Opinions on variable rate seeding and fertility in canola?

[theplowboy]

We attended a Farmers edge session this week and are thinking about trying some variable rate in canola on some farms to test it out. Seems logical.

They say a lot of farmers are doing it already.

Any one generating results you can share?

[tweety]

You will become rich beyond your wildest dreams!

Did they convince you its a solid ROI and if so, how did they do it?

[blackpowder]

There are things that are and are not area specific in ag. Cos like FE $/ac claims and fees are seemingly universal.

[the big wheel]

Worth every penny, and then some.
Spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to figure out your sandy land needs something different than your clay land.
Hahahaha
Get out the gps and shiny screen no need to look out the window and look. Take all that data pages and pages and then
Wait for it........... BOOM a *** hailstorm takes out all the acres you put the most inputs into. Marvellous!!!!!!
Hahahahahaha

Then take all that mounds of info to
The bank and bullshit how you have it all figured out down to the penny. HahAhahaha you *** genius!!!!

[bucket]

How about having the number one durum input bill all the way to august 28th and after the three day rain you combine a 5cwad on September 6th....betcha farmers edge will bill you for that too.....hahaha. ...oh my sides hurt thinking about how wonderful it would be....

[Klause]

Well the peanut gallery all commented. Now maybe you'll get more useful answers from people like jdgreen gustgd and the like.


We variable rate fert and seed with Rawson meters on the cart... three zones. High/low/normal.


Use the same amount of inputs nut put them where they make yield and not on hilltops and water bottoms... I build the Maps using smsadvanced layering an elevation map over a yield map to generate the zones.

[lesmt]

Think it could be a very useful tool but too many variables in my neck of the woods that could make it unusable. if I knew how much and dates of rainfall and amount of heat units in the year I would certainly invest in the system. Would be a great tool for southern Alberta.

[the big wheel]

So from here in peanut land! Hahahaha

On the 500 plus fields we did variable rates what it has shown us is that if we could put that money into a hiring a weatherman that isn't a lieing no good low down varment variable rate would make everyone a lot of money in higher yields and lower inputs. But right now you either hit a home run or you totally blow it worse than before in some cases.
But the lending people love the idea that you know exactly how many square inches you either lost money or made money on. Hahahahaha

What might be a more useful tool to take from it all is it tells you which fields have had the shitty weather more than others. Give those fields to saskpartyfarmer he farm butt fart dry or wet like no one else. Honestly he even says so.

If you can't baffle them with brilliance dazzle them with bullshit.
Hahahaha

[Hamloc]

I have a neighbor who uses variable rate and seems happy with it. For myself I have to be honest I am a bit of a cheapskate, I tend to focus on controlling my costs. Trying to pre buy fert at the right time and getting the best price on inputs. As far as canola goes Mother Nature makes the biggest change to yield, lots of nice canola crops here still in the field.

[farmaholic]

Atom splitting....for what? If my margins are that tight that I need to shave off some here and add it there and have technical issues with software and programs and mechanical issues with equipment. ....I don't need the headache. But I came from scooping left over grain out of Massey 36 discers and 7200 IH hoedrills....a much different starting point than fellows who started.with air tanks with potential VR technonlogy already built into them

I wonder what percent of total acres seeded are done using full VR tech?

[SASKFARMER3]

Yea we did variable rate fertilizer for the first time in 1981 till 1986. Since then no more.

Great system, you still need rain.

[bucket]

You need the right amount of rain at the right time.

I have grown better more valuable crops with 2 inches of rain than those years with 10 plus inches.

[fjlip]

And 20" like last few gives you average crop...the biggest variable is weather. Now soaked right to the surface from subsoil, no place for oxygen for roots, lucky to get an average again.

[blackpowder]

My private agronomist has clients he does it for in another district. Works well for them evening out the crop. Different conditions entirely than mine. No head office margins to pay for either. We have discussed it for my fields and believe it could only be worthwhile on 2 or 3 fields. What level of equipment and husbandry are you at now?
What are you vr ing and how? What info and methodology are you using? Notice Klause does his own. Read between the lines. It can pay. But not for every field or management style.

[MBgrower]

No need for vr in my area, all fields 160 acres , and uniform across. Drainage is number one priority in these parts.