Mapping & Yield Mapping

For fieldwork, accurate boundary maps and field sizes aid workload planning, product ordering and distribution, and working efficiency. In combination with technologies such as auto-steering or spray control, boundary maps are a key part of field information. Boundary maps may be recorded using existing farm systems where these are capable, or Optifarm can capture RTK boundaries on farm.

Yield mapping is a key component of precision farming systems, quantifying the effects of management.

Yield maps allow the farmer to view spatial variation across the field, identifying areas for future action and the effects of the previous seasons’ management. The maps provide a key layer of information for precision farming: in addition to representing the crop just harvested, they can indicate in-field variability, provide a benchmarking tool, and allow the calculation of crop nutrient offtakes. Yield maps in conjunction with soil sampling information enables the creation of variable fertilizer maps which not only consider the soil nutrient levels, but the nutrient which was removed in the harvested crop.

When properly handled and analyzed, multiple years of yield maps can provide invaluable insight into field variation, highlighting consistently performing or under-performing areas. When combined with other spatial data, the potential power of yield maps is increased – for example, yield maps may be compared with early crop scans to highlight where emergence is a key limiter to yield. Because the handling of yield maps is key to the full use of their potential, yield map cleaning is a popular part of our data management services.