The press release was clear; another company had connected with a tech firm for data sharing. In this case, it’s AgReliant Genetics, with the AgriGold and LG Seeds brands linking up with The Climate Corporation and its FieldView system. But the news paints a picture showing just how much that seed sale has changed — in a very short time.

Noah Freeman heads up the digital operation at AgReliant, a position that didn’t exist at most seed companies a decade ago. “We are working closely with our customers to match our seed with their local field conditions,” he explains in a recent call. “Our Advantage Acre system uses soil conditions, weather and hybrid information to maximize seed placement within each of our customers’ fields.”

The seed sale has become more consultative, given the rising complexity of the seed offered. In the past, a seed company might offer two to 10 new hybrids in a season. Today, that number can range into the dozens, thanks to advanced genetic tools that allow companies to better match seed performance to geography, and along with the added trait choices available.

But that also makes sales more complicated, and increases the need for the seed company to have a better knowledge of the conditions where that hybrid or variety will be planted. For AgReliant, the Advantage Acre tool offers the ability for the company to share that information and help better place seed. And no system like this works in a vacuum. “We need to be able to connect to a customer’s own systems,” says Samantha Bock, Advantage Acre’s commercial marketing manager. “Linking with Climate and the information collected by the FieldView Drive will allow us to work more closely with our customers.”

The FieldView Drive is a connected device that captures information from equipment and shares it into Climate’s cloud-based farm management system. Customers will be able to connect the FieldView system with Advantage Acre to help make data-driven decisions throughout the growing season.

“We can also work with other systems, including customers who use the John Deere Operation Center,” Freeman says. “And most customers are still transferring data from their equipment using the flash drive. We can read those files and provide variable-rate planting recommendations, too.”

Rethinking planting
Freeman explained that AgReliant customers are looking at how they plant, and they are working to determine the best populations even if they don’t use variable rates. “We can work with them on planting test blocks, where they can explore different options and evaluate them in our system,” he says. “If they are planting at 32,000 seeds per acre and they could be at 35,000 per acre and get a higher yield, they are leaving money on the table.”

That’s the seed conversation today. Which traits make sense for your farm? What maturity is best? Could you be better off with a different maturity? “We are discussing a lot with our customers,” Bock says.

AgReliant is not the only seed company using new digital tools to help match seed to field. But representing national brands, the company is expanding its footprint and its Advantage Acre tool can link to key data gathering systems to help customers improve seed buying.

The base seed recommendation service is free. To be a full-fledged Advantage Acre user, the cost is $399 per year. If you work with an AgReliant rep to put together a variable-rate planting plan, the cost to export those files is $3 per acre.

Maximizing the seed investment is of rising importance these days as farmers look to push up returns. From fine-tuning trait choices to population levels, these new tools offer greater precision, even as you are about to pull the planter into the field.

Learn more about Advantage Acre by visiting advantageacre.com. Learn more about Climate FieldView at climate.com.