Farmers are an inventive group. Over the years, for example, armed with little more than a hacksaw and a welder, they’ve adapted worn out cars into inexpensive yet practical farm implements.

When your daily business puts you in the middle of industry-changing technological advancements such as those that are embodied by the term “precision farming,” it’s easy to start believing that everyone knows about it outside of your circle of friends, customers and colleagues.

It won’t be long before the technology that we call “precision farming” will be so ubiquitous on farms throughout North America that to go without will be like buying a combine without air conditioning or a tractor without pneumatic tires.

What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, farmers were shrugging their shoulders at auto-steering systems, telling their neighbors down at the coffee shop that they "knew how to drive in a straight line."

Building on the intelligent, JDLink-equipped 8R Series tractors introduced in early 2011, in August John Deere announced that the telematics package would also be available on the new 9R Series tractors.

Welcome to the future of farming — where tractors receive commands from outer space, grain carts drive themselves and the data from combine yield monitors tell row-crop sprayers where chemicals are needed most. Is your dealership ready to sell and support this rapidly evolving technology?

Communication systems build on precision farming technology to give equipment a voice.