The Fiber Broadband Association recently published an interesting article talking about broadband’s role in precision agriculture. For those not familiar with the term, precision agriculture is a data-driven, technology-enabled management strategy that uses satellite data and IoT sensors to optimize inputs like water, fertilizer, and pesticides to improve efficiency, profitability, and sustainability. It also includes autonomous machines like tractors, sprayers, combines, and drones to perform tasks like planting, weeding, and spraying.
The article argues that the FCC’s definition of bandwidth, at 100/20 Mbps, is not fast enough to support a rigorous precision agriculture application. The FBA’s Agriculture Working Group recommends that a speed of at least 100/100 Mbps is needed for precision agriculture. The faster speed is due to the real-time feedback needed by sensors and self-driving equipment. The article rightfully recognizes that the only two technologies that can support those speeds are fiber and HFC networks that have upgraded upload speeds.
I think the article mostly skips over the most important aspect of precision agriculture, which is getting broadband to the fields. The article does acknowledge that the most resilient network would have wireless at the edge and fiber at the core. But fiber at the core means at the farmhouse. The challenge is getting the bandwidth from fiber at the farmhouse out to the fields.
According to 2023 data from the USDA, 27% of all farms used some form of precision agriculture, and it seems likely this has increased since then. But that statistic is heavily skewed towards large farms, and around 70% of large farms used some form of precision agriculture, while adoption is much lower in smaller farms with gross incomes under $350,000.
How are farms making this work today? If a farm is lucky enough to be covered by decent cellular coverage, then 4G or 5G can be used for smart devices. But a large portion of rural America has poor or no cell coverage. Even where this works, it can be expensive to buy separate cellular subscriptions per device.
A lot of farms are now using Starlink. This became easier when John Deere and other equipment makers started to build Starlink capability into new gear. This also requires a subscription, mostly through farm groups or the farm equipment manufacturer.
The most complicated solution, but one that will work everywhere, is for a farmer to construct a private wireless network using licensed or unlicensed spectrum. This can work as long as the farmhouse has a strong broadband signal at the core. This has several big drawbacks. It means a sizable upfront outlay to build the wireless network. There aren’t any easy off-the-shelf options, and the farmer would also have to master the technology. There is also an ongoing effort to babysit the network. I’ve had several farmers tell me they are feeling more like IT guys some days than like farmers.
According to FBA, Starlink is an interim solution that doesn’t have enough speed and bandwidth to keep up with the future data demands of precision agriculture. But Starlink has a huge advantage in being available now. There are two possible solutions for meeting faster future broadband needs. First, Starlink’s new generation of satellites might provide the needed speed to make it more than an interim solution. But a farmer who wants to guarantee a robust network might have to build their own solution, and that will require an off-the-shelf network solution that can be easily installed and maintained.