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Writer's pictureSeagate Controls

Eaton VFDs and Agricultural Applications 

Did you know that Eaton variable frequency drives, or VFDs, are easily found in the agricultural industry? With a long-standing presence in electronics, industrial settings, factory management and facility HVAC management, Eaton VFDs have long been known as a high-quality standard for system management and control on an automated basis, but the VFD product is also well established in the farming industry as well.





Making Farming More Efficient

Back in 2020, Eaton began packaging a remote App software dubbed Control Xpert Ag with its PowerXL VFDs. The combination produces a very viable and powerful offering for farmers and agricultural growers with regards to managing irrigation systems across large farm systems. Farming has always been heavily reliant on water as well as the efficient delivery of nutrients, fertilizer and environmental controls. Automation just makes common sense these days, especially with large-scale farming operations that would otherwise be labor-intensive to perform the same work with people.


How the Pairing of App and VFD Works So Well

The Control Xpert Ag software, managed by mobile device, is particularly ideal for the management of agricultural product development in the field. Rather than having to rush back to the control panel in a stationary location, a farming manager can easily tweak and adjust the conditions of irrigation delivery in the field as he or she is examining the results of prior treatment. Because the app takes full advantage of a cellular gateway, it works with most major cellular networks, which is ideal for areas that have poor Wi-Fi reception and avoids the expense of Satlink options. That kind of knowledge in the field real time gives farmers and agricultural facility managers power at their fingertips to manage on the fly, easily addressing condition changes as they are happening with weather, results and field reporting. It also gives farm personnel the ability to effectively manage remotely as well without having to be at the farm for any implementation of irrigation change too.


Resource Sensitivity

The efficiency and power of Eaton’s app and VFD combination literally makes a serious difference in the agricultural field, especially with costly and highly-economic sensitive water usage. This is especially a game-changer in areas and regions where water rights are closely monitored and volume limited quickly by regulatory controls. It also produces secondary savings on avoiding unnecessary labor costs in the field as well. Most importantly, for everyone in the community, Eaton’s system provides a far more efficient use of water resources too.


Putting Automation to Work Where it Makes Sense

Automation should definitely be used. Unlike what the common chatter is right now about the concerns of too much AI use, managed automation like that provided by Eaton’s Control Xpert Ag and Eaton VFDs takes care of the most mundane but fundamental tasks in farming, allowing farmers and their staff to focus on far more important aspects, production and harvesting. Further, with the access to irrigation data, growing results can be compared and analyzed far better for improved planning as well. It also helps save valuable financial assets on equipment by avoiding overuse, especially with expensive irrigation equipment that ends up having to be replaced if it can’t be repaired.


Accessing Eaton's Advantages

If you're thinking about upgrading to VFDs for your agricultural and irrigation systems, Seagate Controls is whom you want to call next. As a certified Eaton dealer and specialist, we can help, both with the installation planning as well as the ongoing maintenance and training coordination. Because we've worked with so many Eaton systems in multiple industries, we can pass that knowledge on, leveraging the maximum benefits of the Eaton VFD-app pairing made possible only a few years earlier. It's time to upscale your farming; are you Eaton ready?

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