Microsoft announces partnership with Land O'Lakes to build AgTech platform, increase rural broadband

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced a partnership with Land O’Lakes, a company known for its butter that’s the country’s third-largest agricultural cooperative. As part of the deal, Microsoft and Land O’Lakes will build an AgTech platform that, ideally, will use artificial intelligence to help farmers plan their crop cycles, protect their soils, and harvest more grain. The companies will also try to increase broadband access in rural areas and make it easier for farmers to get credit for carbon removal. Nadella and Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford said they are setting up 150 new Wi-Fi hotspots, with plans for more, to take advantage of good locations on farms, such as on top of grain elevators, that allow the signal to travel long distances.