John Deere Acquires Sentera to Integrate Aerial Field Scouting

Rhea-AI Summary

John Deere (NYSE: DE) has announced the acquisition of Sentera, a leading provider of remote imagery solutions for agriculture based in St. Paul, Minnesota. The acquisition aims to enhance John Deere's technology offerings by integrating Sentera's advanced drone-based imagery capabilities with the John Deere Operations Center™.

Sentera's technology enables high-speed drone flights to capture high-resolution field images, which are processed through their FieldAgent application to create detailed weed maps and targeted herbicide prescriptions. The system can also assess crop stand uniformity, disease pressure, and pests. The integration will allow farmers and agronomists to gather and analyze agronomic data more efficiently, supporting better decision-making for improved farm profitability and sustainability.

Sentera will maintain its direct supply of cameras to drone manufacturers and continue selling to farmers, agronomists, and ag retailers. The John Deere Operations Center will remain open for integration with other drone imagery providers.

Positive

• Integration of Sentera's advanced drone imagery technology with John Deere Operations Center enhances precision farming capabilities
• Technology enables targeted herbicide prescriptions, potentially reducing waste and costs
• Expands John Deere's digital agriculture portfolio with high-resolution field data collection capabilities
• Maintains open integration with other drone imagery providers, offering flexibility to customers

Negative

• Acquisition cost and terms not disclosed
• Integration and technology adoption may require additional training for farmers

Insights

Agricultural Technology Analyst

John Deere's acquisition of Sentera strengthens its precision agriculture ecosystem, enabling more targeted farming interventions through integrated aerial imagery.

This strategic acquisition represents a significant enhancement to John Deere's digital agriculture portfolio. Sentera's drone-based remote sensing technology addresses a critical gap in John Deere's precision agriculture ecosystem – the ability to rapidly collect high-resolution field data at scale. The integration creates a seamless workflow from aerial data collection to actionable field prescriptions that can be wirelessly transmitted to compatible John Deere equipment.

The technology value proposition is particularly compelling in three key areas:

• Targeted weed management through SMARTSCRIPT™ Weeds, which creates customized herbicide prescriptions down to individual nozzle control on sprayers
• Crop health monitoring capabilities that identify plant stressors before they impact yield
• Stand assessment tools that evaluate emergence patterns and plant populations

What makes this acquisition particularly valuable is how it complements John Deere's existing precision agriculture framework. The Operations Center platform already serves as the digital backbone connecting field operations, and this acquisition enhances its capabilities with high-resolution aerial intelligence. This follows the industry trend toward creating comprehensive digital agriculture ecosystems rather than standalone tools.

The decision to maintain Sentera as an independent supplier to other drone manufacturers and continue supporting third-party imagery providers in the Operations Center demonstrates a pragmatic approach to market adoption. This multi-channel strategy maximizes the technology's reach while acknowledging the mixed-fleet reality of most farming operations.

The technology integration creates a powerful feedback loop between sensing and application – identify issues via aerial imagery, create targeted prescriptions, execute precise applications, and verify results – all within a unified digital ecosystem. This closed-loop system represents the next evolution in precision agriculture where data-driven decision making becomes more accessible to mainstream agriculture.

MOLINE, Ill., May 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- John Deere (NYSE: DE) announced today the acquisition of Sentera, a leading provider of remote imagery solutions for agriculture headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. This acquisition will advance the capabilities of John Deere's existing technology offerings, providing farmers and ag service providers with a more comprehensive set of tools to generate and use data to make decisions that improve farm profitability, efficiency, and sustainability.

"We're excited to add Sentera's talented team to our organization and integrate their advanced solutions into the suite of John Deere tools that help farmers do more with less," said Chris Winkler, Director of Digital Software and Solutions at John Deere. "Combining Sentera's imagery capabilities with the John Deere Operations Center™ will enable farmers and trusted advisors to seamlessly gather and integrate agronomic data, understand real-time conditions, and turn data into insights that drive decisions in the field throughout the growing season."

