We installed a 90 foot wiring harness, a moisture sensor and a mass flow sensor (which is a fancy way of saying yield sensor) in our combine. These sensors combined with our guidance system allow us to map the yields of each of our corn fields.
After we finished harvest I was able to pull all the yield data off our guidance system and load it on a computer application. The application allows me to view the yield maps on all of our harvested acres. I can use it to calibrate the yield data with actual truck load weights from the elevator. This allows for a higher level of accuracy in our maps. Another useful feature is that I can pull the US geological survey data about soil types on our fields
The benefit of having all this data is that we can look at how our farming practices, soil types and fertilizer rates affected our yields. We ran several tests this year varying fertilizer rates and chemical applications. At harvest time we were able to view the results of these tests when it matters the most - harvest.
In the future we plan to update our corn planter and we will be able to change the amount of corn plants per acre (farmers call it the plant population) from the cab of the tractor. We will also be able to create population prescriptions that will automatically change the populations rate automatically according to our predetermined values. The prescription values will be based on previous years harvest data, soil types, and elevation changes. The prescriptions can also designate the amount of fertilizer being applied before and during planting.
When we get our yield data from the subsequent years we will be able to optimize fertility and population to each field. The end goal being that we will be able to reduce our input costs while maximizing our yield potential.
-Yield Map Nerd Ryan
