Unlocking the secrets in your soil

Hungry pests and devastating diseases lurking in the soil cost corn and soybean producers billions of dollars annually. Whether it's soybean cyst nematode (SCN), sudden death syndrome (SDS), or corn rootworms, the decision to protect a crop can be expensive.

Because Paul Sittig isn't usually concerned about SDS, he doesn't typically treat for it. So, when a report by Pattern Ag detected the fungal disease in all 500 acres he owns, the South Dakota farmer was shocked.

Developed by a team with backgrounds in science, technology, and agriculture, Pattern Ag was created to help ensure farmers are capturing a field's full yield potential based on insights that inform key crop decisions. In Fall 2021, Sittig decided to try the new platform that delivers microbial insights based on the soil's DNA.

"When I received the results, it showed that every piece of ground I owned had SDS," Sittig says. "I talked to several agronomists and seed companies, and I was told the test must be wrong because no one in our area had it."

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Second only to SCN, SDS is one of the most detrimental soybean diseases in terms of yield loss. Each year, the disease destroys an estimated 25 million bushels of soybeans in the U.S., according to the United Soybean Board. Because the nematode can be present without causing obvious symptoms above ground, yield losses attributed to SCN are often underestimated. Before Pattern Ag came along there were no methods to predictively detect pathogens like SDS before planting.

Following the science, Sittig decided to invest $10 per acre for an extra seed treatment of Saltro. Typically, his soybeans yield in the high 60s to low 70s (bushels per acre). After the treatment, his farm averaged in the mid to high 70s, with a couple of fields reaching 80 plus bushels per acre.

"Throughout the Midwest, about 25% of soybeans are being treated proactively for SDS," says Michael Tweedy, who leads commercial sales for Pattern Ag. "Our data show that about 65% of soybeans need a treatment. Growers are losing about five to 10 bushels per acre, and they don't even know it."

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What is Pattern Ag?

Founded in 2018, Pattern Ag is taking advantage of a process that has been mapping the human genome for over 20 years – DNA sequencing­ to uncover elements in the soil biology that are affecting top-end yield.

"There is a great deal known about soil nutrients, but we know very little about soil biology. It is the most complex microbiome on Earth. A typical soil sample that goes to a lab for nutrients analysis captures about 10 data points. We are collecting 10 million data points per sequencing event with our technology," says Tweedy, who grew up on a farm in southern Illinois and earned a master's degree in agronomy and crop science from Southern Illinois University. "Fifty percent of what we are picking up hasn't even been identified yet. That's how complex it is."

The company's novel pressure panel predicts and protects against the most damaging below ground pests. It's pro nutrient panel builds and balances soil nutrients to ensure optimal fertility. Finally, the performance panel protects against soil borne disease and amplifies soil biofertility.

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The predictive analytics, which are delivered through an online dashboard, drive management decisions like seed varieties, traits, hybrids, and treatments as well as insecticide and fungicide recommendations, biological products and placement, crop rotation, scouting frequency, and tillage well before planting.

"In the past, I never had crop protection and biofertility soil tests available," Sittig says. "The crop protection section helps me use specific fungicides or crop varieties where they're needed in a field. It can also help me identify when I don't need a triple stack corn for the corn-on-corn acres, which saves on input costs.

"The biofertility section helps with fertilizer stabilization and biological activity in the field," he continues. "The data helps identify whether I need to enhance the fertilizer with stabilizers or save the money because it isn't necessary. It can also help me place biological products in areas of need."

When gathering soil samples, Pattern Ag likes to follow the combine out of the field in the fall. "This gives the grower enough time to sit down with his trusted advisor to go over the risks he may be facing next year and get the seed treatments, varieties, and traits necessary to better manage those risks," Tweedy says. "If we need to, we can also take samples in early spring."

Twelve to 16 cores per 10-acre zone are pulled at a 6-inch depth. Tweedy says this is usually a bit denser than typical soil sampling protocol. "We've tested pulling deeper, and it doesn't change the amount of DNA you can extract from the sample," he says, adding that there is a very specific protocol for their samplers.

"We usually take the samples for a producer," he says. "Or if a dealer wants to take a customer's samples, then we train him."

The company is constantly expanding its database and added five new pathogens this year. "What's great about turning biology into gigabytes of data is that information is stored in the cloud forever," Tweedy says. "When we turn on a new algorithm, all past reports automatically populate for the presence of the new pathogen as well."

In 2023, Sittig not only plans to use Pattern Ag once again on the acres he owns but also the ones he rents as well. "I'm all about information and trying new things to help me gain extra bushels," he says. "Their price point is so reasonable that it just makes sense to do every single acre every year. You're paying for the soil test anyway, so why not unlock as much information as you can to figure out what you can do better to manage your farm?"

If a producer opted for both the pressure and performance panels, Tweedy says the cost would be about two-thirds of a bushel of soybeans. In about two weeks, growers have the results. Rather than market directly to a producer, the company works with a grower's trusted advisors like seed dealers, agronomists, seed companies, and input providers who utilize the tool to help him make informed decisions.

"We don't understand the very medium we place seed in," Tweedy says. "There's a saying that farmers have 40 years to guess right. We're taking so many important input decisions that are determining the success or failure of a crop and making them available very early in a predictive way, so farmers can make smarter decisions. I truly believe unlocking and mapping the soil microbiome like they did with the human genome is going to lead to the next revolution in agriculture."

To learn more about Pattern Ag, visit pattern.ag.