Innovative ag technology unlocks secrets below the surface.

Military and space technology combine to reveal the secrets below the surface and give growers new and detailed insights into soil health. EarthOptics technology helps growers understand science-based tillage and fertility decisions, compaction, and accurate carbon measurement that improve ROI.

EarthOptics GroundOwl™ – a sensor suite mounted to an ATV, side-by-side or tractor – is driven over the field. The sensors, combined with new artificial intelligence (AI), build a digital twin of the soil in the cloud. EarthOptics measures how soil varies, producing dozens of data points per second and generating more data points in a field than a grower has experienced with any other method of soil analysis.

EarthOptics verifies accuracy in the field by taking dense soil samples. After the GroundOwl sweeps the field with its sensors the data is then transferred to AI, which produces a hyper-accurate, high-resolution map on all soil attributes. AI gets smarter over time so fewer physical samples are required to achieve a high level of accuracy.

Carbon measurement: With the carbon market becoming a booming opportunity for growers, accurate measurement of soil carbon is more important than ever.

Combining traditional soil samples with the results from GroundOwl sensor data, EarthOptics delivers high resolution maps with accurate total field carbon measurements. It detects year-over-year changes that demonstrate the carbon sequestered in the soil during a crop season. Soil is measured everywhere on the field – delivering efficiency and higher accuracy to agricultural carbon markets.

Tillage mapping: Even moderate compaction can inhibit root growth. Soil compaction reduces drainage and aeration while increasing runoff and erosion. Deep tillage loosens the soil, but it’s a costly and time-consuming process.

To solve this problem, EarthOptics sensor technology measures soil compaction and provides actionable information to adjust management practices, saving growers time and money. This mapping system identifies and measures soil compaction down to a depth of three feet and quantifies the extent of the compaction, in addition to changes in soil texture, carbon content, conductivity and nutrient properties.

TillMapper™ takes the collected data and creates a 3D tillage prescription. Tractor and tillage equipment use the measurement sensor system to support real-time carriable depth tillage. Growers can use a customized tillage prescription that can be adjusted to their preferences, including compaction threshold, max tillage depth and anticipated crop. The output can be exported as either a multi-depth prescription or a binary till/no-till prescription. As a result, growers have the information and ability to till only where needed and to quantified levels.

Soil fertility: Every grower understands the need for soil fertility information. Tracking N, P, and K is the backbone of most soil analysis. EarthOptics takes that old system and leaps forward to give growers the elemental and nutrient analysis on crops in a manner that is actionable and easy to digest.

The result of this technology is real measurements, actionable results, and a new efficiency. Click here to request a demo.