Ballance Launches AI Assistant for Fertiliser Ordering
A new digital assistant is now helping Ballance Agri-Nutrients farmers speed up nutrient information and ordering.
This AI-powered platform delivers lab-quality test results and analytics in just 10 minutes, helping to speed up diagnosis and providing practitioners with the information needed to make treatment decisions protocols, or indeed, whether medicinal intervention is necessary.
The kit was initially developed as a university project by co-founders Sean Smith, Daniel Izquierdo, Tara McElligott and Jose Lopez in 2019 in response to new European legislation aimed at limiting the use of anthelmintics on farms as a preventative measure, which was prompted by concerns over a rise in anthelminthic-resistance due to the prolonged overuse and misuse of certain medications.
AI Technology Delivers Faster Parasite Detection
The ‘Micron Kit’ enables vets, farmers, and animal-health professionals to run rapid on-site parasite testing for grazing animals, using a faecal sample with a simple sample preparation method, a smartphone app, and the Micron reader.
Users receive FEC results within minutes, identify animals needing treatment, reduce unnecessary dosing, slow drug resistance, and generate shareable diagnostic reports.
The Micron Kit is being used extensively by leading veterinary practices in Europe, with the Micron Agritech team planning to bring the system to New Zealand to support farmers, veterinarians and animal health professionals to identify and treat livestock for parasites.
By providing access to rapid diagnostics, which enables more effective and sustainable treatment/no treatment decisions.
On display at this year’s Fieldays Innovation Awards in the Growth & Scale Award category, with a complementary display at the Enterprise Ireland site (D67).
