Producers can use the technology to make important agronomic decisions
By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Reporter
Farms.com
Canadian farmers can look forward to new developments in precision agriculture this year. The Climate Corporation — a subsidiary of Monsanto Company —has advanced 17 research initiatives through its research and development pipeline since January 2017.
Climate revealed ten of these advancements on Thursday during its 2018 R&D Pipeline Media Call. The company announced the other seven projects moving forward to the next stages of development in August.
The initiatives are classified as follows:
- Seeds and planting (7)
- Fertility (3)
- Field health insights (3)
- Weather science (1)
- Irrigation (1)
- Yield analytics (1)
Last year, farmers in the eastern provinces could dip their toes deeper into the world of precision ag, as the Climate Corporation launched Climate FieldView in Canada.
Climate initially focused on the eastern side of the country, as it “had a lot of commonality with the productivity system used in the U.S.,” Sam Eathington, chief science officer for the Climate Corporation, said during the media call.
Now, the team is “working on building equipment compatibility to let us move into Western Canada,” he added.
Climate FieldView allows farmers to collect, store and view their field data to make appropriate agronomic decisions in their operations.
“Our mission at Climate is to help the world’s farmers sustainably increase productivity with digital tools,” Eathington said.
After the company introduced the platform in Canada, many producers reported positive experiences with this technology.
“There is a large – but not overwhelming – amount of information in the palm of your hand,” Derek Hill, an early-adopter of Climate FieldView, said in the December edition of Better Farming magazine.
Now, with Monsanto and Bayer’s confirmed amalgamation, producers can also look forward to more efficient developments in ag technology, the team said during the media call.
Representatives from the Climate Corporation will be presenting and exhibiting at the 2018 Precision Agriculture Conference.
Photo: abadonian/iStock/GettymagesPlus