Jeremy Leifker works to help John Deere find solutions for growers. At the recent Develop with Deere Conference in Kansas City, Leifker sat down with Chuck Zimmerman to define what that means for the company and the important role their connected partners play in providing those solutions.

Solutions, he says, are by definition, answers for problems. Growers have specific problems each season, beginning with how to get a uniform emergence. In today’s world the answer to that problem involves a combination of equipment and software: a planter, a good power unit, a tractor, technology to guide the planter and turn rows on and off, put down seed at the right rate etc. The combination of all these things and the quality in doing them is what Deere considers a “solution.”

“When you package that up into a planting solution, that is really a focus for John Deere,” Leifker explains. “We expect that solution to not only come from John Deere, but some of these connected parters that are here today.”

Those connected partners start with the farmer. Growers understand the value of good decision and the power of a decision making tool and John Deere understands their role is to make it all easy.

Our current economic climate is challenging. However, challenging doesn’t mean impossible, Leifker asserts. And running a better business will help. Better farming will find solutions in precision agriculture, in a space where opinions are no longer part of the decision-making process.

Listen to Chuck’s full interview with Jeremy here: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/jd-develop-16-leifker.mp3″ text=”Jeremy Leifker, John Deere Solutions”]

Photos from this year’s conference can be found here: Develop with Deere Photo Album