Precision Partnership

The announcement last fall that AGCO had purchased Precision Planting created excitement and, naturally, some questions about what it would mean. AGCO’s Darren Goebel and Precision Planting’s Bryce Baker sat down with Performance Agronomy to answer questions and provide additional news.

“We want Precision Planting to continue to operate independently of AGCO and to continue to create that next big breakthrough innovation,” says Goebel, AGCO director of Global Commercial Crop Care. “And what we want to do is integrate their products as fast as possible under our platforms, so that our equipment always provides the latest and best agronomy-centric technologies for our customers.

“And it’s not just the products, but also the customer-focused drive of Precision Planting to invent and provide products and support that the grower needs to be successful that is so valuable,” he says. “That fits with the No. 1 thing we’re doing across all of our AGCO equipment platforms—helping growers solve agronomic challenges and increase their return on investment.”

Both Goebel and Baker, the integrated marketing manager for Precision Planting, emphasize that the existing strong network of certified Precision Planting Premier dealers offering the entire Precision Planting line of technology and service will remain and grow. AGCO dealerships that sell planting equipment will offer White Planters™ with factory-installed Precision Planting technology and Precision Planting parts, and many also will offer Precision Planting kits to update older White and other planters.

In addition, Goebel says, “our intention is to continue to supply other original equipment manufacturers with the best agronomic products in the industry through Precision Planting. If we can take the great things that Precision Planting is doing and spread them across the industry, it will make farmers stronger.”

New row-unit offering

Baker says the new option of buying White Planters row units (painted gray) from Precision Planting and AGCO dealers gives growers who want to adopt new planting technology three ways to do so: retrofit their current planter with Precision Planting technology; retrofit their planter bar with the proven performance of new White Planters row units and Precision Planting technology; or purchase a new White Planters 9800VE Series planter with the technology in place straight from the factory. And while Precision Planting is best known for planting innovations such as SpeedTube® seed tubes, DeltaForce® down-force and lift control, the 20/20 SeedSense® monitor, a range of precision seed meters and more, “we’re working on new sensor and control-system products for more than just the planting pass,” Baker says. “We want to give growers more information and insight into every pass across the field.”

In related news, thanks to a new agreement between AGCO and The Climate Corporation, AGCO customers can seamlessly connect to the Climate FieldView™ platform through the FieldView Drive device, AGCO’s Precision Planting 20/20 SeedSense Display, or through other applications. Climate FieldView provides real-time visualization of farm data from as-planted maps to yield maps, as well as access to a well-established digital agriculture platform where customers can compare data and make agronomic decisions for the next season. Later in 2018, certain AGCO machines will be Climate FieldView-ready, direct from the factory.