Precision Agronomy at Decisive Farming

Passion meets science to advance the ag industry

Farming is a legacy built on generations of hard work and innovation. With each generation comes progress and improved technology. Even the people behind the science of today’s agtech are surprised by the industry’s rapid advancement, but underneath it all remains the simple love of growing.

“My family’s history back through my great-great grandparents has been rooted in the agricultural industry, so you might say that I was born into agriculture,” Garth Donald, Decisive Farming co-founder and manager of agronomy, recalls. “I was growing crops from a very young age by having my own garden. I loved how plants grew and I loved working with soil.”

Raised on a mixed grain farm in Manitoba, Garth applied his passion for agriculture and problem solving to earn his diploma in Agribusiness at Assiniboine Community College. “I love working with people and helping them to solve problems in their fields,” he says. “Using technology and all the valuable information it provides us helps get their acres to perform where they should perform.”

With that constant drive for better performance, Garth used his agronomic expertise to help develop Decisive Farming’s variable rate (VR) program, Optimize RX®, and apply its methodology to Western Canadian fields. The patented precision agronomy program provides you tailored VR prescriptions along with multi-year satellite imagery, multi-zone soil testing, optimal fertilizer strategies and on-farm support. As you better understand your farm’s variable yield potential, VR efficiently addresses your unique soil and crop specific requirements for improved soil fertility and nutrient uptake, zone management, increased organic matter and decreased nutrient loss to the environment.

For Garth, that means every soil test and agronomic recommendation is provided to you at the high standards your farm demands. “Variable rate has been around for a long time. By understanding how it started, we were able to take the best practices from the many ways it started out and mold them into an encompassing solution that gave farmers the ability to see its value,” says Garth.

That demonstrated value is at the heart of what Decisive Farming delivers along with economic and environmental sustainability. Their research into how crops grow best, the ways to improve soil health and to streamline best practices helps you make stronger strategic decisions around your crop planning today, and for your farm’s future.

What makes Decisive Farming’s methodology unique? Garth describes, “Precision agronomy is using geospatial tools to aid in the growth of your crop to optimize its performance in a sustainable manor. Decisive Farming uses satellite imagery to create green biomass maps that create zones where we can tailor both fertilizer and seed rates to optimize performance in a sustainable way.” But the value-add is the support you receive when Decisive Farming’s agronomists work with you to ensure the science is done right so when you hit the field, your workday is simplified. That collaboration is essential as you bring your innate knowledge of your fields to the table and Decisive Farming supplements your experience with their expertise to optimize your yield potential and, at the end of the day, your farm’s profitability.

“Without the feedback from the growers who actually farm those acres we are somewhat going in blind. By having your feedback, we can dive deep into your fields’ performance and understand things that imagery or soil testing alone won’t tell us,” says Garth. “By being teammates with our growers, we are both working for the common goal, which is the overall health of your farms.”

That relationship is ongoing as you continue to improve season after season. From creating the most successful crop plans to performance insights, Decisive Farming’s team helps you collect and apply your field data to easily make decisions to plan effectively for next season. You can validate your management practices by determining what worked or discover opportunities for improvement with experts who love to grow as much as you do.

“I was told a long time ago that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life,” says Garth. “I love what I do and to me, what I do, doesn’t feel like work.”