Lantmännen has recently committed 300 million SEK to The Lantmännen Research Foundation, a major investment in demand-driven agricultural and food research. The decision reflects a conviction that Jan-Erik Hansson, Chairman of Lantmännen’s Board and a working farmer with 1,200 dairy cows in Hälsingland, states plainly “without research and innovation, the industry cannot survive”.

No one knows their fields better than the farmer who grows them, but even the most experienced farmer does not see and understand everything. At SLU in Umeå, researchers Julianne de Castro Oliveira and Sanna Bergqvist are working on allowing satellites and sensors to complement the farmer's gaze when cultivating ley. The goal is to understand why some parts of the fields give lower yields than others. The method is based on the principles of precision agriculture and can improve nitrogen fertilization with positive effects for both the economy and the environment.

Today’s dietary advice are based on what is generally healthy to eat, but not everyone’s body works the same way. If you and a friend eat exactly the same breakfast and then measure your blood sugar every fifteen minutes, you will likely see very different curves. In one person, blood sugar rises quickly and drops just as fast; in the other, it climbs more slowly but stays elevated for longer. The same applies to blood lipids and inflammatory markers. This is the phenomenon that precision nutrition seeks to understand and translate into practice – the right diet for the right person at the right time.

Lantmännen Research Foundation opens its annual call on June 17, with a budget of 25 million Swedish kronor. For researchers thinking about applying, Helena Fredriksson, the Foundation's Research Manager, has a simple message: contact us. The Foundation is more than a funder – we can also be a working partner in the project.