Fertiliser giant, Yara, has announced that its industry-leading smart tool for farmers and agronomists – the Atfarm platform – will be free of charge for the 2022 season.

Previously available as part of a paid subscription, the move has come in light of the ongoing circumstances related to fertiliser pricing and supply disruption.

“The farming industry is facing unique circumstances that, although not permanent, are certainly having a significant financial impact on many farms,” said Jari Pentinmaki, managing director of Yara UK. “Yara has decided to offer its support to help alleviate some of that pressure.

"By making advanced tools like Atfarm more accessible, farms will be able to make the most efficient use of every kilogram of nitrogen.”

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Atfarm is designed to help farmers apply nitrogen more precisely and make better decisions on the farm, thus increasing their nitrogen use efficiency (NUE).

Utilising satellite images to monitor crop growth and underpinned by algorithms based on Yara’s years of agronomic experience farmers and agronomists can create variable rate application maps in just minutes.

In a season when either supply issues, or economic decisions mean that farms are operating below the optimum nitrogen rate, variable rate nitrogen applications offers even greater benefits with nitrogen applied in the areas where greatest crop responses will result.

“This will also help farmers to more effectively plan and monitor their crop nutrition needs,” says Natalie Wood, agronomy ops manager at Yara UK. “With the removal of a price barrier, farmers can be more dynamic and effective with their nitrogen management. To access this service just go onto the Atfarm website and subscribe – it couldn’t be easier.”