Investing.com -- John Deere (NYSE:DE) has announced the acquisition of Sentera, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based provider of remote imagery solutions for agriculture. The acquisition aims to enhance John Deere’s technology offerings, providing farmers and agricultural service providers with a broader set of tools to generate and use data for improving farm profitability, efficiency, and sustainability.
Chris Winkler, Director of Digital Software and Solutions at John Deere, expressed enthusiasm about integrating Sentera’s advanced solutions into John Deere’s existing tool suite. The integration will enable farmers and their advisors to gather and integrate agronomic data, understand real-time conditions, and convert data into insights that guide decisions in the field throughout the growing season.
Sentera’s cameras, compatible with most major drone platforms, enable farmers and crop scouts to capture high-resolution data at scale. Their FieldAgent software tools assist in assessing plant-level health, identifying stressors, and taking action. The SMARTSCRIPT™ Weeds, a customized herbicide prescription, can be delivered to sprayers with individual nozzle control.
Drones equipped with Sentera technology can fly over fields at high speeds, generating high-resolution images. These images are processed with Sentera’s FieldAgent application to pinpoint the exact location of specific weeds and create a weed map. This map becomes a targeted prescription for the amount of product a farmer needs to load into their sprayer, helping minimize waste. Once the prescription is generated, it can be wirelessly sent to compatible equipment through the John Deere Operations Center.
The same process can be used to assess crop stand uniformity, disease pressure, and pests. The integration of Sentera supports John Deere’s approach to meeting farmers at their current level of technology adoption. It introduces new precision capabilities to a wide range of customers, while also complementing more advanced precision agriculture technologies, including See & Spray™.
Nick Einck, Director of Agronomy at Chandler Coop in Chandler, Minnesota, highlighted the value of this integration. Sentera’s scouting solutions enable the gathering of data across more acres and with greater detail, allowing for a customized approach to each field. Coupled with the John Deere technologies already in use, efficiency can be improved, and better outcomes can be delivered for customers.
Sentera will continue to supply cameras directly to drone manufacturers for integration into their products, as well as sell to farmers, agronomists, ag retailers, and other users. The John Deere Operations Center will remain open for integration with other drone imagery providers, ensuring customers continue to have choices for the solutions that work best for their operation.
Brian Wenngatz, CEO of Sentera, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the deal, stating that John Deere is the ideal home for Sentera. He noted that both companies share a belief in the future of access to these technologies, built on trusted relationships, measurable insights, and scalable platforms.
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