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Founded in 1999 by two Scottish farmers, Robert Ramsay and Jim Wilson, SoilEssentials is a technology company that specialises in precision farming equipment.

Early pioneers of tools such as GPS and optical sensors for recording crop growth, the pair are helping growers achieve better returns through efficient crop management (agronomy), compliance in their environmental practices (via accurate crop input targeting) and improved crop output.

Building systems to enable clients to interrogate the data collected from multiple pieces of farming equipment across a range of disparate formats, SoilEssentials is helping farmers to make practical and beneficial field decisions.

Grass-roots innovation

The business is built on employing innovation in conventional farm businesses. By constantly seeking and implementing new technologies, like harnessing the power of ‘the cloud’, its renown in the sector has attracted some iconic partnerships.

Collaborating with the European Space agency, SoilEssentials works to capture and deliver satellite imagery to farmers and has also partnered with a number of Scottish research organisations, including the James Hutton Institute, SRUC and the UK Government’s Innovate UK initiative.

Nurturing opportunities

Increasingly, farms are relying less on labour and more on technology. SoilEssentials supply solutions for this changing landscape – the precision tools and agronomy services that are essential for modern day business success.

By providing tools that enable farms to become more efficient, SoilEssentials are helping farmers to produce more commercial yield from their finite crops whilst remaining compliant with legislative, environmental and audit requirements.

Our rural support services have helped SoilEssentials to overcome some of the significant challenges which face country-based businesses.

A graduate of our rural leadership programme, Robert Ramsay believes the connections he made as part of the course have given him an edge. This network has resulted in collaboration discussions, peer-to-peer mentoring and heightened market awareness.

He believes that access to, and opportunities within, the wider industry have arisen as a result of this – allowing the business to focus on cutting-edge R&D and technology partnerships.

And now, as one of 12 participants on the current ‘Harvesting the Growth’ programme, he feels encouraged to explore new opportunities for his wider business interests and become bolder and less restricted in his planning.

Harvesting success

With a turnover of £2 million and an employee count of 22, SoilEssentials continue to flourish.

Investing in an SAP system that will grow with both the business and its people, SoilEssentials is looking toward a bright future – with new product and service technology, based on cutting edge innovations in The Cloud and satellites, as well as advances in agronomy, data management and interrogation.

Taking the next step

Discover our leadership support