EarthOptics is merging with data analytics and predictive modeling firm Pattern Ag. Executives at the newly-formed venture feel the combined company will be better positioned to offer enhanced soil testing and data analysis services.
Todd Martin is one of the founders of EarthOptics and he will assume the chief growth officer role at the merged company. Martin helped launch the startup in 2018 with the aim of providing farmers with better, faster, and more economical field-level soil data than traditional grid soil sampling programs.
The experienced ag industry vet pulls zero punches in stating that precision ag thus far has largely failed farmers with overwhelmingly complex and costly-to-collect data sets siloed in walled off platforms devoid of revenue-generating insights. It is his belief that combining with Pattern Ag positions EarthOptics to rise up and deliver more ROI for its farmers.
“The newly merged EarthOptics, when it’s EarthOptics plus Pattern Ag, is going to be able to deliver for farmers like never before,” Martin states. “We can replace their current soil testing regime and - for about the same price as two and a half acre grid sampling for variable-rate fertilizer - give them a prescriptive tillage recommendation and variable-rate fertilization data down to the best resolution that is currently possible. And now we can combine that with the biological and soil DNA data from Pattern Ag and tell them all about disease expectations in their soil, and about pest expectations.”
EarthOptics’ technology includes two and soon-to-be-released three spectrum analyzing sensor systems - deployed via tech-outfitted side-by-side UTVs that local service providers run across acres throughout the Midwest - all with the aim of providing farmers with detailed soil maps and actionable variable rate fertility insights. Martin says this boots-on-the-ground approach is what defines EarthOptics. The data provided includes soil type, moisture, disease and pest predictions, and more.
EarthOptics also says it can help farmers with climate-related programs by measuring carbon in the soil and providing tools to assess and report data that measures carbon intensity and field emissions.
“We’ll help farmers that want to enroll in climate programs and look at their carbon intensity scores or their field emissions, and sometimes we’ll be able to utilize satellites for some of that,” Martin explains. “But when it comes to soil, we believe you’ve got to get your hands dirty. You’re going to have to be in the field. You cannot use satellite technology, no matter what anybody says, it just does not exist to do the type of analysis and data gathering that we can do in the field.”
The two companies plan to unify under the EarthOptics brand name. Other considerations like branding colors and a logo to represent the newly combined company will be worked out soon as executives from both groups come together and pencil out the venture’s go-forward strategy.
Want to learn more about this new soil data partnership? Study up on all of the publicly released details here.
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