Pioneer, Johnston, Iowa, has introduced the Pioneer Yield Pyramid decision tool, a new proprietary, data-driven tool designed to bring even more value to farmers. By identifying where a grower is currently with crop yields and then prioritizing certain management decisions and practices, this tool can help increase yield potential in specific areas.
Site-specific weather information, soil data and management practices from more than 56,000 locations are grouped into 10 genetic x environment x management zones. These GEM zones are the first step in the yield pyramid. Within each GEM zone, there are five yield levels, each with corresponding management factors. Level one represents USDA county average corn yield. Levels two through four are based off internal Pioneer data. The fifth level represents the future and where corn yields are heading.
With the Pioneer Yield Pyramid decision tool, farmers can compare their practices and yield results with the typical results within each yield level and determine if there are any differences or gaps. Advanced data science tools, including data clustering and machine learning, and thousands of on-farm data points collected by the Pioneer agronomy team in the past 10 years were used to develop a sophisticated crop model that can synthesize thousands of trials to help farmers prioritize management decisions.
To move up the pyramid requires attention to foundational management practices while addressing the additional factors that become more important as yield increases. Each of the 10 GEM zones has specific action steps to help growers move up the pyramid. In addition, sophisticated data science tools were used to evaluate all the measured crop management factors and rank their importance in achieving higher yields. Farmers can use this prioritized list to make better decisions on where to make changes or invest inputs for their operation.
The Pioneer Yield Pyramid decision tool is available for farmers through their local agronomist. For more information, see a representative or visit www.Pioneer.com.
