Ag Automation Growing and John Deere Partners with SpaceX

**With farm labor costs increasing, growers continue to look to automation to do jobs traditionally done by people.

In vegetable farming, equipment commonly used to plant delicate seedlings still requires a crew, but manufacturers of fully automated transplanters, like Agripland, want to change that.

Early adopters such as California farmer Ray Yeung say the machines are ready for prime time, though they may be cost prohibitive for some.

**John Deere announced it entered into an agreement with SpaceX to provide cutting-edge satellite communications service to farmers.

Utilizing the Starlink network will allow farmers facing rural connectivity issues to fully leverage precision ag technologies.

The partnership will enable John Deere customers to be more productive, profitable, and sustainable in their operations as they continue to provide food, fuel, and fiber to their communities and a growing global population.

**Rural residents say they’re in a funk financially, according to the Axios Vibe survey by The Harris Poll.

Grocery purchases are the top way they feel inflation every day, followed by gas prices.

37% of Americans rate their financial situation as poor, rising to 46% for rural residents.

41% say their finances are worse today than they’d have predicted if they’d been asked, pre-COVID, to imagine the future, 53% for rural residents.