Deere, CNH And DJI Roll Out Edge-AI Field Systems As Smart Farming Enters An Autonomy Sprint

Executive Summary

• Autonomous tractors, vision-guided implements, and spray drones headline new releases from John Deere, CNH Industrial, and DJI announced in recent weeks.
• Satellite-to-field connectivity pilots using Starlink and edge gateways from ag OEMs aim to reduce rural connectivity gaps that hinder real-time agronomy and autonomy.
• Remote sensing and MRV integrations from Planet Labs and Regrow push emissions quantification and input optimization into day-to-day agronomy workflows.
• Analysts and industry groups say AI-enabled precision tools could lift input-use efficiency by double-digit percentages over the next cycles, while tightening compliance and sustainability reporting (McKinsey agriculture insights).

Autonomy And Edge-AI Hit The Field Autonomy is moving from pilot plots to production fleets. In the past several weeks, John Deere previewed expanded autonomy-ready kits and computer vision updates designed to integrate with existing large tractors and sprayers, building on its camera- and AI-driven See & Spray lineage for row-crop operations. Deere’s recent announcements emphasize multi-sensor perception and on-implement compute to reduce chemical use and improve pass-level precision, with demonstrations slated around early-2026 industry events (company newsroom). Rival OEM CNH Industrial has highlighted new advanced guidance, implement automation, and supervised autonomy features through its Case IH and New Holland brands, leaning on the acquisition of Raven and its autonomy stack to bring camera, radar, and RTK-guided workflows into mixed fleets. The updates stress practical, operator-in-the-loop deployments, reflecting grower demand for modular upgrades rather than wholesale platform swaps (CNH Industrial press). In aerial applications, DJI expanded its Agras portfolio with higher-throughput spray and spread payloads and enhanced route-planning software that pairs with terrain-following radar and machine vision. These systems are designed to cut overlap, adjust droplet size dynamically, and operate safely near treelines and infrastructure—capabilities the company underscores in recent product briefs and field demos (DJI Agras). Connectivity: From Satellite Links To LPWAN In The Hedgerows Edge-AI needs robust pipes. OEMs and integrators are accelerating dual-path connectivity, combining private LTE/5G on-farm with direct-to-satellite backhaul for remote fields. Starlink has positioned its enterprise tier for agriculture with fixed and mobile terminals to support equipment telematics, VBN (variable-rate prescriptions), and remote firmware updates where terrestrial coverage is thin (Starlink Enterprise). Meanwhile, OEM gateways from John Deere and precision partners leverage multi-modem architectures that steer traffic across cellular, Wi‑Fi, and satellite for uptime and cost control (Deere newsroom). Low-power wide-area networks continue to blanket orchards and vineyards for stationary sensing. For more on [related proptech developments](/proptech-by-the-numbers-funding-adoption-and-roi-in-2025). LoRaWAN-based deployments, widely used in soil-moisture and microclimate monitoring, are seeing refreshed sensor nodes with on-device anomaly detection to reduce backhaul chatter. Industry bodies and analyst notes point to LPWAN as a cost-optimal layer for dense sensor grids feeding variable irrigation and fertigation programs (GSMA IoT resources), which pairs with higher-bandwidth links for imagery and autonomy telemetry. Climate Intelligence And MRV Enter Daily Agronomy The last month brought deeper integrations between satellite analytics and farm management systems. Planet Labs continues to emphasize high-cadence, field-scale monitoring for biomass, bare-soil exposure, and harvestable area, which agronomy platforms can translate into variable-rate plans and input savings. These feeds increasingly support MRV (measurement, reporting, verification) for nitrogen management and regenerative practices, streamlining compliance and program eligibility (Planet updates). Sustainability software provider Regrow has showcased recent partnerships and tooling that bring emissions quantification into grower UX, reducing manual data entry by pulling equipment logs and satellite indices directly into reports. The company’s December updates highlight expanded crop and region support, reflecting demand from food companies and grain buyers seeking consistent Scope 3 data aligned with farm realities (Regrow blog). This builds on broader Smart Farming trends where compliance-grade data pipelines become part of day-to-day input decisions. Key Launches And Pilots To Watch Growers and dealers are weighing total cost of ownership alongside immediate gains. OEMs are positioning autonomy upgrades as software-first, enabling incremental capability unlocks by season and field. Drone fleets are being bundled with agronomy services and flight compliance support, while connectivity providers court co-ops for shared infrastructure models that amortize rural broadband costs across multiple farms and fleets (The Verge tech coverage; Reuters technology). Venture and strategic capital are also calibrating toward systems that demonstrate measurable ROI within a single season—particularly nitrogen-use optimization, spot spraying, and harvest logistics orchestration. Analyst notes suggest that AI at the edge—rather than in the cloud alone—will anchor many of 2026’s deployments due to latency, bandwidth costs, and resilience needs in the field (McKinsey agriculture insights). For more on related Smart Farming developments. Selected Next-Gen Smart Farming Announcements (Past 45 Days)

Company	Technology	Claimed Benefit/Focus	Source & Date
John Deere	Autonomy-ready vision stack for large tractors/sprayers	Precision weed targeting; software-first unlocks	Deere Newsroom, Dec 2025–Jan 2026
CNH Industrial	Operator-in-the-loop implement automation via Raven	Reduced overlap, guided turns, RTK precision	CNH Press, Dec 2025
DJI	Agras spray/spread drones with enhanced route planning	Higher throughput; terrain-following radar	DJI Agras, Dec 2025
Starlink	Enterprise satellite connectivity for fleets/fields	Backhaul for autonomy and telematics	Starlink Enterprise, Dec 2025
Planet Labs & Regrow	MRV-ready satellite analytics in agronomy UX	N-management, practice verification	Planet Pulse; Regrow Blog, Dec 2025

What It Means For 2026 Operations For growers, the near-term playbook centers on hybrid autonomy—leveraging AI perception for tasks like weeding, in-season spraying, and harvest logistics where ROI is clearest. Drone operations slot into spot applications and variable-rate topdress, while satellite-driven nitrogen and moisture maps inform prescriptions pushed directly to implements. Dealers and service providers are becoming integration hubs to stitch software, connectivity, and machine retrofits into practical, field-ready packages (Reuters technology). Enterprise buyers in food and fiber supply chains are leaning on toolchains that generate audit-ready data with minimal friction. That favors platforms with native ties into equipment logs, imagery archives, and edge analytics—reducing manual record-keeping while improving timeliness of sustainability reports. Analysts expect procurement incentives to reward verifiable reductions in inputs and emissions, adding a revenue kicker to the efficiency story (McKinsey agriculture insights; Planet Labs).