American Soybean Association And FarmLink Team Up To Launch "Operation Benchmark," Helping Farmers Improve Yields Through New Benchmarking Service

ST. LOUIS and KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Soybean Association (ASA) and FarmLink are teaming up to help farmers close the $11 billion gap between what they harvested in 2013 and what they could harvest annually.

The two organizations are launching a first-of-its-kind partnership called "Operation Benchmark" that gives producers the opportunity to benefit from FarmLink's unique benchmarking capability and at the same time supports ASA and state association grower initiatives. The program is available nationally and will be promoted initially in seven of the leading soybean-producing states—Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Missouri.

The service, called TrueHarvest, is a new benchmarking service that for the first time accurately shows farmers the full range of performance potential for fields, down to a 150 square foot micro-field level. This, in turn, allows farmers to determine the true potential of their land and to identify where to invest—or not invest—to optimize productivity and profitability. The TrueHarvest service provides a baseline that supports the farmers' and their consultants' and input providers' expertise, while still respecting the integrity and privacy of a farmer's data.

"Our members understand that one of the most important tools to increase yields is the application of data to their farming practices," said ASA Director and Ag Data Working Group Chair Ron Moore, a soybean farmer from Roseville, Ill. "But growers want to make sure their data is applied in such a way to increase their profits and provide greater returns on their investments. We have chosen to partner with FarmLink on this particular initiative because they are independent and completely aligned with growers' interests."

As part of Operation Benchmark, FarmLink will make contributions to ASA and its affiliated state associations based on participation. FarmLink will also offer incentives to every qualifying grower who purchases the TrueHarvest benchmarking service. The Association funding will be directed toward the valuable education and advocacy efforts ASA conducts to increase the profit potential of U.S. soybean farmers.

Further demonstrating the support of this partnership, ASA will extend this offer to existing and new members of the Association, and FarmLink will pay one year of membership dues for all participants.

"We appreciate FarmLink's support of ASA's membership development efforts and other key initiatives," said ASA Membership & Corporate Relations Committee Chairman Bob Worth, a farmer from Lake Benton, Minn. "Through this partnership, each farmer who subscribes to the TrueHarvest yield benchmarking service will be able to assess its benefit to his own operation."

"We're pleased to be working with ASA on this program because they truly understand the importance of data science to the future of agriculture," said Scott Robinson, President of FarmLink. "For farmers to reach their potential, they first have to define it. TrueHarvest is the first and only benchmarking service to help farmers define the potential of their land and identify opportunities for yield improvement, so they can invest accordingly."

By using the TrueHarvest benchmark, Robinson said, the company conservatively identified $11 billion in unrealized yield potential for U.S. soybean and corn farmers in 2013 alone.

Farmers interested in participating can visit www.farmlink.com/Promotion/ASA for more information.

ABOUT FARMLINK

As an independent company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, FarmLink offers unique services to help farmers maximize their resources through targeted investment. Through its TrueHarvest yield benchmarking service, FarmLink brings to farming the science of benchmarking and establishes a baseline by which to measure the impact of inputs and decisions. With the ability to benchmark all 230 million acres of row crop in the United States, FarmLink partners with farmers to provide precise, detailed and actionable comparisons that inform resource decisions, and help increase productivity and profit.

Through MachineryLink's fleet of rental combines, farmers access the latest technology without the expense or maintenance of ownership, allowing them to invest in more profitable areas of their operations.

And that's just today. FarmLink's innovation pipeline identifies and creates ongoing opportunities for farmers to use technology and data to better assess and invest in their operations, for today's needs and tomorrow's potential. To learn more, go to www.farmlink.com

ABOUT ASA

ASA represents all U.S. soybean farmers on domestic and international issues of importance to the soybean industry. ASA's advocacy efforts are made possible through voluntary farmer membership by farmers in 30 states where soybeans are grown. For more information, visit www.soygrowers.org . 

SOURCE FarmLink; American Soybean Association