NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetative Index) helps farmers detect how green and/or productive different areas of their fields are by measuring the ratio of near-infrared to red light reflected from plant canopies. This technology creates reliable productivity zone maps when analyzed consistently over multiple growing seasons, enabling targeted input management across variable field conditions.

In this Tiny Byte Sarah and Jodi cover:
• NDVI measures plant canopy density by comparing near-infrared light reflection to red light absorption
• Chlorophyll absorbs visible light while plant cell structures reflect near-infrared light
• NDVI values range from -1 to 1 (or ~0-100 in ADMS) with higher values indicating denser vegetation
• Creating reliable management zones requires multiple years of imagery, not just single snapshots
• Best imagery comes from periods when crop canopy is developing or starting to senesce
• NDVI data often correlates with yield potential and can identify consistently productive field areas
• Zone management allows targeted input application based on productivity potential
• The most valuable NDVI images show variation in greenness rather than complete saturation

Check out our backlog episode "Choosing Quality Imagery" in Season 1 for more information on selecting the best imagery for creating management zones. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2297340/episodes/16135793

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Sarah and Jodi reflect on the fast-paced spring planting season of 2025, sharing their experiences supporting customers with ADMS software and troubleshooting common prescription issues while managing rapidly changing field conditions.

Situations and questions they cover:
• When to dissolve prescriptions during the export process to optimize controller compatibility
• Understanding the difference between hard breaks and interpolation in prescription maps
• Why you should never dissolve a fully interpolated map without applying rate increments first
• How controller limitations affect prescription exports and formatting requirements
• The importance of creating test prescriptions before heading to the field
• Setting appropriate minimum and maximum rates for fertilizer applications
• Tips for managing controller-specific requirements like single shapefile exports
• How to maintain prescription integrity while meeting equipment limitations

Join us next time for the second half of our conversation about common spring questions here on Ag Geek Speak.

https://gktechinc.com/

Using the correct UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) zone is crucial when working with GIS data mapped to a UTM zone. We explain how projections work to translate locations from Earth's spherical surface to flat maps, and why UTM zones are critical for accurate agricultural mapping.

• UTM divides Earth into 60 zones, each six degrees of longitude wide
• UTM choice errors cause maps to appear in completely wrong locations, like oceans
• Creating maps in the wrong UTM zone leads to unusable prescriptions for field operations
• Maps created in one UTM zone but opened in another will show incorrect positions
• Farms located on UTM zone boundaries may encounter projection issues more frequently
• Always verify your UTM zone settings when working in mapping software
• Turn on background maps to confirm your fields are projecting in the correct location
• Reprojection tools in ADMS can help fix UTM errors

Avoid the sharks and floaties, check your UTM!

https://gktechinc.com/