Syngenta and Premier Crop Systems LLC announced this week a successful trial of Premier’s Enhanced Learning Blocks and an investment by Syngenta Ventures, the venture capital arm of Syngenta, in Premier Crop Systems.

Premier builds software tools that enable growers and their agronomic advisors to implement best-in-class precision agronomy recommendations helping customers capture the full value of their agricultural data. Established in 1999 and based in Des Moines, Iowa, Premier was an early developer of digital agriculture tools and currently provides data-driven agronomic recommendations for millions of acres of farmland.

Premier recently launched its newest product, Enhanced Learning Blocks, for enabling the automation of large-scale, on-farm, replicated trials.

“Enhanced Learning Blocks represents a breakthrough in generating new agronomic knowledge cost effectively at larger scale than previously possible,” Dan Frieberg, chief executive officer of Premier Crop Systems, said. “With additional capital from Syngenta Ventures, we will be better able to deliver this and other new tools to growers, their advisors and the research community.”

This spring, Syngenta Research & Development (R&D) evaluated Enhanced Learning Blocks in multiple field trials. Chuck Foresman, digital agriculture R&D agronomy lead for Syngenta, said the product "provides a novel and simple way to validate treatments in growers’ fields. The addition of randomization and replication within those treatments is exciting to an R&D-driven company like Syngenta, because it opens the possibility of scaling scientific field research."

Syngenta Ventures investment director Gabriel Wilmoth said Premier is a perfect fit for Syngenta Ventures, adding, “Our minority investment provides capital to help bring the benefits of their technology to more growers.”

The new investment by Syngenta Ventures will help Premier expand its team of agronomists, data scientists and customer support for new and existing customers and accelerate the launch of Enhanced Learning Blocks.