Yield goals are used to develop nutrient recommendations for nitrogen on a crop. Under Maryland Nutrient Management Regulations, yield goals can be determined in one of several ways:
- Take the average of the 3 highest-yielding years for the latest 5 years a specific crop has been grown on a specific field
- Take the average of 60% of the highest yielding years for a specific crop on a specific field if more than 5 years of yield data are available
- Use published soil productivity information*
- Use the average of the 3 highest-yielding years of the latest 5 years for crops from nearby fields with similar soil types and management conditions
* In addition to paper soil survey reports which contain yield information for specific crops grown in specific soils for each county, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has crop yield predictions for all Maryland counties available on the online Web Soil Survey tool.
For more information on determining yield goals, please download the following free publications:
Nutrient Management Advisors in University of Maryland Extension offices can provide instruction and assistance with yield goal checks. Please visit our Nutrient Management Advisors web page to find your local Extension advisor.