Agovor Autonomous Tractors and Attachments Optimize Horticulture Productivity and Profitability
Horticulture is a challenging business. Weather and labor are two big wild cards when growing and harvesting fruits, vegetables, shrubs, and ornamental plants. And in the case of wholesaler growers, there’s also the pressure to meet the demanding inventory requirements of sales channels such as big box retailers.
In both horticulture and agriculture, automation is an effective way to manage weather and labor variables to optimize productivity and profitability. For example, each digger harvester and combine can do the work of a dozen or more manual laborers, while pivot irrigation systems use sensors to detect rain and measure soil moisture levels to ensure that every row isn’t over- or under-watered. That’s critical for meeting customer requirements and profit margin goals.
Agovor saw an opportunity to leverage RTK, GPS, and an integrated technology stack to take horticulture automation to the next level. Its GOVOR autonomous electric tractors tow Smart Trailer Attachments that perform tasks that traditionally require manual labor, including spraying, mowing, and hauling.
Initially available in Agovor’s home country of New Zealand, GOVOR is ideal for any type of row-based horticulture, including vineyards. Each battery-powered GOVOR e-tractor can operate up to 12 hours on a single charge and tow 600 kg at speeds between 2 and 4 km/h. GOVOR also is a good fit for horticulture operations that have net-zero and other sustainability goals.
The Challenge:
GOVOR e-tractors and Smart Trailer Attachments require reliable, high-performance wireless to do their job:
- 4G LTE cellular connectivity enables growers to remotely monitor manage their GOVOR fleet from any PC, smartphone, or tablet.
- Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) augmented with a real-time kinematic (RTK) correction service enables e-tractors and their attachments to perform work with precision as high as 10 cm. This ensures that plants aren’t run over and that tasks such as spraying occur in exactly the right places.
- Bluetooth connectivity enables pairing with a controller for manual operation of the e-Tractor and its attachments, such as when driving out of the shed or testing attachment functionality.
Agovor was founded by the owner of a commercial nursery and an automation engineer expert, meaning they had no previous experience with cellular, GNSS, and Bluetooth. So one major challenge was finding a vendor capable of providing antennas that support all three technologies, along with engineering support services such as integration and testing.
Another key requirement was durability. The antennas needed to be rugged enough to withstand the temperature extremes, vibration, rain, and other conditions commonly found in horticulture.
The Solution:
Agovor ultimately chose three Taoglas products:
- The Taoglas Hercules WS.02 covers the 2.4 GHz band for Bluetooth.
- The Taoglas MA841 Colosseum supports all major 4G bands, as well as 5G spectrum to provide Agovor with the flexibility to add that technology in the future.
- The Taoglas Bolt A.80 supports GPS.
All three antennas have IP65 or IP67 enclosures. These industry-standard ratings mean the enclosures can protect the antenna elements from environmental hazards such as dust and liquids.
The Outcome:
I did extensive research to find the right antenna and found Taoglas to be the best option. Availability and supply were easy and straightforward when purchasing through DigiKey. The form factors and reliability of Taoglas antennas suited our application perfectly, and the price-to-performance ratio was ideal.
Simon Carroll Founder of Agovor
