Digital Agriculture Tools Enable Farmers to Make Proactive Decisions
Harvest’s yield is in the books, land leases are locked in, and the new season’s seed is ordered – if only this year’s crop were as simple as “plant it and forget about it until harvest.”
But – as all farmers know – even with the best plans in place, unexpected challenges are all too common on the farm. Farmers inevitably face a host of challenges – spring rains that won’t quit, broken equipment, a disease outbreak or a wild market swing. While digital tools can’t prevent these challenges, they can help farmers be more prepared to face them.
Farming is not for the faint of heart. And now, with the advent of digital tools, agtech, and the “smart farm” insights provided through farm management software (FMS), farmers can make better informed decisions about how to maximize productivity and head off potential problems before they erupt – even this season.
The Most Up-To-Date Data for THIS Season’s Crops
Farmers rely on their experience – and with good reason! Each challenge makes us smarter and more informed. But it’s hard to try new practices when you have limited information to consider.
Historically, most farms would set a plan, plant in the spring, then stay the course – hoping things work out with the weather and other external factors. The off-season was the time to evaluate what happened and apply lessons learned toward the future. But unfortunately, those lessons usually came with a financial impact.
I’ve worked with hundreds of farmers over the years, and we’ve spent many hours imagining “what if” there was a way to test different options and better predict outcomes. What if there was a way to make lessons learned less hard? What if farmers could use digital tools to gain in-season insights and make more real-time, informed decisions – and ultimately maximize their return on investment?
That’s exactly the kind of “just-in-time” difference that digital and FMS can make.
Digital Tools Enhance the Performance of Other Products
Digital ag is the tool that makes all the other tools work better. Everything already at a farmer’s disposal — from field management to financials — is dialed in and becomes more predictive for better outcomes.
Digital tools and FMS can help farmers evaluate their decisions from year-to-year. Did that new hybrid fail to perform last year, or was the nitrogen underapplied? Was it the soil type that boosted the soybean yield or a new management practice? Analyzing satellite imagery and other remote sensing captured throughout the year can give definitive answers for all of those hanging questions. Data taken from the farm layered with industry knowledge generates better, more predictive analysis.
Once digital creates a baseline of performance for the products and tools they have at their disposal, farmers become more productive and more efficient with their in-season management decisions. These tools are key to helping farmers improve their business by shifting from having to “wait and see” to being able to proactively “plan, monitor, adjust, and maximize.”
Enabling Better Decision Making
We all know that hindsight is 20-20. But without the right tools, most farmers have to wait until after harvest to make decisions on the next year’s crop plan. That’s really too late for the best planning.
With digital tools, farmers can evaluate the current year’s field management decisions, enabling them to make the best fall tillage and fertility management decisions for their farming operation.
With digital, farmers have the information to become better planners and executors. They can build their game plan before harvest — knowing what issues came up that year and what their yield will likely be — and be ready to hit the ground running the minute harvest is over.
Here are three tools Granular’s farm customers can apply this year to become proactive — rather than reactive — in their farm decision making:
#1 Satellite and Directive Scouting
With tools like Granular Insight’s near-daily, 3-meter satellite imagery and directive scouting, farmers can monitor ongoing crop health and use GPS to pinpoint the exact spots that need extra attention. Information is available when they need it. Rather than waiting until harvest and making the best guess as to what went wrong, disease, pests, moisture level and fertility issues can be monitored day-to-day. Even if a farmer decides not to do anything to address an in-season problem, they can still pinpoint the issue rather than guess important information for future seasons.
#2 Precision Nitrogen Management
Nitrogen rates and application timings can be adjusted for the highest yields and the most precise applications based on this year’s crop needs, not last year’s. Is there enough nitrogen left in the soil to adequately feed this year’s corn planting? Using a proprietary soils database and daily monitoring, combined with localized weather and farm-specific management plans, Granular’s nitrogen modeling tools allow farmers to precisely invest their hard-earned dollars to maximize yield.
#3 Yield Prediction
Using Granular’s Yield Predict Insight tool (released in August 2020 to selected locations), farmers can utilize satellite imagery and crop yield modeling to estimate predicted yields on each field across their operation. By layering yield predictions, farm operational financials and market projections, farmers can make an informed decision when it matters, rather than wish they had (or hadn’t) months later, when it’s too late.
Taking Back Your Farm Planning Process
The farm decision-making process completely changes once farmers add digital tools and FMS to their farm toolbox. Finally, farmers have tools to make informed proactive decisions in season.
Not only can they make smart, predictive plans, but when things do go awry — as something always does — farmers have the tools they need to:
- Spot the problem when they still have the time to address it.
- Use analytical tools to evaluate the best solution from a whole-farm operation standpoint.
FMS and digital tools take the uncertainty out of farm decision-making with real-time, in-season analytical insights, and put the reins firmly where they should be — in the hands of well-informed farmers, making proactive decisions for the benefit of their business.
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