Agricultural equipment company Afgri Equipment and agricultural equipment multinational John Deere have launched the JD Link telematics solution, which can connect any make and model of agricultural machinery in the field in near-real-time with the farmer’s office and mobile devices.

Afgri CEO Tinus Prinsloo says the “JD Link system, which Afgri Equipment has already started rolling out to farmers, helps collate telematics and a range of data from all machines. Vital information to prevent downtime, for example, is available at any time to the farmer, and this will improve efficiencies.”

The JD Link solution enables customers to keep track of their fleets, monitor work progress, manage logistics, access important machine information, analyse and optimise machine performance, receive alert email or mobile messages, perform remote operator support and automate data exchange, he explains.

“Even the most basic data relayed would consist of equipment-specific metrics such as diesel levels, engine temperature and speed,” he notes.

The solution also produces efficiency data, such as hectares completed, average hectares per hour, hitch position and wheel slip. Equipment can also be geo-fenced and time-restricted to alert owners to unauthorised use, adds Prinsloo.

“Further, JD Link acts as a gateway for data to flow to and from machines. Machine-critical updates can be carried out over an Internet connection or through screen-sharing to allow technicians access to in-cab screens via an Internet link, and fault codes can be pushed to the owner, operator or the dealer as they occur.”

The solution enables machines and equipment to communicate with one other. This will allow, for example, machines to adapt guidance tracks to accommodate the different working widths of implements, says Prinsloo.

“Afgri Equipment recognises the value of investing in precision agriculture. We believe that these technologies enable our agricultural producers to make more informed decisions by having the correct information available to them when they need it.”

The strategic aim of Afgri Equipment is to collaborate with producers through the use of new agricultural information technology and automation technology; improving management and profitability of their operations, he said.

“JD Link forms an important building block in the strategy of allowing us to achieve this vision for the future.

“Systems other than those from John Deere can be added to the platform and the farmer or equipment owner benefits from rich, near-real-time data. The system can be used across various models and types of equipment. The only limitation is data produced by certain non-John Deere equipment and on older John Deere tractors,” says Prinsloo.