Yatran Farm, Kirovohrad Region, on the border with Odesa and Mykolaiv regions… You can imagine what the weather conditions were like in this area this year.
Across most farms in the region, average corn yields ranged from 2 to 5 t/ha. At Yatran Farm, some fields produced nearly 10 t/ha. Irrigation? No.
So how did they manage it?
Read the full story – here.
Conventional farming practices, ploughing, fertilizer spreaders, a single standard crop production plan for the entire land bank, average yields… As they say, “just like everyone else.” That was the approach used on the farm five years ago, until the strategy changed and the farm began introducing elements of precision farming.
The changes were gradual. First, auto-steering systems were installed on the machinery and RTK-level positioning accuracy was implemented. This first step alone delivered guaranteed savings of more than 12%: by reducing the number of machinery passes and overlaps, the farm was able to save on resources such as fertilizers, seeds, crop protection products, and fuel and lubricants.
The next step was comprehensive field agro-diagnostics based on the AgriLab algorithm and the development of an individual crop production plan for each field. Agro-diagnostics provided answers to several key questions.
First — it became clear what each field was capable of and what level of effective yield should be targeted.
Second — analysis of weather and climate data, critical soil factors, and field-specific characteristics made it possible to minimize the associated production risks.
Third — understanding the most likely yield level for each specific field made it possible to select hybrids based on the field’s agronomic potential and economics.
Fourth — based on information about the field’s agrochemical, agrophysical, climatic, and other soil characteristics, a fertilizer management strategy was developed. It determined what to apply, when, how, and at what rate to achieve the expected yield. Field agro-diagnostics became the foundation for developing an optimized crop production plan for each individual field.
The new strategy involved moving away from conventional basal fertilization toward pre-planting and in-furrow fertilizer application using variable-rate and localized banded application. This, in turn, made it clear that the farm needed to upgrade and equip its machinery fleet specifically for these tasks.
After that, the farm began changing its approach to tillage and moving toward moisture conservation. Today, it uses Verti-Till and Strip-Till combined with simultaneous localized, banded, variable-rate fertilizer application.
What did they do? On fields where harmful soil compaction was identified, deep loosening was carried out. Years of systematic ploughing had created a dense plough pan that acted like a crust, preventing the soil from “breathing” and restricting root growth and access to nutrients. Even more importantly, under conditions of limited moisture, water that should have accumulated in the lower soil layers was instead quickly lost from the surface. The transition to vertical tillage helped resolve these problems.
Efficient Water and Resource Management
Strip-Till was introduced on the fields where harmful soil compaction had been alleviated. Under this technology, soil is tilled only in strips along the future crop rows, while the inter-row areas remain untilled and the crop residue left there helps conserve moisture. At the same time, tillage is combined with localized fertilizer application. Variable rates of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers were applied according to “prescriptions” and “application maps” developed using the AgriLab algorithm. The farm introduced Strip-Till only the previous year — and, as 2020 showed, just in time.
Important!
It is important to note that returning to exactly the same rows created in autumn is only possible with the use of an essential precision farming technology: an RTK signal with an accuracy of up to ±2.5 cm, combined with saving the lines of autumn tillage and fertilizer application so that the planter can precisely follow the same rows during spring planting.
2020 Results: Up to 10 Tonnes of Corn per Hectare + 30% Fertilizer Optimization
The formula for this success had two main components. The first was assessing the field’s potential and selecting the appropriate hybrids and fertilizers accordingly. The second was differentiating resource application and using localized, banded fertilizer application. This made it possible to achieve several goals simultaneously.
First — improving fertilizer-use efficiency. Nutrients were applied locally and at precisely the depth appropriate for the specific nutrient’s behavior in the soil and the crop’s nutrient uptake requirements.
Second — optimization. Most importantly, the farm was able to save 30% on fertilizers compared with broadcast application. An additional benefit was significant fuel savings, since soil tillage and fertilizer application were carried out in a single pass.
Third — and crucial under the conditions of 2020 — moisture conservation. Despite the drought, moisture was preserved in the inter-row areas throughout the growing season.
As a result, the farm achieved the expected yield and profitability targets in line with the recommendations. On the field where Strip-Till was implemented, yields reached 9.71 t/ha with the DKC 4351 hybrid and 7.76 t/ha with P9241, while fertilizer costs amounted to $208/ha.
The farm invested approximately $70,000 in upgrading the Strip-Till implement and purchasing a hopper to implement the technology. The investment paid for itself in the first year, 2020.
On the field where ploughing was still used, the farm harvested 5 t/ha, while spending $261/ha on fertilizers.
Admittedly, 5 tonnes of corn in the south of Ukraine under the conditions of that year was also an excellent result. The fertilization system used there had likewise been developed according to the soil and climatic characteristics of the fields. However, fertilizers were still broadcast after ploughing. A yield of nearly 10 tonnes per hectare in this region was one of the best results. A conservation tillage system, a rational fertilization strategy, and localized, banded fertilizer application became the key factors that allowed the farm to achieve a decisive victory over the extreme weather conditions of 2020.
Conclusion
Should every farm switch to deep tillage? No. Should everyone adopt localized, banded fertilizer application? No. Should fertilizers be applied at variable rates? Not necessarily. What works on one field will not necessarily produce the same result on another. So what is the secret?
It lies in taking an individual approach to each field based on its specific characteristics. The formula for success is simple: first study the field, then implement the technology that best accounts for its specific conditions. That is exactly what Yatran Farm did — and the result was nearly 10 t/ha despite extremely unfavorable weather conditions.
A review from the farm’s manager about working with AgriLab follows.
“Working without agro-diagnostics is like driving a powerful car without headlights at night. You need that ‘flashlight’ to make all that power and speed meaningful; otherwise, you simply cannot see where you are going. The service is reasonably priced, and there is ongoing support as well.
For example, we decided to apply zinc sulfate after realizing that we were not achieving the desired results with chelated zinc. How do you dissolve zinc sulfate? Practically no one had tried it, so there was no one we could turn to for advice. But an AgriLab specialist came to the farm and explained at what temperatures and how we could prepare it, when we could apply it, and everything else we needed to know.”
