Hi Everyone,
It is not very often that I allow myself to celebrate my own accomplishments, but this time I feel it is appropriate to share. Although my name is on US Patent No 10,234,439, this one truly belongs to all of you. From the very beginning, you have been great at giving me feedback about what works, what is important, and what goals and tools we should strive for in the future. Although I still had to figure out HOW to make this happen, the WHY was abundantly clear from the beginning.
This new patent builds on our original patent regarding thermal imagery issued a few years ago, and covers our yield estimator, and the ability to use soil moisture probes in conjunction with our products to build prescription irrigation maps. Several more are currently pending, but I feel proud to be holding this one in my hand!
With regard to the current imagery coming your way, many are beginning to approach canopy and the famous “Fat Kids” picture, while those in my area are pretty much still looking at bare soil. Because of this, it’s difficult to tailor this tutorial to everyone’s particular situation, but rest assured there is important information in each image. Regardless of what your circumstances may be, always start with the high resolution visual image we provide you and migrate to the others from there. This image will give you a quick understanding of how your field is progressing. Remember, the “Fat Kids” picture is the image where certain areas begin to look green, and others still look like dirt. Although the entire field had equal opportunity, the fat kids thrived and will most likely be the best part of your field, while the skinny kids suffered from one thing or another, and are lagging behind. Depending on your management practice, how you react to this may be different, but the zones are now set for this year, and it is up to you to make the best of it.
Image above: Look for the areas that start to show up green first. These are your ‘Fat Kids”, and the healthiest areas of your field. They will move around drastically from year to year, depending primarily on water. From here, you can use the ADVI or NDVI maps to create management zones using the built in AirScout tools.
I wish I had the space to get into the details about everyone’s particular situation, but I’m afraid this letter might go on indefinitely. With that being said, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally if you have questions. You may also benefit from my past notes and tutorials that are always available on our website for review. Thanks again for spending time with me, and I’ll be back in touch soon!
Brian