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Researchers
Agriculture industry AI technology Cyber Security Data protection edge devices encryption system Farming Industry IoT Researchers

South Dakota Researchers Develop Secure IoT-Based Crop Monitoring System

 

At the 2025 annual meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, researchers from South Dakota State University unveiled a groundbreaking system designed to help farmers increase crop yields while reducing costs. This innovative technology combines sensors, biosensors, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence to monitor crop growth and deliver actionable insights. 

Unlike most projects that rely on simulated post-quantum security in controlled lab environments, the SDSU team, led by Professor Lin Wei and Ph.D. student Manish Shrestha, implemented robust, real-world security in a complete sensor-to-cloud application. Their work demonstrates that advanced, future-ready encryption can operate directly on small IoT devices, eliminating the need for large servers to safeguard agricultural data. 

The team placed significant emphasis on protecting the sensitive information collected by their system. They incorporated advanced encryption and cryptographic techniques to ensure the security and integrity of the vast datasets gathered from the field. These datasets included soil condition measurements—such as temperature, moisture, and nutrient availability—alongside early indicators of plant stress, including nutrient deficiencies, disease presence, and pest activity. Environmental factors were also tracked to provide a complete picture of field health. 

Once processed, this data was presented to farmers in a user-friendly format, enabling them to make informed management decisions without exposing their operational information to potential threats. This could include optimizing irrigation schedules, applying targeted fertilization, or implementing timely pest and disease control measures, all while ensuring data privacy.  

Cybersecurity’s role in agricultural technology emerged as a central topic at the conference, with many experts recognizing that safeguarding digital farming systems is as critical as improving productivity. The SDSU project attracted attention for addressing this challenge head-on, highlighting the importance of building secure infrastructure for the rapidly growing amount of agricultural data generated by smart farming tools.  

Looking ahead, the research team plans to further refine their crop monitoring system. Future updates may include faster data processing and a shift to solar-powered batteries, which would reduce maintenance needs and extend device lifespan. These improvements aim to make the technology even more efficient, sustainable, and farmer-friendly, ensuring that agricultural innovation remains both productive and secure in the face of evolving cyber threats.
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Technologies
Agriculture Agriculture industry Cyber Security Endpoint security farmers Food Supply Chain Hackers Technologies

Agriculture Industry Should be Prepared: Cyberattacks May Put Food Supply Chain at Risk


Technological advancement in the agriculture sector has really improved the lives of farmers in recent years. Along with improved crop yields and cutting input costs, farmers can keep an eye on their crops from anywhere in the world.

Now, farmers can even use drone technology without having to transverse countless acres. They can monitor the movements, feeding, and even chewing patterns of every cow in their herd. However, a greater reliance on technology could endanger our farmers. More technology means more potential for hacks that might put the food supply chain in danger. 

For more such technologies, like automated feeding and watering systems, autonomous soil treatment systems or even smart heat pumps or air conditioners, that enable connecting to the internet – known in the security circles as “endpoints” – there is a risk of their vulnerabilities being exploited by threat actors. 

It is crucial that software manufacturers in the agriculture industry give security a high priority in their components and products in order to proactively address these dangers. From the farm to the store, security must be integrated into every step of this supply chain to guarantee that entire systems are kept safe from any potential intrusions. These are not some simple threats, hackers are employing ransomware to target specific farms while jailbreaking tractors. More than 40,000 members of the Union des producteurs agricoles in Quebec were affected by a ransomware attack earlier this month. 

However, it could be difficult to stay protected from all sorts of risks, considering the complexity of new technologies and the diversity in applying them all. From enormous refrigeration units to industrial facilities with intricate operations and technology to networked and more autonomous farming equipment, all pose a potential security risk.

In order to minimize the risk, it is important for the endpoints to adopt the latest embedded security protocols and ensure that all the farm devices are updated with the latest security patches. 

It is interesting to note that humans proved to be a weak link in the cybersecurity chain. It will be easier to prevent some of the most frequent mistakes that let hostile actors in if businesses practice "cyber hygiene," such as adopting two-factor authentication and creating "long and strong" (and private) passwords for every user. Cybercriminals, unlike farmers, are often fairly sluggish, so even a tiny level of security can make them move their nefarious operations elsewhere.

Moreover, education and a free flow of information turn out to be the best tool to safeguard the entire food supply chain. In order to maintain a reliable and resilient food supply chain, it has been suggested that stakeholders work together in sharing information in regard to the best measures ensuring better cybersecurity standards – which may include software manufacturers, farmers, food processors, retailers and regulators.  

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