Earlier this month, John Deere announced its collaboration with California-based Agrian to deliver the company’s Prescription Creator platform. Starting this spring, the software will allow farmers to import, track and manage seeding and fertilizer prescriptions through Deere’s online Operations Center portal.

Jack Zemlicka, managing editor of Precision Farming Dealer, talked to Deere product manager Laura Donaldson at last week's National Farm Machinery Show to talk about the company's plan for future integration of agronomic service into its dealerships.

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Video Transcript

With increasing emphasis on the agronomic value of precision farming technology, partnerships between farm equipment manufacturers and data-driven service providers continue to emerge.

Earlier this month, John Deere announced its collaboration with California-based Agrian to deliver the company’s Prescription Creator platform. Starting this spring, the software will allow farmers to import, track and manage seeding and fertilizer prescriptions through Deere’s online Operations Center portal.

While the addition of agronomic expertise is a relatively new concept for many farm equipment dealers, it is an area that Deere is continuing to develop throughout its dealer network. This is especially true in markets where there is an agronomic void that the manufacturer is encouraging dealers to fill.

At last week’s National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, we caught up with Deere product manager Laura Donaldson who shared the company’s plan for future integration of agronomic service into its dealerships.

“Most of our dealerships in the future, we’re asking them to have a certified crop advisor on staff and the reason for that isn’t because we want to enter that agronomy business, that agronomic space. But we want to make sure…I mean our equipment is agronomically advanced. So we want to make sure there’s someone at every dealership that’s able to be a part of those conversations and that can help with those conversations with their customers.”

While Donaldson notes that Deere’s primary focus will remain on machinery, she adds that dealers are being trained and prepared for the addition of agronomic service and in the future, she expects that equipment sales will be driven by precision technology.