Is Last Year’s Data Helpful for Next Year?

When making management decisions for another year, it is always good to look at the results of research from previous years. When trying to interpret the results of a single year, you should account for the impact of the weather from that year and how it may relate to future years. When I ask growers whether this last season a “normal” year, I have rarely heard them say that any season was “normal”.

Weather has a huge impact on how a crop preformed and which management practices may have worked best. Because weather can vary so much, looking at data from a single year can lead to poor conclusions if not taken in proper context. How many times have you had a hybrid or variety that performed really well one year and the next year it was among the worst? In the scientific community, collecting data from multiple years is required in order to meet the scientific standards agreed to in most research communities. There is little doubt that multiple years of data are better than a single year of data. But, while a researcher can wait several years to give their final conclusion, growers have to make their decisions annually.

Because of the large amount of money you invest in crop production, and the relatively short lifecycle of many of the inputs available to you, waiting several years to adjust a management decision is not considered acceptable in many growers’ minds. A frequent statement I hear from many researchers is that they don’t want to release data from a single year because they are afraid growers will make an erroneous conclusion. While there is no doubt that major changes in operations should not be based on a single year of data, there is still benefit in seeing – and considering – a single year’s worth of information. As a soybean or corn producer, you are used to making decisions with limited, inconclusive or even completely absent of your own experience with an input or practice.

Much of the applied crop production research being conducted in Iowa is paid for by grower checkoff money or taxpayer money on behalf of growers. I have not met many growers who would not want to see at least a single year’s data rather than waiting for several years. While I agree that one year of data is not much, I personally think it insulting to assume that you need to be protected by not being given data from studies that you’re funding until they are completed and published several years after
the fact. 

The Iowa Soybean Association funds many different projects through a variety of different entities. A lot of this research is funded with your soybean check off dollars. That is why the On-Farm Network^® provides results each year in both current year and multi-year formats.

So the next time you see data from a single year, remember to thank the researcher who made it available and don’t complain when your results may differ. If you aren’t seeing results each year from researchers who are using your money, ask them why and give them your opinion.