From Maps to Management

Turn yield data into real-world decisions.

- By Adrienne Held Agronomy Executive Editor [e-mail]

Yield maps helped highlight consistently unprofitable border strips along the woods on Zoe Kent's Ohio farm, which she enrolled in CRP.

Every fall, combines generate a flood of data — hybrid performance, field variability, and machine logs.

Yet, without calibration, cleanup, and context, those maps risk becoming little more than colorful field images tucked away in a computer.

“The data tells the story of your farm,” said Tom Verseman, digital enablement marketing lead with Climate FieldView. But yield maps are only as valuable as the action they inspire. The challenge is moving from collecting information to making management changes that improve profitability.

That's exactly how Zoe Kent approaches her family’s operation in northwest Ohio. She leans on yield maps to compare planting dates, varieties, and field trials, and to see whether her decisions are paying off. “The very first thing I use my maps for is insurance, but then I’m looking at varieties, plant dates, and any tests I've got going on in the field,” Kent said.

What Can Maps Tell Me?

Kent has run fungicide comparisons, tested application methods, and tracked nitrogen rates. “Last year, I compared two different fungicides and tested having [them] flown with a drone versus a ground rig,” she said. “I didn’t see any significant difference between the drone and the ground rig, and I didn’t see a big difference between fungicides. But I did see a huge difference between fungicide and no fungicide. In our area last year, the fungicide absolutely paid.”