Located in London, Ohio, OSU’s Molly Caren Agricultural Center encompasses some 2100 acres, serves as the venue for the annual Farm Science Review, and houses a 67-acre conservation area designed for agricultural and natural resource meetings. The Center’s research focuses on digital agriculture including precision farming, guidance systems, GNSS positioning services, and equipment autonomy.
THE CHALLENGE
The Ohio State University’s Molly Caren Agricultural Center required a reliable communications network to facilitate seamless connectivity among sensors, field machinery, and autonomous vehicles for precision farming research. However, existing networks were inadequate, hindering research activities.
THE SOLUTION
GXC, CNH Industrial, and OSU collaborated to deploy a robust private cellular network tailored to the Center’s needs. This network provided seamless connectivity for CNH-provided farming assets and supported the University’s participation in the Agricultural Data Coalition, empowering farmers to improve outcomes through data analysis.
“We are delighted to join forces with CNH and OSU to provide a state-of-the-art private cellular network that will serve as the communication backbone for the institution’s agricultural research,” said Allen Proithis, chief executive officer at GXC. “Through this scalable and secure network, the University will have a network that will not only deliver the performance and coverage it needs today, but can easily scale to support future research initiatives.”
According to Dr. Scott A. Shearer, chair of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University, the private cellular network provides a solid foundation for the University to expand its research activities.
“One of the benefits of the private cellular network is its unique flexibility and scalability, which can be more cost-effective than other communications infrastructures,” explained Dr. Shearer. “As our needs evolve, we can expand the network very quickly and inexpensively to pursue new research initiatives that will accelerate the adoption of digital agriculture technologies to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability at farm, regional, national, and global scales.”
A PRIVATE CELLULAR NETWORK FOR AGRICULTURE
The private cellular network deployed at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center has revolutionized research activities, providing a scalable, secure, and cost-effective solution. With enhanced connectivity, OSU can now conduct advanced research in digital agriculture, leveraging real-time data to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability.
