We were first introduced to Kellogg’s Origins through European Food and Farming Partnerships (EFFP), led by Duncan Rawson. Map of Ag had been developing a carbon soil sampling service through the Precision Decisions specialist team and developing different ways to target nitrogen use and how these services can help farmers and grower groups with use efficiency.
The Kellogg’s Origins programme is a global initiative that works with farmers to improve their economic and environmental performance. EFFP had managed the UK Origins programme for Kellogg’s since its inception in 2013, and had recognised that nitrogen use on farms was a key issue, and the largest carbon liability for cereal crops. Keen to help their growers improve their nitrogen use and reduce their carbon footprint, Kellogg’s partnered with Map of Ag, to tackle this challenge.
The key objective of the project was to develop a straightforward tool for farmers to understand their overall crop performance with a focus on measuring, managing and mitigating nitrogen losses.
“Understanding the challenge from the farmers perspective is vital when trying to improve farming practices to meet agri-food industry objectives. We work with a range of farmers and recognise what is needed to make successful changes which provide benefits to all parties. Kellogg’s Origins is focused on sustainable growing, which is well-aligned with our developments in Agri-Tech solutions, making us a great fit for their partnership needs.” Clive Blacker, Head of Arable Produce, Map of Ag.
Working with the grower group we provided a framework for benchmarking clear nitrogen use efficiency on grown crops using historic data. Following this we implemented a measurement technique and infrastructure to aid recommendations of nitrogen to improve use efficiency. This technique is not only simple to use but also helps farmers make better use of fertiliser, which benefits their margins, while reducing environmental losses.
“Clive and his team brought leadership, a practical approach and vast industry knowledge to the project. We were looking for a trusted partner for this project. The expertise within the team at Map of Ag has allowed us to build a strong working relationship and progress on our journey of reducing nitrogen use and its corresponding carbon footprint.” Duncan Rawson, EFFP.
With the success of the initial project stages, we have continued to work with Kellogg’s Origins to further refine our digital system providing proven benefits and support throughout the process. We look forward to continuing this relationship, which is providing benefit to the farmers, enabling benchmarking groups to form, and driving efficiency.
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