On Monday, agricultural seeds and chemicals producer Bayer AG (BAYGn.DE) unveiled a digital farming platform to help U.S. growers adopt ecologically friendly practices and connect them with companies seeking more sustainable food, feed, and biofuel materials.
A decade of farm data collection will help the seed and chemical behemoth diversify its earnings.
Bayer’s ForGround platform will combine weather, soil, seed, and agricultural practice data to advise growers on improving soil health, reducing emissions, water use, and chemical use. Bayer said a third-party validator would certify environmental outcomes so farmers could sell grain for a premium.
Food and biofuel firms might use the program to build incentive schemes for farmers to grow products that fulfill their environmental aims.
Bayer will charge corporations a flat or per-acre cost for services and make money from farmers through seed and chemical sales and data-platform subscriptions. Bayer said it plans to expand the launch beyond U.S. agriculture, but no timeline has been specified.
Bayer’s Carbon Program pays farms to sequester climate-warming carbon in soil.
Agriculture companies are taking new steps to address increased demand for sustainably produced food and benefit from data collecting through technological subscriptions.
