Kristi Stanton is the Manager of Agronomy & Environmental Science Operations at Nutrien Ag Solutions, where she leads and implements projects focused on operational excellence in agronomy and environmental science. She is a strategist who integrates differentiated strategies into operational processes, ensuring results that promote sustainability, soil health, and profitability. With over six years at Nutrien, she plays a key role in shaping the future of North American agriculture through data-driven solutions.
Through this article, Stanton highlights the importance of soil health, the role of agronomists in supporting farmers and the various resources and services offered by Nutrien Ag Solutions to help growers achieve their goals.
One of the focus areas in agriculture right now is soil health. Gaining a better understanding of the soil microbiome has been a gamechanger for soil health advancements, including the use of biological products. While farmers have always held the responsibility of caring for the land and making the best decisions possible for the health of their soil, there are now more ways for agronomists to support them in this endeavor.
At Nutrien Ag Solutions, we know that growers are at the heart of our business and centric to everything our employees do. As part of this commitment to our customers, we have a team called the Agronomy and Environmental Sciences (AES) team, which is solely dedicated to evaluating the solutions currently on the market and available to growers, innovating to find new solutions to meet future demands, and planning to ensure that all their needs in between are met.
“As we continue to learn more about the soil microbiome, we’re able to provide more hyperlocal recommendations to growers with personalized product and practice recommendations that will keep their land sustainable for generations to come.
A localized approach
In my role, I interface with all the unique groups that make up our AES team and manage operations, track our key performance indicators, and ensure work flows smoothly between all our subgroups. One of the main focuses of our team is offering guidance on sustainable agriculture practices to growers and their crop consultants. To implement sustainable ag practices at the size and speed of a farming operation, we have an Innovation Farm Network made up of five farms across the U.S.: Owensboro and Hopkinsville, Kentucky; Champaign, Illinois; Selma, California; and Winterville, Mississippi.
To expand on the research that occurs on the Innovation Farms, we work side-by-side with our grower customers to conduct Agronomic Innovation Trials (AIT) on their fields with the goal of providing localized replicated trials that are data-driven and solutions-focused, which leverage the investment in precision farm equipment. Growers participating in AITs are enrolled in our precision agronomy program, which evaluates their fields based on variables called “digital layers,” such as satellite imagery, soil type, wetness index, stress areas, and other measurements. From this data, our team uses the precision agronomy program to develop custom product, seed, or practice prescriptions for the grower’s field.
Participating growers track their season’s data, and at the end of the season, harvest results are recorded, and a performance analysis is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the products, practices, or seed varieties used in the trial. From there, AIT data can be used to inform the advice and recommendations that our crop consultants and agronomists give to their customers. All growers want local data, and nothing is more local than results from their own fields.
We also have in-house soil scientists who are working each day to better understand the soil microbiome. For today’s growers, soil health is top of mind during decision-making for the season. They are prioritizing their soil’s needs before choosing other inputs. As we continue to learn more about the soil microbiome, we’re able to provide more hyperlocal recommendations to growers with personalized product and practice recommendations that will keep their land sustainable for generations to come.
Preparing for the unexpected
Another differentiated science-based service within AES is atmospheric science. Weather is a key variable that can impact yield and can quickly derail season plans, causing growers and their support teams to pivot in how to best manage the season after impactful weather events. However, better understanding weather trends, forecasting, and severe weather threats allows growers to make the most informed decisions about their season to prepare for what Mother Nature throws their way.
Our in-house atmospheric scientists provide trusted forecasts that evaluate the weather by zip code and the impacts that the weather has in that area by showing agronomic metrics such as soil moisture, evaporative transpiration, wind speed and soil temperature. They also work closely with Nutrien Ag Solutions’ safety team to send out alerts to our branches and employees in the field when severe weather is heading their way. This gives our teams time to warn their customers and prepare so that they aren’t caught out in the storm.
Today’s focus and anticipating tomorrow’s concerns
While this article is a snapshot of the services that the AES team at Nutrien Ag Solutions offers, it gives a glimpse into the areas that are at the heart of agriculture right now. Soil science and adopting sustainable ag practices are at the forefront of many growers’ season plans. While soil is a huge part of sustainable agriculture, it’s also important to evaluate the performance of products and practices to make sure that the right products are being used at the right rate and the right time, also called 4R Stewardship. Today, my team and I designed our focus areas around the situations our growers are facing today and will continue to face in the future. As our industry evolves, we will evolve with it to continue our mission to keep our growers and their needs at the center of everything we do.
