Adjusting the rate of seed, fertilizer and pesticide row by row and even foot by foot across a field deserves a brand-new name: variable-input technology.
As you wait for weather conditions to clear up, temperatures to rise and planting to finally be underway, you’re undoubtedly trying to make sure the crop gets the best start.
There’s no quick and easy way to move from conventional farming—using the same management and a few hybrids on all acres—to variable-input technology (VIT) management.
Harvest is in full swing, but the impact of a difficult planting season is still apparent from the combine perch. While phosphorus (P) might have been plentiful in the soil, a cold, wet spring tricked the nutrient from working its magic.
This spring, you’ll likely need to cope with ruts and wheel tracks and determine what kind of tillage, if any, is needed to work soil back into shape. It all depends on where, how deep and how many ruts there are.
