The use of precision technology in agriculture and the data collected from it has been steadily growing for the past decade or so. The amount of data that can be collected seems endless. Many of us ask ourselves, now that I have this data what can I do with it? How can I utilize it to make my operation more efficient? The data collected by this technology can be very useful for producers. It can be used for many things, from tractor diagnostics, variable rate planting and fertilizer application, to getting instant yield data from a combine during harvest. These practices can make operations more efficient and increase yields bringing real value to an operation.
Here at Gibson Insurance Group, we have opportunities to make your precision agriculture equipment useful by using the data for crop insurance.
In the past few years we have been asking producers to report their planted acres using their monitor from their tractor. This can ensure your acreage report is the most accurate. For example: If the FSA CLU data says your field is 40 acres, but you only plant 37.9 acres in that field, you will only take out insurance on those 37.9 acres. This will make your yields more accurate because you are dividing your bushels over the 37.9 bushels that were planted and not the 40 acres your FSA CLU data says the field is. While the saving in premium may seem small, it does add up and saving money in a time of high inputs can be crucial.
Collecting these planted acres for crop insurance can be done in multiple ways. We have the technology to connect to both John Deere Operations Center and Climate View to pull plantings from the cloud and insert those plantings into our mapping systems. If you do not subscribe to the cloud-based programs, we can also pull the planting information off the monitor using a flash drive. The most simplistic way is to record the planted acres from the monitor in some type of planting book once each field is completed and use those planted acres to fill out your acreage report. Each of these options will provide us with more accurate information to give you the best coverage this upcoming year.
If you are interested in utilizing your precision equipment for crop insurance but are not sure where to start, please give our office a call. We will be happy to assist you through the process of utilizing this data to your benefit.