N-Sensor means ... prizes!

The prize has been awarded every other year since its inauguration in 2008, with three winners each year. All but one of the winners has been a Yara N-Sensor user, and all three 2014 winners use the technology. The award is open to all farmers or contractors who use any kind of precision farming technology on their farms.

Germany a key market

"Agrarmanager, one of the leading agronomical journals in Germany, which has a special focus on managers of big farms, has used the DLG field days in Germany - the biggest event for arable farmers in Europe - to award the innovation prize 'Precision Farming'," says Marketing and Agronomy Manager Ulrich Ortseifen from Yara Germany.

"Precision Farming is a key technology for modern agriculture, reflected in the creation of the Innovation platform Precision Farming within Yara, headed by Magnus Rambraut," says Geraud Bonal, Marketing Director Downstream BU Continental Europe. "Germany is the leading market in this respect, with over 700 N-Sensors sold by Yara."

The award process is quite elaborate for a magazine prize, with the editors paying visits to each of the top three farms voted best by a jury. These visits allow the magazine to assess the benefits of the winning solutions, and to research articles about the farms.

It’s all about crop nutrition knowledge

The awards are traditionally held during the field days on the afternoon of the second day. The innovative precision farming solutions deployed by the farms are briefly introduced by one of the editorial team before the certificates, trophies and prize money are awarded.

"The N-Sensor is an important door-opener for Yara in Germany," Ulrich explains. "It helps us make contact with big farms, advisors, seminars, conferences and more. The N-Sensor reflects Yara's superior crop nutrition knowledge."

"For Yara it is a big success that nearly all of the most innovative big farms doing Precision Farming are using Yara N-Sensors as a central tool for fertilization," he adds.

"Agriculture in Germany is advanced, with farm managers having a high education level," says Ulrich. "Concerning Precision Farming, Germany is the most developed market in the world. This development has been strongly supported, because, especially in the eastern part of the country, we have a lot of big farms with over 1000, 2000, 3000 and even more hectares."

"This development," he concludes, "the high technical level, and the need to improve efficiency, have all led to a situation where Yara's products, technology and crop nutrition knowledge help provide a visible edge for our customers."