Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Minnesota Now with Nina Moini
Cathy Wurzer and CJ Younger

Northern lights solar storm interrupted tractor GPS system, halting planting for Minnesota farmers

A tractor under the northern lights
A tractor on the O'Connor Family Farm in Blooming Prairie sits under the northern lights. Patrick O'Connor says he was unable to use his tractor after the solar storm responsible for the northern lights disrupted his GPS.
Photo by Tiffany Graham

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Minnesotans were out in force to see the northern lights this weekend. But at the same time, several farmers were sitting frustrated in their fields as the powerful geomagnetic solar storms interfered with GPS in their planters and tractors. 404 Media first reported about the disruptions.

Patrick O’Connor in Blooming Prairie had to stop planting after he couldn’t connect to GPS. “My tractor just didn’t work,” he said. “I had some decisions I had to make.”

At first, O’Connor said he was not sure what was going on. Then he got online and saw other folks talking about GPS services not working. He called his GPS provider and there was a message saying GPS would probably not be working Friday night because of solar flares.

O’Connor plants his corn in 30 inch rows and relies on the GPS for auto street on the tractors — basically to make straight lines and plant more seeds per acre.

He posted on Facebook and started getting calls from farms all over the country dealing with the same thing. Then, the New York Times contacted him for an interview.

Fortunately, O’Connor was able to finish corn planting on Sunday and is 75 percent done with soybean planting. He’s looking forward to a few more good days of weather to wrap it up and hopefully, no more solar flares.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.