The technology having the greatest impact on farmer productivity has historically been understood as seed and plant genetics. In the past, data and data analytics haven’t been considered meaningful for improving farm results.
But that’s no longer the case.
A 15-year study conducted by the University of Nebraska between 2004 and 2018 found that farmer-controlled practices and management decisions amounted to 39% of the yield improvement measured in that period. The study focused on Nebraska corn yields across a range of climate and soil conditions.
The greatest influence over yields was the beneficial weather trend that was experienced across Nebraska between 2004 and 2018. The weather was found to have been responsible for 48% of the productivity improvement in the study period. But the farmer has no control over weather conditions.
With weather out of the picture, that left only 13% of the yield attributed to plant genetics. Plant genetics are a key purchasing decision for the farmer. Farmers decide what hybrid, at what cost, and what availability should be planted in a specific area. The capabilities of the hybrid are loaded into each seed before the planting season.
Here is the real change in thinking: The Nebraska study suggests that farm management practices are THE key controllable for productivity improvement. It is even more powerful that these decisions account for 39% of the results. Studying and understanding good decision making on the farm is the most important lever for improving farm output.
But what determines successful Farm management skills and practices?
That question needs greater study and understanding because so much of the answer to that question today is anecdotal and has never been analyzed locally or regionally. Benchmarking farm practices across farms and geographies would be a great start.
The good news is that someone is already doing just that.
Main Street Data has an algorithm and database capable of benchmarking farm productivity while normalizing weather and soil conditions. The tool is called GrowingScore™. Growing Score™ allows a farmer to compare their success in optimizing the land’s potential by eliminating the impact of the weather and soil.
Growing Score™ can benchmark productivity annually, across years and across different crops. Using data allows a farmer to see significant variations created by farm management decisions. All farms and farmers are not alike. In today’s world and current land values, farm decision making is more critical for stakeholders and service providers than ever.
Data analytics in Ag are growing in their influence on results. The Nebraska study confirms the industry needs to use these tools. Feeding the future consumer efficiently requires the use of all available resources and data is more important than ever.
For more information contact Main Street Data (GrowingScore – Main Street Data).
