5 Steps to Optimize Data Collection

Aug 25, 2020


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Get the most out of your technology investment and start collecting valuable insights. Data collection can provide a wealth of information about your fields, so it’s important to capture the most accurate yield data possible.   

Here are a few steps to optimize data collection for the 2021 crop year! 

1. Get a game plan.
Before harvesting this year, ensure your combine is set up with Climate Fieldview™. FieldView™ can be used year-round to make data driven decisions to maximize ROI acre by acre.  This comprehensive program allows you to collect, store, and visualize all your data in one place as well as create custom fertility and seeding plans and much more.  Climate Fieldview™ is FREE to new users through Mid-West Fertilizer for one year.  

Click here to sign-up for a free one-year subscription!  

2. Ensure data accuracy throughout harvest.
Calibrate your combine as you harvest your first field, and then again, several times throughout harvest. Calibrating your combine will help ensure you’re getting the most accurate reflection of a hybrids’ performance, allowing you to make more informed decisions going forward. 

3. Clean it up. 
Once the data has been loaded into the computer, it’s time to clean it up. Remove outliers, bad data sets, and confirm that fields are named correctly in your records. Pay close attention to signs of high and low-flow areas and faulty sensors.  

4. Review data postharvest. 
Now that you’ve collected your harvest data, it’s time to analyze. Here’s how:
  • Make note of contributing factors, such as heat, water-stress, and in-season management, to help determine why crops performed as they did. This will help you more accurately place hybrids next year.
  • Evaluate on farm trials and discuss results with your MWF agronomist. 
  • Examine yield maps to determine how field variability impacted overall margins.
  • Identify different production zones in each field and look for ways to optimize ROI in these areas. 
5. Identify key takeaways.
Now that you have cleaned and analyzed your data, it’s time to take what you have learned and apply it to this upcoming year. Bring in your harvest data and production goals to your next farm planning session with the Mid-West Fertilizer team and let us help you get a jumpstart on 2021!