Welcome to the May Edition of the Stenon News for Agriculture Experts!
This month we’re excited to share a range of updates from the Stenon ecosystem. For instance, our CEO and Founder, Niels Grabbert, will take the stage at the upcoming World Agri-Tech South America Summit in São Paulo, joining a high-level panel to discuss the role of regenerative agriculture in driving climate-smart farming practices across Latin America.
From the field, our partners continue to demonstrate the power of combining technology with local expertise. In Central Asia, Eurasia Group showcases how real-time soil data from Stenon can be seamlessly integrated with John Deere’s variable rate technology to boost efficiency and productivity. Meanwhile in Brazil, our close collaboration with Lavoro Agro has led to further enhancements of our WebApp’s VRA functionality—giving growers greater control and precision when managing fertilization zones.
And in our Reading Tips section, we take a closer look at the evolving landscape of variable rate fertilization and nutrient mapping. From academic critiques to practical field applications, the future of fertilization is shifting—and with Stenon’s real-time soil insights, it’s becoming more data-driven, sustainable, and effective than ever.
Let’s dive in.
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We’re pleased to share that Niels Grabbert, CEO and Founder of Stenon, will be a featured speaker at the upcoming World Agri-Tech South America Summit in São Paulo on June 24.
Niels will take part in the panel discussion „Regenerative Agriculture: Implementing Climate-Smart Farming Practices“, which brings together thought leaders from government, agtech, and the food industry. The panel will explore practical strategies to promote regenerative farming across the region, including financial models, carbon credit programs, and the integration of crop-livestock-forest systems.
As a provider of real-time soil data solutions, Stenon is proud to contribute to this important dialogue. Our technology empowers growers to make data-driven decisions that support both productivity and long-term soil health—essential pillars of climate-smart agriculture.
If you’re attending the event, we’d love to connect. Let’s meet in São Paulo and continue the conversation on how to scale impact through innovation and sustainability.
Driving digital transformation in Central Asian agriculture
As the exclusive John Deere dealer in Kazakhstan and North Kyrgyzstan, our partner Eurasia Group has a strong track record of delivering cutting-edge technologies to growers in the region. Their latest field video highlights exactly that: a powerful combination of Stenon’s real-time soil analysis with John Deere’s variable rate application (VRA) capabilities.
By integrating these two solutions, farmers can optimize input use, reduce unnecessary fertilizer applications, and enhance overall productivity—a win-win for both economic efficiency and soil health.
Stenon’s technology delivers instant soil data directly in the field, eliminating delays and uncertainties in fertilization planning. Combined with VRA machinery, this data enables precision farming at scale, tailored to the unique needs of every field zone.
We’re proud to see how seamlessly this innovation is being put into practice—and how it’s already making a measurable difference for growers across Central Asia.
Want to learn how this solution can work for your fields too? Get in touch with us!
Smarter VRA zone management – made in Brazil
Thanks to valuable feedback from our users in Brazil, we’ve taken another step forward in enhancing our Variable Rate Application (VRA) functionality within the Stenon WebApp.
In April, we rolled out an upgraded version of the tool, and this month we’ve further improved its flexibility and usability – with a special focus on custom zone creation. Users can now:
✅Choose the number of zones to include in their VRA files
✅Undo their most recent action in the zone management tool
✅Revert changes and return to the original zone configuration
Previously, all VRA files defaulted to five zones and didn’t offer the option to undo or revert changes – a limitation for users aiming for high-precision input application. With these enhancements, agronomists and growers in Brazil can now better tailor their nutrient management plans to field variability and specific crop needs.
And we’re not stopping here: soon, users will also be able to delete individual zones or reassign contours to different zones – giving them even more control over their VRA maps.
This continuous improvement is part of our strong collaboration with Lavoro Agro, helping growers across Brazil gain real-time soil insights and apply nutrients with greater accuracy and efficiency.
Agricultural news spanning the globe
Precision fertilization is evolving—and so are the insights shaping its future. This month, we explore how variable rate application (VRA) and nutrient mapping are being used (and misused) across different geographies and farming contexts.
A critical perspective from the University of Minnesota Extension challenges the long-standing practice of basing nitrogen application solely on historical yield maps. Research shows that this method can lead to inefficient fertilization, as yield is influenced by many factors beyond nitrogen availability. The takeaway? It’s time to move beyond one-dimensional tools toward more responsive strategies.
Meanwhile in Germany, the „Precise Nitrogen“ project combines real-time sensor data, satellite imagery, and ecosystem modeling to optimize nitrogen use in winter wheat. The results are promising—but also show that success depends heavily on adapting to site-specific variables like soil heterogeneity and changing weather conditions.
And from Brazil, practical innovation shines: a local study confirms that even conventional equipment can support variable rate application—simply by adjusting tractor speed. This low-tech, high-impact approach achieved efficient fertilizer distribution and proves that precision doesn’t always require advanced machinery.
At Stenon, we take these insights a step further. Our FarmLab technology enables real-time, in-field soil analysis — delivering the most relevant data at the exact moment it’s needed. This allows agronomists and farmers to create precise nutrient maps and tailor fertilizer application based on current soil conditions, not assumptions or outdated records. The result: higher input efficiency, more sustainable practices, and increased profitability.
Because the future of fertilization is not just variable—it’s real-time, data-driven, and field-proven.
About Stenon
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Potsdam, Germany, Stenon GmbH is the global leader in real-time digital soil data. Our innovative device, FarmLab, provides essential soil insights to optimize yields, improve soil health, and reduce input costs. Designed for input retailers, machinery dealers, agricultural consultants, and food producers, we empower businesses to drive efficiency, sustainability, and success across the agricultural value chain.
More about Stenon at www.stenon.io