce fuel and consumables costs, as well as increase overall productivity. But another key point, in our view, is to ensure full transparency of the processes, which ultimately allows you to establish effective control over your business.