SWAT 014: A More Detailed Approach with Anita Renwick of A1 Agronomy

SWAT Agronomy

A1 Agronomy owner and operator Anita Renwick joins us to discuss her independent agronomy business in Manitoba. A1 provides soil sampling programs and in-season agronomy services in the southwest corner of the province as well as parts of southeast Saskatchewan. Born and raised on a mixed cattle and grain farm in Southwest Manitoba, Anita studied agronomy at the University of Saskatchewan. She ultimately decided to start A1 Agronomy for growers interested in maximizing the yields and looking for unbiased advice. She shares the need she saw for independent agronomy in the area, how she is helping some farmers adopt precision agriculture for the first time, and what a difference this more detailed approach is making in yields and profitability.

“That's just an example of being able to add complexity to the decision making and just really bring in the detail on those specific fields, because it's not every single field that's going into this crop that's getting this treatment. It's just the fields where this is relevant and this is a potential issue and we're trying to ensure that we do everything that we can to get the yield that we think is possible out there. So yeah, just a more detailed approach.” - Anita Renwick

2:12 - Meet Anita Renweck and explore the background she had which led her to founding A1 Agronomy

4:22 - Explore the unique benefits in hiring an independent agronomist and how the SWAT Maps program can augment their offerings

5:32 - Learn about the crops Anita primarily works with and what determines which crop is best suited for the area

6:29 - Explore the introduction of precision agriculture to producers in the area who might not be using it yet and what makes it appealing to their operations

10:50 - Understand the journey to incorporating precision agriculture in an operation and how Anita navigates that with her clients through data

11:39 - Learn about the biggest challenges Anita faces along side her clients including salinity and how precision agriculture has affected its management

16:45 - Discover the success Anita has found with precision agriculture in her business

18:44 - Explore what the future holds for A1 Agronomy and the challenges Anita expects to face

20:20 - Understand the growth of A1 Agronomy overtime and the team Anita has cultivated

23:09 - Look to the future with Anita and where she expects technology and producer needs to go

Check out what Anita is up to at a1agronomy.ca or on twitter @a1agronomy