Has anyone considered using Deere's latest OptiGro aerial imagery service? A regional crop consultant approached me with this service last week. Much to my amazement, I didn't know Deere even offered service franchises outside of their core dealer network. The only mfg. I know that does is CAT.

Unless Deere has access to an extensive network of pilots and planes capable of taking infrared photos, I can't imagine this being a very timely service. This is no doubt a per acre service fee supported by a regional independent pilot(s), who surely has to require a minimum number of acres to justify flight, as no satellites are involved according to the consultant. If the minimum number of acres are not met, do you think they will still fly in order to be on time? If so, who will eat the balance of the cost?

I have many reservations over services like this being offered by companies who do not specialize in them. CaseIH tried their hand at agronomy services when they signed with and later purchased MCS Consulting and then soon failed for lack of clear objectives and effective management. They also tried to set up certain dealers as "Farm Centers" for equipment, inputs and agronomy services. They tried this with a dealer not too far from me and, well, we all know how far that progressed. I've read about a few Deere dealers trying the same thing but doubt very seriously if that has taken off. "One-Stop-Shopping" has never been a perceived benefit to the main-stream farming community. We like to shop around too much.

If you've had luck with OptiGro, I would love to hear about it. I've tried remote sensing before and liked its vantage point and results but, it seems to be a service that often gets dropped.