The Benefits of Real-Time Data

As the combines leave the fields and Harvest 2024 enters the rear-view mirror, you could be feeling relieved or sceptical, or both. But it’s certain you’ll want to make the most from every grain and hectare as the next season kicks off.

As I often say, your own farm data holds the key to unlocking greater efficiency and profitability. But today, I’m going to talk more specifically about the benefits of having access to reliable in-season data for your operation. Arguably the most powerful tool YAGRO can equip you with as a farmer.

Yields Into Something More. 

So, harvest has ended - yet yields are just the beginning. Considering yields to be top level information, you can transform these into an understanding of costs of production and gross margin – key indicators of your farm’s sustainability.

With timely and accurate data, the culmination of your year isn’t counting how many trailers you can fill. Harvest can reflect your year-round decisions, and the data produced at harvest is telling you which decisions were justified and which investments were returned. 

Speaking of investments, there’s little point in producing a stellar crop only to sell poorly and have your margins eaten post-harvest...Our in-season tools are designed as an end-to-end solution, meaning your yield data contributes to informing sales decisions. Your YAGRO Platform tracks accurately your budgeted and breakeven figures and presents this visually, so you always know exactly what price you need to make a profit. 

Approaching yields as a source of information, rather than the ‘be all and end all’ of your year, creates a mindset of refining your practices leading to ever tighter and more profitable operations. 

Each Field a Profit Centre

Every field tells a different story, and they should be treated as their own profit centres. Analysing field level data offers far greater detail than focusing on blocks or whole crops.

Some fields will be outperforming others, but this doesn’t have to be a matter of hunch feel – looking at the data greatly informs your decisions around rotations, land allocation and SFI’s.

It's possible you’re already using variable rate applications in the knowledge that not every inch of your land has the same requirements to hit potential.

YAGRO’s software is essential for accurate farm benchmarking to the wider market, but it’s inbuilt ability for you to compare your own land is valuable too. On a cost per tonne basis, you could be surprised which of your fields is offering the most.

Do you have a tricky field? Dive into the fresh field level data and accurately decide on the most efficient route forward.

Tracking In-Season Costs

With the seeds of next season being sown, it’s crucial to prevent the season from getting away from you. With so much volatility around input prices alone, you need to have a firm grip on each corner of your operation to reduce risk and maximise profit. 

Understanding how much cost you’ve sunk into crops or individual fields as the season progresses is critical. From the cost of establishment to that of your spray programmes (relevant to the prices you pay for chemical) and every other expense create data points which paint a bigger picture.

Monitoring your break-even figures, budgets, and agronomic activities all in one place is an incredibly powerful option. You no longer have to use ‘the back of a fag packet’ calculations because there’s tools which can provide fast and accurate in-season data for you to draw your conclusions from. 

The old saying still rings true; what gets measured gets managed. You’re already filling farm records and clipboards as the year progresses, so make that data work for you – and track your in-season costs with YAGRO in detail and be supported with every decision that’s to come later in the year. 

Redrilling

Even if one of the toughest decisions must be made, you want the data available to make it correctly. Data from your own farm, that is true to your own numbers, land, and goals.

With so much flooding taking place across the UK, many farmers are having to decide what to do with flooded fields. 

If you have drilled a wheat crop in September, and it’s flooded by December, do you know how much this has cost you? And what the cost of redrilling would be?

By using YAGRO’s Tracker Feature you’d see an additional benefit of in-season data in this eventuality. You could accurately gage the costs already applied and track any new costs if you chose to redrill the field – and come harvest, you’d be able to see the gross margin of that field or crop, all things considered.

Conclusion

Real-time data doesn't just provide numbers - it provides clarity. It empowers you to take control, make proactive decisions, and prepare for the future.

From better understanding your COP and Gross Margins to adjusting plans on the move, data-driven decisions are key to making your farm more efficient, profitable, and resilient in an ever-changing world.