Location: Zhytomyr and Vinnytsia Regions
Land Bank: 29,000 ha
Main Crops: corn, soybeans, winter wheat, sugar beet
Start of Cooperation: 2014
Technologies: comprehensive field agro-diagnostics, precision farming, MyAgriLab Agronomist Portal
Cygnet Agricultural Holding consistently ranks among the leaders in agricultural ratings — in terms of yields, financial performance, and innovation. Such consistently strong results demonstrate that success in agribusiness is not a matter of luck, but the result of a systematic approach.
It was this systematic approach to farming that brought Cygnet Agricultural Holding and AgriLab together five years ago. In agriculture, every detail matters. It is a complex system made up of thousands of interconnected elements. A key prerequisite for successful crop production is access to accurate data and precise calculations. That is why Cygnet relies on data from comprehensive field agro-diagnostics conducted using AgriLab’s proprietary algorithm.
“We started working with AgriLab in 2014,” said Yurii Boridchenko, Deputy Director for Crop Production at Cygnet. “Today, many companies offer this type of service, but most of them have certain limitations. For example, some have excellent laboratories but do not collect soil samples themselves — someone may send in a sample from 1 hectare, while someone else may send one from 1,000 hectares. They perform high-quality soil chemical analyses, but the results may not accurately reflect the actual field conditions, because 80% of the reliability of a soil chemical analysis depends on proper sampling. A significant number of farms still use this approach: local agronomists collect the samples and take them to laboratories for analysis. However, it is often simply impossible to apply the results they receive correctly across the entire land bank because the soil samples were collected incorrectly.
“One of the reasons we turned to AgriLab was not only its significantly greater practical experience in soil chemical analysis and research, but also the fact that the company collects soil samples itself, following a proper sampling methodology. AgriLab conducted the first comprehensive agro-diagnostics of our land bank in 2014. We used the recommendations provided for four years. Experience has shown that when weather conditions are favourable and, above all, there is sufficient moisture, following AgriLab’s recommendations allowed us to achieve our planned yields. This demonstrates the quality of the service provided by the company.”
Comprehensive field agro-diagnostics is a specialized algorithm for studying a field and determining its natural yield potential. The first stage involves collecting soil samples with an automated GPS-guided sampler according to a predefined sampling grid. The samples are then analyzed for a comprehensive range of soil chemical parameters at Ward Laboratories in the USA. Weather and climatic data, critical factors affecting crop development, field history, and other parameters are also analyzed. Combining all these data makes it possible to determine the field’s natural potential and develop individualized recommendations.
“In 2019, we turned to AgriLab again to conduct a second round of field assessments with more clearly defined parameters,” Yurii Boridchenko noted. “We are gradually transitioning to variable-rate fertilizer application, and AgriLab conducted the assessment using a 10-hectare sampling grid and helped us develop prescription maps. So, since last autumn, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers have been applied across approximately 4,000 hectares according to the variable-rate application program. We will see how much this affects yields this year and in the years to come, and whether the variable-rate application system meets our expectations for increasing field productivity.”
Digitalization
Cygnet Agricultural Holding is steadily moving toward digitalization, keeping pace with modern global trends in agribusiness. One of the digital tools used by the holding is the MyAgriLab Agronomist Portal, which enables the company to collect, visualize, and process field data.
Yurii Boridchenko explained how this tool benefits an agronomist’s work.
“How useful and supportive is the MyAgriLab system for a specialist? First of all, it saves a significant amount of time. When you have an Excel file, you have to perform all the calculations manually, and you do not have the kind of analytics at your fingertips that the MyAgriLab system provides today. You can now download the entire dataset, review overall trends in nutrient availability, group fields or select a specific field, create a nutrient management plan much faster, and even assess the economics — which approach makes more sense: working toward the potential yield or following the recommendations.
“The reason is that targeting the potential yield requires a significant increase in fertilizer expenditure to achieve it. When you calculate the costs, this can translate into millions of hryvnias in additional expenses. So you need to make a choice: perhaps on certain areas it makes sense to use a nutrient management system designed for the potential yield, while elsewhere it may be more appropriate to use a planned-yield approach based on the farm’s economic capabilities.
“So, this is an extremely useful tool, and we believe that AgriLab is currently the most professional provider of services in the fields of soil chemical surveys and precision farming.”
We wanted to share this assessment from Yurii Boridchenko, a well-known specialist whose opinion carries considerable weight in agricultural circles — and, frankly, to show it off a little! But his words left one question unanswered: did the expectations from implementing variable-rate fertilizer application actually prove justified?
Precision Farming
Recently, Cygnet officially announced that the holding plans to scale up variable-rate fertilizer application across all its cultivated areas:
“Previously, we were experimenting with the technology and evaluating its potential, but starting this year, we are using it on a permanent basis. We have already received prescription maps for variable-rate application of phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and zinc. By mid-September, more than 3,000 hectares of arable land had been prepared for sugar beet planting. As fields become available for primary tillage, variable-rate mineral fertilizer application will also be carried out there for all crops in our crop rotation.”
Yes to precision farming!
“One of the reasons we turned to AgriLab was not only its significantly greater practical experience in soil chemical analysis and research, but also the fact that the company collects soil samples itself, following a proper sampling methodology. AgriLab conducted the first comprehensive agro-diagnostics of our land bank in 2014. We used the recommendations provided for four years. Experience has shown that when weather conditions are favourable and, above all, there is sufficient moisture, following AgriLab’s recommendations allowed us to achieve our planned yields. This demonstrates the quality of the service provided by the company.”
