Building on their partnership announcement in 2021, Bayer and Microsoft launched a new cloud-based data management system for the agriculture industry. The platform provides solutions for food companies, transparency for customers, and new opportunities for farmers.

Azure Data Manager for Agriculture combines Bayer’s agricultural expertise with Microsoft’s cloud tools. This initial preview allows customers to explore the Azure Data Manager and AgPowered Services. Full commercial availability will be announced at a later date.

Tools built on Azure Data Manager can help farmers track disease, pest and weed pressure, apply precision inputs, measure potential yield, track carbon emissions, and analyze weather data. Bayer is offering these initial AgPowered Services as add-ons to Azure Data Manager’s core capabilities:

Bayer is also using capabilities from Azure Data Manager to power insights in Climate FieldView, Bayer’s digital farming solution.

In addition to using the platform to develop their own internal and customer-facing digital platforms, companies and organizations can bring their own solutions to Azure Data Manager for Agriculture and make them available for licensing.

These cloud offerings make it easier for companies to partner with farmers based on how crops are raised and help consumers make informed purchasing decisions based on production practices. The potential to support sustainable agriculture and food production can ultimately benefit companies, farmers, consumers, and the planet.

"Modern agriculture and food production generate a tremendous amount of valuable data that can drive productivity and sustainability," says Robert Reiter, head of R&D for Bayer’s Crop Science Division. "However, this data is often disconnected, not useable throughout the value chain, and the costs to build digital solutions from scratch are high. Our new cloud-based solutions help overcome these challenges."

Using these cloud-based enterprise solutions, value chain partners will be able to apply insights into supply projections, sustainable sourcing, and ESG reporting. They will also be able to meet quickly changing consumer preferences for fresh, high-quality ingredients.

For more information, visit Bayer’s website.