Seeking to more fully blend its hardware and agronomic-based solutions, Trimble recently announced a new distribution channel to deliver the company’s diverse line of precision products. Known as Vantage, the new dealer network will be purely a distribution model, while Trimble will remain the primary brand for products and services.

Recent years have seen momentum build for autonomous vehicles in agriculture as a potentially more efficient and durable alternative to today’s machinery. But to bring autonomy to North American agriculture, it’s going to have to be phased in, says Kraig Schulz, president and CEO of Autonomous Tractor Cooperation.

Earlier this month, John Deere announced its collaboration with California-based Agrian to deliver the company’s Prescription Creator platform. Starting this spring, the software will allow farmers to import, track and manage seeding and fertilizer prescriptions through Deere’s online Operations Center portal.

Here's a list of the top 3 takeaways from speaker sessions at the Precision Farming Dealer Summit held in early January.

One company is seeking to combine the comfort of face-to-face interaction with the convenience of remote service. Iowa-based AgriSync recently launched a mobile app that allows retailers and farmers to visually communicate remotely in a real-time video support session.

With nearly 3,000 companies including global giants and ambitious start-ups present at the recent Agritechnica show in Germany, there were plenty of innovations to attract the attention of serious investors or curious competitors.

While North American retailers forecast another challenging year for new equipment sales, technology sales are projected to rebound at a quicker pace, according to Ag Equipment Intelligence's 2016 Dealer Business Outlook & Trends report.

A recently launched program is offering dealers a new alternative to letting tractors, combines or other implements sit on the lot until the right customer comes along.

We're seeing unique parallels between running a precision ag and running an IT company. Arlin Sorenson, founder of HTS Ag, discusses a shift from a product-focused business to one rooted in service, driven by shrinking margins on precision hardware.