CNH expands network connectivity using satellites

CNH and Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s best established integrated satellite and terrestrial communication networks, is entering into a collaboration that will provide farmers unlimited access to the internet via a satellite communications (SATCOM) service.

This follows shortly after John Deere announced its collaboration with Starlink. It seems farmers will have another feature to consider when choosing equipment. Based on a new memorandum of understanding, Intelsat will provide multi-orbit internet access to connect CNH equipment working in remote locations and easy-to-use satellite terminals ready to handle the challenging environment on a farm. Intelsat’s industrial-grade terminals already serve critical industrial applications, including for the military and airlines. Case IH, Steyr and New Holland customers will use a rigorously tested terminal that connects easily and is proven to withstand extreme weather conditions and the vibration and shock produced by farming equipment and activities.

This offering will be first available in the second half of 2024 to farmers in Brazil, where ConectarAgro’s Rural Connectivity Indicator found only 19% of the area available for agricultural use has high-speed internet access. Customers will be able to rely on their Case IH and New Holland dealers to install and support Intelsat’s hardware and service activation. Subsequently, the companies plan to expand their collaboration to the USA, Australia, and other regions.

“Satellite technology helps solve complex connectivity challenges for hard-to-reach farms, but not all providers are equal. Intelsat stands out for their depth of experience as well as the quality and reliability of their service and industrial terminal offerings. They get what it means to be rugged. We look forward to serving customers around the world with their solution,” said Marc Kermisch, Chief Digital and Information Officer at CNH. In 2016 Intelsat successfully launched Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 which is designed to enhance the Intelsat media neighbourhoods serving Africa and the Indian Ocean regions. (Source: World-Agritech.com)

20 million dollars for Greeneye USA

Greeneye Technology, specialist in AIenabled precision spraying technology, completed a $20 million funding round, to be used for expanding the company’s activities in America. Greeneye Technology reduces herbicide use in farming by an average of 88%. The round is supported by existing investors Syngenta Group Ventures, JVP, Orbia Ventures, and Eyal Waldman, the founder and former CEO of Mellanox (now part of Nvidia), as well as other new investors including Iron Nation and Amol Deshpande, the founder and former CEO of FBN. The investment will be used to scale Greeneye’s operation in America and to advance the technology’s analytical capabilities and extend its usage to new inputs and crops. The next phase of expansion will see dozens more systems deployed in farmers’ fields this year, targeting the 81 million hectares of maize, soya beans and cotton grown in the USA.

“Securing this round of capital in today’s challenging economic climate is further validation of Greeneye’s mission to drive mainstream adoption of precision spraying technology in the USA and, ultimately, globally,” comments Nadav Bocher, CEO, Greeneye Technology.

Greeneye’s mission is to significantly reduce agricultural chemicals that are applied to farmers’ fields globally each year, the majority of which are sprayed onto bare soil or crops. This overuse of chemicals results in soil and water pollution, causes weeds to develop resistance to herbicides, increases chemical levels in food, and creates a large financial burden for farmers. Greeneye’s solution harnesses AI in combination with hardware to identify weeds among crops with high accuracy and spray chemicals only where they are needed, directly onto the weeds. It is designed to integrate with any brand, model or size of commercial sprayer, enabling farmers to perform precision spraying without having to invest in costly new sprayers. In addition, its dual line/tank configuration enables precision and broadcast spraying to be carried out simultaneously, increasing both productivity and efficacy. (Source: World-Agritech.com)

Seed rate calculator from Väderstad

Väderstad has introduced a seed rate calculator. It enables farmers to easily find their correct seed rate and convert between seed volume and seed population. The calculator is available on Vaderstad.com and can be used from a computer, as well as from a mobile device, like a smartphone or iPad. In the calculator the operator can either target the actual seed rate in kg/ha (seed volume), or the target seed rate of yielding plants in the field measured as plants/m2 (seed population). After entering the data, matching seeds and conditions, the operator enters the thousand kernel weight and germination rate for the seed, numbers that are normally depicted on the seed bag.

Then he fills in an estimation of projected field losses in percentage due to factors such as weather, conditions in the field and pests, and finally enter the size of the field. For maximum ease of use, if you do not want to enter all figures manually, you can also select between nine commonly used crops where standard values for TKW and germination rate are already prefilled. When all the data have been entered you get a calculated seed rate to reach your chosen target.

Drones and AI in the battle against alternaria in potato crops

By employing ultra-high-resolution drone imagery combined with AI, a new method has been developed for the early detection of alternaria – a fungal pathogen (early blight) that can cause significant damage to potato crops by infecting the leaves, stems, and sometimes even the tubers. This breakthrough marks a significant advancement in precision agriculture, enabling growers to intervene more precisely and efficiently, resulting in healthier crops and a more sustainable agricultural practice. “With this technology, we can detect the disease before it is visible to the naked eye, which can significantly increase the effectiveness of control measures,” explains researcher Jana Wieme from Belgium.

Specific form of AI

The approach utilises a specific form of AI which can recognise patterns – in this case, small spots on infrared images – by learning from examples, much like the human brain learns from experience. This enables the network to detect even the smallest indications of the disease before they are visible to the naked eye.

The team tested this model on datasets collected over multiple growing seasons. “What makes our research unique, is that we repeated the trials for four different growing seasons, and our model also works on datasets it has not been trained on. So, our model is already capable of being applied in practice. Moreover, our model achieves an accuracy comparable to current state-of-the-art models, but it is much faster and more efficient in processing the images,” emphasises Jana. The new method offers the possibility of detecting the disease early and locally, enabling a more targeted and therefore more sustainable use of resources.

Jana explains: “This technology allows us to create detailed ‘disease maps’ of the fields. Farmers can use this information to treat only those parts of the field where the disease actually occurs.” This not only saves costs but also reduces the environmental impact of agricultural practices. The research team is optimistic about the future applications of their work. “Although we have focused on alternaria in potato fields, the methodology is broadly applicable for the detection of various diseases in different crops,” says Jana. “This opens new doors to more efficient and sustainable agriculture.” (Source: FutureFarming.com)