John Deere and BASF to jointly develop suite of integrated precision farming and farm management solutions for improved execution in the field

Mannheim and Limburgerhof, Germany, 20-12-2013 — /EuropaWire/ — John Deere and BASF today announced plans to jointly develop a suite of integrated precision farming and farm management solutions for improved execution in the field. These tools, developed together with growers, will provide enhanced field scouting services and tailored agronomic advice. These will help growers to turn data into management decisions more efficiently.

“BASF and John Deere are two leading suppliers in the agricultural business sector and have many years of experience in managing agricultural data,” said Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Crop Protection division. “The real value comes from helping growers to interpret this data so they can make more precise and efficient decisions about their crops and operations.”

As part of the agreement, BASF will offer a new service for field scouting and agronomic decision support.John Deere will provide a new application for sprayer setup as well as integration of field data via its collaborative farm management portal ‘MyJohnDeere.com’, which will enable growers to better manage their farm operations.

“By integrating BASF’s agronomic expertise with field-proven John Deere application expertise, we will provide a comprehensive management platform that will be open to other partners as well,” said Christoph Wigger, John Deere Vice President Sales & Marketing Region 2. “Instead of combining existing tools, we will concentrate our research and development efforts on those innovative solutions that intuitively address growers’ needs across the entire crop production value chain.”

The goal is to launch the first joint integrated tools by the end of 2014 in key agricultural markets with additional markets to follow.

This non-exclusive agreement complements BASF’s recently-announced investment in interactive services for growers. The companies are not disclosing the terms of the agreement.

About John Deere
Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) is a world leader in providing advanced products and services and is committed to the success of customers whose work is linked to the land – those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world’s dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. Since 1837, John Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality built on a tradition of integrity. For more information, visit John Deere at its worldwide website at www.JohnDeere.com.

About BASF’s Crop Protection division
With sales of around €4.7 billion in 2012, BASF’s Crop Protection division provides innovative solutions in crop protection, turf and ornamental plants, pest control and public health. Its portfolio also includes technologies for seed treatment and biological control as well as solutions to manage water, nutrients and plant stress. BASF’s Crop Protection division is a leading innovator that supports growers to optimize agricultural production, improve their business efficiency and enhance the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at www.agro.basf.com or follow us on our social media channels.

BASF – The Chemical Company
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of €72.1 billion in 2012 and more than 110,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

Media Contacts:

BASF SE
Crop Protection
Dr. Brady Spangenberg
Germany
Tel.: +49 621 60 28761
brady-joseph.spangenberg@basf.com

John Deere
Dr. Oliver Neumann
Germany
Tel.: +49 621 829 8161
neumanndroliver@johndeere.com

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