How to Connect Your Farm with Different Equipment Brands

July 12, 2021

As a farmer, you’re familiar with the concept of herding. It’s something you actually do every day, whether or not animals are part of your operation or not. 

All successful farmers are data herders. 

This data herding is not much different than managing a herd of dairy cattle. When you have a good understanding of what’s happening when and where, with no surprises or problems cropping up unexpectedly, it simply makes things hum like a well-oiled machine. 

But this is where the analogy stops. Most dairy farmers stick with one breed for their herd, maybe Jersey, Holstein, Guernsey, or Brown Swiss. That’s not the case with data herding. Think of it like having a herd of cows made up of a dozen different breeds.  

That’s the type of herd most farm operations have. Most likely, you’ve built the optimal inventory of tractors, implements, vehicles, and equipment to best suit your needs – and there’s a good chance it’s from a variety of manufacturers. The end result is that you get a mix of information. Trying to manage this information manually – and translate it into a compatible, useful tool – can take a lot of time and effort. That’s when it can go from herding cattle to herding cats … a completely unenjoyable experience for you as well as the cats.

Different equipment brands? No problem.

Fortunately, that’s where Trimble bridges that gap. We believe that precision ag should be accessible and easy to use for every farmer, regardless of what or how you farm, where your farm is located, or what brands you use. One way we do this is by creating an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand system for translating and working with all that great information.

We do this by providing a brand agnostic solution that translates all this data into one display, through Trimble’s Farmer Core software, powered by AutoSync™.  This innovative feature runs in the background to automatically sync all your guidance lines, field names, boundaries, materials, implements, vehicles, and operator information across all connected devices. It does it automatically, so you don’t have to worry about manual data entry, human error, or USB wrangling to move data from one system to another. It’s not something you have to program or learn either: it’s seamless and automatic.

Connect your farm data with ease

While Farmer Core lets you input static data, such as AB guidance lines, locations, and names, it also provides a steady stream of precision ag data from Trimble displays and other sources via our Application Programming Interface (API),  which brings all the information together in one place. This cloud-based solution complements your existing Trimble solutions and compatible third-party solutions to pull all of your farm data into one central location.

Our solutions are compatible with most vehicles and implement brands to help you easily collect and manage your farm data. Trimble’s API connects with third-party farm management systems include leading brands like AGCO VarioDoc Raven Slingshot, AgCommand, CNHi AFS Connect and PLM Connect, as well as John Deere Operations Center, Case IH Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) Connect™, and New Holland Precision Land Management (PLM) Connect, among others.

Build your farm’s future with Farmer Core

What’s great about this connectivity is that it not only manages what’s happening now, it also helps you plan for the future. You can build your farm records and growing history on real data, so with each year, you get a clearer historic picture of things like crop yields, fleet efficiency, and true operational profitability. You’ll know where change is needed and what parts of your operation are hitting their sweet spots. 

While Farmer Core consolidates all this data into one location, it also lets you use that information operation-wide. You can incorporate prescriptions or Variable Rate applications or treatments and share them on multiple displays. You even have the ability to create web-based work orders for in-field tasks that they can access on their own in-cab displays.

This consolidated data also drives Trimble Ag’s Yield Data Cleaning tool, which automatically fixes issues with grain flow delays, GPS errors, sensor errors, and overlaps – none of which has to be fixed manually again when your data sources effectively communicate with each other. With more farmers moving toward precision ag to increase their yields and overall productivity, it’s a feature you’ll come to appreciate.

Having all your information readily available in a central location is a true game-changer. To learn more, connect with your local Trimble Authorized Dealer today.