Global positioning tech firm Trimble is set to sell its precision ag business into a new joint-venture company that will include farm machinery maker Agco’s made-in-Manitoba autonomy arm. From farmers’ perspective, the two companies say their combined technology offering is expected to offer “seamless integration and connectivity across geographies, equipment brands and the crop life […] Read more
Trimble Ag, Agco’s JCA link up for new precision ag venture
Agco gets majority control of a new precision ag and autonomy firm; Agco's GSI brand and others now under separate review
Precision planting: Good looks and high yields don’t always go together
Precision-planted crops look great at emergence, but lose that edge if timely rains don't come
Reading Time: 3 minutes If your greatest joy in farming is seeing nice, even emergence, you can’t beat a precision planter. “We tried a bunch of pulse crops, including field peas, chickpeas, lentils, faba beans, soybeans, and we also tried it on irrigated durum and hemp,” said Farming Smarter researcher Gurbir Dhillon. “Seedling emergence and stand establishment improved across […] Read more
Precision planting produces results — but doesn’t come cheap
Small-plot study finds 15 per cent yield bump, but cost and fertilization are issues with precision planter
Reading Time: 5 minutes New research shows that tightening up row spacing when seeding canola with precision planters can make a big yield difference — up to 15 per cent more, in fact — compared to conventional air drills. That’s a key finding from a four-year small-plot study by Farming Smarter researchers after adjusting a precision vacuum planter to […] Read more
Deere sues Precision Planting, claiming patent infringement
Reuters — U.S. farm equipment maker Deere and Co. on Friday sued Precision Planting and Agco Corp., accusing them of infringing on 12 of its patents. In filings to the U.S. district court in Delaware, Deere alleged that products made or sold by Precision Planting, including vSet seed meters along with SpeedTube products, infringed on […] Read more
DuPont to buy up farm software firm Granular
A San Francisco company providing farm management software to growers in four provinces and about three dozen states is poised to join the digital arm of DuPont and Dow’s merged agribusiness. DuPont — which as of last week had all regulatory approvals and clearances lined up to complete its merger with Dow Chemical — announced […] Read more
AGCO to acquire Precision Planting from The Climate Corporation
Equipment manufacturer AGCO has made a deal with The Climate Corporation to acquire the Precision Planting LLC equipment business. “Precision Planting is a strong business that plays an essential role in the growth and adoption of innovative precision ag practices that help farmers enhance their productivity,” said Mike Stern, chief executive officer for The Climate […] Read more
Monsanto halts sale of Precision Planting arm to Deere
Monsanto subsidiary The Climate Corp. has cancelled a deal to sell its Precision Planting business to Deere and Co., citing the months-long court fight against it. The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit in August last year to block the proposed US$190 million deal, alleging the deal would lead to higher prices for high-speed precision […] Read more
Deere challenges U.S. federal block on Precision Planting bid
Reuters — Deere and Co. said its proposal to buy Precision Planting, an agricultural equipment and technology company, will increase consumer choice and directly benefit growers, in a response filed on Wednesday to the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit to block the acquisition. Deere announced its planned acquisition of Precision Planting in November 2015, for […] Read more
Deere to license Precision Planting wares to Ag Leader
Iowa precision ag equipment maker Ag Leader will be able to make and sell high-speed planting equipment using certain systems from Precison Planting — when, or if, Deere and Co. seals its deal to buy the latter company. Deere and Ag Leader announced Wednesday they will have a licensing agreement in place allowing Ag Leader to […] Read more
Climate’s field software en route to Eastern Canada
San Francisco-based ag software firm and Monsanto subsidiary The Climate Corporation is making a run for the border with its Climate FieldView farm data suite. Appearing Wednesday at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, company representatives announced their suite of digital farm data tools, Climate FieldView, will be offered for sale in Eastern Canada this winter, for […] Read more
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