Trimble Introduces GreenSeeker Handheld Crop Sensor for Agriculture

Portable Handheld Device Measures the Health of a Crop, Helping Farmers Make More Efficient Use of Fertilizer

News provided by

Aug 06, 2012, 06:30 ET

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) introduced today the GreenSeeker® handheld crop sensor, an easy-to-use measurement device designed to assess the health of a crop. Readings taken with the GreenSeeker handheld can be used to make objective decisions regarding the amount of fertilizer to be applied to a crop, resulting in a more efficient use of inputs.

Operators position the handheld sensor over a plant, pull the trigger, and the GreenSeeker handheld instantly calculates the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which represents the health of the plant. By gathering several readings from plants throughout a field, users can better determine the overall health and needs of a crop. This can result in a more efficient use of fertilizer, which benefits both the farmer's bottom line and the environment.

The GreenSeeker handheld provides farmers and crop consultants with an affordable way to begin utilizing NDVI algorithms to help them better understand the health of a crop. Readings from the GreenSeeker handheld can be used to indicate basic nutrient response, crop condition, yield potential, stress, biomass, leaf area, herbicide efficiency and pest impact. It can be used to monitor changing field conditions (crop and plant) during the growing season as well as the effects of different levels of an input compared to a local standard.

"As part of our continuing goal to provide solutions that help farmers improve efficiency and reduce costs, Trimble has introduced an affordable crop sensor for farming operations of all sizes," said Erik Arvesen, vice president for Trimble's Agriculture Division. "The GreenSeeker handheld removes the guesswork so farmers can more efficiently run their operations, making informed decisions about their crop based on compiled data to ultimately increase profitability through input savings."

The GreenSeeker handheld is expected to be available in mid-August 2012. The list price for the GreenSeeker handheld starts at US$495. Contact a local Trimble dealer at www.trimble.com/locator for more information or buy direct from the Farm Works store at www.farmworks.com/store in North America.

About Trimble's Agriculture Division

Trimble's Agriculture Division is a leader in precision agriculture, GPS and guidance solutions which help customers operate farm vehicles and implements more efficiently, save on input costs, and increase yield and productivity. Solutions include vehicle and implement guidance and steering; application control for seed, liquid, and granular products; laser- and GPS-based water management technology; and seamless field-to-office information management and record keeping. To ensure better decision making, Trimble also offers an integrated operations management solution called Connected Farm™ that provides information exchange across the entire farm.

For more information on Trimble Agriculture, visit: www.trimble.com/agriculture.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

For more information, visit: www.trimble.com.

GTRMB

SOURCE Trimble