In a tight margin environment where every decision counts, farmers are looking for any advantage they can get to maximize their investments. That’s what the R7^® Field Forecasting Tool from WinField United is all about, which is why it was named AgPro magazine’s 2017 New Product of the Year Award. AgPro readers, who include agronomists, retailers and crop consultants, voted the tool number one.

This award is a great recognition of the hard work and dedication the team has invested in the development and launch of the Field Forecasting Tool. Last year was the pilot year for the tool, with 22 ag retail organizations using it on more than 70,000 acres.

The Field Forecasting Tool is a crop modeling solution that uses historical weather data, field-specific information and tissue sampling results to help farmers determine optimal timing and rates for nutrient applications.

“We are continuing to grow the model and drive insights from the data we gather through our Answer Plot^® Program and tissue-sampling system,” says Joel Wipperfurth, ag technology applications lead for WinField United. “Then, we bring them together to facilitate in-season decision-making.”

WinField United worked closely with select agricultural retailers who wanted to introduce the Field Forecasting Tool to their more progressive customers. These are farmers who have a desire to stay on the leading edge of ag technology and implement innovative crop management strategies.

“The Field Forecasting Tool provides a way for a farmer to take a closer look at each field and different aspects of that field -- water management, nitrogen management, potassium management -- and follow that throughout the season from planting to harvest,” says Trevor Smith, agronomy specialist with Tennessee Farmers Co-op. “The feedback we’ve received is that the tool has challenged the ways we’ve done things in the past, particularly with nitrogen.”

You can read more about the award-winning Field Forecasting Tool and its capabilities here.