WinMax Help Contents
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Ten Steps To Getting Started Quickly
Distribution Files
The following files are distributed with the WinMax program. These files can be found in the folder that you specified during installation; by default, this folder is C:\Program Files\WinMax2. You may not have all of these files if you unchecked any options during installation.
File Name Description
winmax.exe WinMax program.
winmax.hlp WinMax on-line help file.
unins000.exe Uninstall program.
unins000.dat Installation data required to uninstall WinMax.
usa.mcn County names file containing county names for all 50 states.
stnd-usa.mdf Definition file containing crop input definitions and standard costs.
Depending on the options you checked during installation, you may also have the following files:
IN_Training_Example.mxj Sample project data file containing crop production data for an example hog operation in Indiana.
IN_Training_Example.mcc Custom cost file containing input costs for use with the sample project file.
in.mmi, oh.mmi, etc. State initialization files. WinMax must be able to find a state's .mmi file in order to calculate crop nutrient needs for that state.
SampleForm.snp Sample data collection form.
BlankForm.snp Blank data collection form.
ImportExample_IN.dbf Example dBASE import file containing field data.
ImportDbfSpec.doc Specification for standard dBASE field data import file.
ImportTemplate.dbf Empty dBASE field data import file.
What's New in WinMax 2.13
- Updated initialization files for several states to synch with MMP 0.31
New Features in Previous Version 2.12
- Updated initialization files for several states to synch with MMP 0.30.
New Features in Previous Version 2.11
- Updated initialization files for several states to synch with MMP 0.29.
New Features in Previous Version 2.10
- Updated initialization files for many states to synch with MMP 0.28.
- Importing and exporting MMP plans now supports MMP's multiple counties per plan.
New Features in Previous Version 2.09
- Standard costs for many crop inputs have been updated for 2008.
Field operation costs were adapted from "Indiana Custom Rates 2007" (publication EC-130-W, revised Dec. 2007), by Craig L. Dobbins, Agricultural Economics Dept., Purdue University and Greg Matli, Deputy State Statistician (Indiana).
Several field operations used with crops not commonly grown in Indiana were updated based on "Machinery Cost Estimates" (revised Sept. 2007), University of Minnesota Extension.
As always, to modify these costs to use your own seed, fertilizer, pesticide and field operation prices, create a custom cost file.
- The new Update Soils From SDM button on the Erosion panel allows you to fill in the soils table automatically from data retrieved from the USDA-NRCS Soil Data Mart. This is handy for filling in soils data if you don't have MMP installed. There's also a new File | Import Data | Update Soils Data From SDM command to fill in soil data for all records.
- WinMax includes updated support for California, Mississippi, Missouri and Nebraska.
- Manure application setbacks have been updated for many states.
New Features in Previous Version 2.08
- New report on Tools menu: Manure Application Setbacks. Run this report before applying manure to help determine manure application setback distances.
- Support for Rhode Island, making for a total of 34 states supported, including Extension fertilizer recommendations.
- Planting and harvesting operations have been added for alfalfa, clover and grass.
New Features in Previous Version 2.07
- WinMax now includes support for California and Kentucky.
- WinMax includes updated support for Indiana, Missouri and Montana.
New Features in Previous Version 2.06
- WinMax now includes support for Colorado, Oregon and Washington.
- WinMax now uses a new .mxj file extension for new project files it creates to avoid conflicts with other software that uses the .mxd file extension used by previous versions of WinMax. You can still open your .mxd files with WinMax, but all new project files will use the .mxj extension. You can also rename your .mxd files to the .mxj file extension so you can open them by double-clicking them in Windows Explorer.
- You can now select the crop fertilizer recommendation to use on the Crops panel. This is useful when a state has more than one fertilizer recommendation for a crop, for example winter vs. spring wheat, conventional vs. no-till corn, etc. Importing an MMP plan automatically selects the crop fert rec to use.
- You can now select Alfalfa, Clover, Grass-legume or Grass as a current crop on the Crops panel.
- You can now select Other as a current crop on the Crops panel. This allows you to enter data for crops that are not yet directly supported by WinMax.
- You can now select Fallow as a previous or next crop on the Crops panel.
- If a field is artificially drained, you can now select the Type Of Artificial Drainage on the Erosion panel.
- You can now enter sulfate sulfur on the Soil Tests panel.
- In states such as Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, where additional soil attributes are used in Extension fertilizer recommendations, you can now select these attributes in the Erosion panel's soils grid from a pick list rather than entering a numeric value.
- In the About box, you can click the Check For Updates link to check the Web for a newer version of WinMax.
- On the Crops panel, you can click the Source link to launch your Web browser and go directly to the fertilizer recommendation's source publication or Web page. This works for all states that have the source of their fert recs on the Web (most do).
New Features in Previous Version 2.05
- If you have Manure Management Planner (MMP) installed, you can now export WinMax data to an MMP plan file with the File | Export Data command.
- If you have MMP installed, you can also use the new File | Import Data | Update Soils Data From MMP command to fill in each record's soils table on the Erosion panel. You can also use the Update Soils button on the Erosion panel to update just the current record's soils table.
- A redesigned About box provides a handy place to go for links to important help topcs and documentation.
- An all-new sample project file is included with WinMax. File IN_Training_Example.mxd contains crop production data for an example hog operation in Indiana.
New Features in Previous Version 2.04
- You can now specify the test that the soil test lab used to estimate the field's soil phosphorus on the Soil Tests panel in states that have different interpretations depending on the soil test that was used. Updated initialization files for Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota , and Nebraska and South Dakota support the phosphorus soil tests used in those states' Extension fertilizer recommendations.
- Support for newly revised Extension fert recs in Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania and South Dakota. Also includes improved fert recs for Illinois and support for Arkansas, Florida, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey and Vermont.
- WinMax now displays the Extension fert recs on the Crops panel as well in the worksheet report's nutrient management page. The source publication for the Extension fert recs is also displayed.
- You can now enter custom fert recs and their source on the Crops panel if you need to override WinMax's default Extension fert recs.
- Importing an MMP plan's data into WinMax now brings over any custom fert recs that you entered in the MMP plan.
- Importing an MMP plan's data into WinMax now brings over planned manure and fertilizer applications to reduce recordkeeping data entry when actual applications are likely to be the same as planned applications.
