In case you haven’t caught it in previous posts, my goal is to use data from my farm to produce a consistant 1-2% increase to my bottom line from the data each year. Sometimes we turn over big rocks, and find things that make a big difference all at once, but that is not my goal or expectation. I am simply looking to make small, consistant improvements year after year. My theory is, no matter how good of a farmer you are, there is always room for improvement.
This time of year fungicide applications seem to be top of mind, and the non stop question is “does it pay?” One simple method that I use to help determine this is leaving check strips. Below is a map of how I do this.
Once harvest rolls around, I have a great way to compare with and without to see what the difference was, and add it to my knowledge base of how things work on my farm, not in some small test plot. I use several different tests and trials like this to help evaluate products, farming practices, etc. I am a firm believer that there is no better data than YOUR data – and the answers lie within it!