FERTILISER giant Yara has announced that its digital 'smart tool' for farmers and agronomists – the Atfarm platform – is to be free of charge for the 2022 season.

Previously available as part of a paid subscription, the move to make Atfarm freely available is part of Yara's response to ongoing issues with fertiliser pricing and supply.

“The farming industry is facing unique circumstances that, although not permanent, are certainly having a significant financial impact on many farms,” said managing director of Yara UK, Jari Pentinmaki. “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 N.”

The Atfarm platform is intended to help farmers apply nitrogen more precisely and make better decisions on the farm, thus increasing their nitrogen use efficiency. It utilises satellite images to monitor crop growth and is underpinned by algorithms based on Yara’s years of agronomic expertise, allowing farmers and agronomists to quickly create variable rate application maps.

In a season when either supply issues, or economic decisions mean that farms are operating below their optimum nitrogen rate, variable rate nitrogen applications help farmers to apply fertiliser in the areas where greatest crop responses will result.

“This will also help farmers to more effectively plan and monitor their crop nutrition needs,” said agronomy operations manager at Yara UK, Natalie Wood. “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.

“In these challenging times, Yara wants to do everything we can to support UK farmers,” added Mr Pentinmaki. “As our smart digital tools become free to all, we hope this move will help ensure more precise farming is made accessible at a scale that it has never been before.”