Why Yield Data?

It’s that magical time of year again! As you fill your truck with grain this harvest, I’d like to take a minute to talk about filling your monitor with yield data. Bottom line, yield data is your report card on a multitude of production factors, including hybrid performance, fertilizer performance and others. We feel past performance is a key indicator for future performance, which is why we believe it is critical to take the time to collect the data. Here are our recommendations for capturing yield data:

• As part of your pre-harvest maintenance checks, visually inspect all flow and moisture sensors for serviceability. Also, check wiring, connectors and wiring harness mounting.
• Save time by entering all of your field names into the monitor before harvest. We also recommend using township and section numbers to identify fields.
• When you begin harvest, calibrate your monitor. This ensures that the data you capture is as accurate as possible. Check with your equipment vendor on procedures and best practices. If you have problems finding the correct resources for these procedures, contact your Helena representative.
• When you switch crops, re-calibrate your monitor. This ensures that the data you capture is as accurate as possible.
• When you finish harvest, extract your yield data from your monitor. Keep no less than two copies of the data for redundancy.

As I said before, yield data is our report card on performance. Here are the five reasons why we feel capturing this data is beneficial:

• Yield data is the most personalized and accurate data you can use to make management decisions for the upcoming year.
• There is no better way to learn about crop hybrid performance. The performance data from your field is more relevant to you than test plots from another state.
• Yield data validates agronomic practices by showing areas of success and areas that could be improved.
• Yield data gives you an opportunity to see firsthand how products and services perform. If you plan on making changes to inputs in the next growing season, this is an excellent way to evaluate those changes.
• In a sense, capturing yield data turns your entire operation into a test plot.

To sum it up, your yield data is the story of your farm. Don’t let it go unread!

- Dan Larsen, Precision Information Specialist