- You can now enter fertilizer application rates in liquid units (gallons) as well as dry units.
- You can now select each soil's drainage class on the Erosion panel.
New Features in Previous Version 2.03
- Standard costs for crop inputs have been updated for 2002. Fertilizer, herbicide and insecticide prices are based on a survey of Indiana agribusinesses and represent the average price a producer would pay for a cash purchase with no discounts during the 2002 spring planting season.
Prices for pesticides and field operations used with crops not commonly grown in Indiana are based on data supplied in past years by other states.
As always, to modify these costs to use your own fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide, and field operation prices, create a custom custom file.
- WinMax can now calculate crop nutrient needs for Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Utah in addition to the 14 previously supported states.
- To help WinMax calculate fertilizer recommendations or manure N availability more accurately for states such as Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, New Mexico, Tennesee, and Wisconsin, you can now enter additional soil attributes in the soils table on the Erosion panel. Refer to the help for the Erosion panel for more information.
- To help WinMax calculate legume nitrogen credits more accurately, you can now enter a previous forage crop's percent legume stand (0-100%).
- All reports can now be viewed with Microsoft Word from within WinMax.
- All reports can now be saved to a file in a choice of three formats: text, Rich Text, or HTML.
- For most supported states, WinMax now estimates manure N availability using state-specific factors.
- Ammonium N (NH4-N) can now be entered as part of a manure's analysis.
- Electrical conductivity (EC) can now be entered on the Soil Tests panel.
- Irrigation water nitrate N content can now be entered on the Other Inputs panel. If entered along with the amount of irrigation water applied, WinMax will show the irrigation water N credit on the worksheet report's nutrient management page.
- An Info button in the About box displays a report that lists the version of Windows that you're running and the names and versions of several commonly used programs if they're installed on your computer.
New Features in Previous Version 2.02
- Standard costs for crop inputs have been updated for 2001. Fertilizer, herbicide and insecticide prices are based on a survey of Indiana agribusinesses and represent the average price a producer would pay for a cash purchase with no discounts during the 2001 spring planting season.
Field operation costs were adapted from "Indiana Custom Rates For Power Operated Farm Machines, 2000" (publication EC-130, revised Jan. 2001), by Howard Doster, Agricultural Economics Dept., Purdue University. Note that custom rates include custom operator expenses plus profit and may be slightly higher than actual producer costs for the same field operation.
Additional corn and soybean harvest premiums were derived from "Specialty Corn and Soybean Types for Illinois" by Emerson Nafziger, Crop Sciences Dept., University of Illinois.
Prices for pesticides and field operations used with crops not commonly grown in Indiana are based on data supplied in past years by other states.
- Sample project file in00samp.mxd is included with WinMax. This file contains the 2000 production data for 55 Indiana crop fields. Although participant names and addresses have been removed and the file has been locked to prevent the data from being edited, you can open this file to browse the data and generate worksheets. Standard costs for 2000 are included in custom cost file stnd2000.mcc. You can use this custom cost file with reports you generate for the sample project file to override WinMax's 2001 standard costs.
- WinMax can now calculate crop nutrient needs for Wisconsin , South Dakota, North Dakota, and Oklahoma in addition to the 10 previously supported states.
- To calculate crop nutrient needs more accurately for states such as Iowa and Wisconsin, you can now select each soil's texture in the soils table on the Erosion panel.
For Iowa, you can also enter each soil's corn suitability rating (1-100) in the CSR column.
For Wisconsin, you can enter each soil's corn yield potential (1=very high, 2=high, 3=medium, 4=low) in the CYP column. For a complete list of Wisconsin soils and their corn yield potentials, refer to Wisconsin Extension publication A2809, "Soil test recommendations for field, vegetable and fruit crops" (1998).
- You can now enter magnesium, calcium, sodium, and buffer pH soil test results on the Soil Tests panel.
- You can now enter title, author, company and comments for a project file with the File | Properties command (formerly File | Information).
- WinMax can now extract data that won't change from year to year with the File | Extract Project command, advancing the new project's year by one so you can use a project's field data the next year without re-entering the data.
- WinMax can now export data to an Access database as well as to dBASE files with the File | Export Data command. With Access export, WinMax exports not only the data you enter, but also a description for each database field to document the exported data.
- WinMax can now import field data from dBASE files that are in the standard import format with the new File | Import Data commands. These dBASE files can contain field data from a GIS or other software or soil test data that's been converted to the standard dBASE import format. Complete documentation on the import format is included, along with an example dBASE import file.
- WinMax also includes a standalone converter that can be launched by GIS programs and other software capable of saving their data in the standard dBASE import format. The converter can create or update a WinMax project file from the dBASE file's data and optionally start WinMax to open the project file.
- WinMax can now import field data from a manure management plan file (.mmp extension) created with Manure Management Planner (MMP).
- For enhanced compatibility with other software such as Manure Management Planner, you can now enter a field and subfield name in addition to the field ID number when adding a new field record with the Record | Add New command or when renaming an existing field record with the Record | Rename command.
- A series of frequently asked questions and their answers has been added to the on-line help.
- A blank data entry form is included for printing a form that can be used to record data away from the computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What software does WinMax require to run?
WinMax runs under Windows XP and later. No other software is required for basic program operation.
2. What changes does WinMax's installer make to my system?
WinMax's installer does not add or replace any files in the Windows or system folders. The only changes the installer makes are the following:
- Creates a folder that you specify where it stores the WinMax program and other files that WinMax needs.
- Adds a WinMax item to the Programs menu. You can select this menu item to start WinMax.
- Adds a WinMax shortcut to the Desktop. You can double-click this shortcut to start WinMax. (Tip: If you don't like to clutter up your Desktop with shortcuts, you can delete the WinMax shortcut by right-clicking on it and selecting Delete. You can still start WinMax from the Programs menu or by double-clicking a WinMax project data file in Windows Explorer.)
- Adds several keys to the Windows Registry that are required for file association and uninstalling WinMax.
3. Can I uninstall WinMax?
Yes. If you need to remove WinMax from your system, use Add/Remove Programs on the Windows Control Panel. This removes the items listed in the previous question. Be sure to exit WinMax first before uninstalling it. Also, if more than one version of WinMax is listed in Add/Remove Programs, uninstall the highest numbered version first.
