Calibrate machines often. If you put garbage data into your technology, then you will get garbage data out. So, if you’re not calibrating your machines often, they will not be picking up accurate data. This could mess up future decisions, Fry says. He recommends calibrating your monitor at the start of the planting or harvest season and checking it at the start of almost every field for accuracy.

Do not draw false conclusions. Fry explains that one of his fields showed random variability in yields. Although it would have been easy to attribute that to hybrid decisions, it would have been a costly assumption. Also, Fry says he would have dished out money on inputs that weren’t necessary if he based his cropping decisions on that data. However, after further investigation, he discovered that the cooperator who harvested that field used three different machines. They were not all calibrated the same and, therefore, data from those machines was not accurate. Fry says this is why it is key to sit down and analyze your data before assuming that you know why something happened.

Soybeans fare well with early planting. Gavin Kissel of Princeton, Ind., shares that early analysis of his data shows his early-planted soybeans yields were 5% to 10% higher than soybeans planted a month later. Andrew Ziliak of Fort Branch, Ind., echoes that finding, saying that his data keeps showing him the value of earlier planting. “It’s followed the trend of the earlier you can plant soybeans in conditions that are fit, the better they yield,” Ziliak says.

Late fungicide applications worked. Luke Lightfoot of Tipton County, Ind., set up test strips to see if late fungicide applications in corn would be worthwhile. Strips that received an additional application late in the season paid off, with a 40-bushel boost on average. However, Ziliak shares that fungicide applications in the reproductive stages only paid off for some hybrids. This is why it is important to replicate these trials and analyze the data in your own operation, he says.

Data analysis starts in the combine. You should have your planting and sprayer data handy while you’re in the combine during harvest, Ziliak says. Compare decisions you made earlier in the season to results you see while harvesting. “It starts in the combine,” Ziliak says. “Then, as soon as you’re done with harvest, it’s nice to go back pretty quickly and make decisions.”

Invest in user-friendly software. Ziliak uses Climate FieldView software, and it makes for seamless data collection at all stages of the growing season. He can bring his iPad from planting to spraying to harvest, making for simple data collection. “The easier it is to use, the more likely you are to use it,” Ziliak adds.

Try again next year. Drawing accurate conclusions with field trials takes more than one year of data. If something you tried this year did not appear to pay off, try it again next year before assuming that it doesn’t work. Ziliak shares that there are so many factors affecting data, and an off year can skew results. Lightfoot echoes the same advice, urging you not to get discouraged if something did not work. “It’s hard, and I think that’s the biggest problem with farmers,” Lightfoot says. “They get discouraged because they don’t see the results they’re looking for, and then they give up on it. And they won’t know next year if it would have worked because they gave up on the whole process.”

Hire someone to analyze data. If you aren’t comfortable analyzing your own data, Lightfoot says it would be beneficial to invest in hiring someone to do it for you. Sometimes, data simply does not make sense, and it would be easier to have someone help you understand it. “When I worked in ag retail, I didn’t feel like enough farmers reached out and asked or were that interested,” Lightfoot says. “I thought that was a real missing point for the farming operations.”