Agricultural giant John Deere heads into space

Close your eyes for a moment and think, “John Deere.” The odds are that the first things to come to mind are green tractors and rolling farmlands. Yet now, John Deere has its eyes set on a (literally) sky-high ambition: using satellites to revolutionize agriculture.

If the renowned farm equipment company has its way, farmers will soon use satellites to generate geospatial maps that allow them to monitor productivity and crop performance.

With this data in hand, farmers can put together appropriate and nuanced responses. For example, if one part of the field is underperforming, farmers can investigate and then react, perhaps increasing fertilizers to one area or deploying pesticides.

Farmers may not be limited to data from their fields or nearby fields. John Deere is working to increase connectivity worldwide. This way, farmers can monitor major events and trends from afar, which could help them organize a more effective response to changing environmental and operating conditions.

John Deere has been gathering data for some time. However, most current data collection relies on farmers using individual See & Spray devices. These devices can alert farmers to problems, such as growing weeds. Now, the company wants to up the ante by looping in low-earth satellites.

In recent months, John Deere has been in discussions with various satellite companies, looking for the perfect partner that will enable farmers to reap the full benefits of data. In the long run, farmers may enjoy greater yields and, thus, more substantial profits.