Even before sensors and artificial intelligence turn farm implements into automated planting and harvesting machines, the so-called, Internet-of-Things promises to incrementally improve efficiency. In the above interview, Franz HÖpfinger of Fliegl Agrartechnik discusses the add-on sensor/transponders – Bluetooth beacons – they developed that turn “dumb” grain trailers into smart trailers, automating the weighing process, tracking the journey from farm to granary and ensuring that inventory isn’t lost between harvest and distribution. HÖpfinger explains that the Agricultural Electronics Foundation is working on standardizing the interfaces to ensure interoperability between various beacons. Expect to see these beacons in the United States in 2017.