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Spatial analysis of yield monitor data: case studies of on-farm trials and farm management decision making

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Abstract

A 3-year case study was undertaken of how North American farmers use yield monitors for on-farm trials in farm management decision making. Case study methods were used because relatively few farmers quantitatively analyze yield monitor data. At this early research stage, insufficient farm management information about the data was available to ask the right questions in a large-scale survey. In addition to the formal case study of farmers experienced at using yield monitors to collect on-farm trial data, the study evaluated the effect of yield monitor data quality on farm decisions. Two levels of yield data quality included standard output where the default settings of farm-level mapping software were accepted and where filtering of the data was undertaken. Results indicated that yield data quality affects farm management decisions. In addition, farmers receiving a spatial analysis of their on-farm trial data tended to use split-field designs instead of replicated split-planter designs. They were also more confident in their decisions than before participation in the spatial analysis project, and made decisions more quickly.

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Acknowledgements

A United States Department of Agriculture—Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (USDA-SARE) Graduate Student Grant Program funded this project. The authors thank the farmer-collaborators who have assisted in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas, 2301 S University Ave, Little Rock, AR, 72204, USA

    Terry W. Griffin

  2. Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, 403 W State St, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Craig L. Dobbins, Raymond J. G. M. Florax & James M. Lowenberg-DeBoer

  3. Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences, 915 W State St, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Tony J. Vyn

  4. Department of Spatial Economics, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Raymond J. G. M. Florax

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  1. Terry W. Griffin
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  2. Craig L. Dobbins
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  3. Tony J. Vyn
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  4. Raymond J. G. M. Florax
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  5. James M. Lowenberg-DeBoer
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Correspondence to Terry W. Griffin.

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Griffin, T.W., Dobbins, C.L., Vyn, T.J. et al. Spatial analysis of yield monitor data: case studies of on-farm trials and farm management decision making. Precision Agric 9, 269–283 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-008-9072-2

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