New Sunflower and Sorghum Crop Growth Models in ClearAg Platform
Predictive Agriculture Analytics and APIs from Iteris Now Cover Sorghum and Sunflower Crops
Iteris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITI), the global leader in applied informatics for transportation and agriculture, today
announced the addition of growth models for sunflower and sorghum crops into its digital agriculture platform, ClearAg®.
Applying predictive analytics and data science to agriculture, the Iteris’ ClearAg Platform incorporates crop growth models to
provide projections to growers and agribusinesses on when to plant, fertilize, treat and harvest crops. With the addition of
sunflower and sorghum crop growth models, ClearAg APIs can now be integrated to inform science-based insights for optimizing
productivity, resource management and plant health for 10 different crops that represent more than two billion metric tons of
annual production, around the world.
“Our software developers, agronomists and data scientists work together to build advanced predictive models regarding the growth
stages of specific crop species,” said Tom Blair, senior vice president of agriculture and weather analytics at Iteris. “We now
have precise science-based data built into our sunflower and sorghum plant growth models that cover the plants’ seedling emergence,
vegetative, reproductive and physiologically mature states. This capability, combined with our global land surface modeling,
dynamically generated weather data, and machine learning platform for digital agriculture produces a powerful tool for our
customers to establish, grow and harvest crops more efficiently.”
ClearAg is a leading digital agriculture platform that delivers weather, water, soil and crop health data and
advisory services to growers, researchers and other agribusinesses who need accurate, location-based information available on a
worldwide basis. Iteris is the only weather information and data science company to apply Land Surface Modeling (LSM) technology to
agronomic problems. Customers get direct access to ClearAg weather, water, soil and crop data through application programming
interfaces (APIs).
Determining In-Field or In-Shed Sunflower Seed Harvesting
According to the USDA, sunflower seeds are one of the five largest oilseed crops with about 40 million metric
tons produced in the world annually. Most sunflower seeds are crushed for oil while far fewer are roasted and sold as snacks or
incorporated into bird feed.
One of the challenges in harvesting sunflower seeds is that the flower head must dry before they can be easily thrashed. In dry,
sunny weather this can be done most efficiently in-field. But in cooler, wetter or cloudier weather, mold can quickly set in and
farmers may need to supply dry, warm air before further processing can take place, adding significant expense.
Using patented field level analytics combined with weather data and plant growth models, ClearAg can now help growers and
agribusinesses to make better informed decisions like whether to allow sunflower plants to dry in-field or provide additional
drying.
Timing Is Critical for Optimal Sorghum Productivity
In the past year, worldwide production of sorghum totaled more than 60 million metric tons according to the USDA. Sorghum has historically been used primarily as animal feed, and less often for ethanol
and as a syrupy sweetener. It can also be cooked whole or ground into an ancient-grain, as gluten-free flour. It is a drought
resistant crop that remains hearty in hotter, drier climates, but it often needs additional nutrients just prior to flowering
stage, to produce optimally.
With the addition of the crop growth model for sorghum, customers can now integrate ClearAg APIs to inform data-driven decisions
about when sorghum crops are likely to reach the reproductive stage so they can time nutrient application accordingly.
About Iteris, Inc.
Iteris is the global leader in applied informatics for transportation and agriculture, turning big data into big breakthrough
solutions. We collect, aggregate and analyze data on traffic, roads, weather, water, soil and crops to generate precise informatics
that lead to safer transportation and smarter farming. Municipalities, government agencies, crop science companies, farmers and
agronomists around the world use our solutions to make roads safer and travel more efficient, as well as farmlands more
sustainable, healthier and productive. Visit www.iteris.com for more information.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This release may contain forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof and are based upon our current
expectations and the information available to us at this time. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends,"
"plans," "seeks," "estimates," "may," “should,” "will," "can," and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the efficiencies of the new
growth model capabilities and anticipated benefits and success of these new capabilities. Such statements are not guarantees of
future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and actual
results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various
factors.
Important factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, ability to successfully integrate the
ClearAg APIs; the future adoption of the new capabilities and the ClearAg solution in the agribusiness markets; our dedication of
resources and ability to achieve market acceptance of the new capabilities and the ClearAg solution; our ability to gain additional
patent protection for our technologies and products; and the potential impact of product and service offerings from competitors and
such competitors’ patent coverage and claims. Further information on Iteris, Inc., including additional risk factors that may
affect our forward looking statements, is contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our
Current Reports on Form 8-K, and our other SEC filings that are available through the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov).
Iteris Press Contact
Cindy Vuong, 949-270-9696
ctv@iteris.com
or
Iteris Investor Contact
Todd Kehrli, 323-468-2300
iti@mkr-group.com
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