Tampa, Florida, Dec. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adapt-N, a leading agricultural insight platform has been awarded the grand prize for the $1 million Tulane Nitrogen Reduction Challenge, which began with 77 global entrants. Developed initially by Cornell University starting in 2002 and commercialized by Agronomic Technology Corp in 2014, Adapt-N continuously simulates field conditions through advanced modeling of crops, nutrients, water, field management practices, weather and soil.
The Grand Challenge, which was funded by New Orleans-based philanthropist Phyllis Taylor, sought solutions that could help address the presence of hypoxic dead zones around the world. The Grand Challenge team assessed yield, validated impact and practicality toward the goal of reducing the flow on nitrogen into waterways. Mike Fitts, president of Tulane, noted “The challenge set in motion some of the great minds around the work to think about an important problem.”
“Winning the challenge is a great honor. It is recognition of the global impact the Adapt-N team can make right now on global challenges like water quality and soil health while helping growers to improve their field productivity,” says Steve Sibulkin, co-founder of Agronomic Technology Corp. “It also highlights the importance of public/private partnerships, scientifically-based solutions, and advanced use of artificial intelligence to help agronomists, growers, and food companies improve outcomes.”
Harold van Es, inventor of Adapt-N and Cornell Professor that received the award on behalf of the team, stated “This is a start-off point for Governments, the scientific community, the fertilizer industry and farmers to raise the bar on nutrient management.”
What's Next?
In November, Adapt-N was acquired by Yara International adding to its suite of digital tools all intended to accomplish Yara’s mission of feeding the world and protecting the planet. Yara’s Digital Farming Unit has aggressive plans to become the leading digital platform in the crop nutrition segment. ATC will now be able to leverage Yara’s global footprint and knowledge in order to expand its existing platform into new crops and regions globally.
This will provide additional, powerful features customized to different users helping to drive usage. “This often means simplified use befitting the data, awareness, user knowledge and conditions of each market”, said Sibulkin.
Stefan Fürnsinn, Senior Vice President, Digital Farming at Yara, said “This award further validates the significant impact the platform offers growers, and the importance of digital tools in advancing the agriculture industry. It’s a powerful tool we’re very excited to bring to more growers.”
Yara and ATC will invest to expand features for growers, ag retailers, 4R’s programs (right rate, source, timing, and placement), food companies/supply chains and large-scale sustainability efforts.
Contacts
Stefan Fürnsinn, SVP Digital Farming, Yara
Tel.: +49 160 97951531
E-mail: stefan.fuernsinn@yara.com
Steve Sibulkin, Adapt-N
Tel.: +1 866 208 3276
E-mail: steve.sibulkin@yara.com
Kristin Nordal, Media Relations, Yara International
Tel.: +47 900 15 550
E-mail: kristin.nordal@yara.com
Allison Stahl, Brand & Communications, Yara North America
Tel.: +1 813 222 3832
E-mail: allison.stahl@yara.com
About Yara
Yara's knowledge, products and solutions grow farmers', distributors' and industrial customers' businesses profitably and responsibly, while protecting the earth's resources, food and environment.
Our fertilizers, crop nutrition programs and technologies increase yields, improve product quality and reduce the environmental impact of agricultural practices. Our industrial and environmental solutions improve air quality by reducing emissions from industry and transportation, and serve as key ingredients in the production of a wide range of goods. We foster a culture that promotes the safety of our employees, contractors and societies.
Founded in 1905 to solve emerging famine in Europe, today Yara has a worldwide presence, with close to 15,000 employees and sales to about 160 countries.
www.yara.com
About Adapt-N
Adapt-N is a recommendation platform that helps to address key challenges in agriculture. The solution leverages the power of cloud technology, proven science, and data to deliver large-scale, field-specific solutions that break the tradeoff between financial and environmental performance.
www.adapt-n.com
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