CropX to Provide Soil Sensing Technology for Regenerative Farming Study

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Oct. 13, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- CropX, a global digital agronomy company, has been selected to provide soil sensing technology to the Lincoln University McCain Foods NextGen Regenerative Farm. This collaboration aims to enhance water efficiency and crop management through advanced data and sensor technologies.

The project, designed as an industry-scale research program, will compare regenerative and conventional farming systems over a full potato rotation under New Zealand's growing conditions. Over the next eight years, researchers will examine how different farming practices influence soil health, crop performance, water and nutrient use, resilience, and long-term productivity. The goal is to create a robust evidence base to support future agricultural decision-making.

By combining commercial farming expertise, scientific research, and continuous field intelligence, the programme aims to generate practical evidence that helps accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture. CropX will provide its AI-powered digital agronomy platform, along with soil, actual evapotranspiration, and weather-monitoring technologies. The company's latest soil moisture monitoring Apex probes, which can measure depths of 60 and 90 centimeters depending on the crop, will be installed in all crops in the rotation. These measurements will be complemented by weather information and satellite imagery.

The project will involve trialing leading regenerative agriculture practices combined with advanced technology on high-value crops in a 1:8 potato rotation. The eight-year trial will compare regenerative practices with conventional cropping methods in a mixed farm system. It will examine soil health, soil carbon, farm inputs, integrated pest management, water use, crop yields, and profitability.

McCain Foods, a privately-owned, Canada-based global frozen food company, is committed to implementing regenerative agriculture practices across all the acreage used to grow potatoes for the company by 2030. Long-term demonstration sites such as the Lincoln University McCain Foods NextGen Regenerative Farm play an important role in validating practices under local growing conditions and sharing learnings with growers. CropX technology will support variable-rate irrigation management, provide real-time insights into soil moisture differences between treatments, and help optimize spray timing through its disease warning platform.

Lincoln University, New Zealand's only specialist university focused on the land-based sectors, has a strong reputation for education and research that supports sustainable and productive land-based systems. This project aligns with the university's mission to tackle complex global challenges facing the land, climate, and agrifood systems.

The partnership between CropX, McCain Foods, and Lincoln University represents a significant step towards advancing regenerative agriculture practices and contributing to sustainable food systems. By combining continuous field intelligence with long-term scientific research and commercial farming expertise, the project aims to generate practical knowledge that can inform the wider international discussion on productive, resilient, and sustainable food systems.