Agronomy Considerations with Chris Talley

As an independent agronomist, consulting for the hopefully soon-to-be monthly clinics, Chris Talley has shared his insights with viewers in a recent CoffeeTalk.

“Obviously, with the wide area that we are covering with the conversation, it’s hard to get too specific,” Talley said of pinpointing his recommendations. “But this time of year, there are things that every producer, no matter what they are farming or where they are farming, needs to be thinking about.”

Weather has been the big topic for much of the country, from significant snow totals to extremes of drought and moisture – but weather is always a factor that farmers will have to contend with, Talley says, and there’s not much we can do about it. What can be reevaluated is the seed that is booked or purchased and how well that variety, or, in some cases, crop, fits your needs.

“A lot of the time, we get caught up in buying the latest thing,” Talley says. “What we need to be doing is asking ourselves if that seed still fits our acres, if our populations are correct, is there another need that we havnen’t allowed for from a genetic standpoint. What are our needs? What you don’t want to do is get caught up in the buying the hottest thing if that isn’t going to be the best for you.”

Talley says that the best way to start evaluating your annual plan is to bring in outside resources that can take an objective view and cast a new set of eyes on your goals and how your strategy aligns with achieving them.

“When we think about agriculture, all of the big things have been done—what we are doing now is micromanaging the little things, but those little things are where we are increasing our profit margin,” says Talley, adding that yield doesn’t always mean profitability. “You might have the highest yields, and that’s great to talk about at the coffee shop, but you may also be the loss leader because of what you have invested in those yields.”

Helping growers forge a clear path to profitability is what the SureTrack platform is all about. The connectedness that the software and hardware solutions create across all aspects of the farm, from seed selection to marketing to building and making on-the-fly financial adjustments, SureTrack helps create a line of direction that allows a grower to not only know what they have, but what the market opportunities look like for what they have.

Incorporating these tools into a total farm plan allows a grower to make traceable adjustments throughout the year and gauge the efficacy and profitability of those adjustments.

For more information on agronomy considerations every producer should have top-of-mind this season and every season, check out the the video to watch Chris’ recommendations in their entirety.