Farms.com Home   Ag Industry News

Using your farm data

Using your farm data

Niagara College’s Research Crop Portal can help make data management easier

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Sometimes, working with equipment from different manufacturers can make farm data management challenging.

But Niagara College’s Research Crop Portal can help make that process easier for farmers, said Sarah Lepp, a senior research associate from Niagara College.

“Let’s say you’re harvesting corn” and your yield monitor creates proprietary files, Lepp told attendees of the Farms.com Precision Agriculture Conference & Ag Tech Showcase. “Right now, you have to convert those files to a CSV or a shape file. But if you have those and you want to look at your data and work with it, you can come over” to the Research Crop Portal.

Once farm data is uploaded, farmers can view it in different ways, identify potential trends or crop damage, and set field boundaries.

Producers can also use the portal to clean their data, Lepp said.

“It’s taking that histogram and chopping off everything that might not be accurately representing your yield,” she said. “It helps bring out patterns and helps show you the highs and lows in your field.”

One specific tool, Delta Clean, allows farmers to clean specific portions of their data, Lepp added.

“The whole idea with Delta Clean is that it calculates the differences from point to point to point,” she said. “It’s another way of cleaning data without losing too many of the data points.”

Additionally, the Crop Portal can help growers view elevation changes within fields.

“We give you the tools so you can make those management zones,” Lepp said.

One such tool Niagara College is integrating into its portal is Reservoir X (RRx).

Rick Willemse, a cash crop producer from Parkhill, Ont. developed the prescription algorithm to help him achieve high yields.

RRx is a variable rate prescription tool that “takes all the maps and things that the Crop Portal puts together and allows you to … make a prescription” based on them, Willemse said during the Precision Ag conference.

He’s working with the Niagara College team to develop the product for commercialization, Willemse said.


Trending Video

US “Flash Drought” Worst in 133-160 Years + Disease taking a Bite out of US 2025 Corn/Soybean Crops

Video: US “Flash Drought” Worst in 133-160 Years + Disease taking a Bite out of US 2025 Corn/Soybean Crops


A dry August and a “flash drought” in the ECB (Eastern Corn Belt) the driest top 10 to 15 years in 150 to 160 years (Ohio the driest in 133 years) plus disease is taking a bite out of the 2025 U.S. corn and soybean crops.
It's going to be an early harvest. This could be the start of the 89-year drought cycle that may have been delayed until 2026 as La Nina maybe returning.
The USDA September crop report is all about record corn ears and record soybean counts but the October USDA crop report will be about pod and ear weights.
Stats Canada reported higher forecasts for the 2025 Canadian Prairies all wheat and canola crops vs. last year based on satellite imagery but are they overestimating production?
The 2025 Great ON Yield Tour and Quebec crop tours are projecting corn and soybean crops below the 10-year average.
China's Vice Commerce Ministry Li Chenggang visits Washington this week as we continue to connect the dots is a positive sign towards a China/U.S. trade deal. But will U.S. farmers have a winter without China as they buy more soybeans from Uruguay/Argentina? U.S. Northern Plain soybean farmers are seeing red with flat prices at $8.97/bu!
U.S. corn exports on record pace up 99% vs. last year.
Fund short covering continues in corn futures bottom is in!