Uninstalling WinMax does not delete or move project files that you've created. If you reinstall WinMax later, just navigate to where you saved your plan files to open them.
Important! Sometimes you may want to uninstall only an older version of WinMax and keep the newer version. Uninstalling the older version may delete the WinMax shortcut from the Windows desktop and Start Programs menu. If this happens, simply run the newer version's installer again to restore the deleted shortcuts.
4. Is there a Macintosh version of WinMax available?
No. WinMax is currently a Windows-only program.
5. Is WinMax a recordkeeping program?
Yes. WinMax can be used either as an end-of-season analysis tool or as a day-to-day recordkeeper. In either case, you enter information about each field's soil test results, crops, tillage practices, planting, fertilizer and manure applications, field operations, pesticide applications, soils, and harvest.
6. What's the relationship between WinMax and Manure Management Planner (MMP)?
WinMax and MMP are similar in some respects. For example, both programs ask for much of the same field and crop information. Both use the same state initialization files in calculating fertilizer recommendations. However, MMP is used to create long-term nutrient management plans, whereas WinMax is used to record current farming data and activities and analyze and summarize this information at the end of the harvest season.
Note: WinMax can import field, soil test, crop data, and planned manure and fertilizer applications from an MMP plan file with the File | Import Data command, so you won't have to re-enter that data if you want to use WinMax to record data for fields that you worked with in MMP. You can also export WinMax field, soil test, and crop data to an MMP plan file with the File | Export Data command.
You can download MMP from the following Web address:
Tip: Here's how MMP and WinMax could typically be used together:
(i) Develop a multi-year strategic nutrient management plan with MMP.
(ii) Import the first year of the MMP plan into a WinMax project file.
(iii) Enter recordkeeping data into the WinMax project file. At the end of the year, use WinMax's File | Extract Project command to move data to a new project file for the next year, advancing the crop year.
(iv) Repeat step (iii) with each year's data.
(v) When ready to create a revised nutrient management plan, export the latest WinMax project file's data to an MMP plan file.
7. Can WinMax be used with other software?
Yes. There are two ways you can use WinMax with other software:
(i) You can export WinMax data to an Access file, to dBASE files, or to an MMP plan file. You can then open these exported files with other software to work with your data.
(ii) You can import field data into WinMax from other software or sources.
8. How do I import data into WinMax?
WinMax can import field data from dBASE files that are in its standard import format. Choose File | Import Data and select the appropriate import command.
Tip: Some GIS programs store field data in WinMax's standard format or are capable of exporting field data in the standard format. If you are using a GIS program to lay out fields, consult the GIS program's documentation to determine if it can save or export data in WinMax's standard dBASE format.
Note: WinMax's standard dBASE import format is documented in file ImportDbfSpec.doc. For an example of a standard dBASE field data import file, see file ImportExample_IN.dbf. Both of these files are installed with WinMax.
9. How do I use my field data for next year's records?
Select the File | Extract Project command and be sure to check the Current Data (Advance Year) box under Data To Exclude. When this box is checked, WinMax advances the year in the new project file it creates and excludes any data that's specific to the current project's year. Field data that don't change from one year to the next will be retained, meaning you won't have to re-enter that data in the new project file.
10. Can I open files created with previous versions of WinMax?
Yes, you can open project data files created with any version of WinMax. Project files created by versions 1.00 through 2.00 have an .mda extension. Project files created by versions 2.01 through 2.05 have an .mxd extension. WinMax now uses an .mxj extension for project files to avoid conflicts with other software that uses the .mda and .mxd extensions. If you have .mda files created by previous versions of WinMax, use Windows Explorer to rename the file (just change the file extension from .mda to .mxj). If you have .mxd files, you can just open them with WinMax (File | Open Project) without changing the file extension.
You can even open renamed .mda files created by the final DOS version of the Max program. WinMax will convert these files to the WinMax format.
You can also use custom cost files (.mcc extension) created by any version of WinMax or any version of the DOS Max program.
11. Where should I save my project files?
When you create a new project file, you can save it anywhere you want. However, here are a few suggestions:
- If you're running Windows 98 or later, there's a folder called My Documents where you can save your project files and other files that you create.
- You can create a folder where you can save just your WinMax project files to keep them separate from files created by other programs. To locate and open a project file in this folder, use the File | Open Project command and navigate to your folder using the controls at the top of the Open Project Data File dialog box. You can also open a project file by double-clicking on the file (.mxj extension) in Windows Explorer.
- In general, don't open and work with a project file on a diskette or other removable media. Work with the project file on your hard drive, then copy the file with Windows Explorer to a diskette to back it up when you're all done editing the file with WinMax.
- By default, the Save New Project As dialog box comes up in the folder where you installed WinMax. You can save your project file in this folder if you want. Uninstalling WinMax (for example, prior to installing a newer version) leaves your project files alone and removes only the files distributed with WinMax. If you install the new version to this same folder, your files will automatically be available to the new version of WinMax.
12. How do I move a WinMax project to another computer?
Simply copy the project data file (.mxj extension) to the other computer. Remember that the other computer must have the same or a more recent version of WinMax installed in order to open the project file.
If you have a custom cost file (.mcc extension) that you use with your project, be sure to copy it too.
Tip: You can send a project file as an attachment to an e-mail message. It's a good idea to zip up the project file (www.winzip.com) and send the zipped file to prevent the project file from being modified in transit or by the recipient's e-mail system.
13. What's the best way to print worksheet reports?
For best results, you can output worksheets to a Rich Text Format (RTF) document, then open the document with Microsoft Word. If you don't have Word, you can download and install Microsoft's free Word Viewer from the following Web address:
support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;165908
If you need to edit an RTF document and don't have Word, you can download and install the free OpenOffice software suite from the following Web address:
14. How many states does WinMax support?
You can use WinMax to enter data for any state. However, in order for WinMax to calculate crop nutrient needs, it needs a state initialization file that includes the state's Extension fertilizer recommendations. Currently, WinMax includes initialization files for the following 35 states:
Alabama Montana
Arkansas Nebraska
California New Hampshire
Colorado New Jersey
Delaware New Mexico
Florida North Dakota
Georgia Ohio
Illinois Oklahoma
Indiana Oregon
Iowa Pennsylvania
Kansas Rhode Island
Kentucky South Dakota
Maryland Tennessee
Massachusetts Utah
Michigan Vermont
Minnesota Washington
Mississippi Wisconsin
Missouri
Initialization files for additional states will be added in future versions as they become available.
