NE South Dakota Clark, SD | I use satellite and or aerial imagery to create zones first. If customer has good yield data will use that as well. Then create realistic yield goals for each zone and base seeding on how many bushels/1000 seeds expected yield should be. On our farm 2 fields a couple miles from each other one gets 28k-33.5k for 160-235 bu/acre yield goal, while the other gets 16k-32k for 100-220 bu/acre yield goal. The second field used to be flat rate at 28k and now averages 28.3 with VR. Seed efficiency will vary widely depending on area and varieties. Most farm software packages should be able to create a layer for you using a seeding map and a yield map. Depending on area and yield potential if you are under 5 bu/1000 seeds you should back off on population. If you are 10 bu/1000 seeds you will more than likely benefit from more population. Since every year is different, you need to do some long term test blocks to dial in what is best for your area. |