Space‑age farming: Satellites give farmers a clearer view of crop health
Out-of-this-world tech revolutionises crop management for farmers in Northamptonshire
A Northamptonshire farm is using satellite technology to monitor crop quality from space as part of a drive to cut fertiliser overuse and manage rising costs.
Agronomist Louise Penn, who grows wheat at Manor Farm on the Castle Ashby Estate, is trialling the new approach, which she says could help farmers save money and boost sustainability.
With a third of global fertiliser chemicals shipped through the Strait of Hormuz – a key route for the world’s fertiliser chemicals – fertiliser prices have climbed steeply since the war in Iran started.
Speaking about the impact of these rising costs, Penn said that farmers were already working on very tight margins. She said: “I think a lot of people assume there’s plenty of money in farming, but that’s really not the case.
''Fertiliser is one of our biggest inputs, and we have to use a lot of it.”
As an ambassador for Agri‑TechE, a not‑for‑profit organisation that connects farmers with technology companies, Penn has helped bring new innovation onto the farm. Through that partnership, Manor Farm began working with Messium, which uses satellite data to pinpoint the parts of each field most in need of fertiliser as crops grow.
Penn said: “This technique allows us to apply fertiliser only where it’s truly needed, optimising both financial and environmental outcomes.”
''Especially with what's happening at the moment – fertiliser prices have gone up massively.''
Penn explained how the satellite imagery is able to observe subtle changes in how crops reflect different light wavelengths. She explained: ''These variations provide information about the crops' chlorophyll and nitrogen levels, pinpointing areas that lack nutrients and those that are sufficient which helping avoid unnecessary spreading.''
Penn believes the method could reduce fertiliser washing into watercourses and help lower the crop’s carbon footprint. Targeting only the areas that need nutrients means “less chance of nitrates leaching” and encourages stronger, healthier growth.
The satellite data is combined with soil information and expected yields, then turned into digital maps that can be loaded into the tractor to automatically adjust how much fertiliser is applied. Penn said the system is “already having a positive impact” and could help protect farm businesses as costs continue to rise.
''Farmers are behind the curve when it comes to technology.''
Penn said it was understandable that some farmers were “a bit apprehensive” about new technology or found it difficult to use, but she had seen how even traditional farms could adapt. She pointed to her own family as an example, saying her father had embraced several of the ideas she had brought home and that it was already having “a positive impact” on their business.
She also believes that younger generations often help drive change. Her brother, who also works on the farm, had recently been looking through fertiliser plans on the computer — something her father, who “is not a computer whiz”, would normally struggle with. Penn said it showed how families could “work together across the generations” to make new technology practical on farm.
She added: “I think we’ve got to embrace this technology because, you know, if it’s going to give us more free time or it’s going to save us money, then we’ve got to look at that — because ultimately that should improve our businesses and our quality of life.”