Agriculture 2.0, data farming, digitalising agriculture. Whatever you see it being called; the spread of data in farming is very much the zeitgeist at the moment. Investors are after a piece of this revolution and start-ups are raising money as fast as they can. But who will survive? We have seen plenty of start-ups from outside agriculture coming and going.

Very smart people from MIT or NASA but digitalising Agriculture has not been as easy as they thought. There is a balance required. You cannot revolutionise an industry entirely from the outside, there is a lack of understanding of the culture and the incredibly complex biological systems in which we work. Neither can an industry revolutionise itself without looking outside. External eyes see things that we do not and bring disciplines that we do not have.

These have been guiding concepts in the way we have built SoilEssentials. Our team are a mix of people from inside and outside the agricultural sector. However, we base all our activity on farms and every member of the team touches dirt now and then. It is so vital to keep grounded. The team is approaching 30 people now (and recruiting). We like to say that we exist in the space where agronomy, software development and engineering collide. Where enthusiasm, energy and eclecticism connect. And ultimately, where we create the company we are and will become. Occupying this niche makes us unique and creates fascinating conversations.

I believe we have the correct formulae to digitalise farming from inside and out, our hands are dirty and brains are buzzing. 2019 will be our 19th year chasing this goal, we will do so with gusto and working with some amazing partners. Partners that we have worked with successfully already and also introducing several new relationships – exciting times.