What cropsmith does

Cropsmith Inc. is a privately held crop research and nitrogen management consulting firm headquartered at 26693 Prairie Chapel Rd, Farmer City, Illinois. The company exists to incorporate soil nitrogen supply into nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for corn production, addressing the inefficiency of uniform-rate nitrogen application across heterogeneous soils.

The company's core technology is the Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test (ISNT), a soil-chemistry procedure originating at the University of Illinois that measures amino sugars and other organic nitrogen pools to predict a soil's capacity to mineralize nitrogen over multiple growing seasons. Cropsmith operates an independent ISNT laboratory and complements it with Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Testing (PSNT) and Pre-Plant Nitrate Testing (PPNT). Around these tests it delivers three service lines: (1) Crop Consulting, applying the Delta Yield concept and Economic Optimum Nitrogen Rate (EONR) calculation to limit applications to within +/- 40 lbs of EONR; (2) Variable Rate Nitrogen Application Planning, which converts ISNT values and nitrogen response curves into site-specific prescription maps; and (3) Custom Soil Sampling, performed with retrofitted jeeps carrying in-cab hydraulic probes capable of 3-ft cores for grid or management-zone designs. Research Services — including product development trials, promotion research, demonstration plots, and strip trials — are sold to agricultural input companies.

The firm employs 1–10 people, sells on a quote basis, and goes to market through direct-to-farmer and direct-to-ag-input relationships from a single Illinois location. Customers are U.S. corn producers (primary) and agricultural input companies (secondary). The company is independently operated with no recorded outside funding, M&A activity, or public listing.

Name

cropsmith

Legal name

Cropsmith Inc.

Website

https://cropsmith.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cropsmith Inc. is a Farmer City, Illinois-based crop research and nitrogen management firm that runs an independent Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test (ISNT) laboratory and delivers soil testing, variable-rate nitrogen prescription, custom sampling, and agricultural research services to U.S. corn producers and ag-input companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Soil Testing and Crop Consulting Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Soil Testing & Nutrient Analysis Services (AFACAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil Health & Biological Testing Services (Microbial Activity, Organic Matter, Respiration) (AFACAKAD), Salinity, Sodicity & Soil Chemistry Testing Services (AFACAKAI)

Keywords

• Nitrogen management
• Soil testing
• Crop consulting
• Variable rate application
• Agricultural research

Headquarters

HQ city

Farmer City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Soil Testing Services: Laboratory analysis of soil samples using ISNT and nitrate testing procedures. Samples are collected from 0-12 inches and 12-24 inch depths.
2. Crop Consulting: Nitrogen management recommendations and variable rate nitrogen application planning based on soil test results and delta yield analysis.
3. Research Services: Agricultural research services including product development trials, promotion research, demonstration plots, and strip trials for agricultural companies.
4. Custom Soil Sampling: On-site soil sampling services using specialized equipment, including grid sampling and management zone development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cropsmith provides soil nitrogen testing services (particularly ISNT, PSNT, and PPNT), crop consulting, and custom soil sampling to help corn producers optimize nitrogen fertilizer application rates through site-specific recommendations. The company also offers variable rate nitrogen application planning and agricultural research services, using proprietary ISNT technology and field-based sampling equipment.

Product overview

Cropsmith is a nitrogen management company offering a portfolio of soil testing and crop consulting services centered on the Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test (ISNT). The ISNT serves as the core diagnostic product, measuring organic nitrogen and amino sugars to predict soil nitrogen mineralization capacity. This integrates with Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Test (PSNT) and Pre-Plant Nitrate Test (PPNT) services for comprehensive nitrogen analysis. The company provides Crop Consulting services that apply the Delta Yield Concept and Economic Optimum Nitrogen Rate calculations, complemented by Custom Soil Sampling and Variable Rate Nitrogen Application Planning. Additional offerings include full-service Research Services covering product development, GIS expertise, data management, field observations, and specialized equipment for agricultural research trials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test (ISNT) Proprietary soil nitrogen test described as the most credible way to predict soil nitrogen mineralization. Used by corn producers to optimize nitrogen fertilizer application rates.
• Pre-Sidedress Nitrate Test (PSNT) Soil nitrate test used alongside ISNT to provide more robust nitrogen recommendations for corn producers.
• Pre-Plant Nitrate Test (PPNT) Soil nitrate test used alongside ISNT to provide more robust nitrogen recommendations for corn producers.
• Crop Consulting Customized, site-specific agronomic recommendations for corn producers, translating laboratory and soil data into actionable nitrogen and crop management guidance.
• Custom Soil Sampling Field-based soil sampling service using Cropsmith's custom hydraulic soil sampling equipment, with samples shipped to the company laboratory for analysis.
• Variable Rate Nitrogen Application Planning Planning service based on the Delta Yield Concept that creates variable rate nitrogen application maps for corn producers to optimize fertilizer inputs.
• Research Services Independent third-party agricultural research services including efficacy trials, product demonstration trials, and large-scale research agronomy work for agricultural companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60-80% of nitrogen used by crops can be provided by soil through mineralization
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Yara International (Yara Digital): Global nitrogen fertilizer manufacturer with a digital agronomy portfolio (including the acquired Adapt-N nitrogen recommendation platform). Competes in the nitrogen management space at a vastly larger scale with both product and digital offerings.
• CHS Agronomy: Major U.S. agribusiness cooperative offering agronomy services, soil sampling, and variable-rate nutrient management to its farmer-owners. Comparable end-customers (corn producers) and overlapping services at significantly greater scale.
• Nutrien Ag Solutions: Largest crop input retailer in the world, offering soil sampling, agronomic consulting, and variable-rate nutrient management to U.S. growers. Overlaps Cropsmith's nitrogen management services but operates at vastly greater scale and bundles them with fertilizer sales.
• WinField United: Crop input retailer and agronomy services arm of Land O'Lakes, offering soil testing, variable-rate application planning, and crop consulting at scale. Competes with Cropsmith for the same corn producer customer base but as part of a much broader seed, crop protection, and digital platform.

Direct peers

• Premier Crop Systems: Provides variable-rate nitrogen prescriptions, soil testing, and precision agronomy services to corn and soybean growers in the U.S. Midwestern market. Directly comparable to Cropsmith in combining soil diagnostics with site-specific nitrogen management recommendations.
• A&L Great Lakes Laboratories: Soil and plant tissue testing laboratory serving agricultural producers in the eastern U.S. Corn Belt and beyond. Comparable as a professional soil testing services competitor, with similar revenue model (lab-based testing for growers).
• Midwest Laboratories: Independent soil testing laboratory serving agricultural clients across the U.S. Midwest. Directly comparable as a soil testing service provider, though broader in analytes covered and lacking Cropsmith's proprietary ISNT focus and consulting layer.

Others

• Climate FieldView (Bayer): Precision agriculture platform from Bayer offering field-level data, variable-rate scripting, and agronomic recommendations. Adjacent to Cropsmith's prescription services as a complementary digital channel rather than a direct soil-testing competitor.

Emerging players

• Solvita (Wood End Laboratories): Soil health testing laboratory specializing in biological soil health indicators including CO2 respiration and amino sugar-based assays. Closely comparable to Cropsmith's ISNT methodology which measures amino sugar mineralization.
• 360 Yield Center: Develops nitrogen management tools, in-season sensing, and application equipment targeting corn nitrogen use efficiency. Overlaps Cropsmith's nitrogen optimization focus but from a hardware and in-season sensing angle rather than soil testing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cropsmith-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about cropsmith