Yield Mapping

Contrary to what you might expect, CropPro feels yield mapping is not the key layer to begin a precision farming implementation. Yield mapping produces lots of pretty pictures, but what usually happens with them?

Often, nothing ever happens with these maps. The main issues are usually a lack of time, a lack of good GIS software, or a lack of experience with the software.  

Yield mapping is very valuable to have if it is used to test a treatment in the field. Rather than dragging a weigh wagon around a well designed trial can easily be mapped with the combine. With the right GIS system and expertise; yield maps, GPS treatments, and the data associated can be imported and processed.

The Value of Details are in the Planning, Not in the Mapping

Perhaps quality is more important that quantity where yield mapping is concerned. It would be more profitable to focus on putting a lot of detail into learning how 2 or 3 fields could be managed better than mapping the entire farm for 5 years and never doing anything with the data.

A well designed on-farm trial can be a very complex set of replicates and treatments. Where yield maps shine is that they can make collecting harvest data very simple.