N-Sense is organized around use of a new, robust solid-state, mid-infrared spectrometer mounted on a fertilizer applicator as a sensor continuously measuring soil nitrate levels and using that information to modulate side-dress N Fertilizer application rates in real-time as the fertilizer applicator moves through a field. Typically, farmers are applying a uniform (average) rate of N fertilizer across their fields though the supply of N already in the soil varies substantially across the field. N-Sense technology will allow farmers to put N fertilizer only where it is needed - not where it is not needed. The benefits to the farmer of this change are twofold: (1) increased crop yields and (2) substantial savings in N fertilizer costs (10- 50% depending on soil, climate, and management). An important added benefit of use of the technology is a significant reduction in nitrate runoff from fields to surface and ground water - reducing nitrate pollution of water resources while also lowering the risk of fertilizer being regulated by Clean Water Act
