What Type of Data should you Collect for Farm Analytics?

Do you ever feel like you are collecting loads of data but it’s just sitting on a flash drive or in a cloud storage system doing little more than building a pretty map? Organizing and analyzing that data can seem like such a daunting task. Before you even get to organizing the data you need to figure out what data is worth collecting. With the help of a Premier Crop Advisor we help you prioritize your data and use farm analytics to make more confident decisions using your data.

data storage

Farming includes many hours planning what seed to buy, how much fertilizer to apply, what rates to apply, and above all, you are playing a never-ending game of risk with mother nature. What if all that planning was paired with the confidence that you are making the best decisions with the right products and the right rates for your fields?

Throughout the season, when you are executing your meticulously thought out plan, you are often collecting valuable data that can be used to make decisions for next year. Layers and layers of data that can be used and analyzed. The piece that many growers miss is analysis–proving if your plan did or didn’t work. What type of data are we talking about?

Many base layers for analysis come from publicly available sources, such as the USDA soils database.  It’s a great start, but we move beyond the basics. Historical yield is a great way to visualize the performance of your field over the years. What has your equipment or the applicators’ equipment been tracking? Have you been soil sampling? What does your crop protection plan look like?

Use this list for a starting point of your valuable data:

  • Soil Samples
  • As-Applied (planting, nutrient and crop protection) Data
  • Harvest Files
  • Input Cost Data

Whether your data is stored in a cloud storage service, on your monitor, in your computer, or sitting with your local soil sampler, we make collecting your data easy and help you track it down. Once we have the data, our agronomic advisors analyze all the data layers to guide you to make confident decisions to maximize your profit. Without having to allocate extra time, you can take advantage of the many reports, analytics and visualizations that will help you take a deeper look at your operation.

breakeven cost per bushel price of corn

When your data is organized in our system it is ready to be analyzed and your reports are activated. An advisor will help you prioritize what aspects of your operation you should focus on. Depending on your operational goals, the data will help show you how you can achieve them. We know each operation is different and we work with you as a part of your team to help you reach the goals you’ve set. What sets us apart is that we are unbiased.  We offer a different perspective–it’s your bottom line we’re worried about. We help you find your breakeven cost per bushel and can also help you find your yield efficiency score so you can profit.

yield profitability and yield efficiency

 

Utilizing the correct data can help you determine if all those stressful choices were profitable and most importantly, if the data is telling you to change some practices to help achieve your goals. We understand that your goals and how you manage your operation are also constantly evolving.

dataview web

 

You can take all the data you’ve gathered and combine it with your economics to help you visualize where in your fields your decisions are profiting or not. By choosing to manage all of your data and allowing a Premier Advisor to stand by your side, you have the tools to make confident, agronomic and economic decisions that best fit your field, your operation and your future.

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