Technology and Data Alone Will Not Improve Farm Profitability

Source: Pioneer

ORLANDO, Fla., March 1, 2013 — DuPont said today that while new digital technology is allowing farmers to gather massive amounts of data, the real value comes when data drives insights to help them improve their operations' profitability.

"In today's complex, data-intense farming operations, growers need a way to sort through all their data to make better decisions," said Paul E. Schickler, DuPont Pioneer president. "Information is only relevant if it is used in a way that can help increase the entire operations' profitability, and that next generation of whole-farm management begins today."

As part of DuPont's commitment to farmers and increasing the food supply around the world, DuPont Pioneer announced at the Commodity Classic today that the business is immediately dedicating additional resources to meet increasing grower demand for the next generation of whole-farm profitability services. The business plans to deliver insights for advanced farmer profitability and expand its support for a wide variety of farming decisions including seed selections, in-season crop management and water and fertility management - all at a grower's fingertips.

The first wave of new services is available to farmers this growing season. Pioneer Field360 services was launched today and is designed to help growers confidently transform their farm data into increased productivity through timely and actionable information.

"DuPont Pioneer understands farmers are eager to synthesize knowledge and convert data from their operations into actionable management insights," said Schickler. "Pioneer Field360 services combined with our team of sales professionals will provide growers a vital link between data and action that can help drive income per acre year after year."

Following are brief descriptions about the new management apps and tools that will be available with Pioneer Field360 services:

• Pioneer Field360 Notes app streamlines and organizes field-by-field agronomic information for communication between DuPont Pioneer agronomists, sales professionals and growers. The tool is compatible with iPad and iPhone devices, and DuPont Pioneer will release the tool for Android devices later this season.
• The Pioneer Field 360 Plantability app allows growers to scan a seed tag and indicate their planter type, maximizing planter performance and seed-drop accuracy. The tool is available for iPad, iPhone, and Android devices currently.
• Pioneer Field360 Select service is a mobile subscription service, leveraging web-based software that allows growers to monitor their fields in real-time for precipitation, GDU information and corn growth stage development. Interactive maps show management layers, yield, as-planted detail and field boundaries. Available to growers later this year, the program is compatible with Pioneer Field360 and runs on any computer or tablet with Internet access.

The new Pioneer Field360 apps are available at www.pioneer.com/360. You can download Pioneer Field360 Notes in the App Store (http://phbn.ws/360notes), and the Pioneer Field360 Plantability is available in the App Store (http://phbn.ws/plantability) and in the Google Play Store (http://phbn.ws/gplantability).

Beyond the strong tradition in agronomic services, Pioneer has provided farmers with a variety of trusted services including planting and harvest mapping, planning services, grain marketing, crop insurance and financial services. PHI Financial Services and PHI Insurance Services are among the largest providers of financing and crop insurance in the agriculture industry. Pioneer Field360 builds on years of work in providing business services to growers and experience with harvest mapping on more than 10 million U.S. acres.