News

Field management data wanted for research

A University of Wisconsin study is collecting field data from farmers to help them pick better management practices.

Shawn Conley with the Wisconsin Soybean Program is gathering data from farmers about how they manage their fields so they can help farmers make better agronomic decisions.  “We’re looking for data from 2021 but we’re really going to have a heavy push after this 2022 crop comes off.”

Conley tells Brownfield the farmer data remains confidential but allows researchers to aggregate information and help guide farmers to the tools that work by using big data. “We’ll be able to allow farmers to upload all of their management histories, upload their raw yield monitor data, and then we can pool this information and allow those farmers that contribute data the first opportunity to use the system.”

Conley says the soybean checkoff-funded research will be able to make recommendations to farmers. “They can make some decisions about what management decisions they’re willing to change. You can’t change your soil type, you can’t change your pH, but you can change your planting date. You can change how much fertilizer, and what genetics (are used).”

Farmers that wish to participate can sign up at the program’s website, coolbean.info.