How We Farm Now: Redefining Fertility With Biology and Baseline RX

For generations, farming has been rooted in a simple equation: apply fertilizer, hope for yield, repeat. Many of us were taught to think of soil like a bank account, deposit nutrients now and withdraw them later in the form of grain. But that model no longer serves today’s farmers.

The truth? Soil isn’t a bank. It’s a living, breathing system, more like a complex ecosystem than a savings account. And if we want to maximize yield potential while keeping input dollars efficient, we have to farm differently. We have to farm biologically. This is how we farm now.

From Frustration to Innovation: The Birth of Baseline RX

The origins of Agronomy 365 and Baseline RX didn’t come from theory. They came from frustration. For years prior to its creation, Jason Schley, Founder of Agronomy 365 and Josh Messer, founder of AG Intel Agronomy Consulting, worked as crop consultants, relying on standard soil tests to make fertility decisions. But those traditional tests offered little to no correlation with crop uptake or yield results.

They asked themselves, “Why do we care what the soil test tells us if it doesn’t correlate to uptake?” 

That disconnect sparked a search for better metrics, measurements that actually explained how nutrients move into the plant. Out of that pursuit came the Indicator Soil Test and the Baseline RX system, tools designed not to sell more tons of fertilizer, but to give growers clarity about what their soil can actually provide.

 

Zones Over Grids: Managing by Capacity, Not Square Feet

For decades, grid sampling was seen as the path to precision. But grids treat every two-and-a-half-acre square as equal, ignoring natural variability within the field. Baseline RX flips that model on its head.

Instead of chasing averages, Baseline breaks fields into zones based on how soil texture, topography, and water movement shape nutrient availability. By managing according to these zones, farmers move from broad guesses to targeted action. It’s farming by the foot instead of farming by the field.

The result? Lower sampling costs, more accurate recommendations, and a fertility program that mirrors how nature actually works.

Why Biology Matters: Moving Beyond the “Soil Bank”

One of the biggest shifts in how we farm now is rethinking the role of biology. Standard fertility programs often prop up soils with synthetic inputs, building a dependence that collapses if those inputs are reduced.

Baseline RX and the Agronomy 365 system, on the other hand, highlight the biological engine of the soil—carbon, microbial activity, nutrient cycling. Over time, this approach builds resilience.

“When you start managing with biology in mind, your soils naturally get better and better. Over time, your physical, biological, and energy metrics trump your chemistry metrics. That’s when fertility really cycles.” - Bodie Kitchel, Episode #47 of Crop Cast 

Instead of burning out soils with constant deposits of synthetic fertilizer, this approach primes the soil to release the nutrients already stored there.

Fertility + Seeding: A System, Not Silos

Another “how we farm now” breakthrough is connecting fertility and seeding. Traditionally, those prescriptions are designed separately: yield divided by a factor gives a seeding rate, while fertility scripts chase PPM targets.

Baseline RX unites them. Seeding rates are tied to nutrient availability and late-season fill potential, not just yield averages. By pairing fertility with plant physiology, i.e. kernel depth, kernel weight, sugar production, farmers can push yield without overcrowding or starving plants.

It’s not about more seed or more fertilizer. It’s about aligning biology, fertility, and genetics into one system..

How We Farm Now

The farming of yesterday was about pouring on fertility and hoping the soil would hold it. The farming of today, and tomorrow, is about precision, biology, and efficiency.

• We farm by zones, not grids.
• We farm for nutrient cycling, not just nutrient storage.
• We farm with biology at the center, not as an afterthought.
   

This is how we farm now. It’s not about chasing higher input costs; it’s about unlocking the natural capacity of the soil, supporting it with biology, and directing fertility where it truly pays.

For growers, that means more resilient soils, more efficient dollars, and more consistent profitability. For the industry, it means embracing a future where biology and technology finally work together to make farming more sustainable and more rewarding.

Listen to Crop Cast Episode #47 with Bodie Kitchel for another perspective on How We Farm Now.