Harvest Max Playbook

Contents
Basis for Precision Farming
What key decisions can we make?
Why Precision Farming?
Why Harvest Max?
Membership Responsibilities
Membership Investment

A. Basis for Precision Farming
Mechanized agriculture has allowed the farmer to focus on field-sized plots (whole fields) and become more efficient balancing labor and input costs with the amount of workable land they could farm.
Focus: Operational efficiencies to increase ROI.

Where we are…Why Precision Farming?
Today’s technology enables us to capitalize on those operational efficiencies and increase our focus on identifying, quantifying and managing the crop yield variables in smaller plots (fields within fields).
Focus: Achieving a balance between operational and agronomic efficiencies for maximum ROI.
40-160+ Acres Traditional Mgt. 1/10-1/100 Acre Precision Mgt.

The Building Blocks of Precision Farming Global Positioning Systems Geographic Information Systems Direct & Remote Sensing Variable Rate Technology Yield Monitors Precision Navigation Precision Data Management Software

What is GIS and why is it important?
GIS is a management tool that allows users to create queries, analyze the spatial information, edit data, create maps, and present the results of all these operations.
These “layers” of data include:
Planting dates, populations, speed, variety or hybrid
Soil Maps
Soil Type, Texture, Class, CEC
Fertility (N, P, K, ….), pH, Organic Matter
Yield Maps
Aerial Photos
Remote Sensing Data
“ As-Applied Maps”
Weather
Etc.

Our GIS Data Management Solution
Premier Crop Systems ®
premiercrop.com TM is an online database structure that allows you to see the relationship between all the layers of data that you can collect including previously hidden relationships.
Provides analysis at the field and grower level and across thousands of confidentially pooled acres.
It helps us turn reams of field data into data-backed management decisions to find the most efficient balance between the highest possible yield and the lowest possible cost.

Analysis/Reports Available
Field Level
Field Maps, Variety by Soil Type, Field History, Field Top Ten, Multi-year Field History, Top Performers
Grower Level
Grower Top Ten, Farm History, Average and Variance Reports
Variety Profile – runs on any level
Search Engine – unlimited queries/data mining on any level or combination

An Example of a “Field Top Ten Results” Report

B. What Key Decisions Can We Make?
Better P and K management
Refining planting rates including variable rate within fields
Hybrid and variety selection – matching genetics to each field’s unique agronomic environment.
Better agronomic recordkeeping & cost per bushel analysis.
Better Nitrogen management including variable rate within fields.

1. Better P and K management
University recommendations are the cornerstone of P and K management BUT isn’t it possible to do better?
If we have the tools, doesn’t it make sense that there isn’t one perfect PPM number that fits every acre , every producer’s management ability or risk tolerance?
Data from thousands of acres and more than six crop years is proving that we can do better than a “one-size-fits-all” approach to P and K fertility management. Fertility and yield data are cornerstones to producing higher yields.

Two ways to view the same data
What is the average fertility level in my low yield or high yield areas?
Answered in Field and Grower Top Ten Reports.
What is the average yield in my low fertility or high fertility areas?
Answered in Field and Farm History Reports.

From Grower Top Ten Report

2. Refining planting rates
The economics of variable planting rates:
Triple stacked corn for >$200/bag = $2.5 per 1000 seeds, therefore 5000 seeds = $12.50/acre.
Many fields have areas that produce at 36,000 other areas that 29,000 is the correct rate.
More variability = more opportunity.
premiercrop.com TM Search Engine allows us to determine optimum planting rates on different soil types, agronomic practices and genetics.

Variable Rate Planting Recommendation

Example of Report Showing Results

3. Hybrid and variety selection – matching genetics to each field.
Ever faced the situation where a particular hybrid or variety is your best and also your worst?
Even in the same field?

Multiple Variety Placement Offensive Offensive Offensive Defensive Defensive Defensive Defensive Blend

The Variety Profile tool
Allows us to see how a hybrid or variety performed across different variables.
Variety Profile Report
Top Performers Report
The Search Engine

Hybrid and variety selection
Group data can be powerful also can be limited if the growing environment is not adequately quantified.
Easy to provide apples to oranges comparisons
Yield by hybrid by soil type is a good start

Hybrid and Variety selection
Yield by Hybrid = a starting place
Yield by Hybrid by Soil Type = better
Yield by Hybrid by Soil Type by pH, P, K = better still
Yield by Hybrid by Soils by Soil Test Values by RM by Traits by Population by Rainfall by Applied N by Plant date by previous crop by row width = closer to an apples to apples comparison

Soil Taxonomy
“All soils are placed in one of eleven orders depending on the horizons (basically a combination of OM, pH, clay or sand) present in the profile. The goal is to group soils so that all soils in the same group share similar properties, modes of development and management potentials and limitations”.

Soils Family Tree
Soil Type
Great Group (parents)
Sub Order (grand parents)
Order (great grand parents)

Variety by Soil Type Report

18 bu/ac avg. difference top 50% vs. bottom 50%

210.54 198.63 190.18

4. Recordkeeping & Cost/bushel Analysis
Premier Crop tools – Field History Report and Search Engine
New Multi-year Grower Reports

5. Refining Nitrogen Rates
How do we convert data into a future VR nitrogen decisions?
200 bushel yield goal x 1.2 = 240# of N – less 45 # N for legumes = 195 # N
Starting place for 1st year corn = 1# of N/bushel produced.
How can we do better?

Nitrogen management
N management complexities can be broadly separated into two primary issues:
Accurately estimating how much nitrogen from all sources is available
Identifying and managing factors that influence N plant uptake – largely ignored by most.