Sentera's industry-leading cameras are compatible with most major drone platforms and enable farmers and crop scouts to quickly and efficiently capture high-resolution data at scale. Their capabilities and FieldAgent software tools help farmers and agronomists assess plant-level health, identify stressors, and take action. In addition, SMARTSCRIPT™ Weeds, a customized herbicide prescription, can be delivered to sprayers with individual nozzle control.

Drones equipped with Sentera technology fly over fields at high speeds and generate high-resolution images. These images are processed with Sentera's FieldAgent application to identify the exact location of specific weeds and generate a weed map. This map becomes a targeted prescription for how much product a farmer needs to load into their sprayer, helping minimize waste. Once the prescription is generated, it can be wirelessly sent to compatible equipment through the John Deere Operations Center.

Weed maps are just one example of actionable data that is enabled with Sentera scouting technology. The same process can be used in a field to assess crop stand uniformity, disease pressure, and pests. Integrating Sentera also supports John Deere's approach to meeting farmers where they are on the technology adoption journey. It offers new precision capabilities to a broad range of customers while also complementing more advanced precision ag technologies, including See & Spray™.

"As a customer of John Deere and Sentera today, the value of this integration is clear," said Nick Einck, Director of Agronomy at Chandler Coop in Chandler, Minnesota. "Sentera's scouting solutions allow us to quickly gather data across more acres and with greater detail, enabling us to customize our approach to each field. Coupled with the John Deere technologies we already leverage today, we can be more efficient and deliver even better outcomes for our customers."

Sentera will continue to supply cameras directly to drone manufacturers for integration into their products, as well as sell to farmers, agronomists, ag retailers, and other users. The John Deere Operations Center will continue to be open for other drone imagery providers for integration, as well, ensuring customers and their trusted advisors continue to have choices on the solutions that work best for their operation.

"John Deere provides us a great outcome and is exactly the right home for Sentera," said Brian Wenngatz, CEO of Sentera. "They are the industry benchmark for innovation in precision agriculture and they share our belief that the future of access to these technologies is built on trusted relationships, measurable insights, and scalable platforms. Together, we'll be able to support more farmers and help them unlock even more value."

About John Deere

It doesn't matter if you've never driven a tractor, mowed a lawn, or operated a dozer. With John Deere's role in helping produce food, fiber, fuel, and infrastructure, we work for every single person on the planet. It all started nearly 200 years ago with a steel plow. Today, John Deere drives innovation in agriculture, construction, forestry, turf, power systems, and more.

For more information on Deere & Company, visit us at www.deere.com/en/news/.

Copyright © 2025 Deere & Company. All Rights Reserved.

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SOURCE John Deere Company

FAQ

What is the purpose of John Deere's acquisition of Sentera?

John Deere acquired Sentera to integrate their advanced drone imagery capabilities into the John Deere Operations Center, enhancing farmers' ability to collect and analyze field data for improved decision-making in farming operations.

How does Sentera's technology work with John Deere's farming equipment?

Sentera's drones capture high-resolution field images that are processed through FieldAgent software to create weed maps and prescriptions, which can be wirelessly sent to compatible John Deere equipment through the Operations Center.

Will Sentera continue to sell products independently after the DE acquisition?

Yes, Sentera will continue to supply cameras directly to drone manufacturers and sell to farmers, agronomists, and ag retailers independently.

What specific farming problems does the Sentera technology solve for DE customers?

The technology helps assess plant health, identify weed locations, create targeted herbicide prescriptions, evaluate crop stand uniformity, and monitor disease pressure and pests, enabling more efficient and precise farming operations.

How does this acquisition affect John Deere's precision agriculture capabilities?

The acquisition enhances John Deere's precision agriculture capabilities by adding advanced aerial field scouting and high-resolution imagery analysis, complementing existing technologies like See & Spray™.