One of the technologies that back up the smart facilities is the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, China's homegrown system known for its high-precision positioning service. At a farm in Pingyuan county, Shandong province, farmers at Pingyuan Luwang Agricultural Development Co have been using tractors equipped with the Beidou system to plant soybeans between rows of corn since June 15. This is the first year that the company tried the combined planting of the two crops, allowing farmers to harvest soybeans without reducing corn yields. "The Beidou system ensures tractors can lay straight rows at precise distances, which is crucial to the mixed plantings,"