15. Where are the fertilizer recommendations that WinMax calculates?
WinMax shows the crop's nutrient needs both on the Crops panel and on the Nutrient Management Analysis page of its worksheet report, where the calculated nutrient needs are compared against the total nutrients supplied by any previous-legume nitrogen credit, fertilizer applications, and manure applications to determine any nutrient application deficits or excesses.
16. How does WinMax identify a field?
When you add a new field record to a WinMax project data file, you enter a unique field ID of your choosing. This ID can be up to 9 digits long and must be unique within the project file.
For compatibility with other recordkeeping and nutrient management software, you can also enter an optional field name and subfield name for each field record.
Finally, you can also enter each field's FSA tract number and field number. These numbers are used by USDA-NRCS.
17. What crops does WinMax support?
WinMax currently supports 12 major field crops. The letter in parentheses after the crop name is the crop abbreviation used by WinMax.
Corn (C) Sorghum (M)
Corn silage (G) Sunflowers (F)
Soybeans (B) Navy beans (V)
Wheat (W) Black beans (K)
Oats (O) Sugar beets (U)
Barley (Y) Cotton (T)
Many of the pesticides and field operations used with these crops are included in WinMax's master input list.
WinMax also provides partial support for these 5 crops:
Alfalfa (A) Grass (S)
Clover (L) Other (X)
Grass-legume (H)
WinMax's master input list does not include pesticides and field operations for these crops. However, you can enter any pesticides and field operations on the Other inputs panel.
18. How do I enter a double crop or cover crop?
- If a field has only one crop, enter it in the Current Primary Crop row on the Crops panel.
- If the field has a non-harvested cover crop, enter it in the Cover or First Crop row and the harvested crop in the Current Primary Crop row. Don't enter a yield goal for the cover crop.
- If the field has a double crop, enter the first crop in the Cover or First Crop row on the Crops panel and the second crop in the Current Primary Crop row. Be sure to enter a yield goal for both crops.
19. Why don't I see any herbicides or field operations when I pull down the list?
Make sure you've selected a crop for the current field record. The other fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide, field operation, and other input lists only include items from WinMax's master list that are relevant to the current record's crop.
Note that the current version of WinMax does not include herbicides, insecticides or field operations for Alfalfa, Clover (except when planted as cover), Grass-legume, Grass, and Other. However, you can enter other fertilizers, manure, and other inputs for these crops (see next question).
20. How do I enter pesticides or other inputs that are not in WinMax's master list?
If you have a micronutrient, herbicide, insecticide, or field operation that's not in the master list or not listed for your crop, enter it on the Other Inputs panel. Be sure to indicate its input type in the Other Input column, then enter its name in the Description column and fill in the Rate/A, Units and Cost/A columns.
21. Why can't I select a field's soils from a list on the Erosion panel?
WinMax currently does not include a master list of soils for each county. However, if you have MMP installed, you can enter the soil map unit symbol(s) in the soils table on the Erosion panel and click the Update Soils From MMP button. WinMax will search MMP's soils for each map unit symbol in the table. If it finds a matching soil, it will update other columns in the table with MMP soils data. If you don't have MMP installed but your computer is connected to the Internet, click the Update Soils From SDM button and WinMax will retrieve soils data from the USDA-NRCS Soil Data Mart.
22. How can I avoid re-entering the same data for fields that have data in common (crops, tillage, planting, etc.)?
There are two ways you can reduce data entry time when you have two or more fields that have common data:
#1. With the Record | Duplicate command, as follows:
- Create the first field's record with the Record | Add New command and enter all data that's common to all of the fields.
- Create the other field records based on this record with the Record | Duplicate command.
- Go back and fill in the data that's unique to each field.
#2. With the File | Merge Project command, as follows:
- Create a new project, add a new field record to the project, and enter all data that's common to all of the fields. Use a field ID for this record that you won't use for any of the fields.
- Create or open the project that will contain all of the fields.
- To create a field, add the common data's record to the file with the File | Merge Project command.
- Change the newly merged record's field ID with the Record | Rename command, then fill in the rest of the data for that record.
Tip: Don't forget that you can use the Windows clipboard to copy data between records. Move to an input box and press Ctrl+C or right-click with the mouse and choose Copy from the popup menu. This copies the selected data to the clipboard. Now move to a different record and press Ctrl+V or right-click and choose Paste to paste the clipboard contents into the input box. This trick can be useful for quickly copying the same piece of data to multiple records.
23. What's a custom cost file and how do I use it?
A custom cost file is a file you create with WinMax's Cost File Editor. A custom cost file contains input costs and prices that you enter. These costs can be used in place of WinMax's standard costs when generating reports and exporting data. You can create as many custom cost files as you want.
24. How can I print a blank form for use in recording data away from the computer?
File BlankForm.snp is included with WinMax. This data collection form is a "snapshot" file that can be printed with Microsoft's free Snapshot Viewer. If you don't have the Snapshot Viewer (included with Microsoft Office 2000 and later), you can download it from the following Web address:
support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;175274
To see an example of the data collection form with data, open file SampleForm.snp.
Tips For New Users
Be sure to review this list before using WinMax:
1. To familiarize yourself with WinMax before you actually start entering your own data, open the sample project that's installed with WinMax. Click the File menu and select Open Project. Then select the sample project and click the Open button.
2. Review your state notes before you start creating your own projects.
3. If you've never created a project file with WinMax before, run through these ten steps to getting started quickly.
4. When you're ready to start entering your own data, review these quick tips on entering data.
5. Periodically review the list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for answers to many common questions. These FAQs are also on WinMax's Website.
State-Specific Notes
Many of these notes pertain to soil test data and fertilizer recommendations. If you're not getting the fert recs you expect on the Crops panel and worksheet report's nutrient management page, be sure to review the notes for your state.
Important! The notes below have not been updated since 2011 and may be out-of-date or incomplete. Since WinMax uses the same fertililizer recommendations as MMP, refer to the MMP help for the latest state-specific notes:
www.purdue.edu/agsoftware/mmp/mmphelp.html
Massachusetts Utah
Michigan Vermont
Minnesota Washington
Mississippi Wisconsin
Missouri
Alabama Notes
1. In calculating grass N recommendations, WinMax assumes 1 ton per cutting with warm perennial grasses and 2 tons per cutting with bermuda hay.
