Walking the aisles at this year’s Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill., there were the usual new equipment innovations on display. But it’s the behind-the-scenes developments that also caught my attention, specifically how precision manufacturers are integrating more automation and connectivity into their products.

Asking nearly a dozen companies to define how the Internet of Things (IoT) is influencing agriculture, some of the commonly used explanations included, “more comprehensive solutions,” “taking the simplicity of consumer technology and applying it to ag” and “creating an easy button for farmers.”

As optimistic as companies are about current and future technology integrations and adapting commercial tools like Echo and Alexa into ag, they also acknowledged the challenges associated with the transition.

Talking with one company representative, he ran through the roster of next generation consumer technology he’s personally utilizing as a self-described “tech nerd.” But he noted that he’s still the exception, not the standard.         

You can hear more perspectives and outlook for the Internet of Things in the next Precision Farming Dealer podcast and visit PrecisionFarmingDealer.com for highlights from this year’s Farm Progress Show.