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Technology pioneering in Latin America, the FarmLab, was initially implemented in rural properties located in the state of Paraná
In a few seconds, the equipment allows the farmer to access nutrient levels and soil parameters and, thus, develop a more assertive management plan for their crops
Lavoro, the first agricultural input distributor in Latin America to have its shares listed on Nasdaq, the American stock exchange, has just announced the expansion of FarmLab’s use to Mato Grosso. Pioneering technology created by Stenon, a German startup and investee of The Production Board, a San Francisco-based investment holding company and Lavoro partner since 2023, offers real-time soil analysis, a service unprecedented in Latin America.
Until then, FarmLab had been distributed by Lavoro only to rural producers in Paraná, where it began as a pilot project. Now, the company accelerates the expansion of the service, also covering producers served by Lavoro in the regions known as BR163 and South MT, both in Mato Grosso. “Currently, the tool reads nutrients like nitrogen and organic matter in seconds, but the delivery of other nutrient readings like potassium is already in its pipeline very soon,” highlights Guilherme Rosa, Corporate Marketing and Services Manager at Lavoro.
The equipment has already been available for a few years in European countries, Kazakhstan, and the United States; however, this is the first time it is being used in tropical agriculture. Its application has already brought good impacts for corn, potato, and vegetable producers in these regions.
In Brazil, through Lavoro, the technology has already served more than 200 rural producers in Paraná, with more than 50,000 hectares analyzed in the last second crop season (24/24). The main crops benefited were corn, wheat, and cotton, which are traditionally the most impacted by nitrogen levels in the soil.
Research conducted between July 29 and August 2, 2024, with rural producers from Paraná state, cultivating a variety of crops such as soybeans, beans, wheat, corn, and oats, and who participated in the pilot project, indicated that the benefits of using FarmLab were truly perceived, such as greater practicality for mapping crops, choosing the most appropriate agricultural inputs for management, and, above all, better soil uniformity for the start of planting. “The respondents, unanimously, reported that they intend to continue using the tool and would recommend it to other farmers,” celebrates the executive.
How does FarmLab work?
FarmLab enables the identification of levels of chemical elements necessary for agricultural development, such as nitrogen and organic matter, in addition to recording general soil parameters, such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity, in a few seconds.
With the technology, the measurement is performed directly on the farm, using equipment composed of optical and electrical sensors and easy to operate. The information captured by the device is stored, allowing the producer to have a record of all measurements and their diagnostics. With these analyses, the farmer can have a real-time response, allowing them to develop a more assertive management plan and even perform the necessary cultural treatments right after sampling, without the need to send the collected data to a laboratory, as is done when traditional chemical analyses are performed.
“One of the main challenges for Brazilian farmers is the lack of vital elements such as nitrogen in their crops.” A real-time analysis can immediately identify the quantities of this element present and whether replenishment is needed, ensuring productivity for the farmer and cost savings on fertilizers and other inputs,” explains Lavoro’s Corporate Marketing and Services Manager.
Still according to him, in addition to leveraging the financial aspects of production and good management practices, the use of technology has direct impacts on the environment, as it mitigates the risks of nitrogen loss, an extremely volatile element, optimizing its absorption by the plant, which contributes to the reduction of the carbon footprint and the contamination of water sources by this nutrient.
Our partnership with Stenon is fully aligned with the strategy of offering our clients tools that can increase the productivity and competitiveness of their farm. Through FarmLab, the goal is to continue delivering product recommendations tailored to each need, with the potential to minimize costs, land use, water consumption, and carbon footprint,” reiterates Rosa.
Learn more about FarmLab, by clicking here.
About Lavoro
Lavoro is the largest agricultural inputs distributor in Brazil and the first in Latin America to be listed on Nasdaq, the American stock exchange, under the tickers “LVRO” and “LVROW”. With a complete portfolio of products and services, the company empowers farmers to adopt innovative technologies and boost productivity. Founded in 2017, Lavoro has a broad geographic presence, operating in Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay, serving approximately 74,000 customers through its physical presence, in its more than 220 stores distributed across Latin America and with a team of more than 1,000 technical sales consultants, and digitally, with its marketplace. Learn more about Lavoro here.
Press Information:
Gisele Gomes Communications
Gisele Gomes | + 55 11 99103-0946