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Farmers have reported that their smart tractors have started acting out of control, “as if possessed”, after a mysterious signal from space.
We are entering the most intense phase of the 11-year solar cycle. In 2024, the Sun has been bombarding Earth with charged streams of plasma and particles, a pattern that NASA says is expected to continue through 2025 and possibly 2026. This phenomenon has caused a big scare among farmers who own smart tractors.
With so many solar storms, modern agriculture, a high-tech operation that relies on precision, has been greatly impacted in 10 May 2024, when the sun unleashed its biggest geomagnetic storm in decades.
Recent reports show that the event, classified as G5, disrupted GPS systems in several parts of the world, directly affecting agricultural operations No. Midwestern United States.
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GPS guided agriculture
GPS-guided tractors are the backbone of modern agriculture. They allow farmers to plant, fertilize and harvest with extreme precision, ensuring efficiency and maximum yield.
These machines follow exact tracks to minimize waste and maximize the use of inputs such as fertilizers and seeds.
However, reliance on GPS also creates vulnerabilities. During geomagnetic storms, the signals sent by satellites to Earth are distorted, causing tractors to lose connection or veer off course.
The G5 storm of May 2024
The May 10 event was one of the most intense recorded in recent decades. This geomagnetic storm caused severe disruptions in the Earth's ionosphere. Terra, a crucial layer for the transmission of GPS signals.
As stunning auroras lit up the sky, farmers faced a real nightmare in their fields.
GPS guided tractors “acted as if they were possessed“, according to reports from farmers to spaceweather.com. These machines have lost the ability to maintain their paths, forcing farmers to resort to manual control or stop work altogether.
The Growth of Technological Dependence
According to Ethan Smidt, service manager at John Deere, 80% of farmers in the Midwest use GPS in some part of their farming operations, while 50% rely heavily on the system at all stages.
This increasing dependence makes events like solar storms a significant threat to the agricultural sector.
Twenty years ago, farmers could ignore a geomagnetic storm like the one in May 2024. But in the age of automation and precision agriculture, these storms can cause delays that directly impact yields and productivity.
The storms of October
October's smaller solar storms, classified as G3 and G4, brought new challenges during the harvest season.
Farmers reported problems with the system autosteer of their tractors, which deviated from their predefined lines.
Ramstad, a farmer from Minnesota, described how her tractor’s GPS was out of sync by nearly two feet, making it difficult to work. “My tractor danced a row left and right. By nightfall, the Autosteer was completely out of control”, she said.
Indiana farmer Michael Spencer faced similar problems.My tractor would suddenly jerk sideways, and I would have to manually restart it. It was frustrating and beautiful at the same time."
The Economic Implications
Reliance on GPS makes solar storms a serious economic issue.
Delays in planting or harvesting can reduce yields, while repairing or recalibrating GPS systems increases operating costs.
During solar maximum — a period of heightened solar activity in 11-year cycles — moderate events such as G3 and G4 storms can become more frequent.
This requires farmers to be prepared to deal with delays and develop strategies to mitigate the effects of solar storms.
Future Solutions
Faced with these vulnerabilities, researchers and companies are investing in alternative technologies.
The next generation of agricultural guidance systems must incorporate artificial intelligence, machine vision and expert systems.
These technologies will allow tractors to operate with greater autonomy, without relying exclusively on GPS.
Terry Griffin, a professor at Kansas State University, highlighted in the farmdoc Daily that these innovations aim to reduce vulnerability to GPS interruptions, ensuring greater operational stability during periods of high solar activity.
