4 Tips to Maximize Your Yield Data Insights

FBN Network

Oct 25, 2023

Building good practices around yield monitor calibration and proper data tracking is key to getting the most valuable insights from your precision equipment. Keep the following tips in mind when preparing to collect and analyze this season's yield data.

1. Check Your Monitor's Mechanical Components

Your yield monitors have mechanical components that can become worn or even broken over time. During your pre-harvest check on your combine, look at the four main components of the yield monitor and inspect your:

  1. Yield sensor for wear and/or alignment.

  2. Moisture sensor for old crop residue in or on the sensor. Also check the auger system, intended to test moisture, which can blow small fuses.

  3. Display to verify that your grower, farm and field structures are set up correctly, and that your variety tracking information is also set up and turned on.

  4. Receiver for solid GPS connections once you bring the equipment outside with a clear view of the sky.

2. Calibrate Your Monitor

Each harvest increases the wear on your yield sensor. For consistent yield calibration, calibrate at the beginning of:

  1. The season for each crop and two to four more times during the season as conditions and moistures change.

  2. The field if a new calibration is needed.

3. Save Your Data

If you don’t save your data, it can’t help you with next year's crop. Check frequently to ensure that your yield data is being captured and saved often.

  1. Verify your data is saving correctly. During harvest, check after your first fields to verify your monitor is mapping correctly.

  2. Save and back up your data as frequently as possible. In a perfect world we’d recommend doing so every night, but we understand how busy you are and know that's not always realistic! We highly recommend backing up your data weekly to a computer or cloud system, which can be as simple as copying the files over to your computer. Your data can help you save thousands of dollars next season by providing insights that lead you to make better, more informed decisions, so it’s well worth it to buy a few extra USBs or additional cloud storage space!

  3. If you use cloud based services, verify they are capturing data by logging in to your account. It is still good practice to log in frequently and make sure each day's fields have made it to the cloud.

4. Post Calibrate to Ensure Correct Yields

Post calibrating will ensure the correct yields are used in your farm analytics. To post calibrate, save your scale tickets. You can either enter post calibration directly into FBN®, or email the FBN team photos of your scale tickets at data@farmersbusinessnetwork.com.

Analyze Your Harvest Data with Free FBN Member Resources

Once you're ready to start inputting and analyzing your harvest data, check out the "Analyze" section of the FBN platform via mobile app or desktop. The "My Data" section of the platform offers upload access to submit your data so you can easily run it through a range of different analyses to maximize your insights for next season. With insights in hand, you'll be able to make informed decisions for next year's crop and chem plans based on this season's key data takeaways.

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Take advantage of limited time pricing deals happening now to secure savings on the key products you need this season. Click here to explore available products, pricing, and other product details.


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FBN Network

Oct 25, 2023

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