Page 3 - R&I Guide

What's your ROI?

We have all been riding in the
combine during harvest and seen those

spots in the field where the crop is either
really good or really bad. The better
spots might be a low, or some heavy
ground that we know sits in the fields.
The bad spots might be an old oil well

sight or maybe just some course ground.
Elevation also plays a big part in how a field can produce.

Being able to identify the variability in field and treat those areas
individually can have a huge impact on our bottom line.

In a study in 2017, Great Bend Co-op split a sorghum field with a grower
and let him treat a portion of the field his way. We then used satellite imagery
and created four zones based on past seasons images and applied variable

rate fertilizer on those areas based off soil testing.
Zone 1, the zone we identified as our least productive zone, was our

most profitable zone. Our highest yielding zone, Zone 4, was our second most
profitable zone. Zone 3, which was the same rate as the grower standard, was
our least profitable zone. Zone three is also what we considered about the

average yield potential for the field.
When you add variable rate planting, we can fine tune those expenses

even further. A lower plant population in the least productive or drought prone
areas may also help gain yield and maximize profit margins even more.

In these times of lower commodity prices, getting the most ROI is the
name of the game. The staff at Great Bend Co-op is committed to helping you
see and take advantage of these opportunities.

Profit
160
152.5 $157.53

145
$142.57 $144.23
137.5
$135.07 $135.07
130
Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Flat Rate