There are still a lot of naysayers out there who doubt the efficacy of variable rate planting. Throughout history, whole field management has been the primary farming method. Often times, what holds farmers back from utilizing variable rate planting is the fact that they don’t know whether it’s worth the investment. It’s true that variable rate planting is most effective in fields with high variability. But, with a prescription from Precision Ag Services, you won’t be disappointed with the results! The technology is available, so why not use it to get the highest yield and ultimately increase profits?
What is Variable Rate Planting?
With variable rate planting, farmers can determine what seed population works best for a given area of the field. Any field will have yield variability, often due to:
- Soil type
- Organic matter
- Animal damage (along the woods)
- Tillage
- Compaction
- Drainage
At Precision Ag Services, we use a combination of GPS technology and yield history to decide how much seed it will take to utilize the potential of different regions of the field. We then use this data and our years of experience to create our recommendation of planting rates.
Once our recommendations are complete, we provide the farmer with prescription maps. Where there’s low potential, we will recommend a lower seed population for that area. Where the soil can support more plant life, we will recommend a higher seed population.
Why Does it Work?
GPS technology allows us to determine exactly where farmers will get the most bang for their buck. Ultimately, variable rate planting not only saves farmers money and seed at the beginning of the season, but it will also provide them with more profit due to higher yields. Need proof? See the results produced when we tested the yields of a prescribed cornfield versus a non-prescribed field.
About Precision Ag Services
Precision Ag Services combines more than 30 years of agronomic experience with the latest GPS technologies to provide farmers in Ohio and Michigan with seeding prescriptions. Precision Ag Services is also an authorized distributor of Ag Leader products. To learn more about our services and products, contact our team. Give us a call at (419) 490-8129 or send us an email at billcopeland@useprecisionag.com, taylor@useprecisionag.com, or josh@useprecisionag.com.