2. Alabama fertilizer recommendations assume that the Mehlich-1 extract was used with soils in groups 1-3 and that the Mississippi extract was used with soils in group 4 (clayey soils from Black Belt counties).
3. CEC Grp in the soils table indicates the soil group and is used in Alabama fertilizer recommendations. Soil surface texture is also used in Alabama corn fert recs. See the soils table help for more information.
Arkansas Notes
1. In calculating forage fertilizer recommendations, WinMax assumes 2 tons per cutting with fescue, bermudagrass, fescue/clover, bermuda/clover, lespedeza, and summer annuals.
2. Fertilizer recommendations for most forage crops assume split applications.
3. With cotton, be sure to enter the field's calcium (Ca) soil test level.
4. Surface texture in the soils table is used in Arkansas fertilizer recommendations for several crops. See the soils table help for more information.
California Notes
1. The Default N Recommendation on the Crops panel is based on 1.4 times the crop's N removal rate. This is derived from preliminary recommendations of regional experts. The Default P and K Recommendations are based on the crop's P and K removal rates.
2. For fields that are manured annually, check the Manure Applied Annually box on the Erosion panel. When this box is checked, WinMax assumes that manure available N has reached a "steady state" in which effectively all manure N will be available during the current crop year once residual N from previous years has been accounted for. For fields that are not manured every year, leave this box unchecked. WinMax will then calculate manure available N using the process described in the USDA-NRCS Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook.
Colorado Notes
1. WinMax assumes that the soil test nitrate value entered in the Nitrate N input box is the depth-weighted average concentration in the top 24" of soil. If you have two sample depth values, average them as follows:
[(Sample 1 depth x Sample 1 ppm) + (Sample 2 depth x Sample 2 ppm)] / 24
Example: 0-8" sample is 18 ppm, 8-24" sample is 7 ppm:
[(8 x 18) + (16 x 7)]/24 = 10.7 ppm
If you only have a single value for a 0-12" sample, multiply the value (in ppm) by 0.835 to estimate the 0-24" concentration.
2. If known, select the test that was used to determine the soil phosphorus level in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you leave this input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the Olsen test was used.
3. With irrigated crops, be sure to select Irrigation water on the Other Inputs panel.
4. CSU nitrogen fertilizer recommendations generally assume that about 30 Lb/A of N become available for each percent of organic matter in the soil. For field elevations above 7000 feet, where only 10 Lb/A may become available for each percent organic matter, you can increase WinMax's N rec by 20 x soil test OM. Enter this N rec in the Custom N Rec input box on the Crops panel to override WinMax's default N rec. Note that WinMax's irrigated winter wheat N recs in the San Luis Valley have already been increased by 40 Lb/A over the standard winter wheat N rec.
5. WinMax's potato N recs are for eastern Colorado. N recs for the San Luis Valley can be found in the CSU source bulletin (0.541). Enter these recs in the Custom N Rec input box on the Crops panel to override the default eastern Colorado potato N recs.
6. WinMax's P recs for most Colorado crops are for broadcast applications. Where a banded recommendation is also available (see source bulletin), the banded P rec is one half the broadcast P rec. You can enter a reduced P rec in the Custom P2O5 Rec input box on the Crops panel to override the default broadcast P rec.
7. WinMax calculates K recs for irrigated forages and dryland alfalfa new seeding for each year of production. However, three years' worth of K recs would typically be applied at one time for these crops.
8. No CSU fert recs are available for soybeans, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, onions or spinach. With these crops, enter your own recs in the Custom Rec input boxes on the Crops panel.
Delaware Notes
1. Select the appropriate soil testing lab in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you leave the P Test Used input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the soil test data are University of Delaware FIV values.
2. If you are entering soil test data from University of Delaware or University of Maryland labs, be sure to select ppm for each value on the Soil Tests panel, even though these labs report P, K, Ca and Mg data as Fertility Index Values (FIV), which are unitless.
3. If you are entering soil test data from A&L Eastern Laboratories, be sure to select the correct soil test package that was run (Bray P1 or Mehlich-3).
4. If you are entering soil test data from Agri Analysis, be sure to enter the phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium values (lbs/A) and select Lb/A for each value on the Soil Tests panel. Do not use the P2O5, K2O or MgO values.
5. If you are entering soil test data from Brookside Laboratories, be sure to enter the values that are in ppm and select ppm for each value on the Soil Tests panel. Do not use the lb/A values. If more than one phosphorus test is reported, use the "Easily Extractable" ppm of P value.
6. If you are entering soil test data from Spectrum Analytic, select Bray P1 if you did not specifically request Mehlich-3 results from the lab. Spectrum runs Mehlich-3 but normally converts to and reports Bray P1 and ammonium acetate results.
7. Corn for grain and corn silage P2O5 fertilizer recommendations assume banded application.
8. Surface texture in the soils table is used in Delaware fertilizer recommendations for several crops. See the soils table help for more information.
Florida Notes
1. In calculating forage fertilizer recommendations, WinMax assumes 2 tons per cutting for bermuda, stargrass, digitgrass, rhodesgrass, bahia, limpograss and alfalfa, 1 ton per cutting with ryegrass hay, and 2.5 tons per cutting with ryegrass haylage.
2. Fertilizer recommendations for warm-season hay crops assume split applications.
Georgia Notes
1. Cst/Pied in the soils table is used in Georgia fertilizer recommendations. See the soils table help for more information.
Illinois Notes
1. For alfalfa, enter a value greater than 70 for the crop's % Legume if there are 5 or more alfalfa plants per square foot. If there are 2 to 4 alfalfa plants per square foot, enter a value in the range 30-70 for % Legume. If there are less than 2 alfalfa plants per square foot, enter a value less than 30 for % Legume.
2. Grass N recs (other than Bluegrass) assume a split application.
3. Subsoil P and CEC in the soils table are used in Illinois fertilizer recommendations. See the soils table help for more information.
