John Deere, Kinze Manufacturing, and Ag Leader Technology announced they have reached a partnership agreement that will make it easier for farmers to integrate their technology and equipment while ending a dispute over patents for high-speed planter designs.
The agreement will allow farmers operating Kinze and Ag Leader grow and display products to “seamlessly integrate” with John Deere’s operations center.
The companies also agreed to resolve all outstanding litigation through an agreement that will allow John Deere to license certain planter designs to Kinze and Ag Leader, allowing them to continue selling their respective True Speed and SureSpeed products.
In October 2023, an Iowa state court jury found that Kinze and Ag Leader had infringed two of Deere’s U.S. patents and awarded Deere $16.3 million in damages and royalties. The patents applied to the design of components used in Deere’s ExactEmerge system. Deere filed its first lawsuit against Kinze and Ag Leader in 2020, after which Kinze and Ag Leader filed counterclaims seeking to invalidate Deere’s patents.
“We are excited to bring True Speed back to market. A key component of technology like True Speed is the creation and collection of data. This agreement will benefit our collaborative farmer customers who utilize John Deere Operations Centers by enabling seamless integration of data generated by Blue Vantage-controlled equipment,” Kinze President Susanne Veatch said in a news release issued by the three companies on March 19.
“Ag Leader is excited to have SureSpeed available to our customers again,” said Al Myers, President of Ag Leader. “Our focus has always been on delivering concrete solutions to the market through high-quality, precision products that suit mixed crop farmers. Connected to other platforms such as John Deere Operations Centers through AgFiniti This allows producers to seamlessly map and analyze data in one place, regardless of the color of their equipment.”
Deere’s Aaron Wetzel said the deal shows the company is putting its customers first. “We remain committed to helping all of our customers, including those with mixed fleets, become more productive, profitable and sustainable in their operations,” Wetzel said.
Deere and Kinze have also announced plans to explore further collaboration, with details to be announced as they become available.
