Soil is arguably the most critical factor involved in any plant’s life cycle. It serves many roles, including anchoring a plant in place, storing and supplying nutrients, breaking down organic matter, and insulating the plant. These are just a few of the many functions soil performs for a single plant. Now imagine scaling this effect by several hundred. That is an incredible ecosystem at work, and keeping track of it is the everyday life of thousands of farmers across the United States. With millions of crops of various varieties being planted and harvested every year, how do farmers keep up with all the soil maintenance? 

That is a burden EarthOptics aims to ease. Founded in 2018, EarthOptics is a soil data measurement and mapping company seeking to optimize soil intelligence to increase productivity and efficiency in agriculture. Their mission is to provide accurate and high-resolution soil data for a fraction of the cost. EarthOptics’ approach is rooted in multi-technology integration. Among these technologies is EarthOptics’ flagship technology, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), which functions by sending electromagnetic waves into the soil and measuring the reflected signals. These signals then allow EarthOptics to map soil texture, identify soil horizon, characterize root zone, estimate bulk density, and detect subsurface variability. Unique to this technology, GPR collects continuous measurements rather than traditional sample points, capturing spatial variability. In addition to the data collected by GPR, EarthOptics will overlay other information, such as laboratory soil analyses, weather records, and satellite imagery, to create detailed, field-scale maps of soil properties.

The collected information is available to producers in the form of four platforms: TruNutrient, TruTill, TruBio, and TruCarbon. TruNutrient is the elemental analysis and soil health measurement system. It delivers macro and micro-nutrient soil profiles on components like potassium, pH, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The system is known to be more economical than traditional methods like grid soil sampling, as only one-third of typical nutrient sampling collection is needed to produce comparable data validation. 

TruTill is the compaction measurement system. GPR data is used for this system and can show up to eighteen inches below ground of inch-by-inch compaction data. It works by identifying areas and depths where a field is compacted and the extent of the compaction. This data is then exported to create a customized tillage prescription that can be adjusted to preferences, including compaction threshold, max tillage depth, and specific crop. EarthOptics claims that, on average, it saves $30 per acre and supports up to a 20% increase in yield. 

>>>READ: With Pivot Bio, Farmers Can Say Goodbye to Noxious Nitrogen Waste

TruBio is the pest and disease risk analysis system. The biological analysis provides several services, including selecting the best hybrid and variety plant genetics, making informed trait recommendations, choosing the correct insecticide and fungicide, and planning effective crop rotations. In making data-driven decisions, the system has the capability to predict key field agronomic outcomes with over a 90% confidence before the season even starts. 

TruCarbon is the carbon measurement system. It uses EarthOptic’s technology-integration approach to create scalable and verifiable soil carbon measurements. The provided data includes the movement of products across the supply chain, enabling producers to apply for carbon registries and join sustainability programs. Currently, the systems work for corn, soybean, wheat, and cotton, but EarthOptics is looking to expand. Overall, these systems enable producers to shift towards and maintain regenerative farming practices.

Outside of their soil intelligence work, EarthOptics also helps producers navigate tax credits related to agriculture. For instance, tax deductions under IRS Section 180. IRS Section 180 is a tax provision that allows farmers to deduct soil and water conservation expenses in the year they are incurred rather than capitalizing and depreciating them over time. EarthOptics assists producers in eligibility and application by using their technology to collect precise data and connecting producers with Section 180 specialists. They also assist with the 45Z credit, or the Clean Fuel Production Credit. It is a federal tax credit for companies that make low-carbon transportation fuel, including ethanol made from corn. While direct payments are not made to the producer, it enables a bargaining chip for deals with buyers as the carbon intensity of the crop affects the value of the credit.

>>>READ: Natural Biopesticides Could Help Farmers Avoid Residue Limits and Reduce Food Waste

Regenerative farming practices are critical to sustaining the U.S. food system in the long term. The precision of EarthOptics’ technology, as well as their financial advice, makes the shift simple, helping people and the planet.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.