There rumors during the recent InfoAg event that a move was afoot for a big acquisition. Now comes word that DuPont has signed an agreement to acquire Granular, Inc. This ag-focused software and analytics startup is based in San Francisco. Granular also operates AcreValue.com, a digital marketplace for farmland real estate.

In its statement announcing the move, it was noted that Sid Gorham, co-founder and CEO of Granular, will stay on to lead Granular and will lead Digital Agriculture for DuPont, which includes responsibility for Encirca services, DuPonts agronomic software business.

In a media statement announcing the move, James C. Collins, executive vice president ,DuPont, with responsibility for DuPont's ag segment said: "This acquisition is an important component of our commitment to leading and shaping the agtech market. We believe DuPont's agronomy expertise, deep customer relationships and market reach will accelerate Granular's business growth and help us deliver more value to growers around the world."

DuPont, long a player in the data market is making a big move aimed to create "a digital agriculture ecosystem to support information sharing, services and commerce," according to the announcement. The acquisition expands the firm's move into a market that is moving from precision ag to digital farming.

Gorham added that Granular was started to "make a big impact on the business of farming. I am confident that as part of DuPont we will make a bigger impact even faster. DuPont share our vision for using technology to help farms improve their dollar yield, not just their bushel yield."

Founded in 2014, Granular worked to help farmers operate more their businesses more efficiently.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Once the deal closes, Granular will maintain its offices in San Francisco, Calif., and Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

Granular recently announced it had integrated its system with the John Deere Operations Center. Collins added: "We look forward to building on this strong momentum."

DuPont is nearing the end of its work to merge with Dow AgroSciences. The target date is Sept. 1, after which the merged business will be split into three operating companies. This acquisition adds more ag technology muscle to the upcoming new ag-focused business.

Source: DuPont