It takes more than grit for today's farmers to drive tractors, till soil and harvest crops. They need a reliable Wi-Fi connection, and about 30% of farmland in the U.S. lacks sufficient connectivity, according to John Deere. That's where Elon Musk's SpaceX company and Starlink satellites come in.
In January SpaceX and its Starlink Satellites hitched their proverbial wagon to John Deere, the world's biggest manufacturer of farm machinery.
Starlink's satellite communications, also known as SATCOM, plans to provide internet connectivity where Wi-Fi isn't currently available for Deere machines. If successful, it could mean big bucks for both companies.
Starlink Harvests Efficiency
Bob Tita covers Deere for The Wall Street Journal and says a reliable internet connection means improved efficiency and productivity for farmers.
"You're planting seeds in the most efficient way. You're spraying fertilizers and chemicals and other things like that in an efficient way. And that improves the farmers' yields, and it also saves them money."
Here's how it works. John Deere dealers install a Starlink terminal on their equipment, along with a 4G LTE JDLink modem to connect to the John Deere Operations Center.
The technology will reportedly be available later this year, and Deere has yet to disclose pricing.
While SpaceX hasn't said what it's charging Deere to use its satellites, its land mobility plan for businesses such as emergency services, construction and trains starts at $250 a month on top of equipment costs.
Starlink boasts the world's largest satellite fleet with more than 5,000 devices in orbit. The company provides high-speed internet to over 2 million people across 70 countries, including war-torn areas in Ukraine.
Elon Musk and Starlink Satellites Planting Farm Roots
It's no surprise Musk is ready to get his hands dirty and plant roots in agriculture tech, according to Tom Beresnyak, an educator at the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
In fact, the tech mogul reminds him of a movie superhero.
"He seems like Iron Man. He's Tony Stark. I don't know if it just drives him that he wants to do things that people tell him, no. I think he just loves a challenge."
Adequate Wi-Fi enables Deere customers to utilize digital-farming technology. For example, there's software for herbicide sprayers to differentiate between weeds and crops.
Other digital farming programs allow farmers to troubleshoot equipment issues right from the fields instead of a repair shop. In some cases, it's just about improving communication over vast acres of farmland, Wall Street Journal's Tita explained.
"Particularly on a big farm, where you have a lot of pieces of equipment operating at the same time — if they're connected to each other, then all the people in the cabs and those machines know where the other guy is. They can communicate with each other's display terminals. And the equipment shows what kind of work they've done, how much they've harvested, for example, and how much more they have to go."
The technology will also provide real-time information on crops, which could even improve food safety, says Beresnyak.
Enhancing Autonomous Vehicles
Beresnyak says the service's consistent Wi-Fi speed will advance the development of autonomous vehicles used for farming.
"So these are low Earth orbit, which gives them a low latency connection. When you get a low-latency connection, you can control autonomous vehicles very precisely," he said.
About 60% of the high-horsepower tractors operated in the U.S. and Canada are Deere machines. The manufacturer is reportedly hoping to see 10% of its annual revenue from software service fees by 2030.
"To add customer base and continuous revenue — now this is a huge win for Starlink. And I think it's a huge win if Deere is looking to increase the amount of revenue it gets from software," Beresnyak said.
And that's not limited to the United States.
Connecting Farmers in Brazil
Brazil is one of the world's predominant producers of soybeans, sugar cane, fruit and other goods. Yet more than 70% of the acres of farmland there have inadequate connectivity, according to The Wall Street Journal.
"Brazil is an (agriculture) powerhouse," Beresnyak said. "They have been for decades now. Their advances in research and ag are some of the best in the world. So it's probably even more important down in Brazil for their launch."
Agriculture has always been at the forefront of technology, from horse-drawn tractors to today's equipment, according to Beresnyak. And he says Deere and Starlink's partnership feels organic.
"If you've seen a modern machine, a combine from John Deere, (the cabs are) like two stories. They're so high. It looks like a space shuttle inside. They're very advanced currently. And that's only going to continue. So I would argue that this is a natural progression for Deere."
But how much more will Elon Musk saddle up to the farming world, and is Tesla going to make tractors next?
Tita suggested you may see pigs fly first.
