Monsanto: Precision agriculture system set for '14

By Owen Fletcher

--Monsanto to offer FieldScripts service in four states in 2014

--Service analyzes fields to recommend a corn hybrid for planting and a varying number of seeds per acre for each part of the field

--Next year Monsanto also plans to test product meant to ensure seed planting at a uniform depth in varying soil conditions

HUXLEY, Iowa--Monsanto Co. MON +0.69% said Monday that in 2014 it will start offering a service for farmers that analyzes their fields to determine how densely corn seed should be planted in each part of it to maximize yields.

The service, called FieldScripts, will also generate a recommendation on what type of corn hybrid would best suit the field in question, Monsanto officials said. It will deliver the recommendations via an application for Apple Inc.'s iPad tablet computer so farmers can buy the seed and use a control system to plant it at the recommended number of seeds per acre, which will vary throughout a field.

Monsanto will test the service in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana next year and start offering it on a limited basis in those four states in 2014, John Raines, commercial lead for integrated farming systems at Monsanto, said.

The service is part of Monsanto's foray into a growing field called "precision agriculture," which refers to the use of computer technology and global-positioning systems to help farmers efficiently use seeds, fertilizer and chemicals.

Monsanto is also working on a way to allow farmers to mechanically plant multiple different hybrids in a single field, although that will also require new planter equipment to become available, Mr. Raines said.

Next year, Monsanto will also test a product called Delta Force that will allow a planter to automatically adjust movements based on varying soil conditions, such as the degree of softness in each part of a field, so that all seeds are planted at a uniform depth, Mr. Raines said.

In January, the company unveiled its Integrated Farming Systems unit, which is focused on precision agriculture. FieldScripts is the unit's first product.

This year, it also acquired Precision Planting Inc., a maker of computer displays and other electronic systems used to tailor planting.

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