Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture Helps Retailers Improve Agronomist Efficiency

Are you looking to increase agronomist efficiency and accuracy? Ag Retailers Association (ARA) investigates how the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture empowers them to scout more acres and deliver more precise prescriptions, resulting in increased farmer satisfaction. 

Agronomists who rely on traditional methods to manage and analyze data can hinder scalability in ag retail operations. There are more acres to analyze than your agronomists have time to handle in any given day using conventional methods. AI proves its worth as a powerful tool that paints a more complete picture for agronomists in a fraction of the time. This means more efficient scouting of large acreages and more precise recommendations.

Gathering a complete picture to understand soil needs requires many data points. Aman Anand, senior leader at Nutrien Ag Solutions said, “Everything starts with the soil. The soil biological properties are complex. Every 50 feet, the soil changes. So, the inputs that go into that soil will change.” 

Previously, this level of measurement was not practical. Now, with generative AI you have a tool that can process terabytes of data to understand the soil. These systems generate field-specific recommendations using context-aware prompt engineering.

Artificial intelligence in agriculture simplifies data

Modern agriculture creates a lot of data. “Everyone has data. However, data can make your life a mess,” said Anand. The complexity of data can mislead you. AI and machine learning are the keys to unlocking its potential.

“Previously, agronomists used their eyes to look at crops,” said Anand. “With AI you move to remote sensing. That generates a huge data set that cannot be processed traditionally.”

AI can be trained on over 200 million leaf-level images to identify stress factors like insects, diseases or nutrient deficiencies with sub-millimeter resolution. This allows the generation of on-demand agronomic prescriptions. 

Artificial intelligence in agriculture enables scaling agronomic expertise while retaining local field relevance. It's helped digitize manual processes and improved the precision and speed of crop recommendations. For example, a prescription map can be generated in under 30 minutes based on drone-collected imagery, enabling targeted spraying that reduces chemical use by over 50%. 

AI requires a human touch

While AI is a powerful tool for ag retailers, it doesn’t diminish the role of agronomists.

Garrett Asmus is a business analyst for Asmus Farm Supply, an independent third-generation ag retailer and an ARA member in north central Iowa. He explained that AI is not a substitute for local agronomists’ knowledge. 

So much comes into play, including soil types, different products and their active ingredients’ compatibility, and weather. For example, some insecticides and herbicides for corn are incompatible. Some soil types in certain regions are more susceptible to carryover and the suggested application rates in certain regions can vary drastically. 

“The agronomists in those areas will know that,” said Asmus. “While AI tools continue to improve, an agronomist still needs to verify the results.” 

AI will empower agronomists with the data they need to make more informed decisions. 

“Instead of making educated guesses, the agronomist can make more accurate prescriptions,” said Anand. “They are taking this massive amount of data and they can actually utilize it.”

Using all the tools in the toolbox

ARA understands that AI technology is rapidly evolving. To remain competitive, retailers need to keep an open mind and investigate emerging technologies such as AI.

Anand agreed, “Ag retailers are the boots on the ground. However, you need to come out of the traditional sales mindset. If you think sales are your only responsibility, you will fail. If you bring value, sales will happen automatically. AI is just an enabler. The information that you bring to the table is a lot more important than any sales aspect.”