Topcon Agricultural Platform brings streamlined connectivity, organization to crop data collection
By Douglas J. Guth
Agriculture has gotten significantly smarter over the last 20 years, notes Ryan Pieper, North American channel manager for Topcon Positioning Systems.
Old-school yield monitors have transitioned to big data applications that collect, compile and process complex crop information. Farmers and their advisors are also harnessing vast amounts of data from “smart” machines and sensors, allowing them to make better-informed decisions around day-to-day operations.
Although this high-tech changeover has not always been smooth, Topcon is easing the process through its Topcon Agricultural Platform, or TAP. The easy-to-use software connects every phase of the farming cycle, ultimately automating data workflow so users can focus on the bottom line.
“Farmers are now generating so many more data layers to make decisions,” says Pieper. “We’ve seen these advantages with other companies, and now we have a seat at the table, too.”
Launched in 2019, the cloud-based farm management platform expanded Topcon’s precision offerings while easing use of data analytics for adopters. TAP acts as a brand agnostic information hub, meaning it can accept and organize information deriving from any machine or implement.
Incorporating innovative connectivity, cloud services and data analytics, the workflow improvement tool eliminates the need to copy files from a thumb drive. Instead, growers who pay an annual fee can access their data on a phone, tablet, personal computer or in-cab Topcon console. Operators can easily sift through color-coded data layers for real-time planting and harvest information – from key seeding data to variable rate fertilization in different soil areas .
Interactive yield maps are transferred seamlessly, providing analysis for detailed digital record-keeping. Upon uploading data, the platform automatically recognizes field locations, then consolidates data into one place for organized review.
“We’ve seen yield monitors out there for several years, but they are only as accurate as their calibrations,” says Pieper. “The grain cart doesn’t lie, so we’re tapping into carts and using that information as a high-definition yield layer and certified data set.”
Changing with the times
Historically, Topcon has offered sensors to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) companies. For example, the enterprise sells boom height controls for self-propelled sprayers, as well as load cells integrated into grain carts.
This year’s Tech Hub Live event illuminated the necessity of Topcon’s increased digital focus. Farmers attending the conference in Indianapolis in July wanted access to layers of vital data that gave them improved insight into any agronomic decisions they made, Pieper says.
Adding connectivity to the farming cycle applies to fleet management as well. Through TAP, users can monitor crucial metrics, ideally reducing downtime and upgrading operational efficiency.
TAP’s agnostic nature means growers will not be slowed by owning various machine brands, as the technology works across all of them. The brand-neutral platform also delivers data straight from the field to trusted advisors, a set-up designed for farmers and agronomists whose livelihoods depend on making key management decisions based on the most accurate information available.
“Many growers don’t have all one color of equipment, so the reality is they’re going to go where they can get the best service,” Pieper says. “Growers can manage data and send it wirelessly to the cloud through a Topcon console. We also have a CL-20 modem that will plug into any non-Topcon monitor, then that data can be sent to TAP. There’s no need for after-market stuff/. TAP is a cornerstone for us in the data space around planting and yield.”
On the harvesting side, the state-of-the-art platform can be linked to the company’s Smart Cart solution. Utilizing a CL-55 cloud connectivity device from Topcon, Smart Cart produces weight-verified statistics that automatically calibrate with TAP yield monitor data. Knowing the problems associated with archaic yield monitors, Topcon designed its innovation with a laser focus on meticulous feedback.
Would-be customers can think of TAP as a data repository that eliminates USB sticks, says Pieper. Visualized data also allows for quick field check-ins not possible with an unwieldy and hard-to-read excel spreadsheet.
Machine troubleshooting is not an issue, either, as customers with cab consoles can contact Topcon right from the driver’s seat, making for a kind of rolling Zoom meeting. A host of security services ensures farmer data remains safe and secure.
“We have the infrastructure and capability behind the scenes to handle all that data,” says Pieper. “We go to far lengths to protect data that starts with a grower’s log-in. It’s their data under their log-in, like in online banking.”
Outcomes from TAP’s global customer base include employing the right amount of manure on just the right acre, resulting in a more precise fertilizer balance. Farmers can also reduce crop insurance premiums through electronic reporting, while agronomists are able to spend time on crop insights rather than data collection.
“The value comes out in that sharing between farmer and advisor,” Pieper says. “It’s not much different than a doctor and patient at a hospital. There are hospitals with portals you can plug into. This is like having a prescription for your corn.”