Monsanto Will Offer “FieldScripts” in 2014

Aug 28, 2012

Monsanto Moves Forward with “Precision Agriculture” Technology

Monsanto Co. announced that starting in 2014 they will be offering a new service to farmers in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana – it’s called “FieldScripts.” The new service technology has the ability to analyse farmers’ fields and recommend a corn hybrid for planting and how deep corn seeds should be planted to produce the highest yields.

How does it work?

FieldScripts will be able to deliver the suggested recommendations for corn planting via an application on Apple Inc.’s iPad tablet. Farmers will then be able to buy the recommended seed and use the control system to plant corn seeds accordingly to the suggested corn seeds per acre.

What is “Precision Agriculture”?

The new technology is part of an effort to capitalize on a new era of agriculture that refers to the use of technology to assist farmers with their basic needs - including the usage of seeds, fertilizer and other chemicals. Monsanto has strategically positioned themselves to be a leader in Precision Farming with the acquisition of Precision Planting Inc., a company that specialized in computer technology and other electronic systems for planting purposes.

Next year, Monsanto plans to start testing the new product technology to ensure that the seed planting aspect of the technology is uniform when working with different soil types.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.