Twenty years ago, farm field speeds were slower and sprayers and other implements were not as wide, nor were they as complex as systems now farming the land. That was the world into which the first control area network (CAN) was standardized as a communication link between tractors and implements.

The evolution of farm tractors from traction devices to diesel-electric power plants took another step in February as engineers met during the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss standards for the electrification of tractors and various implements.