In this Premier Podcast episode, we're talking with Matt Bowers, Premier Crop’s Eastern Strategic Account Manager and Kimberly Beachy, with ProTech Partners in Indiana. Matt and Kimberly discuss the top three examples of agronomics and economics.

"You're capable of using your yield monitor to measure,
do trials and check if your plan actually worked.
It's so much easier than it used to be." - Dan Frieberg

"We have growers who tell us that we're helping them with their economics, which helps convince their lender to give them the full operating line."
Dan Frieberg

"Premier Crop promotes grid soil sampling
because it's sound agronomics.
Grid Soil Sampling makes sense to manage your farm better
at a spatial level. Bottom line, at the end of the day,
what matters on the farm is profitability."
- Mike Manning

"You don't have to choose aggressive versus conservative nutrient plan for the whole field. You can treat parts of the field really aggressively and parts of the field really conservatively. Having more complex equations for a nutrient plan is a big part of what we do."
-Dan Frieberg

What truly is the purpose of a variable rate prescription? Wikipedia puts it as “the application of a material, such that the rate of application is based on the precise location, or qualities of the area that the material is being applied to.” Fairly complicated right? At Premier Crop we like to describe it as using your technology that your equipment already has to reallocate your inputs to a part of the field where your yield potential and return on investment are higher. Ever since variable rate application methods were introduced in the 1990s and on into the 2000s there have been a number of farmers who have strayed away from using variable rate technology because it “just doesn’t pay”. I can understand this mentality because there has never been a precision agriculture software that ties the agronomics to the economics. Was the increase in yield that we saw in that area of the field where more seed/fertilizer was applied enough to offset the cost of the inputs and provide a greater return? This is the type of question that led many to be non-believers in variable rate prescriptions.

"Yield efficiency is about tying
agronomics and economics together.
It's perfect timing for the market
because things are so tight at the farm gate."

"Squeezing every possible bushel and dollar out of every acre is critical. You have to create a farm plan to manage areas of your fields. It will produce a dramatically different productivity potential than those who don't create a plan."

As average farm size grows, farmers hear more and more about the data and technology available to their operation. Farm management decisions are increasingly driven by these layers of data. Yet, there is undoubtedly an emotional side to many input decisions--and for good reason. Simply put, we are all still human and crave relationship. If a world that is supposed to be in quarantine has taught us nothing else, it is the truth of that statement. The need for human interaction has and will continue to drive us to desire closeness to others. Business done without handshakes and smiles, a world where virtual meetings reign supreme, is a tricky world to navigate. As more and more buying decisions move online, how will farmers adapt?

"The idea is to create a farm plan so the plant never has a bad day.
From start to finish, execute a farm plan,
and you will maximize yield and yield efficiency."

DARREN FEHR: The point is, to be responsible and to plan appropriately, it takes a lot of effort. And I think that's the theme for this podcast: it isn't easy to plan ahead for some of these things. For you to be successful, it isn't easy, and it takes some time. With all that being said, Dan, what are some of the key principles here to plan effectively, prior to purchasing products and prior to getting into the production cycle?