|
| dloc and seedslr were both somewhat correct about yield monitors. Most grain yield monitors measure using mass flow (which is the measurement of mass, which is sort of weight). They are basically measuing the inertia of the grain as it is thrown off of the clean grain elevator paddles. Therefore test weight is irrelevant, as a heavier test weight corn will have more intertia per the same volume.
No monitor made today will allow you to use soybean calibrations for corn. Your statement was a bit too broad seedslr. Dloc was also slightly incorrect in his correction of your statement. An improperly calibrated yield monitor (ie - running off of last years corn calibration for this years crop) may not give you the correct relative yield difference. If last years corn flowed differently through the combine than this years for whatever reason, than chances are the relative yield difference measured this year using last years calibrations will be incorrect. That is the same reason that sometimes when we switch varieties the yield becomes less accurate, it flows through the combine differently and strikes the flow sensor differently due to that. Basically if a certain variety flows through the combine with more resistance, it will have less inertia coming off of an elevator running at the same speed than would a variety that flowed more freely.
Seedslr also stated that in order to have accurate yield data you need to recalibrate 2-3 times per day. That is both true and false, depending upon the monitor. Monitors using single calibration loads should be recalibrated often to maintain accuracy (maybe 2-3 times per day or more). Monitors that use multiple calibration loads can go much longer periods of time without needed recalibrated. I have seen multiple load monitors (AgLeader) go an entire corn harvest using one well done calibration and still measure yields within 3% of elevator scales. 3% may be too much for some people, but in that case the relativity should be much more accurate than someone using way offline calibrations.
To answer the original posters question about the Pioneer program. I would say that you have very little to loose. What can they do with a bunch of yield data with no variety data to go along with it? USDA already tells everyone what the average yields were county by county for the entire US, why would someone want to buy data from Pioneer, and the real question why would they want to jeopardize seed business to sell someone some really low value yield data? If they do get variety data to go along with it, they still do not have anything all that valuable to resell. If all of this data were so valuable, why is it that I have fought farmers for the last 6 years to do something with it other than just make pretty maps and forget about it until next fall? Pioneer is simply creating another contact point between their sales rep and you the farmer, and arming their sales rep with data which can help him make better seed recommendations for your field. If the sales rep sees you more often, has some good yield history from your farms, and get soil types maps to go along with it he should be able to make better seed recommendations that someone who does not have that data and may earn more of your business. This is a practice that a few of us in the retail side have promoted for years with great success, so they are copying it. | |
|
Pioneer wants your data
