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Elon Musk‘s SpaceX said on Monday that farm machinery maker Deere & Co DE will start equipping its machines across the U.S. and Brazil with its Starlink satellite internet service in a bid to connect farmers with high-speed internet.
What Happened: The company will equip both old and new machines with Starlink starting later this year, SpaceX said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Illinois-based Deere makes tractors, mowers, dozers, and skidders, amongst other things.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Deere tested satellites for about eight months before settling on Starlink over Intelsat and chose it for its speed, amongst other factors. The move will help automate planting and harvesting in remote locations.
The antennas to be installed atop the farm vehicles will be customized for rugged conditions. However, the cost for the antennas and software service for farmers has not been determined, the report added.
“This will be great for farmers,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a post on X.
Why It Matters: Deere issued a request for proposals from satellite communication providers in Sept. 2022. Satellite communication, the company then said, can allow farmers to utilize technologies that need real-time information and communication.
“For example, autonomous tractors benefit from real-time communication through the John Deere Operations Center, as farmers use the app to start and stop the machine, monitor the job it’s executing, and determine what it should do when it encounters an obstacle,” John Deere VP of Data, Applications and Analytics Lane Arthur then said.
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock
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