Valmont tests Trópico's rural connectivity solution for controlling central irrigation pivots

Technology advances quickly to change the reality of the field. Artificial intelligence and connectivity are gaining more and more space in the market, allowing producers to remotely control rural properties. The precision irrigation sector is part of this movement, presenting innovations that are transforming irrigated agriculture in Brazil and around the world.

In the southwest of Minas Gerais, tests reveal a new project that will bring Brazilian producers closer to a new reality, marked by the automation and monitoring of irrigation systems via cell phones connected over great distances. The initiative is a partnership between Valmont, a world leader in the precision irrigation sector, known internationally for the manufacture and distribution of Valley center pivots, and Trópico, a Brazilian company that is a reference in the supply of Integrated Connectivity and Application Solutions (SICA) for agribusiness.

Trópico installed one of its connectivity solutions on a farm that uses Valley pivots for irrigation. With technology, the pivots are connected to the internet through a private cellular network – the objective is to overcome the gaps in public cellular networks, which do not cover the entire national territory and are identified as a major obstacle faced by producers seeking to modernize its properties.

Valmont Brasil's General Manager, Renato Silva, explains how the connectivity offered by Trópico's solutions helps producers in their day-to-day operations on the farm.

"Valley developed the first smart panel for irrigation pivots on the market, ICON, an advanced technology that allows you to integrate the pivot with other resources, such as humidity, temperature and wind sensors, with control of all of this via your cell phone," he says , highlighting that, for this remote control to work, connectivity is the basis. "In partnership with Trópico, we sought a definitive and long-term solution to a problem faced by several clients who are interested in investing in this type of technology", comments Renato.

In addition to the ICON panels, Valmont is also investing in the development of other projects that have technology as the protagonist. Recently, the company acquired Prospera Technologies, enabling the definitive entry into a new era of precision agriculture, with the introduction of artificial intelligence. "The new advanced agronomy technology integrates cameras into the pivot, to obtain high-resolution images. The images are transmitted and analyzed using computer vision, monitoring the state of the crop. This large volume of data – stored in the cloud – needs be transmitted at high speed. That's where Trópico's superior connectivity comes in", summarizes the General Manager.

In tests carried out in Minas Gerais, the private cellular network operated at a frequency of 250 MHz, capable of reaching long distances with broadband speeds for communication between people and machines – including the Valley irrigation pivots. The president of Trópico, Paulo Cabestré, explains that the technology allows coverage of the entire farm with a single tower, enabling the implementation of a network entirely dedicated to rural producers.

"Valley and Trópico's solutions complement each other. We are very excited about the partnership, as we understand that, together, we can bring even more productivity and sustainability to Brazilian agriculture. Real-time data in the producer's hands transforms precision agriculture into decision agriculture", he states. “And Trópico is committed to contributing to eradicating the Brazilian digital desert, taking its Integrated Connectivity and Applications Solution to the most remote rural areas of the country”, adds Cabestré.