7th Annual Develop with Deere Conference Focuses on Digital Connectivity

Feb 05, 2020

John Deere held its 7th annual Develop with Deere Conference last week in St. Louis, bringing together nearly 700 Deere dealers, software companies, ag service providers and others from 13 countries to share ideas and learn about the latest digital tools and applications in agriculture. The theme for this year's conference was connecting people, equipment, technology and insights.

Kayla Reynolds, digital business development manager for John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group (ISG), said this year's conference put more emphasis on connected software and application demonstrations than previous conferences. "We had a record 123 companies attend with more than 40 demonstrations and on-boarding sessions, which helps attending dealers, ag service providers and others see how these applications could work for their customers," Reynolds said.

Dealers and other attendees at the conference bolster their skills and knowledge by attending educational sessions and networking with their peers to better meet the demands of their tech-savvy customers who continue rapidly adopting new technology on their farms.

This year's three-day Develop with Deere Conference included new business and technical tracks on best practices with different systems, connecting with growers, Application Programming Interface (API) onboarding and support, technology for trusted advisors and other related subjects. "The most effective way we've found to stimulate new ideas is to bring connected software companies, our dealers, ag service providers and trusted advisors together and explore new ways to collaborate and share information that will hopefully result in new digital tools that help farmers farm even better," Reynolds explained.

John Deere continues to invest significant resources into its API platform, the John Deere Operations Center, in the form of new tools and applications. "These are real-world solutions that add value for our farmer customers and their operations," Reynolds said. "With more than 130 connected software tools available, our open platform enables customers or any trusted advisors they grant access to, to send job instructions directly to machines executing jobs in the field."

In addition to different program tracks, the conference also brought in guest speakers and featured a Solutions Expo that provided evening networking and product demonstrations by participating connected software companies in an exposition style arrangement. For more information and to explore software development opportunities visit Develop With Deere.

Source : John Deere

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.