John Deere has long been keen to extend its agricultural business beyond just making tractors – the company has set its sight on being a provider of digital and management services as well.

In pursuit of this aim, and in conjunction with DeLaval, it launched what the partnership call the Milk Sustainability Centre, which is described as an innovative digital ecosystem designed to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of dairy farming operations.

They claim that the new service can integrate data on crop and animal performance into one unified platform, therefore allowing greater oversight of a dairy operation.

A year in the making

The joint effort between John Deere and DeLaval started in September last year (2023), and it is said that the data generated will enable farmers to optimise their management of the unit, reduce their environmental impact and help meet the growing demands for sustainable practices in dairy farming. 

Dairy farmers can use the Milk Sustainability Centre to monitor nutrient use efficiency and carbon dioxide equivalent across the farm, herd and fields.

Cows managed by John Deere
Management of feeding is said to benefit from the new service

The service collects animal and crop data, providing insights to help farmers manage nutrient utilisation effectively and reduce the need for manual data input.

Farmers can also invite their consultants, dealers, vets and other partners to access the platform. 

It is designed to serve dairy farmers regardless of whether John Deere machinery, or DeLaval milking equipment is used and it is universal for all herd management software.

It is available as a free version to a select number of dairy farmers in the USA, Netherlands, and Germany

Gradual release by John Deere

There are plans to expand to other European countries soon and users will be added steadily before the full release.

Dairy farmers in the UK and Ireland can join the waiting list to be among the first to benefit.  

The Milk Sustainability Centre is a cloud-based solution accessible on both desktop and mobile devices.

It is developed and powered by Dairy Data Warehouse BV (DDW), a Dutch company with 11 years of experience in providing data solutions for sustainable dairy farming.