Syngenta recently announced it purchased FarmShots, Inc. of North Carolina. FarmShots provides high-resolution satellite imagery on its eight million enrolled acres. FarmShots images provide plant health information by analyzing light absorption. The company uses cloud-based software and interfaces to create images that give indications of field conditions. “FarmShots is a new and unique service that helps us deliver on our commitment to further develop farm management and crop decision-making tools,” says Dan Burdett, Syngenta head, global digital agriculture. “We expect to incorporate FarmShots into our digital portfolio and rapidly accelerate growth from the current eight million enrolled acres in the United States, and globally soon after.” The system can be used on many devices, from phones to laptops, for access to farmer data anywhere, anytime. It provides a prescription map for input application or other actions to farmers and their advisers. Syngenta will integrate FarmShots into its AgriEdge Excelsior, a U.S. farm management system that will eventually be a global program. The company says its “privacy pledge” that allows growers to maintain control of their data is still intact with this acquisition.
Swiss agricultural chemicals firm Syngenta has bought North Carolina-based high-resolution satellite imagery firm FarmShots. Its service uses cloud-based software and interfaces to create images of field conditions so that farmers can accurately spot issues such as planter skips, insect feeding, poor plant nutrition, crop diseases, pests and environmental damage by analysing absorbed light from the field images. Access to the data can be achieved via web-based app, tablets, laptops and smartphones. The service also provides a prescription map for crop treatment or nutrition and other actions, and growers maintain their own data securely in the cloud.