Take home message

• Connectivity is a fundamental enabler of technological integration in agriculture
• Enhanced connectivity solutions have led to transformative improvements in farm efficiencies
• Challenges such as network shutdowns and traffic loadings highlight the need for resilient connectivity infrastructure
• The future of our Grain Automate project lies in the successful incorporation of autonomy and ag robotics, driven by robust connectivity.

Introduction

The Grain Automate project, a pioneering initiative aimed at revolutionising grain farming in Australia, has seen significant involvement from Connected Farms. This project spans multiple regions, focusing on enhancing connectivity and leveraging technology to improve efficiencies in grain farming. This paper delves into Connected Farms' contributions, the connectivity solutions employed on three partner farms, and the early successes and challenges encountered.

About the project

The Connected Farms Grain Automate project is a research initiative that aims to demonstrate various connectivity solutions that can pave the way for the widespread adoption of automation in grain farms across Australia.

Connectivity is a major barrier to the adoption of autonomous technologies and automated workflows where data needs to be shared seamlessly between machines, operators, growers, and farm advisors. While there are solutions for connectivity and well-advanced technology stacks to automate parts of a grain growing operation, these have not been pieced together at scale in a commercial setting to date, to explore what is possible, and where the pitfalls and opportunities are. This is what Connected Farms has done – on three commercial farms – each with different states of connectivity and approaches to automation. Following are the lessons learned, following the first full cropping cycle.

Connected Farm’s project focuses on peer-to-peer learning through the development of autonomous working farms and will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience among the three participating farms, with Connected Farms, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and other technology providers. The project will run for two full grain growing cycles, during which time various innovations in connectivity, robots, and machinery will be tested and evaluated. The project will also identify the opportunities and challenges for the adoption of autonomous solutions in large-scale commercial operations. The project will generate insights and recommendations for the benefit of all grain growers and the broader grains industry.

Connected Farms involvement

Connected Farms has been instrumental in implementing advanced connectivity solutions on three key farms participating in the Grain Automate project:

Northern GRDC region – Warrakirri Cropping | Willaroo NSW

Willaroo Farm is part of the Warrakirri Cropping group and spans over 15,000 ha in northern NSW (Figure 1). This farm serves as a robust example of a corporate mechanised cropping operation, showcasing substantial size, varied terrain, and a well-defined layout. Notably, approximately 85% of the farm lacked existing connectivity from major mobile networks such as Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone. The farm had several areas of sporadic and patchy coverage from these networks. The farm has a SwarmFarm robot sprayer in use however its use was restricted to areas of the farm which had existing coverage.

Figure 1. The cropping areas and location of Willaroo Farm, northern NSW.

Western GRDC region - Kelly Farming | Waalidjap WA

Waalidjap Farm, is a family-run farming business, covering 2000 workable cropping hectares in the Western Australian Wheatbelt (Figure 2). The primary focus of the farm is cropping; however they do also run livestock in areas of their farm not suited to cropping operations. This farm, whilst a significant operation, is not as sophisticated in its approach to adoption of digital agriculture as the other two properties, though the business is very interested in using more precision and digital agriculture. Approximately 95% of the farm lacked consistent connectivity from major mobile networks such as Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone. Patchy coverage has limited the farm’s ability to implement precision ag practices and autonomous machinery in its operations to date.

Figure 2. The cropping areas and location of Waalidjap Farm, WA.

Southern GRDC Region – Gleeson Farms | Natya VIC

Gleeson Farms is a large family owned broadacre farm of 18,000 ha, a highly mechanised cropping operation in the North-West Mallee Region of Victoria (Figure 3). The farm provides a robust representation of a mechanised cropping operation in terms of size, terrain and layout. Prior to this project, it had no existing connectivity from any of the main mobile networks of Telstra, Optus or Vodafone for most of the farm (approx. 90%) and only had a small area of sporadic and patchy coverage. The business has tried to implement precision agriculture using both native CNH systems and Ag-Leader for yield mapping, variable rate application plans and control in the past. The farm is very interested in using ag-robotics and autonomous systems but have been prevented from doing so to date, due to the poor connectivity over their land.

Figure 3. The cropping areas and location of Gleeson Farm, Victoria.

Connectivity solutions employed

Across two sequential deployments of connectivity devices the participant farms are now ‘fully connected’. The placement of devices on machinery and vehicles on the farms has changed throughout the cropping cycle to allow use of connected equipment firstly during spraying and then harvest with headers and chaser bin tractors then being connected.

‘Willaroo’, Warrakirri Cropping, NSW, GRDC Northern Region

Ten CommsXtend and three Starlink Mobility SoTM (satellite on the move) and two Starlink Mini devices have been supplied by Connected Farms to Willaroo. The devices were initially installed and located as set out in the technology stack diagram below and this was later revised for harvest with the headers and chaser bin tractors being connected. A dynamic SIM is installed on a SwarmFarm robot sprayer currently with the robot’s existing antennas being used.

Figure 4. Type and location of connectivity devices supplied by Connected Farms to ‘Willaroo’, NSW.

‘Waalidjap’, Kelly Farming, WA, GRDC Western Region

Seven CommsXtend and two Starlink Mobility SoTM devices have been supplied by Connected Farms to Waalidjap.

‘Gleeson Farm’, Vic, GRDC Southern Region

Eight CommsXtend and two Starlink Mobility SoTM devices have been supplied by Connected Farms to Gleeson Farm. An additional dynamic SIM for a CommsXtend device is being reserved on-farm for future use.

As part of the project, a 4G, 5G and LoRaWAN tower supplied by Connected Farms exists on ‘Gleeson Farm’ and provides services over much of the farm.

Figure 5. Type and location of connectivity devices supplied by Connected Farms to Gleeson Farm, VIC.

Early successes

The initial phase of the Grain Automate project has demonstrated transformative improvements in farm efficiencies, primarily driven by enhanced connectivity. The participating farms have reported:

• Improved data accuracy and availability, facilitating better decision-making processes.
• Enhanced remote monitoring and management capabilities, reducing the need for on-site interventions.
• Increased operational efficiency, as connectivity allows for real-time adjustments and optimizations, streamlining current practices.

At Willaroo Farm, the Swarmbot’s performance has notably improved due to the robust connectivity infrastructure, highlighting the potential of connected technologies in agricultural automation.

Challenges encountered

Despite the successes, our Grain Automate project has faced several challenges:

• 3G Network Shutdown: The decommissioning of the 3G network posed initial connectivity issues, requiring a swift transition to alternative solutions.
• 4G Network Struggles: The 4G network experienced increased traffic loadings during harvest work and school holidays, leading to “cell breathing” and reduced network efficiency. This issue underscored the need for more resilient and high-capacity connectivity solutions.

Next steps

Moving forward, our Grain Automate project aims to incorporate autonomy and ag robotics into its framework. Although it is too early to specify the exact technologies that will be employed, Connected Farm’s experience suggests that connectivity will be crucial to the successful integration of these advancements. The improved connectivity on the farms has already paved the way for increased usage and efficiency of autonomous systems already being employed, like the Swarmbot at Willaroo Farm.

Summary

The Grain Automate project, supported by Connected Farms, is a transformative initiative aimed at enhancing grain farming through improved connectivity and technological integration. The project has already shown promising results, with significant improvements in farm efficiencies and the successful operation of autonomous systems. Despite facing challenges, the project continues to progress, with connectivity remaining a key driver of its future success.

Contact details

Tom Andrews
Connected Farms
0414 711 011
tom@connectedfarms.com

Date published
February 2025