In this week’s farm technology news: CIBO Technologies partners with Scoular to prepare for biofuel tax credits, and AcreShield raises $2.5 million to help farmers with seed selection.
Published Oct. 11, 2024
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Deere launches dairy management platform in partnership with DeLaval
Tractor giant Deere & Co. unveiled a new digital tool for dairy farmers to manage sustainability efforts across their operations.
The Milk Sustainability Center, created in partnership with dairy farm machinery company DeLaval, allows farmers to monitor their nutrient use efficiency. The tool compares the amount of milk produced to the quantity of nutrients used and integrates data on crop and animal performance to measure the carbon impact across the farm, herd and field.
“The tool helps identify where farmers can save money and improve their sustainability efforts by highlighting nutrient losses and offering recommendations for reduction,” Lars Bergmann, executive vice president of digital service at DeLaval, said in a statement.
Deere and DeLaval developed the Milk Sustainability Center as part of a joint effort announced last September. The tool is initially available for free to a select number of dairy farmers in the United States, Netherlands and Germany, with plans to expand to other European countries in the future.
AcreShield raises $2.5 million for smarter seed selection
Iowa-based AcreShield, a developer of an AI-based program that helps farmers optimize yields through smarter seed selection, raised more than $2.5 million from investors for its Yield Optimizer software.
Yield Optimizer aggregates data from independent research trials to create a ranking of top-performing brands and hybrids by yield, which farmers can use to select seeds. AcreShield has a performance guarantee that allows farmers to claim up to seven times what they paid for the tool if yields don’t exceed 100% of their historical yield average.
“The net result is that farmers have better yield and financial performance, which is so needed with today’s low commodity prices,” AcreShield CEO Billy Rose said in a statement.
CIBO Technologies partners with grain processor for more sustainable biofuels
Climate software provider CIBO Technologies will collaborate with grain processor Scoular to provide grain farmers with data collection capabilities in order to capitalize on new biofuel tax credits.
The Nebraska grain company will leverage CIBO’s technology to quantify the benefits of farmers’ regenerative practices, which can then be used to help producers qualify for renewable fuel incentives.
The Inflation Reduction Act incentivizes biofuel producers to use lower carbon intensity feedstocks through the establishment of new tax credits. Officials have yet to release guidance on agriculture’s role in expanding biofuels for passenger vehicles, though the Biden administration will allow corn and soybean-based feedstocks to qualify for sustainable aviation fuel tax credits if farms use climate-smart practices.
“While the wider impacts of 45Z remain uncertain, our partnership is all about staying ahead of the curve,” CIBO CEO Daniel Ryan said in a statement.