Indiana Notes
1. The Tri-State fertilizer recommendations used in Indiana and Ohio assume that CEC is estimated by summation. If the CEC values from your soil testing lab were not estimated by summation, leave CEC blank on the Soil Tests panel and let WinMax estimate CEC. Note that you must enter K, Ca, Mg and Buffer pH for WinMax to be able to estimate CEC. Some labs don't report buffer pH if it is greater than 7. If this is the case with some of your buffer pH values, enter 7 for these missing buffer pH values and note this in the Notes box.
Iowa Notes
1. If known, select the test that was used to determine the field's soil phosphorus level in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you leave this input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the Bray P1 test was used if the field's soil pH is < 7.4 and that the Olsen test was used if soil pH is >= 7.4.
2. N fertilizer recommendations for grass pasture and hay assume a split application.
3. Texture, CSR, Subsoil P, and Subsoil K in the soils table are used in Iowa fertilizer recommendations. See the soils table help for more information.
Kansas Notes
1. WinMax uses a 6-year build time frame when calculating Kansas State P and K fertilizer recommendations.
2. If known, select the test that was used to determine the field's soil phosphorus level in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you leave this input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the Bray P1 test was used.
3. If no soil test nitrate value (NO3-N) is entered for a field, WinMax assumes a 30 Lb/A nitrate credit.
4. WinMax requires that nitrate (NO3-N) soil test data be entered in units of ppm. If you are entering soil nitrate values that are in Lb/A, divide each value by 7.2 to get the appropriate value in ppm. This assumes the soil was sampled to a depth of 24".
5. With irrigated crops, be sure to select Irrigation water on the Other Inputs panel.
6. KSU publication MF-2586 suggests increasing the N rec by 20 Lb/A for cool season crops that are no-tilled. You may also need to increase the N rec for no-tilled cool season crops following alfalfa or clover by half of the normal legume N credit. Enter the adjusted N rec in the Custom N Rec input box on the Crops panel to override WinMax's default N rec.
7. KSU publication MF-2586 suggests increasing the N rec for cool season crops that are grazed by 40 Lb/A per 100 pounds of beef weight gain per acre. Enter the adjusted N rec in the Custom N Rec input box on the Crops panel to override WinMax's default N rec.
Kentucky Notes
1. With corn, WinMax uses the midpoint of the appropriate drainage class's N rec given in Table 12 in Kentucky Extension publication AGR-1 (2006-2007). WinMax determines a soil's drainage class using USDA-NRCS NASIS soils data - in a few cases, this may differ from the classes given in AGR-1. With a Beasley, Eden, Heitt, or Lowell soil, you can override the default corn N rec, increasing it by 40 to account for the difference in dranage class.
2. For corn following grass pasture or hay, WinMax assumes that the grass had been grown continuously for 5 or more years and takes a 50 pound N credit. If this is not the case (less than 5 years of grass prior to the corn), you can override the default N rec, increasing it by 25 so that only a 25 pound N credit is taken. See Table 12 in AGR-1.
3. With tobacco, WinMax uses the midpoint of the appropriate drainage class's N rec given in Table 9 in AGR-1. WinMax determines a soil's drainage class using USDA-NRCS NASIS soils data - in a few cases, this may differ from the classes given in AGR-1. With a Beasley, Eden, Heitt, or Lowell soil, you can override the default tobacco N rec, increasing it by 25 to account for the difference in drainage class.
4. For tobacco following pasture or hay, WinMax uses the Medium N Levels row in Table 9 in AGR-1 if the previous crop is grass or grass-legume with less than 80% legume stand. WinMax uses the High N Levels row in Table 9 if the previous crop is legume cover crop or grass-legume with 80% or higher legume stand.
5. For intensively managed wheat (yield of at least 70 bu), WinMax uses the average of the single and split application spring N recs; for lower-yield wheat, WinMax uses the midpoint of the spring N rec range. See Tables 17 and 16 in AGR-1.
6. For a new seeding of bermuda, WinMax uses an N rec of 100, which is split into two applications (at planting and around Aug. 15).
7. For established bermuda pasture, WinMax uses the midpoint of the N rec range given in Table 27 in AGR-1.
8. For established bermuda hay N rec, WinMax assumes 2 tons of yield per clipping in determining the number of clippings.
9. With established cool-season grass hay and pasture, WinMax uses an N rec of 200, which is split into three applications. See Table 24 in AGR-1.
10. Note that for crops where the N rec is given as a range, you can override WinMax's default N rec (generally the midpoint of the range) by entering a different value that is within the range given in AGR-1.
11. If manure has been applied to a field in more than half of the previous 10 years, you can check the Manure Applied Annually box on WinMax's Erosion panel to increase the amount of second-year N availability. See Table 2 in Kentucky Extension publication AGR-165.
Maryland Notes
1. Select the appropriate soil testing lab in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you have soil test results from a lab that's not in the list, you'll have to convert your soil test P, K, Mg and Ca data to University of Maryland FIV values. Consult with your soil test lab for assistance. If you leave the P Test Used input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the soil test data are Maryland FIV values.
2. If you are entering soil test data from University of Delaware or University of Maryland labs, be sure to select ppm for each value on the Soil Tests panel, even though these labs report P, K, Ca and Mg data as Fertility Index Values (FIV), which are unitless.
3. If you are entering soil test data from Agri Analysis, be sure to enter the phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium values (lbs/A) and select Lb/A for each value. Do not use the P2O5, K2O or MgO values.
4. If you are entering soil test data from Brookside Laboratories, be sure to enter the values that are in ppm and select ppm for each value. Do not use the lb/A values. If more than one phosphorus test is reported, use the "Easily Extractable" ppm of P value.
5. WinMax assumes that soil test data from Spectrum Analytic was run with Mehlich-3 but converted to and reported as Bray P1 and ammonium acetate results.
6. The Maryland Extension N rec for wheat, barley and winter oats has a range of 70-100 Lb/A. WinMax uses the midpoint (85) of this range for its default N rec for these crops. If lodging is expected, you can reduce the default N rec by 20 Lb/A and enter the new rec in the Custom N Rec input box on the Crops panel.
7. With a previous alfalfa crop, enter a value for the crop's % Legume greater than 70 for a good stand (>4 plants per sq. ft.), 30-70 for a fair stand (1.5 to 4 plants per sq. ft.), or less than 30 for a poor stand (<1.5 plants per sq. ft.).
