Nutrient
Management
Planning:
Estimating Hay
Yields
Eric Thomason & Joe Hatton
Crop yield estimation is a management tool used
by a variety of people and entities for varying reasons.
Estimations are made early in the growing season and
all the way up to and beyond harvest depending on the
purpose. Decision makers for national markets may
use mathematical models, remote sensing or actual
ground-based field reports to make timely decisions
about needed imports or available exports. Insurance
companies help producers manage risk associated with
producing crops and may use yield estimates when
paying for losses. We as farmers use crop yield estimates
in a variety of ways.
For the farmer, the use and importance of crop yield
records and estimates can be seen in many ways. These
include lease agreements, maintaining one’s “Farm”
status for tax purposes, planning for winter feeding
and nutrient management planning. Often farm record
keeping focuses on the number of bales produced to
determine if enough hay is available to winter livestock
or to estimate the revenue of expected sales. Taking
the records you may already keep a step further and
estimating tons of hay produced has the potential to
expand the benefit of your record keeping. Crop yield
estimates are a valuable nutrient management p [