This November, Picketa Systems is celebrating its fourth year in business! From our humble beginnings in 2020, we’ve been on a mission to revolutionize how agriculture thinks about plant nutrition, and thanks to your support, we’ve grown into a company making waves across North America. As the year winds down, we’re looking back on the successes of 2024 and gearing up for an exciting showcase at the ARA Conference and Expo in Houston this December. Here’s a recap of what we’ve accomplished and a glimpse of what’s ahead.
Where We Started: The Picketa LENS
Founded in the heart of New Brunswick, Canada, Picketa Systems was built to tackle one of agriculture’s biggest challenges: getting real-time insights into crop nutrition. The Picketa LENS—our portable, real-time plant tissue analysis tool—was the first step toward that goal. Using advanced sensor technology and machine learning, the LENS analyzes leaf reflectance to estimate the nutrient content of 13 key macro and micronutrients in minutes.
With its user-friendly platform, Fieldbook, agronomists can seamlessly share data with growers, monitor trends, and make informed nutrient decisions field by field. What used to take days of waiting for lab results now happens instantly, empowering agronomists and growers with real-time data.
Four years later, the LENS is making waves across various regions in 13 U.S. states and 6 Canadian provinces, changing how farmers manage plant health. This year, 26 LENS units reached new heights:
7,635 scans across 1,819 fields
Covering over 144,700 acres
Supporting over 450 farms and 140 users
The feedback we’ve received confirms the LENS is making a real difference. Growers have shared how it’s saving time, simplifying communication, and improving nutrient management.
Watch Lloyd from Taber Home and Farms explain how the LENS has been integrated into their operations, helping them make timely nutrient recommendations and freeing up time for other tasks.
Success in Corn and a Peek at What’s Next
This year, we introduced the Picketa LENS to corn growers, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. With more than half of our LENS units used for corn scans, growers quickly embraced the technology, highlighting its speed, simplicity, and the ability to monitor real-time nutrient trends.
But we’re not stopping there. Here’s what’s on our radar for next season:
Canola and onions are next in line for calibration.
Following that, we’ll tackle wheat and soybeans, broadening our crop portfolio.
These additions reflect our commitment to providing instant, actionable insights for all major crops.
Customer Feedback: Real Results from the Field
We’ve loved hearing how the Picketa LENS has made a difference for growers and agronomists this year. Here’s what they’ve shared:
Speed & Efficiency: The quick turnaround time for results has been a game-changer, allowing growers to make decisions in minutes, not days.
Ease of Use: Many have mentioned how user-friendly the platform is, being able to navigate the scanning process smoothly. Our quick support also received top marks.
Actionable Insights: Nutrient reports and detailed graphs have helped agronomists take swift action, with many saying they’re excited to use the LENS again next season.
Watch Melissa Nelson’s team from Performance Crop Research in Kansas share how they used the LENS to streamline their corn analysis here.
What We Learned
Agriculture isn’t just about data—it’s about communication. From plants to agronomists to growers, clear insights are critical. That’s why we developed Fieldbook, our digital platform, and continued to enhance it this year with features like Custom Critical Levels, allowing growers to tailor nutrient benchmarks to specific fields, varieties, and growth stages. Critical levels are no longer one-size-fits-all—they’re tailored.
Join Us at the ARA Conference & Expo
Want to see the LENS in action? We’ll be at the ARA Conference & Expo in Houston, Texas, from December 3-5, at booth #609. This is your chance to connect with our team, explore the technology firsthand, and learn how the LENS can fit into your operation.
Stay Connected
If you can’t make it to ARA, there are still plenty of ways to stay in touch:
Subscribe to Field Notes: Our monthly newsletter covers updates, events, and ag news. Sign up here.
Follow us on TikTok: Get behind-the-scenes looks of what we are up to. Follow @xpicketa for content tailored to the ag community.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn: Find us with @PicketaSystems
Secure your LENS for 2025: With limited units available, contact us early at www.picketa.com/contact.
Join Us in 2025!
As we celebrate this 4-year milestone, we’re grateful for the growers, agronomists, and partners who’ve supported us along the way. Together, we’re making agriculture smarter, more sustainable, and more connected.At Picketa Systems, we believe in smarter agriculture through better data. Whether you’re an agronomist, a grower, or part of a retail team, the LENS is here to help you make more informed decisions and optimize yields. Together, let’s make 2025 another incredible year for agriculture.
We’ll see you at the ARA Expo in Houston—or out in the field! Cheers to 2025!
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