App to make soil testing easier

Balance sales general manager Campbell Parker and Hill Laboratories' commercial general manager Bart Challis say an exclusive partnership between the companies will have spin-offs for farmers.

Hill Laboratories and Ballance Agri-Nutrients have formed an exclusive partnership that will give farmers faster access to new technologies.

From August 1, Hill Laboratories would be given sole rights to the Ballance co-op's soil and herbage testing.

Balance sales general manager Campbell Parker said the companies had plans to use new technology to enable reps and their farmer customers to make better nutrient management decisions using robust data.

A mobile app recently developed by Hill Laboratories was in the testing phase, he said.

"That will transform the soil sample collection process from paper to digital," Mr Parker said.

"Once officially launched later this month, the app will allow our nutrient specialists to request, via their mobile phone, soil tests from Hill Laboratories and submit all related details for testing."

Balance requested about 40,000 soil tests and herbage tests for its farming customers every year.

"The partnership between our two companies essentially allows data to be shared digitally; saving us a whole lot of paperwork and giving us both faster access to current and historical information for the benefit of the farmer," he said.

The app used GPS co-ordinates to tag soil testing results to the exact locations where samples were gathered.

"Using GPS co-ordinates our field team can enter soil sample information for each site on a farmer's property into the app, where they can easily access and compare it over time," Mr Parker said.

"Science is the backbone of our products and advice. It's really important that our farmers have access to independent soil testing information."

Hill Laboratories commercial general manager Bart Challis said the company developed the app to cater to farmers' increasing reliance on digital tools to manage their operations.

"We recognise that data-driven decision-making is more important in farming than ever before.

"This app will provide more accurate and timely information about soil components, enabling farmers to make smarter nutrient management decisions."

Hill Laboratories was a 100 per cent privately owned New Zealand analytical testing laboratory and has three major testing areas in agriculture, environmental and food.

It had sites in Hamilton and laboratories in Christchurch, Blenheim and Auckland.