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Extract from OR/MS Today (Joseph Byrum)
“Smart” application of fertilizer illustrates payoff in using analytical tools to enhance crop yields and improve the environment.
The modern farm is becoming a proving ground for the value Of data analytics. For example, by looking at systems that optimize the management of fertilizer, or nitrogen, we can see that the reward for improved decision-making goes far beyond simple economics. Better run farms produce more food, contributing to global food security. Properly managed nitrogen also happens to be essential to improving the environment and water quality. In short, data analytics are key to a healthier and happier future for millions around the globe.
The environmental and food security challenges the world faces in the decades ahead are truly complex, and the job of data analytics is to make sense out of inherently complex systems, like those we find in agriculture.
When it comes to growing crops, no one field is the same as another. Natural factors such as soil quality and topography introduce unique characteristics that affect the rate of growth and health of plants grown therein. Plants also depend on sunlight and water for growth, so the weather introduces a random source of variability. And then there’s the managed source of variation found in the application of fertilizer.
Whether the farmer has a small plot in Africa or a large growing operation in Iowa, there are always ways to do things smarter and more efficiently.
The tools of operations research are capable of tackling each of the three main sources of variability to improve decision-making. The payoff in using analytical tools to optimize crop management is perhaps best revealed in exploring the application of nitrogen to enhance crop yields.
For plants like corn, nitrogen tends to be the most important factor for yield, but it is not so simple. Applying more nitrogen will not always produce better results. To the contrary, an overabundance of nitrogen is a known menace to the environment. This is why one-size-fits-all approaches to growing are becoming obsolete. We see the highest yields coming from customized approaches that use hard data to select the best crop genetics, inputs and growing techniques that are a match for the field conditions and weather.
Joseph Byrum is an accomplished executive leader, innovator, and cross-domain strategist with a proven track record of success across multiple industries. With a diverse background spanning biotech, finance, and data science, he has earned over 50 patents that have collectively generated more than $1 billion in revenue. Dr. Byrum’s groundbreaking contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the INFORMS Franz Edelman Prize and the ANA Genius Award. His vision of the “intelligent enterprise” blends his scientific expertise with business acumen to help Fortune 500 companies transform their operations through his signature approach: “Unlearn, Transform, Reinvent.” Dr. Byrum earned a PhD in genetics from Iowa State University and an MBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.
