The Ag Equipment industry in the 21st Century.

Implement & Tractor continues exploring the changes and issues that continue to challenge, confront and control the agricultural equipment industry in the 21st Century. Readers are invited to share their thoughts and information about the future of their industry segments.

System monitors vehicle activity and status

Imagine a fleet of tractors in a large field, all being monitored and managed wirelessly. That capability exists today.

Trimble Navigation Limited's CrossCheck AMPS technology integrates global positioning system (GPS), cellular technology and computer technology into a single mobile positioning and communications system. The system uses the standard wireless analog AMPS cellular network to send GPS data and messages from mobile units to base stations running Trimble's FleetVision software.

The system supports automated monitoring and reporting of vehicle activity and status. An alert report, for example, automatically sends the vehicle's location and status to the operations center, which can respond by remotely activating the vehicle's security systems, such as door locks, ignition lockout, sirens or lights.

Perkins critical product info online

Perkins Engine has contracted Enigma, Inc., a provider of B2B e-commerce for spare parts and aftermarket support, to develop an online site which will link critical product information to online transaction engines for spare parts procurement. Site contents will include repair manuals, illustrated parts catalogs and maintenance updates. Perkins says the ease of transactions will result in decreased engine downtime for customers and provide a secure channel for aftermarket sales.

What makes the WWW so powerful?

Technology is not what makes the World Wide Web so powerful, according to Dr. Andres Lippman, MIT professor and a leader in the digital revolution. He said its power is the vast digital community and commercial opportunities that it presents.

The WWW has become a constant presence at home and at work, with e-mail a personalized and responsive medium. People with similar needs or interests for "digital communities" have expanded into e-commerce.

"All technology gravitates to the dominant infrastructure of the times," he said. Today, technologies that can enhance the value of the Web are growing and flourishing.

From an economic perspective, Lippman said businesses are going to be under the control of their customers, who will "reinvent" the businesses. How business was conducted a few years ago will not be the way it will be conducted a few years from now, he said.

"Customers are now in charge," he added. (NDIDA News Bulletin)

A futurist's prediction

The coming years will be stupendous for agriculture, according to Lowell Catlett, professor of agricultural economics and business at New Mexico State University. He says agriculture will be a major player in the "Hyper-Industrial Era" of the 21st century.

Among the new technologies that will alter farms and agribusinesses are artificial intelligence, ubiquitous computing, fuzzy logic, nanotechnologies, virtual reality and genetic engineering. Agriculture will be so large, so sophisticated and so diverse that the word itself will change definition. (ASAE Resource)

Micro-Eye features voice alerts

The microprocessor-based Micro-Eye from Advanced Control Systems, Rockford, Ill., monitors critical functions of internal combustion engines -- oil pressure, transmission temperature and coolant temperature. If conditions develop that could cause engine damage, Micro-Eye issues an audible warning, then it shuts down the engine automatically. With the addition of the Voice Alert feature to Micro-Eye, customized messages in any language can be recorded to deliver up to 22 seconds of information. The company says the system protects equipment from costly breakdowns and minimized repair downtime.

Will rural communities survive?

Rural communities that survive in the 21st century will be culturally diverse and technologically advantaged, according to Robert Reich, former US Secretary of Labor. Rural telecommunications programs will support distance learning and telemedicine projects are two examples of how technology will help US rural areas.

Almost three million people have moved to the "country" in the last decade, and this has changed the physical and economic makeup of rural America. As they bring their home-based businesses and need for information with them, these urban-turned-country residents want many of the same services and technology they had in the city.

Minnesota is a good example of how some states are responding to this desire and need of rural communities. LearningByte International, a Minneapolis-based firm specializing in interactive, multimedia computer training programs, expanded to northern Minnesota in 1997 and is projected to triple in size in the next five years. MinnTelecom has invested millions of dollars to wire parts of northern Minnesota with a high-speed fiberoptic network. (Self-Employed Country)

Looking ahead 10 years

When Business Week Online contributing editor Thane Peterson met last year with a group of Deere & Company officials, the discussion focused on technology that will affect the future of farming. The following paragraphs summarize just a bit of the feedback Peterson got when he asked what changes there will be in agriculture in 10 years.

Equipment will be connected through the Internet and wireless technology, and the environment will be data-rich, predicted Adel A. Zakaria, senior vice-president Worldwide Engineering and Manufacturing. He did not envision a system without human interaction, even if existing technology were available. While some tractors will be operated without drivers, he said the operator will be assisted a lot by technology, for example in steering equipment.

Fred Korndorf, president Worldwide Agricultural Equipment Division, said agriculture would be much more automated, but it would not be peopleless. With driverless machinery involving a lot of safety and control issues, a more likely scenario he predicted would be one vehicle with a human operator with others operating remotely, such as a combine and grain carts operating in tandem.

Korndorf predicted that machine intelligence would be refined, providing sensor technology that will monitor the machine to anticipate its needs and diagnose its problems. The system would include satellite communications and precise positioning technology, with advanced software to handle the limitless stream of data for crop production.