The Nitrogen Cycle Atmospheric nitrogen Atmospheric fixation and deposition Animal manures and biosolids Industrial fixation (commercial fertilizers) Crop harvest Volatilization Denitrification Runoff and erosion Leaching Organic nitrogen Ammonium (NH 4 ) Nitrate (NO 3 ) Plant residues Biological fixation by legume plants Plant uptake Immobilization Mineralization Input to soil Component Loss from soil - + 78% of the air we breathe and the source of N for fertilizers OM = 5% N – an acre foot of 2% OM = 4000#N. 4% OM = 8000#N 1 - 3% organic N is converted to plant usable N – 80# - 240#

What might Soil N contributions be: High-3% Normal-2% Low – 1% 360# 240# 120# 6% OM 12000# 300# 200# 100# 5% OM 10000# 240# 160# 80# 4% OM 8000# 160# 120# 60# 3% OM 6000#

Nitrogen management
OM can be a logical next step in VR N formulas. Within a field, won’t the 4% OM mineralize more N than the 2% OM every year?
Past problem is lack of spatial measurement – dramatic improvement with grid sampling. OM is the unused portion of the grid sample.

Yield by Total N Rate by OM ’00-’05 min. 80 bu/ac – 230,992 acres 18,613 ac 59,390 ac 91,545 ac 31,171 ac

if ( ( OM < 2.5 ) and ( K < 200 ) and ( pH > 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 28 ) elseif ( ( OM < 2.5 ) and ( K > 200 ) and ( pH > 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 25.5 ) elseif ( ( OM < 2.5 ) and ( K > 200 ) and ( pH < 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 28 ) elseif ( ( OM < 2.5 ) and ( K < 200 ) and ( pH < 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 31 ) elseif ( ( OM > 2.5 ) and ( OM < 4 ) and ( K < 200 ) and ( pH > 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 25.5 ) elseif ( ( OM > 2.5 ) and ( OM < 4 ) and ( K < 200 ) and ( pH < 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 28 ) elseif ( ( OM > 2.5 ) and ( OM < 4 ) and ( K > 200 ) and ( pH > 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 23 ) elseif ( ( OM > 2.5 ) and ( OM < 4 ) and ( K > 200 ) and ( pH < 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 25.5 ) elseif ( ( OM > 4 ) and ( K < 200 ) and ( pH > 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 23 ) elseif ( ( OM > 4 ) and ( K > 200 ) and ( pH > 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 20 ) elseif ( ( OM > 4 ) and ( K > 200 ) and ( pH < 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 23 ) elseif ( ( OM > 4 ) and ( K < 200 ) and ( pH < 5.7 ) ) then apply ( 25.5 ) else apply ( 25.5 ) endif VR formulas will be more complex

Future N Matrix Population and Genetics Calcium Soil Test K Applied K Soils/Drainage/pH/Compaction/ Low fertility N Rate Organic Matter ASNT Weather N Timing Previous Crop/ Manure

C. Why Precision Farming?
Weather and soil are critical but management is still the key.
Profits are still heavily tied to production.
Correlating information from “fields within your fields” can increase your profits.
“ You can’t save yourself into prosperity.”
“ You can spend yourself poor, but you can’t save yourself rich.”

D. Why Harvest Max?
Harvest Land identified a need for their growers to have a partner throughout the entire cycle.
Information
Experiences
Options
“ a team approach…it’s helpful…so there are two minds working on this, confident that they’re doing it right…chart a game plan and have an optimistic attitude, that’s the way to go.”
Gyles Randall, University of Minnesota Extension soil scientist.

Your Partner in Precision Agriculture… Best Use of New Technology and Tools Latest in Precision Ag Information and Seminars Precise Fertility Management Recommendations Grid Sampling & Geospatial Soil Testing Ground Truthing Increased Profitability Accurate Data Collection and Correlation to Yield Better Seed Selection and Planting Your Membership in Harvest Max

E. Member Responsibilities
Commit to Precision Farming management practices:
Yield mapping or monitor w/ GPS.
Ability to export yield files as a “shapefile”.
Ag Leader, Voyager, GreenStar, GreenStar 2.
Check with us to verify others.
Geospatial soil test (Current grid sample data).
Keep accurate planting and harvesting data.
Provide management information.
Invest in the process and the outcome.

What’s the Data Collection & Flow?
Grower, Farm, Field hierarchy
Geo-referenced Field boundaries
Soil Sample data files
Soils data
Specific Planter data – Planting points and information
VR Fertilizer data
Specific Field information – planning, costs, etc.
Weather data – external source
Yield Maps
Analysis Reports

F. Member Investment
Bronze Package :
10 acre zone sampling every 4 years
Data Management
$4.75/acre/year
Gold Package:
4.4 acre grid sampling every 4 years
Data Management
Ground Truthing
Newsletter updates
Year-end annual conference
$5.00/acre/year
Platinum Package:
2.5 acre grid sampling every 4 years
Data Management
Ground Truthing
Newsletter updates
Year-end annual conference
$5.50/acre/year

Accurate Information, Compelling Insights
The real breakthroughs that help our members come from looking beyond the numbers. Accurate information is just the beginning. Through our work across thousands of acres and our partnership with the most progressive and business-minded producers in the area we are able to assist our growers not only in the better collection of sub-field data but also in the awareness of the implications of that data and in the development of the insight needed to make the business decisions that allow them to maximize their precision farming production and capture lost potential income.

Harvest Max Playbook

by HarvestLandCooperative on Oct 21, 2011

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