As we turn the calendar to December and take some time to reflect on and give thanks for 2017’s bounty, it’s hard not to start looking ahead to 2018’s spring planting season.
Whether you’re still sitting in the combine, or you’re back in the office (shop, barn, etc.) now is a perfect time to evaluate what’s gone well in the 2017 season. Take time to reflect on how your inputs performed, the results of any management decisions you made, and what you would do differently if you had the season to do over again.
2018 will, without a doubt, hand us a new set of challenges as we continue to pray for favorable growing conditions, and look for new ways to manage weed pressure. Beyond that, other things to evaluate include: seed selection, field preparation and soil conservation practices, plant and soil fertility, water management, and weed and disease control methods.
We all know there are a lot of moving parts to produce a perfect crop, and many factors are out of our control. That makes it even more critical to scrutinize the decisions that are within our control. Be sure you are collecting your data at the end of the season and spending some time during the cold months to understand what your data is telling you. Don’t forget, there are
resources available to help you make sense of your field information.
Learn about the data management tools Ag Leader provides.