The farm equipment manufacturer last week officially opened a $33 million research and development center that will serve as home to its Intelligent Solutions Group. The 134,000 square-foot building in Urbandale, Iowa, is expected to house some 800 Deere employees, including 30 newly created positions.

The ISG, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, helped develop Deere’s precision products and technologies incorporating sensors, robotics, connectivity, computer vision and machine learning.

ISG Senior Vice President John Stone said the project “further emphasizes the role John Deere has as a technology leader with an equal commitment to agriculture and technology.”

Deere officials highlighted the complex’s sustainable materials and collaborative workspaces, as well as cropland that will allow designers to evaluate their products in real-world conditions on the premises. The farmland, known as the “Front 40,” was planted with corn, cotton, oats, soybeans and sunflowers earlier this year.

The company said the farm would also help connect its tech workers to Deere customers.

“John Deere employees who are working in technology are making a real difference, especially when it comes to helping feed a growing global population,” said Stone in the announcement.