What is the Max Yield System?
- Red Barn Enterprises
- Feb 8
- 5 min read
Welcome back to the EZAg Podcast, where innovative farming meets practical solutions. I’m your host, Matt Long, and today we’re joined by Jackson Lewis. Today we’re going to dig into what the Max Yield System is.
We’ve been getting a lot of calls and questions from growers about the Max Yield System, so we’re going to start answering those today.
What are you hearing from growers?
Jackson Lewis: Matt, you’ve mentioned you’ve been getting a lot of calls from growers. What are the main questions you’re hearing?
Matt Long: A lot of the questions we’re getting are simply, “What is the Max Yield System?” Growers want a simple explanation of what it actually looks like and how it works on their farm.
What is the Max Yield System?
Jackson Lewis: Let’s start with a simple overview. What is the Max Yield System?
Matt Long: The Max Yield System really isn’t that different from what a lot of growers are already doing. Most growers already have a crop plan, they’re choosing seed, they have a fertility plan, and they have a herbicide plan.
What the Max Yield System does is it formalizes that process and brings everything together in one place. Instead of each piece standing alone, we’re making sure that every component is actually working toward increasing yield, not just overcoming an obstacle.
I compare it to a bunch of small SMART goals. Every herbicide pass has a purpose and a timing. Every fertility decision has a purpose. When you bring those little goals together, they help you create maximum yield.
What problem led you to create the Max Yield System?
Jackson Lewis: What were you seeing in the field that made you feel like this system was needed?
Matt Long: The biggest struggle I see is the “we’ll figure it out when we get there” mentality. When growers get to the field, they’re often faced with competing opinions from different suppliers.
That creates confusion, and it turns into a shoot-from-the-hip decision-making process. That doesn’t always lead to the best outcome.
With the Max Yield System, we’re making decisions long before the planter or sprayer ever gets to the field. We gather information, sort through it, and make the best decision possible ahead of time. That way, when you get to the field, you’re comfortable with the plan.
How is this different from business as usual?
Jackson Lewis: A lot of growers feel like they’re already doing everything they can. What makes this different?
Matt Long: Most growers really are doing everything they know how to do. The difference is that with the Max Yield System, our team joins the grower as a consultant.
We walk with them through the entire process, even on things that don’t involve products we sell. One example is how we look at yield in terms of bushels per thousand plants.
We focus on what can be done to improve every seed’s ability to produce more corn. That doesn’t require buying more seed or more fertilizer. It’s an added focus, not an added purchase.
Why is a field-by-field approach important?
Jackson Lewis: Why do you emphasize managing things on a field-by-field basis?
Matt Long: No two fields are the same. Even if two fields look similar, there are always differences.
One field might have average soil pH, another might have high pH. That changes how we manage seed selection and fertility. Weed spectrums can be different, which affects herbicide decisions.
Managing on a field-by-field basis allows us to dial management in for that specific field instead of trying to average things across the whole farm.
How does the Max Yield System help manage risk?
Jackson Lewis:Beyond yield, how does the system help manage risk?
Matt Long: We try to dial into the top five factors that produce a top crop.
Those factors are:
Soil conditions at planting
Seed placement and spacing
Seed quality
Putting the right hybrid in the right field
Post-plant management
Post-plant management includes making decisions ahead of time, scouting during the season, and confirming that the original decisions still make sense.
What happens after a grower commits to the system?
Jackson Lewis: What’s the first step after a grower commits to the Max Yield System?
Matt Long: The first decision is whether they want to start on the whole farm or just specific fields. Starting across the whole farm can reduce stress, but the system is field-specific, so we need to identify which fields we’re working with.
Once we identify the fields, we can start making decisions for each one.
What are bushels per thousand plants?
Jackson Lewis: You talk a lot about bushels per thousand plants. What does that mean, and why does it matter?
Matt Long: Bushels per thousand plants measures the productivity of the hybrid, not just the productivity of the acre.
Bushels per acre is still important. A field yielding 127 bushels per acre is a good number. But research shows corn has the ability to produce more bushels per thousand plants than what we’re currently getting.
In dryland systems, average APH might be 90 to 100 bushels per acre, which is about 6 to 7 bushels per thousand plants at a 15,000 population. Under irrigation, research shows the ability to produce over 20 bushels per thousand plants under the right conditions.
If we can move from 6 bushels per thousand plants to 8, that takes a 90-bushel field to 120 bushels at the same population.
The focus is on giving the plant a better start without investing in more seed or fertilizer. Weather will always play a big role, especially in dryland western Kansas, but there are still things we can do to influence that outcome.
We try to get better every year so that when conditions are right, the top-end yield is much higher than what was planned.
What harvest data do you use?
Jackson Lewis: What kind of harvest data do you look at to develop this system?
Matt Long: I like to ride combines with growers. I’ll look at the row next to the header to check stand consistency and ear height.
That’s really planter data gathered at harvest. You can also evaluate things when the corn is only 12 inches tall by doing stand counts and bushels per thousand evaluations.
Plants that are one or two leaf collars behind will produce fewer bushels. You can see all of that again at harvest in how hybrids and planter passes performed.
Final thoughts
Jackson Lewis: Anything else you want to add?
Matt Long: The Max Yield System sounds intense and formal, but it’s actually a pretty laid-back system to be in.
We start with what the grower already knows about their field. We gather soil test data and work through fertility and herbicide plans together. It doesn’t take a lot of time, but it takes pressure off because decisions are made far in advance.
We won’t be perfect in making every decision upfront, but the system has flexibility to adjust, and that can make a big difference in yield and ROI.
Key takeaway for growers
Jackson Lewis: What’s the one thing you want growers to walk away understanding?
Matt Long: Don’t stress about it. The Max Yield System is easy to initiate on your farm.
We’re not trying to move from A to Z in one year. We’re focused on small, incremental changes over time that impact maximum yield.
Until next time, remember, ag is Easy when you tune into the EZ Ag Podcast.
That’s all for today, I’m Matt Long,
Grow Your Yield, Grow Your Legacy, Grow Strong with Axis Seed.
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