CONTEXT

Producer-reported data can be used to identify suites of management practices that lead to higher yield and profit. However, a rigorous field validation of the approach in relation to its potential impact on farmer yield and profit is lacking.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to validate a producer-data approach on its capability to guide on-farm evaluation of management practices with greatest potential for increasing producer yield and profit. We show proof of concept using soybean in the North Central US region as a case study.

METHODS

We used a combination of regression tree analysis and a spatial framework to determine practices with highest influence on yield for specific climate domains across the region. These practices were used as a basis for designing an ‘improved’ management package for each domain. The impact associated with adoption of the ‘improved’ management package on producer yield, seed constituents, and profit was evaluated against a ‘reference’ treatment that follows farmer management via replicated on-farm trials across 100 sites over two crop seasons.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Average yield was 278 kg ha⁻¹ higher in the improved versus reference management, equivalent to a closure of the current exploitable yield gap by 40%. In turn, adoption of the improved management led to an average increase of $76 ha⁻¹ in net profit. Sensitivity analysis showed that adoption of the improved management packages should increase farmer profit across a wide range of grain price scenarios, with very small downside risk. Seed protein concentration was negatively associated with the positive yield advantage of the improved management, whereas seed oil concentration tended to increase.

SIGNIFICANCE

Analysis of producer data can accelerate discovery, evaluation, and adoption of suites of management practices that consistently lead to higher farmer yield and profit, which, in turn, would help speed up current rates of yield gain.

中文翻译：

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农民提供的数据方法的现场验证，以缩小美国中北部地区的大豆产量差距

语境

生产者报告的数据可用于识别可带来更高产量和利润的管理实践套件。然而，缺乏对该方法对其对农民产量和利润的潜在影响的严格现场验证。

客观的

本研究旨在验证生产者数据方法在指导农场评估管理实践方面的能力，从而提高生产者产量和利润的最大潜力。我们以美国中北部地区的大豆为案例研究展示了概念验证。

方法

我们结合使用回归树分析和空间框架来确定对该地区特定气候域的产量影响最大的做法。这些实践被用作为每个域设计“改进的”管理包的基础。采用“改进的”管理方案对生产者产量、种子成分和利润的影响与“参考”处理进行了评估，该处理通过在两个作物季节的 100 个地点进行重复的农场试验来遵循农民管理的“参考”处理。

结果和结论

改进后的管理与参考管理相比，平均单产高出278 kg ha ^-1，相当于将当前可开发的单产差距缩小了 40%。反过来，采用改进的管理导致净利润平均增加 76 公顷^-1美元。敏感性分析表明，采用改进的管理方案应该会在各种谷物价格情景中增加农民的利润，而且下行风险非常小。种子蛋白质浓度与改良管理的正产量优势呈负相关，而种子油浓度趋于增加。

意义

对生产者数据的分析可以加速发现、评估和采用一套持续提高农民产量和利润的管理实践，这反过来又有助于加快当前的产量增长速度。