Autonomous Vehicles Not New to Farming

The push for building and perfecting self-driving cars seems to be coming to our roadways more quickly these days, but farming has known autonomous vehicles for some time.

Beverly Flores of John Deere said this is an area where the farming community can teach the tech community.

“We think about self-driving technology and that’s the big conversation right now and yet, in agriculture, we’ve been doing it for 15 years and we can do it within less than a sub-inch level accuracy.”

Flores also noted that agriculture is built on innovation and techonology.

Recounting a conversation with a farmer who was presenting to an elementary school, Flores gave an example that illustrated that point.

“He said one of the students there asked him, ‘What’s your most important piece of equipment on your farm?’ And I said, ‘What was your answer?’ and he pulled out his cell phone out of his pocket. He said this is the more important piece of equipment on my operation.”