IARN — A new app update seeks to enhance recognition of in-field issues.
Pioneer released a major update to its Pioneer Seeds App, which launched shortly before the 2019 Farm Progress Show. Jeremy Groeteke, U.S. Pioneer Digital Ag Lead, says the software has since evolved, branching out from its first tool: Yield Estimator.
“Since then, we’ve enhanced the full experience of the Pioneer Seeds App for our customers. From knowing what products to place and on what farms to Digital Tag,” Groeteke said. “Now the latest release is Threat ID, and (we’re) still building off of that.”
Threat ID allows farmers to promptly identify pests, diseases, and deficiencies in more than 30 crops, including corn and soybeans. Access to such information, expedites a farmer’s response to problematic areas, says Groeteke.
“I grew up walking fields. All of those years, walking a corn or bean field, looking at a lesion and saying, ‘I think that’s Gray Leaf Spot, but I need to double-check.’ It’s that confirmation. We’ve been working over the past couple of years, and in partnership with Plantix, have been able to build this out and now that’s instantaneous,” Groeteke said. “I can take a picture of that corn leaf, get confirmation right away, make a decision, and move my operation forward on what I want to do with that.”
Threat ID, combined with satellite imagery, will assist farmers making timely decisions and moving farm profitability forward, according to Groeteke.
“One of the key features we see combined with Threat ID is a combination of satellite imagery, where we have daily flyovers and know changing crop dynamics. Pictures from the satellite come back and we see a yellow spot in the field We don’t know why it’s yellow, but with a combination of Pioneer Seeds (App), we can go out there, make a field observation, and document with GPS. It’s like Google Maps and the blue dot following you around. We can walk through those spots in the field, document where they are at, take a picture of what’s going on, share that with the producer, and then make decisions on (whether or) not to treat.”
Pioneer Seeds App is available for download through Google Play and the App Store.
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
