Rural 5G could help feed the world

Broadband might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about farming, but an executive from heavy equipment company John Deere argued maybe it should be. Nancy Post, director of the Intelligent Solutions Group at John Deere, stated that connectivity has been an integral part of farming for a long time, noting satellite in particular has been used for at least 20 years to help steer tractors out in the fields of rural America. The industry has leveraged progressive iterations of cellular technology as well, using first 2G and then 3G and 4G to transmit and process data from a growing number of sensors onboard a wide range of farm vehicles. These sensors can optimize agricultural practices in a variety of ways, but are hindered by coverage limitations. Broader, faster connections, such as 5G, could enable machine-to-machine communications that would allow farmers to work even smarter, increase their own profits and further benefit the US economy.