Posted August 9th, 2024 | By Thaddeus Bates, Senior Manager, Innovation Farms – Applied Agronomy

Thaddeus Bates, our Senior Manager of Innovation Farms – Applied Agronomy shares his thoughts on innovation at Nutrien Ag Solutions and how putting people first is the best way to help our growers. 

As the largest crop inputs company, Nutrien Ag Solutions puts significant investments into innovation with the goal of providing growers smarter tools to help ensure their hard work pays off. And what stands at the forefront of that innovation is the people. The passion and focus shared across Nutrien and Nutrien Ag Solutions on improving the acre and improving the growers’ return on investment (ROI) is unmatched.

At the Innovation Farms we use the phrase Research at the Speed of Farming. To elaborate on what that means, 85% of the work on the Innovation Farms are products and practices growers can implement today, with a grower ROI focus. The remaining 15% is pipeline work with a high potential of products and practices entering the market in the next 3-5 years. This approach allows us to stay grounded with our growers and keep the pulse on new contributors in the agriculture industry, thus Research at the Speed of Farming.

To help us achieve our goals, we prioritize transparent and true collaboration with our strategic suppliers. At the Innovation Farms, we have developed a practice to accelerate the timeline on new products entering the market with a stronger market presence and customer confidence. There is unique work being executed on the Innovation Farm Network at a speed and scale growers can utilize today - sustainable solutions developed through a grower’s lens.

Additionally, we implement a unique method for practical solutions and decision making that we refer to as ET3P - Equipment, Technology, Products, Practices and, most important, People. It allows Nutrien Ag Solutions to account for each one of these pillars in the decision-making process in a very difficult industry to navigate. By matching each of these five components to our customer’s needs, we aim to enhance the productivity and sustainability of every one of our grower’s acres.

Nutrien Ag Solutions is on the forefront of innovation in several areas including precision ag, digital tools, soil health and education and support. One of innovative areas I am excited to be working on is something we call Machine Enabled Agronomy (MAE). As a Nutrien Ag Solutions team, we have captured over 1.2 million acres of precision boundaries. This technology is the key to unlocking efficiencies in our fleet of equipment, crop protection and nutritional’s, and will be a fundamental component for the use of autonomous equipment as early as 2026. 

It's an exciting time for agriculture, and even more exciting to be a part of a team at Nutrien Ag Solutions that is paving the way for a bright future.