At just 29-years-old, Illinois farmer Chase Sailer is always exploring unconventional ways to be more productive.
“This is one of the things that we can probably see the biggest return on investment,” Sailer says, pointing to the GPS Ditch Grader in his machine shed. “Spots that used to yield 20 bu. [per acre] for soybeans are now getting all the way up to 50 to 70 bu. [per acre] in those wet holes.”
Sailer, who farms near Carmi, Ill., says it’s been one of the biggest game changers on his farm.
“It’s pretty much a surface drain drainage tile, if you want to look at it that way. It’s a lot cheaper than putting drainage tile on a field. But we can go out there, take the topography of any field, and we’re overlaying that with yield maps, to see where trouble spots are,” Sailer says.
Instead of guessing why low-yielding spots are an issue in any given field, they use all that data to know exactly what the culprit is.
“And then we’re able to go out there with this ditcher and grade it; we’re able to make sure that water flows to where it needs to,” Sailer says.
It’s that attention to detail, along with Sailer’s ability to turn to technology to solve problems on the farm, that makes this southern Illinois farmer a true maverick.
“We’re going to admit when we’re wrong, and we’re always willing to learn,” he says. “So, I think that’s a huge role, and the key in trying to be better is really dive in deep each year on what you did wrong. Because if you only focus on the things you did right, you’re never going to have growth,” he adds.
The Push for Precision
Another way Sailer Farms is taking the guesswork out of farming, is by fulling grasping onto precision farming. Now, Sailer is able to drill down their decisions to the acre.
“Right now we’re using about every part of precision technology that you can possibly use, and that’s going all the way from obviously auto row guidance with AutoTrac, which is kind of the bare minimum, to section control on your planters. And now we’re going into tramlines where we’re trying to limit the compaction zones on all of our fields,” Sailer says.
In this area of southern Illinois, the two biggest limiting factors to yields are either too much or too little water, as well as compaction.
“So, with the use of tramlines and AutoPath from John Deere Ops Center, we’re able to pull into the field, already have the field mapped out and the route that we want to take. And we’re taking that same 60-foot pass on every application that we do. So that’s allowing us to come in here in the fall and in-line rip only where our equipment’s ran,” Sailer says.
Data-Driven Decisions
What goes into every decision the Sailers make, well, that all comes down to data.
“We have so much data anymore, all the way from our soil tests that we do every other year, and this is where we’re working really close with our agronomist. So, we’re pairing up different seed varieties to different soil types to make sure that we’re getting the biggest bang for our buck in that aspect,” he says.
Getting Rid of Bad Data
Sailer admits their farm used to comb through bad data, but now, through Ops Center, they finally have good data they go through not monthly or weekly, but daily.
“Even from our See & Spray maps where we’re going out with our sprayer, we’re getting these weed pressure maps and each year we’re able to learn and build off of that and make sure in that particular field that we’re doing a better job. And it’s helping us make decisions on what type of chemicals to use for certain fields,” Sailer says.
From being better able to decide which chemicals to use, to knowing which seed variety needs to be planted on every acre, Harvest Profit is another tool Sailer Farms now relies on heavily.
“Harvest Profit is a neat tool where we’re able to put in every overhead cost that we have in our farming operation, all the way from our employees to the random bills we get from the parts stores, so you get a true number of how much does it cost to run this one acre,” Sailer says. “And then, when we’re spraying and spreading throughout the field, we have all of our chemical prices and our fertilizer prices in Harvest Profit. And it’s just continually giving you a calculator throughout the field on a per acre basis.”
There’s no shortage of technology and precision tools on this farm, but what may be Sailer’s biggest key to success is the people they surround themselves with.
“As a farm, it’s just like a sports team. You’re only as good as your weakest link. We have 12 different guys and all of them play a huge role, whether it’s planting, harvesting, spreading, spraying. Every row needs to be done just as good as the best guy, and I feel like we have that as a team,” Sailer says.
At not even 30-years-old yet, Sailer just may be wise beyond his years. But as he looks ahead, he has big plans for the next 30 years.
“I’m a third-generation farmer,” says Sailer. “We’re always looking towards that next generation, trying to make decisions and set up the farm to where we’re successful for years to come. I hope to be here for another 100 years.”
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