Recommendation
When creating a Recommendation, the user has the option to choose Fertility, Yield Removal, or Fertility + Removal. The recommendation may be exported as a shapefile. Below is an explanation of the 3 different options and how they are used in their "True" form.
Fertility: This option was designed to look at an equation and soil sample results. If an equation has removal built into it, then it can also take into consideration removal.
Removal: This option was designed to look at yield data (logged data) and run the removal calculation. This option also allows you to use a "flat" yield goal if you do not have yield data. See Yield Removal Recommendation for more information.
Fertility + Removal: This option was designed to look at soil sample results using an equation while also running the removal calculation using yield data (logged data) or flat removal if that is selected. It is important when using this feature to note that if your equation has removal built into it then you will take removal twice. This may not be the best option to use if you use an equation with removal built-in.
Create New Recommendation
To begin, select 'New' in the bottom right of the Fertility list view.
The system will then display the wizard, prompting the user to choose between Fertility, Yield Removal, or Fertility + Removal.
3. For this example, Fertility Recommendation will be used. The selected field(s) must have a Sample Event to continue.
💡Users may also create a Fertility Recommendation on a part of the field by selecting a Planting. When creating a recommendation on a planting, the field sample from the field level is used. But the recommendation only interpolates for the planting boundary.
4. Select the 'Change' button if you wish to modify the field(s) used for the fertility recommendation.
5. The Templates section to the far right is where Personal or Shared Recommendation Templates will reside. Creating a Recommendation Template saves the equation, crop, products, prices, yield goals, and any other equation inputs so they do not have to be entered each time.
A. Personal Template - This is a template that is only available for use by the creator.
B. Shared Template - This one is available to all users who can create recommendations for a location.
Once a Template is created it can only be shared or deleted. There is no way to edit a Recommendation Template.
Only one template may be used, but a template may also be used when using the Batch Rx feature.
6. To use a Fertility Template, select the template and a blue checkmark will display. Then simply select Run Rec or Batch Rx to skip to the Preview tab.
7. If a Recommendation Template is not being used, then select 'Next'.
8. Select the equation you would like to use for the recommendation. First select the source, then the equation set, and then crop.
A. Equation - If the lab has allowed their equations to be coded into TELUS Agronomy, then the 'Equation' option can be used and a list of equations will be displayed to choose from.
B. Lab Submitted - If the lab provided recommendations, you can select 'Lab Submitted' in the upper left corner. This takes the lab recommendation which was submitted via MODUS and places it into the Fertility wizard.
💡The 'i' icon below the Equation Set drop-down allows the user to see the details of the equation. Equations set to Private are not viewable. This includes some organization equations as well as Lab equations.
9. Next, a list of elements will be populated based on the equation. From here you can select which elements (multiple can be selected) and products you would like to use in your recommendation. After the selections are made, select ' next'.
Users can select the star icon to favorite certain products. Once a product is set as a favorite, the product will be rendered at the top of the list when completing the next recommendation.
A. Application Unit - Defaults to Gal/ac or Lbs/ac based on whether the product is liquid or dry.
B. Total Units - select the unit you would like the total product to be displayed on the printable.
C. Price - enter a price for each product to be displayed on the printable. The last entered price will default the next time a rec is run.
10. Next is the inputs tab. Here you will enter your global inputs for your recommendation.
11. Interpolation - Searches for pixels within a range and determines how much weight to apply to that pixel based on various methods.
Inverse Distance - This method says "the further away from a point of interest a pixel is, the less weight it puts on that pixel".
Kriging - This is weighted on distance and equations that take data sets into account.
Nearest Neighbor - One of the simplest interpolation methods. The value of the point which is closest to the current point is used.
This method doesn't always fill in values between points like Inverse Distance does.
12. The next step requires the user to input a yield goal and adjust any other variables, if necessary.
💡Each equation set is different and may contain more variables than others.