8. For fert rec explanatory notes and nutrient application suggestions, refer to "Soil Fertility Management," Maryland Cooperative Extension, SFM-1, Oct. 2002.
Massachusetts Notes
1. Massachusetts' fert recs assume that the UMass soil testing lab's Morgan extraction was used to determine soil phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium levels. If you have soil test results from another lab, you'll need to convert your soil test P, K, Mg and Ca data to UMass Morgan values. Consult with your soil test lab for assistance.
2. Don't enter CEC values from labs other than the UMass soil testing lab. Instead, enter the lab's converted K, Mg and Ca values along with soil pH and buffer pH and let WinMax estimate CEC.
Michigan Notes
1. Michigan fertilizer recommendations assume that CEC is estimated by summation. If the CEC values from your soil testing lab were not estimated by summation, leave CEC blank on the Soil Tests panel and let WinMax estimate CEC. Note that you must enter K, Ca, Mg and Buffer pH for WinMax to be able to estimate CEC. Some labs don't report buffer pH if it is greater than 7. If this is the case with some of your buffer pH values, enter 7 for these missing buffer pH values and note this in the Notes box.
2. No fertilizer recommendations are available for the following crops on organic soils: sugar beet, timothy hay, corn seed, trefoil seed production, and tomatoes. In most cases, these crops are not suited for growing on organic soils.
3. Several obsolete crops are included for backward compability. These crops are prefixed with "x" and sort to the bottom of the alphabetical crop fert rec list on the Crops panel when Other is selected. Do not select these crops.
Minnesota Notes
1. If known, select the test that was used to determine the soil phosphorus level in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you leave this input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the Bray P1 test was used if the field's soil pH is < 7.3 and that the Olsen test was used if soil pH is >= 7.3.
2. WinMax requires that nitrate soil test data (NO3-N) be entered in units of ppm. If you are entering soil nitrate values that are in Lb/A, divide each value by 8 to get the appropriate value in ppm. This assumes the soil was sampled to a depth of 24".
3. With alfalfa, enter a value greater than 70 for the crop's % Legume if there are 4 or more alfalfa plants per square foot. If there are 2-3 alfalfa plants per square foot, enter a value in the range 30-70. If there is one or less alfalfa plant per square foot, enter a value less than 30.
Mississippi Notes
1. Mississippi's phosphorus fertilizer recommendations assume that the Lancaster extraction was used to determine soil phosphorus.
2. Be sure to enter CEC values that were determined by summation on the Soil Tests panel.
3. Be sure to enter a yield goal for forage crops since WinMax uses yield goal to determine many of these crops' N fertilizer recommendations.
4. If a corn or watermelon crop will be irrigated, be sure to select Irrigation water on the Other Inputs panel.
5. The following crops are typically a mixture of common bermuda, bahia and dallis. The "annual leg" can be crimson clover, annual lespedeza, arrowleaf clover, ball clover, or subterranean clover. The "peren leg" can be white clover, red clover, arrowleaf clover, lespedeza, or subterranean clover.
Mixed grass hay maint
Mixed grass hay new
Mixed grass/leg hay maint
Mixed grass/leg hay new
Pasture grass maint
Pasture grass new
Pasturegr/ann leg maint
Pasturegr/annual leg new
Pasturegr/peren leg maint
Pasturegr/peren leg new
6. The following crops can be tall fescue or orchardgrass (northern Mississippi only). The "legume" is typically white clover, red clover, or subterranean clover.
Winter gr hay/leg maint
Winter gr hay/legume new
Winter gr past/leg maint
Winter gr past/legume new
Winter grass hay maint
Winter grass hay new
Winter grass past maint
Winter grass pasture new
7. See also "Management and Timing of Application of Nutrients," USDA-NRCS Agronomy Technical Note MS-05.
Missouri Notes
1. If you don't have soil test CEC data, enter each field's Neutralizable Acidity in the Buffer pH box on the Soil Tests panel in order for WinMax to calculate CEC. If a field's Neutralizable Acidity is 0, leave the Buffer pH box blank for that field.
2. If you have salt pH data, enter it in the Soil pH box.
3. WinMax uses yield units of tons with pasture and assumes that 1 cow day = 30 pounds of forage dry matter.
4. With irrigated crops, be sure to select Irrigation water on the Other Inputs panel.
Montana Notes
1. Montana phosphorus fertilizer recommendations assume that the Olsen P test was used.
2. You must enter soil test nitrate data (NO3-N) for WinMax to calculate MSU nitrogen fertilizer recommendations.
3. WinMax requires that nitrate (NO3-N) soil test data be entered in units of ppm. If you have soil nitrate values that are in Lb/A, divide the 2-foot total N value (in Lb/A) by 8 to get the appropriate value to enter (in ppm). Note that this assumes the soil was sampled to a depth of 24".
4. MSU publication EB 161 suggests increasing N recs in some cases following small grains. If small grain residue will remain on the surface and N will be broadcast applied, you can increase WinMax's default N rec by 10 Lb/A for each 1000 pounds of small grain residue, up to a maximum of 40 Lb/A. Enter the adjusted N rec in the Custom N Rec input box on the Crops panel to override the unadjusted default N rec.
5. Oat and barley hay use the same fertilizer recommendations as oat and barley grown for grain. For hay, enter an equivalent yield in bushels of grain.
Nebraska Notes
1. If no soil test nitrate value (NO3-N) is entered for a field, WinMax uses an assumed nitrate concentration for the crop's suggested sampling depth, as follows:
Assumed nitrate Suggested Default nitrate
Crop concentration (ppm) depth Multiplier credit (Lb/A)
Corn 3.6 (medium/fine soil) 48" 8x (*) 29
1.9 (sandy soil) 48" 8x (*) 15
Wheat 5 36" 12x 60
Sorghum 3 42" 14x 42
Sugar beet 3 48" 16x 48
Edible bean 3 30" 10x 30
Potato 3 24" 8x 24
Millet 3 36" 12x 36
Sunflower 3 36" 12x 36
(*) Only 50% credit taken for soil nitrate N.
2. WinMax requires that nitrate (NO3-N) soil test data be entered in units of ppm. If you are entering soil nitrate values that are in Lb/A, divide each value by the indicated multiplier above to get the appropriate value in ppm. This assumes the soil was sampled to the suggested depth.
