Money-saving soil analysis technology rolls out to Ontario growers province-wide
By Lilian Schaer
An innovative soil analysis technology system that can boost farm profitability by over $40 an acre is now available to farmers across the province thanks to funding from the provincial government.
Woodrill Farms of Guelph received a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) last year through its Fertilizer Accelerating Solutions & Technology Challenge (The Challenge) that was designed to bring already developed alternative fertilizer solutions to market.
“The GroundWork data portal is a prime example of how technological innovation can benefit on-farm operations – and through The Fertilizer Challenge, it’s being brought to farmers across the province,” says Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “The success that we see from this initiative highlights why it’s so important to continue investing in new innovations and commercialization activities, which, incidentally, our government has identified as a priority.”
Woodrill was already using its GroundWork system on its own farm for a couple of years before using funding from The Challenge to roll it out to farmers in other parts of Ontario.
“GroundWork was developed as we tried to implement precision ag on our own operation and were looking for the best technology to manage fertilizer, seeding and chemicals most effectively based on soil type,” says Woodrill’s Caleb Niemeyer, an agronomist and precision ag specialist with the company.
Different layers of data, including topography, satellite imagery, yield and electrical connectivity, are collected and matched with approximately 25 soil sample points per 100 acres, each going about four feet into the ground versus the traditional six inches.
“Measuring the depth of topsoil has a huge impact on nitrogen and seeding rates. Sand over gravel versus sand over clay influences water availability, for example, so it’s important to know what’s under the top six inches,” Niemeyer explains.
With the provincial grant, Woodrill was able to build out the GroundWork customer portal. Farmers using the system can now view all of their data online, including custom-generated soil maps and variable rate fertilizer prescription files for their fields, instead of just receiving PDF files via email.
According to Niemeyer, The Challenge funds allowed Woodrill to scale-up the portal so growers can better organize their data using a mobile phone and always have the information handy when they’re in the field.
The funding also supported behind-the-scenes systems improvements that now let users generate maps with a few clicks, as well as the purchase of new equipment that allowed Woodrill to rapidly service more growers. From its previous radius of about a half hour drive from Guelph, the company has now expanded across much of Ontario.
For farmers using the system lets them put down fertilizer very strategically in areas where it will yield the best results for both crop yield and return on investment. The corresponding decrease in fertilizer use is good for both grower profitability and the environment.
“On average by adopting variable rate seeding and fertilizer management and this type of precision soil mapping, farms can see a $40 to $50 an acre improvement in profitability,” he adds.
The Fertilizer Challenge funding has helped double Woodrill’s capacity and bring this technology to more acres of land than otherwise expected. The company has also doubled its capacity to map soil providing added value for farmers.
With the grant project now complete, Woodrill hopes to continue to grow its GroundWorks system, including by partnering with other agronomists and precision agriculture businesses to bring the technology to more farmers across Ontario.
Funding for the Fertilizer Accelerating Solutions & Technology Challenge was provided by the Government of Ontario. The project was administered and delivered by Bioenterprise Canada, Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine. The Challenge, which wrapped up in 2023, provided support to Ontario-based organizations with commercialization-ready alternative fertilizer products and technologies.
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