As January unfolds, some folks across Beck’s marketing territory are looking out their windows to a landscape of white snow. High winds, snow flurries, and icy conditions are often forecast for this time of year. While you’re sitting inside with your hot beverage, keep in mind it’s the perfect time to make plans for warmer, springtime activities like Management Zones!
The Zones & Rx Tool in FARMserver® is a great way to build prescriptions for seeding and nitrogen activities. FARMserver users can utilize up to five layers of data from several different sources, including historical yield data, soil types, elevation, and soil test data to build production zones.
Within those five layers, each one can be adjusted to match how much influence is desired from a particular dataset. For example, if Tom Farmer has four years of yield data along with soil type information he wants to use but feels his soil types aren’t quite as accurate as real life, he can choose to drop the influence down on the soil type layer and get more influence on the zone building from his yield data.
Once zones are built, additional editing tools are available to split, merge, add buffers, and even draw pivots on the zone map. Editing zone labels help differentiate between low-productivity and high-productivity zones to make rate assignments easier. When desired rates are assigned to each zone, users can export the finished recommendation to their monitor by selecting their preferred monitor brand via the drop-down menu.
One final feature of the Zones & Rx Tool is the functionality of Test Blocks. Users can add test blocks of 1, 2, or 4 different rates in quantities of quarter-, half- or full-acre blocks. When yield data is uploaded at the end of the season, the Yield by Management Zone Report will display the Yield by Test Block results in an easy-to-read layout.
The Zones & Rx Tool is available to all FARMserver users at no additional cost. If you need help getting started, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local Beck’s seed dealer or FARMserver representative. Remember, FARMserver is free for all Beck’s customers and the Zones & Rx Tool is just one of the many benefits within this software. Visit FARMserver.com to get started!
Sheila Downey | Regional Precision Technology Specialist