[Article] Weather is one of the biggest challenges in farming. Fog, rain, wind, or dust can quickly make fieldwork difficult and risky. Poor visibility and soft ground affect precision and control. Tractor steering systems like FieldBee Autosteer keep operations smooth and accurate – even in tough conditions.

We’ll explore six specific weather conditions where autosteer proves its value – helping farmers stay accurate, safe, and productive in less-than-ideal situations.

Fog and Low Visibility

Fog can drastically reduce visibility in the field, making it nearly impossible to follow straight lines or judge distances accurately by eye. With autosteer, you don’t have to rely on visual cues – the system uses GPS guidance to keep your machine perfectly aligned with your planned path. This helps prevent skips, overlaps, and missed areas, allowing you to continue working confidently and safely, even when the field is barely visible.

Rainy and Wet Conditions

Wet soil can make steering unpredictable, especially on slopes or uneven terrain. Manual driving in the rain often leads to drifting, wheel slippage, and inconsistent passes. Autosteer keeps your machine on a precise track, regardless of minor slippage or soft ground, reducing operator fatigue and ensuring consistent application or planting. It also allows for faster, straighter work in conditions that would normally slow you down.

Windy Days

Strong or gusty winds can easily throw a tractor off course, especially when working with lighter equipment or operating on uneven terrain. Maintaining straight lines manually becomes exhausting, and precision tasks like spraying suffer due to unpredictable drift. Autosteer removes this burden by guiding your machine along the planned route using GPS, not visual alignment. Even when the wind picks up, the system ensures consistent passes, reducing overlaps, input waste, and operator stress.

Dusty or Dry Field Conditions

During dry periods or post-harvest operations, dust can severely limit visibility in the cab, especially in light soil fields or while using fast-moving implements. Instead of relying on row markers or wheel tracks, FieldBee Autosteer keeps your machine aligned using high-precision satellite data. This ensures you stay on track even when the field is obscured by dust clouds – helping maintain consistent application rates, avoid skips, and reduce fatigue when working in difficult air conditions.

Snow and Light Frost

When light snow or frost covers the field, it hides previous tire tracks, rows, and application zones – making it difficult to navigate manually. In addition, cold conditions often reduce traction, increasing the risk of drift or steering errors. Autosteer systems like FieldBee maintain precise GPS guidance regardless of what’s visible on the ground. This lets you continue spraying, planting, or spreading with confidence and accuracy, even when surface visibility is minimal and traction is unreliable.

Cloudy or Low-Light Hours

Dawn, dusk, and heavily overcast days can limit visibility, making it harder to maintain straight lines or spot overlaps manually. Many farmers avoid these hours to reduce mistakes – but with autosteer, precision doesn’t depend on daylight. The system allows you to start earlier, work later, and keep consistent performance in any light conditions. This extends your working window during tight seasonal schedules and improves efficiency without added operator strain.