Key Terms Explained:
Deduct - A subtraction of the nutrient (not product) that is to be deducted before any other operation (Multiplier, etc.). A common example would be a Nitrogen side dress. Entering 100 in this box would deduct 100 lbs/acre of N from the output N map. The system assumes the user will remember to follow up with the deducted operation. This number can also be used to increase by a flat amount the nutrient output by adding a negative number in the box. For example, if you would like to be sure to have a minimum application rate of 100 pounds (nutrient) then you would add "-100" to the box.
💡DEDUCT NOTE: If you intend to make no adjustments leave this number as 0.
Multiplier - This number will be multiplied by the product rate before applying the minimum, maximum, or rounding rates. For example, a grower would like to reduce their fertilizer cost by 10%. They would enter 0.9 into the multiplier box. Conversely, if they would like to increase the amount of fertilizer proportionally by 10% they would enter 1.1 in the box
💡MULTIPLIER NOTE: If you intend to make no adjustments, leave this number as 1.
Minimum Rate - This is the minimum spreadable rate other than zero (0). It is advisable that this number be the lowest rate your applicator can spread effectively. Depending on machine type and application speed this varies from a low of 40 lbs/acre for potash (air spreader traveling over 15 MPH) to 1000 lbs/acre (lime spreader traveling 10 MPH). Think of this as the minimum amount of product that ever comes out of the back of your spreader truck.
💡MINIMUM NOTE: If you do not intend to have a Min Rate for the purposes of showing the grower the range of variability, you would have a 0 in this box.
Maximum Rate - The rate where the application will be “capped”. This number is used mostly as a way to manage product expenses. In some cases, there is an agronomic reason (nutrient toxicity), and in others, it is a machine limitation. It is advisable to always enter a number as a check to the output of certain equations, particularly custom equations. Think of this as the maximum amount that ever comes out of the back of a spreader trucker.
Rounding Rate - This is the least understood user-entered input. The easiest way is to think of the rounding rate or switch rate is as an on/off switch for your machines' belt. This is the number that tells your machine when to start spreading or when to turn off. An example of using a rounding rate is if you want to spread everything calling for 20lbs or more. However, your machine can only apply 50lbs minimum. You would then set your rounding rate as 20 and your minimum rate as 50. This would then take everything from 20-49 and apply your minimum rate of 50lbs.
💡ROUNDING RATE NOTE: If you do not want a rounding rate, clear this box. It should have no value in it (blank).
Examples of various rounding rates and how it impacts a recommendation. First (left) is without rounding and a min of 1500, the middle is with 0 for rounding and min of 1500 and right is a rounding of 1000 and min of 1500
13. Other options on the Input Screen:
A. Zone Input - will run the variable rate data within a zone, select 'Zone Input Layer'. (A) For more information on using a Zone Input please refer to the section of this help guide titled Zone Inputs.
B. Run Rec - This will create the recommendation you have inputted, resulting in all fields on a single map and with a single set of files.
This may take some time if there are multiple fields/products for the recommendation.
C. Run As Batch - run an Rx with the result of multiple shapefiles for each field at the same time, click on the arrow next to the 'Run Rec' button and choose 'Run as Batch'
Depending on what you have selected in the location navigator on the left, you can run batch Rx's for multiple growers, farms, or fields.
Below are examples of the different interpolation methods on the same sample event.
Inverse Distance:
Kriging:
Nearest Neighbor:
Previewing the Rx
A. Prescription Name - Enter the name of the prescription. This is how it will display in the list view. This will not be the name used for the shapefile export.
B. Product Tile - Displays information like Product Name, Average Application Rate, Total Product, Price and Min and Max Application Rate.
C. Layer Picker - Commonly favorite layers are the nutrient values at each sample point (pH) or application rate of product at each sample point (Lime 90). Depending on which Product Tile is selected, it will determine which Nutrient or Product layer can be selected.
D. Map/Details - Map displays a preview of the map. Details display a table showing the Sample ID, Nutrient Result Value, and Product Rate.
E. Quick Report - Download a quick printable report. For more information, see Fertility Recommendation Report. This is a default report and is not customizable.
F. Report - Customize-able fertility report that allows several options to be included, excluded, or edited, such as; Report Title, Map Overlay options (Product Element, Elemental Rec or Nutrient value), Price, Load Sheet, and Notes. See Fertility Recommendation Report for more information.
