Make time for farm data management

by Thomas Harrington

Now that the harvest season is wrapped up and most machinery is put away for the winter, it’s the perfect opportunity to start thinking about what data might be available on your farm machinery in-cab displays.

Many modern tractors, sprayers, and combines have some type of display mounted in the cab that collects valuable field information – sometimes it can be as simple as enabling the recording feature. Sprayers and spreaders can collect as-applied application maps, combines can collect yield and moisture maps, and tractors can sometimes even collect fuel-usage maps. Your machine could be collecting this type of data and you might not even be aware of it!

For those just diving into precision agriculture and data collection, yield information can be some of the most valuable type of data to begin collecting. Yield monitors go beyond telling you what the total yield is from a field and can tell you precisely where the high- and low-yielding areas of the field are. This information can be used to determine profitability, create management zones, evaluate variety performance, and estimate nutrient removal at harvest.

While the data can be highly valuable, it’s important to make sure it’s collected accurately. Combine mass flow sensors must be calibrated for each crop type at least once per season to ensure accuracy. This may seem like an added hassle during harvest, but it’s essential to make sure your data is reliable. In any given year, various factors such as weather and pests may cause yield variations across a field. However, having at least five years of yield data from a field can start to give you an idea of where the high- and low-yielding spots of the field tend to be. This can help when correcting conditions that consistently cause areas of low yield, such as poor drainage, poor fertility, and pH deficiencies.

Sprayers and spreaders can collect as-applied product application maps that can be used for record-keeping and to help identify field problems. Troublesome areas in a field may be linked to an over- or underapplication of product that can be easily determined by looking at a product application map. These types of maps can also be useful when testing out different products or rates to determine if there’s any effect on yield by comparing the data with yield maps.

The most important part of collecting good data starts in the office before any machinery hits the field. It can be time-consuming to enter information in the cab, but a lot of this work can be done ahead of time in the off-season at the computer. Most display manufacturers offer some sort of online software tool that you can use on your computer to enter information such as your fields, crops to be planted, and pesticide and fertilizer product names.

It can very difficult and time-consuming to fix mistakes after data is collected, so it’s important to make sure all operators are properly trained. Many newer displays and equipment offer automatic and wireless data transfer, eliminating the need to transfer data with a USB stick and reducing opportunities for data loss.

Now is the perfect time to start looking ahead to what data you could collect next season and in the near future. Begin with what you currently have for machinery and displays, and start thinking about a long-term plan for data collection and management. A good place to start might be collecting valuable yield data and begin building gradually from there.

Good data enables good decisions, so perhaps take a few minutes this winter to think about how you might be able to use agronomic data more effectively on your operation.

(Thomas Harrington is an agriculture technology specialist with Nova Scotia’s Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.)