Crop Trials are something we specialise in here at James Hutton Limited. It’s something we’ve done throughout the years and we have built a lot of trust with those who use our services.

But although we strive for success – I mean, why wouldn’t we? – our experience has led us to identify 3 common errors that a client MIGHT make, meaning that although they have a positive experience, they’ve not squeezed every ounce out of the crop trial as the might have done.

Jamie Smith, our Business Development Manager, has come up with a list of just 3 things you’ll want to avoid when doing a crop trial.

1) Assume: U make an Ass out of Me!

Yep, we’ve heard that cliché before. And in our experience, it’s very appropriate with regards to common crop trial problems.

If you start to assume the effectiveness or predict the outcome of a trial ahead of the final report then you’re missing the point of doing the trial in the first place. Let it do its job and offer you valuable, impartial feedback in a commercially controlled setting. You’re going to get far better validation that way.

(In fact, time and again early-door predictions have often turned out to be false!)

2) Trying to analyse "absolutely everything" in one trial!

You might think by saying this we’re trying to get you to do lots and lots of trials. That would be great – but that’s not what we’re saying.

Trying to discover literally everything in one trial is just not going to be possible so be wary of that before you go ahead. Let’s measure one stage of a trial at a time and once we’re satisfied, move on to the next stage. Play the slightly longer game and you’ll get more credible results and closer to where you want to be.

I mean, you don’t put your t-shirt on after your jacket, do you?

3. Not staying true to the original intent!

Don’t be a chopper and changer with a trial. You won’t get the answer that you’re looking for. You’ll get the answer to a question you didn’t ask in the first place and probably, in all likelihood, need more trials.

Great for us...not great for you.

Make sure you stay true to what you set out to answer in the beginning, and you’ll get a far better experience and a more meaningful result.

Ensure you get the right fit for what you’re looking for. We are steeped in history with crop science and we love what we do - let's make sure we're what you're looking for.

Jamie Smith is our friendly Business Development Manager at James Hutton Limited. He is extremely experienced in agri-tech and agronomy, a serial networker and has a sensational drive on the fairway.