By Scout Nelson
North Dakota State University (NDSU) uses smart technology to support precision agriculture and help farmers make better choices. This is part of the university’s Food, Energy and Water Security (FEWS) initiative, which focuses on using modern tools to manage natural resources more effectively.
NDSU’s ag technology program manager, Aaron Reinholz, believes the Internet of Things (IoT) plays a key role in the future of farming. IoT connects smart devices and sensors that collect and share data. These tools can track soil conditions, water levels, and crop health.
One of the biggest challenges is getting this data from remote farms. To solve this, NDSU’s Agricultural Data Analytics Team is working with Grand Farm, a project based near Casselton, North Dakota. The team is testing sensors through Grand Farm’s “sensor sandbox”, using 5G networks provided by Dakota Carrier Network (DCN).
DCN is owned by 13 rural broadband providers and has a strong network that helps researchers and farmers collect data even in far-off areas. Their system is being designed to cover every acre of North Dakota.
This work is also supported by the USDA Agricultural Research Service at the Great Plains Research Lab in Mandan. The team is using LoRaWAN, a low-power wireless technology.
It helps send information from small battery-powered sensors placed in fields or water tanks. These sensors can alert farmers through phones or computers when something needs attention.
Photo Credit: istock-ligora
Categories: North Dakota, Crops, Equipment & Machinery, Harvesting