Radicle Agronomics announced GeoKnife, a revolutionary soil sampling device designed to simplify on-farm soil sampling.
"Soil sampling is foundational to strong yields and growers' success, but getting the best samples — samples that reduce variability without the cost of extra time — can be difficult to balance," said Eli Sloneker, support lead, Radicle Agronomics. "GeoKnife aims to make on-farm soil testing easier by increasing both soil sample consistency and on-farm efficiency."
Announced during the Radicle Summit held July 22 at Precision Planting Headquarters in Tremont, Ill., GeoKnife takes a cross section of the soil at a controlled depth, reducing the noise that can be created by nutrient stratification and hot zones created by banded fertilizer.
"In the time that it would typically take to collect six soil cores by hand, GeoKnife collects and mixes an equivalent of 48 cores," Sloneker said. "When you couple that with more soil, better depth control and consistent soil representation, GeoKnife truly brings repeatability to sample collection."
Currently in beta testing, GeoKnife will be available commercially in summer 2027, adding to the portfolio of Radicle Agronomics on-farm soil sampling and analysis products.
"Relying on outdated soil testing options to determine nutrient needs is like starting a marathon a day late -- it puts farmers at a disadvantage, especially when it comes to making purchasing decisions related to their largest annual expenditure," Sloneker said. "GeoKnife and the full suite Radicle Agronomics on-farm soil testing products can help farmers more efficiently manage their fertilizer bill."
In addition to being the first to learn about GeoKnife, farmers attending this year's Radicle Summit also had a chance to gather practical, ready-to-use strategies for optimizing fertilizer applications, understanding soil fertility data, and executing a strategic soil sampling plan.
Sessions for the day-long event covered steps to help farmers get more value from their fertilizer investment; Sample-to-Script, a new offering from Radicle Agronomics, which helps farmers simplify the soil testing process; successful strategies for fertilizer application and how new data is shaping nitrogen recommendations for the future; benefits of soil analysis; and a Q&A session.
