In this issue of Sustainability Today, we are pleased to feature Navigate Eco Solutions Ltd as our Nutrient Management Company of the Month.
Established in 2021, Navigate Eco Solutions Ltd (NESL) is a joint venture business between Compass Agronomy Ltd and Orbital Software Solutions Ltd, with Alli Arden providing farm advice and Ian Cocks leading software development.
Based in the Northwest of the UK, near Chester, NESL has produced NavigatePro, a simple digital solution for livestock and arable producers who wish to improve the efficiency of their production, optimise key inputs, and move towards more sustainable management practices.
Used by businesses and independent advisors across England and Wales, NavigatePro has a unique integrated approach, combining nutrient planning requirements with delivery of vital insights into maximising enterprise productivity. Aimed at growers and advisors alike, NavigatePro simplifies the complex management of cropland and natural resources by streamlining inorganic and organic inputs, helping match fertiliser products to crop needs.
The software also produces all the compliance reports that farmers require by law and are inspected against, on an annual basis.
Whilst enabling all farm business types to save money and also protect the wider environment, NavigatePro has a particular applicability to the livestock sector. Alli and her team believe this sector is under-serviced with digital solutions and is in need of greater support in terms of better management of nutrients from both organic and inorganic sources.
“The livestock sector is also generally carbon intensive, so by pushing farmers to making simple changes such as switching to a different fertiliser product, we can make a difference to their farm’s carbon budgets,” added Alli.
NESL has recently developed new functionality to help farmers select and apply fertiliser products that are best suited to their specific farming systems. Working with associated environmental metrics, including GHG intensity, ammonia-N mitigation, NavigatePro also helps minimise excess nutrients in the natural environment due to product choice.
Building on the success of NavigatePro – which has already begun to break the cycle of traditional, habit-driven management decisions—NESL has introduced the Fertiliser Optimiser Tool. This new feature enhances NavigatePro by streamlining nutrient management planning, ensuring farmers choose the most appropriate fertiliser products. It also enables reporting on greenhouse gas emissions, supporting more sustainable and informed decision-making on the farm.
“The tool automates nutrient management by matching fertiliser products to the crop’s actual nutrient demand. This avoids applying products with unsuitable nutrient ratios and over- or under-supply of essential nutrients. It also ranks the best-matched products based on their greenhouse gas (GHG) intensities and the risk of excess Phosphate and Ammonia-N emissions, both in terms of embedded and field emissions. This allows farmers to choose products that minimise nutrient loading risks and carbon intensity.
“No other ag software offers this level of automated nutrient planning. We’ve collaborated with RSK ADAS, a respected research organisation, to ensure the Fertiliser Optimiser Tool maintains technical and agronomic integrity.”
Furthermore, the Fertiliser Optimiser Tool is advantageous in helping better manage all nutrients on farm and ensuring farmers keep their compliance obligations updated each year for NVZ and farming rules for water.
NESL’s extensive database covers a wide range of fertiliser products available in the UK market, and its continually expanding. “Most fertiliser suppliers support our independent approach and are keen to have their products included—many are already carbon footprinting their operations and products,” stated Alli.
What’s more, based on advice from the AHDB RB209 nutrient management guide, there is scope for farmers to complete nutrient planning for themselves. If you are a farmer and need guidance on nutrient management, NavigatePro can connect you with a team of advisors who can provide independent advice and create nutrient plans and compliance reports on your behalf.
As a startup company that has only been in the market a few years, NESL aims to be part of the transition towards lower carbon food production that the Arable and Livestock industries are adopting. With its unique, purpose-built revolutionary products and systems. NavigatePro and the Fertiliser Optimiser Tool have both made incredible changes to the running of farms, helping advisors and farmers to automate processes and remove any sustainable ramifications.
NavigatePro has also been invaluable in helping farmers access Sustainable Farming Incentive funding (SFI) which subsidies nutrient management advice. We asked Alli what else is expected from NESL in in terms of additional products & services.
“We have a comprehensive development plan in place that focuses on enhancing the current user experience and adding new usability features based on user feedback. As part of this roadmap, we also aim to integrate with other small agri-tech software providers who currently lack nutrient management functionality – creating a more connected and efficient ecosystem. The Fertiliser Optimiser Tool, will also be further developed to include more crops, such as potatoes, sugarbeet, soft and top fruits and field vegetables.”
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contact@navigateecosolutions.com
www.navigateecosolutions.com