Key Takeaways
- Land O’Lakes and Microsoft have formed a multiyear strategic alliance to co-develop AI-powered tools for agriculture.
- A new digital assistant, Oz, uses Azure AI Foundry models and Land O’Lakes agronomic data to deliver farm-specific recommendations.
- The partnership aims to help farmers manage rising production costs, shrinking margins and operational risks.
- Oz is currently in beta testing, with broader availability planned for retail agronomists next year.
- Land O’Lakes’ digital transformation includes major Azure cloud adoption and customized enterprise copilots.
Land O’Lakes and Microsoft Expand Collaboration to Advance Agricultural AI
Land O’Lakes and Microsoft have announced a multiyear strategic alliance focused on developing AI-powered decision-support tools for U.S. agriculture. Building on five years of collaboration, the renewed partnership centers on co-developing digital solutions that help farmers optimize operations, increase yields and better manage risk amid economic pressures.
Teddy Bekele, SVP and CTO at Land O’Lakes, said the AI-driven tools will play a key role in supporting U.S. agriculture for the next century.
Unveils “Oz” Digital Assistant for Farm-Level Decision Making
A central output of the new alliance is Oz, a custom digital assistant built on Azure AI Foundry. Drawing from Land O’Lakes’ extensive agronomic database—including millions of data points across 20 years—Oz provides instant, mobile-friendly responses to crop protection and farm management questions.
Historically, agronomists relied on an 800-page Crop Protection Guide to provide recommendations. Oz streamlines this process by supplying tailored, field-specific information at speed, helping advisors recommend cost-effective practices and farmers fine-tune production strategies.
The tool is currently in beta testing, with expansion planned for the coming year.
Drives Digital Transformation Through Microsoft Technologies
Land O’Lakes has undertaken a major digital modernization effort as part of its broader collaboration with Microsoft. Two-thirds of the company’s IT environment has migrated to Azure, and enterprise copilots have been customized using proprietary agricultural data through Copilot Tuning.
These enhancements support projects such as:
- Digital Ag Platform – helping farmers improve soil function and adopt innovative management practices.
- Digital Dairy – capturing on-farm production data, supporting low-connectivity areas and using AI to forecast demand for supply-chain optimization.
Judson Althoff of Microsoft emphasized that the alliance combines industry expertise with advanced cloud and AI capabilities to help farmers confront economic and environmental challenges.
Land O’Lakes and Microsoft Plan Continued AI Development
The launch of Oz represents the first solution in this renewed partnership. Land O’Lakes and Microsoft will continue expanding AI offerings for agriculture, aiming to deliver more tools that enhance efficiency and support long-term farm resilience.