G. Download Shapefile - Download a shapefile of the variable rate recommendation.
H. Export Prescription - Customize the fertility export. Items to choose from include:
Select specified products to export in the file.
Edit the product name in the export file.
Select how to round the values of the recommendation (increments in which the controller will spread).
Select the number of files (one file per product, or all products in one file).
Select polygon type (single polygon shape or multi polygon shape).
I. Save - Save the recommendation for later printing or exporting.
J. New Template - Saves the previously created recommendation as a template for future use.
K. Info - Displays information about the recommendation attributes such as equation, Min Rate, Max Rate, etc.
💡When exporting a shapefile, the total product may vary from what the PDF report indicates due to differences in pixelation and round by. Online, pixelation is 2-meter resolution while most controllers can only handle 5 meters or greater resolution.
*To achieve the closest amount of product to the PDF, choose a 10-meter resolution and round by 5 lbs.
Detail View
Attribute:
VR Fertility Batches
A Batch Rx is used when running the same recommendation across more than one field and the fields are not within a 7-mile radius. You may run a recommendation normally if all fields are within a 7-mile radius, if not, the Run as a Batch feature must be used. The Batch Rx feature interpolates each field individually, whereas the Run Rec feature (when more than one field is selected) interpolates across the multiple fields as if they were one continuous field.
If choosing to 'Run as Batch', name and save your Rx.
You will receive an email when your batch Rx has finished processing.
You can also see its progress by looking at the VR Fertility Batches dashboard.
2. Exports are only in shapefile format. The .shp, .shx, and .dbf files are included in the zip file. The folder will be named after your recommendation along with the grower and farm name.
3. If exporting a Batch Run Rx, click on the green checkmark next to the desired Batch Rx and click on the name of it to get the options of 'Download', 'View Dashboard', or 'Delete'.
4. Choosing 'Download' at this point gives you one shapefile for all fields in the batch Rx.
This is what that will look like when you open the zip folder after clicking 'Download'
Notice these shapefiles are titled as the name of your batch Rx.
5. If you wish to have separate shapefiles for each field, click 'View Dashboard' and put a checkmark next to each field you want separate shapefiles for, and select export in the bottom right.
6. The report option will email you a PDF of each Fertility Recommendation.
All emails come from webmaster@agrian.com.
7. Choose the file type and use the options on the right to either download or be emailed the file.
8. If you choose not to have all fields combined into one shapefile, below are what the folders that contain your shapefiles will look like.
Inside the zip folder, you will see the name of your Batch Rx, then double click until you see the files for each field/product combination.
These separate shapefiles are titled the traditional Grower, Farm, Field, and Product structure. These can be changed on the export screen.
Zone Inputs
A Fertility Recommendation using a zone input allows for more than one yield goal to be applied to a field. This is ideal when a field is under irrigation and has dry corners. The fertility recommendation still uses the soil results from the selected soil sample and the fertility equation. When utilizing custom equations, other inputs such as pH and organic matter can also use zone inputs to run more than one variable across the field.
To create a Variable Rate Fertility Rx using a zone input, begin by creating a zone that has an attribute column containing the yield goal for each zone. The zone should look like the one displayed below. See Create/Edit Zones for more information.
A. Attribute Column - This represents the zone attribute from which inputs will be calculated.
In the example below, it represents one yield goal for the irrigated section of the field and one yield goal for the dryland section of the field.
2. Now that the zone is created, navigate to VR Fertility Recommendations and create a fertility rec. Once on the 'Inputs' tab, follow these steps:
3. Click "Select Zone Input Layer(s)"
4. In the window that pops up select from the drop-down the zone with multiple yield goals then select 'Add Zone'.
5. If the preview looks correct select 'Add Zone' in the lower right.
6. Next to the 'Yield Goal' entry, there will now be a grey circle, select it so it turns red. Then select the attribute column from the zone that contains the multiple yield values. Then complete the other required inputs and select Run Rx.
💡Zone input Rx's can only run individually. The Batch option is not available when running a Variable Rate Fertility Rx using multiple yield goals.
7. Below is an example of what the fertility recommendation will look like.
