This platform is designed to help farmers with transitions to sustainable ag practices
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Bayer has introduced a new platform to help farmers interested in making the transition to sustainable ag practices.
ForGround provides farmers with tools, resources and product discounts to change the way they farm.
The resources include:
- A resource library and transition support, agronomic advice, field trials and farmer networking.
- Discounts from Orthman, ETS Soil Warrior and La Crosse Seed.
- A free subscription to Climate FieldView plus and access to Climate Fieldview Data Manager Beta.
Farmers need a Climate FieldView account to access ForGround.
Bayer presents farmers with practices that can improve soil health or reduce inputs.
Growers then implement these practices, which Bayer verifies using satellite data.
If Bayer deems the implementation satisfactory, farmers can earn income through the company’s Bayer Carbon Program.
Farmers in Iowa Louisiana and Illinois, for example, can earn $6 per no-till or strip-till acre and $6 per cover crop acre per year.
While growers in Kansas can earn $5 per no-till or strip-till acre.
“We know that better harvests and a better future start with healthy soils and investing in farmers’ success – and believe that the ForGround platform will help them make the transition to more sustainable practices – and ensure agriculture is part of the climate solution,” Leo Bastos, head of global commercial ecosystems at Bayer CropScience, said in a statement.
In addition, enrolling in ForGround can provide opportunities for farmers to network with businesses looking for producers who grow crops a certain way.
ForGround is available to U.S. farmers with global expansion planned in the future.