Article

What we learned from the first Scanner users in Ukraine

We talked to representatives of five big agricultural companies in Ukraine that take part in our Expert User Group. Learn why they decided to join the group of the first Scanner users in Ukraine in the article below!

SoilCares (now part of AgroCares) introduced the Scanner in Ukraine at the beginning of 2018. Currently, 9 scanners are used in Ukraine by local experts. These are the participants of SoilCares Expert User Group who will provide us with valuable feedback and insight to how the Scanner is used in practice. The three-month user test will enable them to experience the benefits of the real-time soil testing right into the field. Agrosem, Eridon, Bayer, Kischenzi and Altera Nova are among the first companies to use SoilCares Scanner on Ukrainian soils.

New soil testing tool on the Ukrainian market

SoilCares Scanner is the first tool on the Ukrainian market to provide rapid, on-the-spot soil testing results. Mykyta Suvorov, Plant nutrition product manager at Eridon, points out the lack of tools that perform fast soil analysis in Ukraine until now. Mykyta Suvorov: “Surely, if we consider express methods to determine the plant tissue by using the plant juice or just to analyze the tissue, a few options are available. But to analyze soil quickly and precisely is a problem in Ukraine at this moment.” This is why when they heard about the fast real-time soil analysis with the Scanner, they decided to try it out.

Mykyta Suvorov (Eridon): “As the market leader, we in Eridon need the innovative and highly-effective solutions to provide our clients with the first-class aftersales services and technical assistance. That is why, it is interesting for us, as the experts, to join the Expert Group and to try the SoilCares soil testing solutions.”

Experiencing the sensor-based soil testing firsthand

When faced with a completely new technology, it might be difficult to imagine the benefits unless you try it firsthand. Kees Huizinga from Kischenzi: “It is hard to imagine the possibilities of the Scanner compared to the big labs. But I hope it will replace the time consuming and expensive labs.”

Javier Pognante, Deputy Director Sales & Marketing at Agrosem: “The main reason why Agrosem decided to join the expert group is because we have a very innovative spirit. We are one of the most advanced companies in precision farming technologies in Ukraine so we wanted to be one of the first companies to try this innovative technology”.

Agrosem’s team with their SoilCares Scanners

The future of agriculture

The members of the Expert User Group believe innovative soil testing methods such as the one developed by SoilCares are the future of agriculture. Ruslan Zubets, an agronomist in Altera Nova: “Analyzing current agricultural developments, we understand that innovations are the core of future farming. Soil testing methods based on spectral technology are highly competitive with the standard wet chemistry labs.  Most likely, in the near future, alternative soil testing methods will become the norm.”

Offering better service to their clients

Many of the Scanner users decided to join the Expert User Group because they were looking for a way to improve the services they offer. Sergii Sychevskyi, Digital Farming & Food Chain Manager at Bayer: “We are always looking for new opportunities to be useful for our customers. Express soil analysis could be beneficial in supporting the crop growing technologies of our clients. That is why we decide to test this solution. We are going to use the Scanner to provide more accurate and valued recommendation for our customers.”

Precision agriculture tool

We asked our expert users how they are planning to use the Scanner. Eridon will use the Scanner as a soil monitoring tool. Mykyta Suvorov (Eridon): “We will use the Scanner to monitor the soil parameters and to develop the fertilizer recommendations.”

Agrosem plans to include it in their ambitious precision agriculture strategy. Javier Pognante (Agrosem): “We are running very ambitious precision farming projects with our strategic partners. A lot of fields are in VRT (Variable Rate Technology) programs and we hope SoilCares Scanner will enable us to take maximum advantage of these projects.”

Kees Huizinga (Kischenzi): “We plan to systematically scan all our fields and fix the data with GPS.”

Outlook for the future

All of the expert users we talked to reported that they consider buying several scanners after the end of the test period. Mykyta Suvorov (Eridon): “We expect to receive a high-standard soil testing solution for fast determination of soil parameters which will help us to make the fertilizer recommendations more accurately. At the end of the test period, we will evaluate our experiences with the Scanner and perform a visual inspection of the crops. If we are satisfied with the results, we are interested in buying several Scanners.”

Sergii Sychevskyi (Bayer): “We expect that soil Scanner will provide us with relevant and reputable soil data in ranges low-medium-high. If it meets our expectation we will consider the opportunity to buy it for our technical experts.”

SoilCares started with Expert User Groups in Poland, Hungary and Ukraine in mid-March. Learn more about our Expert User Groups here.

Interested in providing soil testing services with SoilCares Scanner? Contact us now!