John Deere and BASF sign contract to develop precision farming tools
Mannheim and Limburgerhof, Germany – Further developing their partnership, John Deere and BASF have signed an agreement which covers the joint development of integrated precision farming solutions aiming to significantly enhance arable farming productivity. Developed in close collaboration with growers, these IT enabled solutions will combine BASF’s agronomic and crop protection expertise with John Deere’s application and farm data management know-how to provide customers with enhanced agronomic decision support.
Initial projects covered by this agreement will predominantly address markets in Europe and Latin America to include cereals, sugarcane, oilseed rape and corn growers. First integrated tools are expected to become available during 2015. With regard to system and data security, these applications will meet the highest possible standards of the agricultural industry and will be compatible with the field proven data exchange standards AgGateway and AEF/ISOBUS.
“As we include customer experience and expertise from around the globe and from different crop production systems into the development of our new solutions, growers should expect high-quality and targeted benefits throughout the entire production cycle from seeding to harvesting” says Hans-Jürgen Lutz, Vice President Business Development of BASF’s Crop Protection division.
“Our jointly developed crop management portals will be open to other partners as well, so we can spearhead the development of state-of-the-art crop management solutions”, says John Deere Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Christoph Wigger. ”Instead of just combining existing tools, we will focus on developing innovative and fully integrated solutions that intuitively address grower’s needs”.
While BASF will be offering a new service for field scouting and agronomic decision support, John Deere will contribute a range of new crop protection solutions via its collaborative farm management portal. Jointly developed tools will provide access to portals of either company.
This agreement is non-exclusive and allows both, BASF and John Deere to partner with third parties as customer requirements deem appropriate.
About John Deere
Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) is a world leader in providing advanced products and services and is committed to the success of customers whose work is linked to the land - those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world’s dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. Since 1837, John Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality built on a tradition of integrity. For more information, visit John Deere at its worldwide website at www.JohnDeere.com.
About BASF’s Crop Protection division
With sales of more than € 5.2 billion in 2013, BASF’s Crop Protection division provides innovative solutions in crop protection, seed treatment and biological control as well as solutions to manage water, nutrients and plant stress. Its portfolio also includes products for turf and ornamental plants, pest control and public health. BASF’s Crop Protection division is a leading innovator that supports growers to optimize agricultural production, improve their business efficiency and enhance the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web or through our social media channels.
About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about € 74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.