Space weather is known to cause disruptions to GPS and communications systems, and perhaps no one is feeling those headaches more than farmers this weekend. reports that the intense solar activity of recent days has caused failures in the GPS navigation systems that guide some modern tractors from John Deere and other brands. The technology has allowed farmers to plant more efficiently in straight, ultra-narrow lines, but they have been advised to temporarily stop using it due to the possibility of inaccuracies that could wreak havoc in the future when harvest time comes.
John Deere tractors connect to what are known as real-time kinematics (RTK) systems. 404 reports, which allow precision planting down to the centimeter level. If farmers were to go ahead and plant without their usual precision, “we hope the rows won't be where the AutoPath lines think they are” when it comes time to tend and harvest the crops, Landmark Implement, owner of some John Deere dealerships. , said 404 Media.
The timing is terrible: It's peak corn planting season, and a Nebraska farmer, Kevin Kenney, said 404“All the tractors at the ends of the field are now stopped because of the solar storm.” Many farms have had to suspend planting, while others continue and just hope for the best.
The geomagnetic storm we are currently experiencing is the strongest observed in the last 20 years and reached G5 levels on Friday and Saturday morning, which is considered “extreme.” Later it faded a bit until but it is expected that Sunday night, when some intense but slower-moving coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the Sun reach Earth. That's great, but not so great if your livelihood depends on the technology the storm is interfering with.
