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The USA and Germany have compared the issues that surround the adoption of digital technology on the farm that will foster more environmentally sustainable food production/processing systems. Both countries lack robust broadband internet pathways to foster the adoption of these technologies. The problem is currently relevant to making this data technology available on every farm and field. The implementation of this infrastructure is even more important as society demands more and more information on the product and production process of agriculture and industry.

For a “system of systems” approach in agriculture, agricultural machinery is facing the challenge of bringing tractor-implement combinations and harvesting machinery to the IoT (Internet of Things). While standards such as the ISO 11783 (ISOBUS) have enabled seamless tractor-implement communications, the manufacturer-independent communication of tractors, implements and harvesting machinery with external sensors and different Cloud systems/services are still lacking. IoT ecosystems for agricultural machinery are gaining ground in the market to solve these problems. In this regard, an overview is given about the role of interfaces and middleware and how they can help to improve data flow, improve connectivity, compatibility and interoperability of digital products that farmers use.