Greetings!
While it may be hard to believe, Spring is almost here, which means we will be launching our planes very soon. Because it takes a good bit of effort to build flight routes and plan other logistics, our first deadline is scheduled for March 15th, which is approaching soon! This date enables us to have our planes and pilots ready to fly as soon as the first seeds go into the ground.
I cannot stress the importance of these early bare soil images enough, as they explain what is soon to come. One of the most important aspects of our AirScout imagery platform and “storybook” is to help you understand exactly WHY your yield map looks the way it does. If we can’t explain what happened in the past, it’s nearly impossible to make the right changes to affect the future. Often, the final yield map image indicates important patterns that trace back to the very first bare soil images. For this reason alone, it’s important not to miss this deadline. Get in touch with us to be added to this year’s route.
Your thermal images will also provide valuable insight into drainage, soil compaction, replant decisions, insect and disease outbreaks, and will build the core for how we determine mineralization in the future. Our pricing remains the same at $7.00 per acre for the entire season, which includes 10 flights guaranteed (up to 14 if needed), all the AirScout tools for building prescriptions and estimating yield, and access to our full team for assistance. For logistical reasons, any acres entered after the March 15th deadline may not be added to our flight routes until after May 1st. The price will still be the same, but you might miss an image or two.
On the left is a thermal picture early last Spring when the ground was cold and wet. On the right is the yield map from last Fall. Notice how the cold areas shown by purple and blue in the picture on the left correspond with the low yielding areas in the yield map on the right shown, by white, red, and yellow. This is a clear indication that there are drainage/infiltration problems in these areas. How would you fix this? Tiling, Tillage, perhaps Gypsum? If we do nothing, we can expect the same result for years to come!
As the temperatures warm and the smell of Spring fills the air, I always look forward to a new beginning. I’ve heard it said that this is a display of God’s promise for everlasting life, and it gives me encouragement for the year to come. As farmers, we are approaching our next “chance” to do things better.
As always, feel free to contact me personally with any questions you might have, and you can contact Bob to get your fields enrolled and join us as we move forward in 2020. Let’s learn together how we can be more efficient, more profitable, and, maybe most importantly – better stewards of the land.
Brian