Variable Rate Technology

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.

The value of zone management goes beyond cutting input costs; it also allows farmers to effectively focus inputs and attention. If you don’t have background information on a field, then grid-based management does the job, says Brad Beutke, who helps with the Farm Journal Test Plots and farms near Clinton, Ill. “But if you have yield history, calibrated yields maps, soil surveys, elevation maps or aerial imagery, for example, then it’s worth the effort to take advantage of the data.” Instead of trying to randomize out variability with a super-imposed grid, zone management uses historical data and experience to pave a path. Regardless of where you are on the technology adoption curve, zone management is beneficial.

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.

Reaping the benefits of new technology demands a systems approach to crop production