By Jacob Bunge 

Seed giant Monsanto Co. terminated a deal to sell its high-tech crop planter unit to equipment maker Deere & Co. following pushback from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The two companies announced the deal in November 2015 along with a data-sharing agreement that aimed to bolster Monsanto's digital farming unit, the Climate Corp.

Antitrust officials feared the deal would suppress competition for technology that allows farmers to plant crop seeds at high speeds. The Justice Department sued to stop the deal last year. Monsanto and Deere said then they would fight official resistance that they called misguided.

Monsanto said Monday its Climate Corp. subsidiary still aims to sell the planter unit. Climate Corp. has "spoken with several third parties that have expressed interest in purchasing it," the company said. Deere terminated the data-connectivity deal struck with Monsanto's Climate unit in conjunction with the planned planter purchase.

Write to Jacob Bunge at jacob.bunge@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 01, 2017 17:29 ET (21:29 GMT)