Farming the Averages

Since I began consulting, I have become more aware that we farm the averages.  What do I mean?  Corn after corn has a 5 to 10% yield drag over corn after soybeans.  That is on average.  Some growers are successful in maintaining good yields on those conditions.  No-till corn seems to take a bit of a yield hit, but good no-tillers don't take the hit.  30 inch row soybeans take a 10% yield hit over narrow row soybeans.  Why are there so many 30 inch rows?  If you look at most research results you will see a scatter to some extent on the raw data.  What might all this tell you?  If you are looking at a certain practice, you might be able to make it work on your farm even if research shows it is not the best on average.  One use for your yield monitor might be to do some on farm strip trials.  Be sure to calibrate them well.  You may need to do some manipulation to get the results to display properly.