The system can receive prescriptions from agronomists remotely
Bayer has a new digital farm management system available to producers.
The manufacturer introduced Bayer FieldView Drive 2.0 during the Crop Production Show in Saskatchewan.
The concept behind the product can be summed up in three words, says Andria Karstens, product value lead for FieldView.
“Stability, compatibility and prescriptions,” she told Farms.com.
The prescriptions component is new to Drive 2.0.
This update lets farmers receive prescriptions in the cab and helps optimize their time in the equipment.
“We can eliminate that thumb drive,” Karstens said, adding that Drive 2.0 and an iPad act as the transfer device.
If field or crop conditions have changed and require changes to prescriptions, an agronomist can make those changes remotely and have the new data sent to the cab.
Stability refers to the system’s overall performance.
Bayer released the first iteration of FieldView Drive in 2016.
And like most items in technology, like smartphones, for example, have experienced upgrades since an initial release.
“When you think about Bluetooth connectivity, processing power (and) data security, all these technologies have come such a long way in the last eight or nine years, and that’s the new technology that’s going to be in this drive too,” she said.
And the compatibility component supports farmers using different equipment set ups.
Whether it’s a factory set up or the producer purchased a tractor from someone who had his or her own set up, Bayer reps are available to help farmers get Drive 2.0 working properly, Karstens said.
Another new feature related to FieldView Drive 2.0 is the Preceon Smart Corn System.
This incorporates digital prescriptions and recommendations – including seeding rate – as part of the system.
Farmers in the Corn Belt are currently using this corn system.
“It boils down to two things,” Karstens said. “Short stature corn and tailored digital agronomic recommendations. “With short stature corn, getting that corn closer to the ground gives it a better chance of survival against those harsh weather conditions. And then combine that with tailored digital recommendations, being prescriptions that give us placement and density recommendations based on the research Bayer has done with those specific hybrids in those specific geographies.”
In 2024, more than 400 growers tested the Preceon system across more than 30,000 acres. Bayer’s goal for 2025 is to have more than 500 farmers involved across about 100,000 acres.
Bayer is also working on a pilot project related for canola growers in Western Canada.
It includes prescriptions which Drive 2.0 will help deliver, Karstens said.
“We’re looking at understanding disease risk in canola,” she said. “Growers can sign up to receive disease risk notifications, and prescriptions on a further fungicide. And it would be an on-off fungicide.”
Anyone interested in learning more about Bayer Drive 2.0 can visit the company at the major farm shows during the winter, contact a local rep or visit climatefieldview.ca.