Ag Tech Company Collaboration Sets Stage for New 2020 Focus

By Paul Schrimpf|December 30, 2019

The year 2019 certainly had its challenges – but on the precision/digital agriculture front it’s been as active and exciting year as we’ve had for some time.

No, there were no blockbuster acquisitions or mind-bending launches. But there was unprecedented conversation and collaboration that emerged organically from the stalwart agriculture companies that, at the end of the day, will largely dictate the terms by which technology is adopted.

Consider some of the most compelling highlights from 2019:

Agriculture technology and flow controls giant Raven Industries stakes a significant claim in robotics and augmentation with the total acquisition of Smart Ag and purchase of controlling interest in DOT Technologies. SmartAg successfully demonstrated its autonomous grain cart at the 2019 Farm Progress Show, and DOT was set to fully unveil its modular approach to autonomous field equipment this coming summer. DOT’s Cory Beaujot joins a panel discussion on “Real-Time, Real-World Robotics and Automation” at the 2020 PrecisionAg VISION Conference.
E-commerce initiatives among service providers exploded, as AgVend, Agrellus, and CommoditAg fully took root in 2019. Integrated retail organizations like Nutrien and WinField United announced investments in data platforms and user experience tools designed to more fully engage farmer customers.
Basic manufacturers like BASF/xarvio and Bayer/Climate Corp. are designing digital tools to help farmers make better input and seed choices, while more openly sharing data through engagement with trusted advisers. And collaborations with other ag industries, like the Climate-CropMetrics data partnership, were important steps forward. Mike Stern of Bayer Digital Farming / Climate will present on the topic of “Crop Input Development: Precision’s Current and Future Impact” at the 2020 VISION Conference.
Imagery is becoming increasingly agnostic as far as how information is collected, bringing together satellite, aerial, and drone-based imagery that provides usable data for farmers and advisers. Not to mention the improving regulatory climate that should improve drone utility.
The yet-to-be-seen but certainly exciting planned collaboration among leading ag companies like Deere and CNH Industrial around a data streamlining initiative called DataConnect, announced at Agritechnica in Germany this past November, is another sign that the big ag companies are working to push aside what has been a significant barrier to effective data management.

2020 promises another leap forward, as best-of-breed technologies continue to meld into what we’re calling “The New System of Systems.” With improved functionality and value, technology will provide farmers with some of the few levers they can rely on to maintain margins in 2020.

Anyone looking to keep their ear to the rail in this uncertain time would do well to be in Seattle in mid-January. The fourth edition of the PrecisionAg VISION Conference brings together the people and the organizations that are shaping the future, creating an unmatched opportunity to learn and engage with the industry’s most important and influential leaders.