Commercial remote sensing firm RapidEye of Brandenburg, Germany, said Sept. 29 that it had been added to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s prime vendor contract, opening the way for the USDA and its agencies to order satellite imagery products from the company.

RapidEye Vice President John Alrichs said in a statement that inclusion in the contract “will give USDA agencies instant access to our imagery” for crop and vegetation monitoring.

USDA officials said the contract is an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity deal with no guaranteed minimum order.