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Using On-farm Trials to Optimize Your Inputs

Chad Godsey, PhDPrecision Ag Insight WebinarFebruary 17, 2015

Sponsored by XSInc

Webcast Format

• You are muted.

• Please ask questions using the “Questions” box.• Click the red arrow to close/open

controls.• Click the “plus” next to “Questions” if

you don’t see the questions box.

• A recording of today’s webcast will be emailed to you.

Minimized Controls

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Speakers• Chad Godsey, PhD

Owner, Godsey Precision Ag

• Angela WalkerAgVeritas Product Manager, XSInc

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On-Farm Research Is Important• Answer questions important to growers

˃ New products˃ Precision ag practices

• Increase grower profitability

• Compliance, stewardship and sustainability

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Registration Question

14%

29%

29%

21%

7%Rarely, 0-25% of the time Sometimes, 25-50% of the timeUsually, 50-75% of the time Almost always, 75+% of the timeI don't set specific objectives

How often do you/your customers meet your objectives for on-farm trials?

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3 Keys to Success• Quality over Quantity• Keep It Simple• Reduce Noise

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3 Keys to Success• Quality over Quantity

˃ Focusing on quality in the short-term will lead to quantity over time.

˃ If we spend a little more time, we can uncover a lot more information with every trial.

• Keep It Simple• Reduce Noise

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3 Keys to Success• Quality over Quantity• Keep It Simple

˃ Keep it small and simple˃ Improve from year to year

• Reduce Noise

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3 Keys to Success• Quality over Quantity• Keep It Simple• Reduce Noise

˃ Know and manage sources of “noise”˃ Spatial variability (e.g. soils, nutrients, etc.)˃ Temporal variability (e.g. due to weather)˃ Human error

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Noise Example: Fungicide Trial

No fungicide appliedFungicide applied

• 7 bu/ac increase BUT• West half has always been 5-7 bu/ac better

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3 Keys to Success• Quality over Quantity• Keep It Simple• Reduce Noise

˃ You can never be 100% certain that yield differences in a trial are solely due to the treatments being evaluated.

˃ But you can manage sources of noise with good planning and analysis.

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Registration question

40%

29%

24%

7%Collecting the data Getting a clear answer from the dataGetting the trial put out correctly I don't set specific objectives

What is your biggest challenge in achieving your objectives for on-farm trials?

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3 Critical Pieces of a Trial Plan

• The Question• The Lay Out• The Data

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Define the question

• The first step is clearly defining a question that you want to answer.

˃ Is Product A better than Product B?

˃ If I increase or decrease the application rate of this

product by 10% in each management zone, how much

will my yield increase or decrease?

• Consider other factors that may influence trial outcome

˃ Management practices

˃ Hybrid or varietal differences

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3 Critical Pieces of a Trial Plan

• The Question• The Lay Out• The Data

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Poll: Trial PlacementWhich factors do you consider when deciding on trial placement?

˃ Whatever is easiest/what the producer is willing to do

˃ Field conditions (e.g. soil types) that might affect response

˃ Variable rate practices/management zones

˃ Data collection plan/equipment widths

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4 Considerations for Trial Placement

1. Objective

2. Background information

3. Equipment and logistics

4. The “Three Rs” of on-farm trials

1. ObjectivesCheck StripsObjective: test new products or practices

˃ Obtain samples from most areas of the field

˃ Allows you to see how response varies across field

Test PlotsObjective: Refine an existing practice

˃ Take a sample from a previously defined management zone

˃ Test a change on a small area to minimize yield impact

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2. Background Information

• Avoid it˃ Unstable areas˃ Field edges

• Get a sample from it˃ Soils˃ Topography˃ Yield potential

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Using Historical Yield Data

• Why?˃ Accounts for temporal variability˃ Provides a baseline to compare treatments against ˃ Useful for problem areas (i.e. Fe deficiency)

• How?˃ Create yield potential zones

˃ Incorporate into management zones˃ Run test strips through all zones

˃ Create yield stability zones˃ Avoid and/or ignore during analysis

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Multi-year Yield Map Analysis

Relative grain yield Year to year stability

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3. Equipment & Logistics

• Ease of application• Width of applicator• Width of combine

Compost TrialSeeding Rate Checks

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4. The “Three Rs”

•Replicate•Randomize•Request help

A poorly planned (statistically-speaking) on-farm trial has a high risk of failure.

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Replicate

• Repeat treatments to enable the separation of treatment effects from “background noise”.• When possible, design replications to be within

relatively uniform areas (e.g. not up a hill).• Over replication can introduce noise from human or

machine error.

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Randomize

• Use when testing several things• Randomly select where each test will go • Decreases the odds that spatial variability will

influence treatment effects.˃ For example, areas of the field that are poorly drained.

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Request Help

• If research is not your vocation, then don’t be shy about requesting help from those who conduct research for a living.

˃ University researchers & Extension specialists˃ Industry researchers & agronomists˃ Crop consultants

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3 Critical Pieces of a Trial Plan

• The Question• The Lay Out• The Data

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4 Parts of Data Collection

• Background Information• Trial Data• In-season Observations• Harvest

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Minimize harvest “noise”

• Faithfully calibrating scales or sensors.˃ This includes grain moisture sensors.

• Triple-check yield monitor settings!˃ Logging of data to card

˃ Swath width

˃ Load identification

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An Example

The QuestionIs it profitable to apply fungicide to corn at V5?

Background Information

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An Example

The QuestionIs it profitable to apply fungicide to corn at V5? Lay Out

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Thank You

Chad Godsey, PhDOwner, Godsey Precision AgPhone: 970-630-7732Email: chad.godsey@godseyag.comWeb: godseyag.comTwitter: @godseyag

Stick around for an AgVeritas demonstration.

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AgVeritas Demo

• Web-based yield analysis tool• Uses spatial statistics to analyze yield• Analyzes all the factors that impact yield simultaneously• Planting choice / rate• Treatment choice / rate• Nutrient levels, soil types, elevation• And many more

• Determines which factors impacted yield more and less• Calculates if and where a tested management practice is

profitable

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AgVeritas DemoFungicide TrialSoil Types Elevation

The Question: Is it profitable to apply fungicide on this field?

Result of Comparison of AveragesTreated areas yield 8 bu/ac higher on average

https://agveritas.xsinc.com/AnalysisResults/Summary/323

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Thank You

Chad Godsey, PhDOwner, Godsey Precision AgPhone: 970-630-7732Email: chad.godsey@godseyag.comWeb: godseyag.comTwitter: @godseyag

Stick around for an AgVeritas demonstration.