3. If known, select the test that was used to determine the soil phosphorus level in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you leave this input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the Bray P1 test was used if the field's soil pH is < 7.3 and that the Olsen test was used if soil pH is >= 7.3.
4. For corn N recs, WinMax assumes a 10:1 corn:N price ratio and spring pre-plant application timing in determining adjustment factors.
5. For wheat N recs, WinMax assumes a 0.1 N:wheat price ratio. For wheat P recs, WinMax assumes a 0.1 P:wheat price ratio in calculating the broadcast P rec.
6. With irrigated crops, be sure to select Irrigation water on the Other Inputs panel.
7. WinMax's P and K recs for most Nebraska crops are for broadcast applications. With corn, the banded P rec is half of WinMax's broadcast P rec. With millet, the P rec assumes that the phosphorus will be banded.
8. With alfalfa, enter a value in the range 70-100 for the crop's % Legume if there are more than 4 alfalfa plants per square foot. Enter a value in the range 30-69 if there are 1.5 to 4 alfalfa plants per square foot. Enter a value in the range 0-29 if there are less than 1.5 alfalfa plants per square foot.
9. With irrigated grass and pasture, enter a value of 50 or higher for the crop's Legume % Stand to obtain the P and K rec for grass-legume; if no value is entered or the value is less than 50, WinMax returns the P and K rec for grass.
New Hampshire Notes
1. In calculating P and K recommendations, WinMax assumes 1.5 tons per cutting with alfalfa, alfalfa grass, clover grass and grass hay.
New Jersey Notes
1. Select the appropriate soil testing lab in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you have soil test results from a lab that's not in the list, you'll have to convert your soil test P, K, Mg and Ca data to Mehlich-3 values. Consult with your soil test lab for assistance. If you leave the P Test Used input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the soil test data are Mehlich-3 values.
2. If you are entering soil test data from A&L Eastern Laboratories, be sure to obtain Mehlich-3 results from the lab.
3. If you are entering soil test data from Agri Analysis, be sure to enter the phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium values (lbs/A) and select Lb/A for each value on the Soil Tests panel. Do not use the P2O5, K2O or MgO values.
4. If you are entering soil test data from Brookside Laboratories, be sure to enter the values that are in ppm and select ppm for each value on the Soil Tests panel. Do not use the lb/A values. If more than one phosphorus test is reported, use the "Easily Extractable" ppm of P value.
5. If you are entering soil test data from Spectrum Analytic, be sure to obtain Mehlich-3 results from the lab. Spectrum runs Mehlich-3 but normally converts to and reports Bray P1 and ammonium acetate results.
6. Be sure to enter the % Legume if the previous crop is alfalfa. WinMax uses this to determine the correct legume N credit if corn or corn silage is the current crop.
New Mexico Notes
1. WinMax requires soil test nitrate data (NO3-N) to calculate crop N fertilizer recommendations.
2. WinMax assumes that soil was sampled to a depth of 12" for both P and K and NO3-N.
North Dakota Notes
1. If known, select the test that was used to determine the soil phosphorus level in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you leave this input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the Olsen test was used.
2. If no soil test nitrate value (NO3-N) is entered for a field, WinMax assumes a 40 Lb/A nitrate credit.
3. WinMax requires that nitrate (NO3-N) soil test data be entered in units of ppm. If you are entering soil nitrate values that are in Lb/A, divide each value by 8 to get the appropriate value in ppm. This assumes the soil was sampled to a depth of 24".
4. With alfalfa, enter a value greater than 70 for the crop's % Legume if there are more than 4 alfalfa plants per square foot. If there are 3-4 alfalfa plants per square foot, enter a value in the range 51-70. If there are 1-2 alfalfa plants per square foot, enter a value in the range 30-50. If there is less than 1 alfalfa plant per square foot, enter a value less than 30.
Ohio Notes
1. The Tri-State fertilizer recommendations used in Ohio and Ind iana assume that CEC is estimated by summation. If the CEC values from your soil testing lab were not estimated by summation, leave CEC blank on the Soil Tests panel and let WinMax estimate CEC. Note that you must enter K, Ca, Mg and Buffer pH for WinMax to be able to estimate CEC. Some labs don't report buffer pH if it is greater than 7. If this is the case with some of your buffer pH values, enter 7 for these missing buffer pH values and note this in the Notes box.
2. In Ohio, WinMax currently calculates a manure application's available N using the manure NH4-N plus the expected mineralized portion of the manure organic N, without accounting for application timing or losses.
Oklahoma Notes
1. If you are entering soil test data from the OSU Soil, Water, and Forage Analytical Laboratory, be sure to select Lb/A units on the Soil Tests panel.
2. WinMax requires that nitrate soil test data (NO3-N) be entered in units of ppm. If you are entering soil nitrate values from the OSU lab that are in Lb/A, divide each nitrate value by 2 to get the value to enter in ppm (assumes 6" sampling depth). If no soil nitrate value is entered for a field, WinMax assumes 0 nitrate credit.
3. OSU publication F-2225 suggests increasing the N rec for small grains that are also grazed by 30 Lb/A per 100 pounds of beef weight gain or 1000 pounds of forage grazed per acre. Enter the adjusted N rec in the Custom N Rec input box on the Crops panel to override WinMax's default N rec.
Oregon Notes
1. WinMax assumes the Bray P1 soil test is used in counties west of the Cascades and the Olsen P soil test is used in counties east of the Cascades. If you leave the P Test Used input box blank on the Soil Tests panel, WinMax assumes that the field's soil test P level was determined by the appropriate P test for the operation's county. If you select the wrong P test for the county's region, or if no fertilizer recommendations are available for the county's region, the default fertilizer recommendations on the Crops panel will be blank.
2. For soil test P and K, enter your levels as ppm for a 12" sample depth.
3. For pastures on dairies west of the Cascades, select the appropriate forage crop (tall fescue, orchardgrass, perennial ryegrass, annual ryegrass). The pasture crops listed are for beef and sheep.
4. Enter corn silage yields as wet tons at 65% moisture. Enter oat haylage yields as wet tons at 60% moisture. Enter yields for hay and pasture crops as tons of dry matter.
5. Fertilizer recommendations for corn west of the Cascades assume 20,000 plants/acre. Refer to Oregon State Extension publication FG10 for adjusting fertilizer recommendations for different populations. Fertilizer recommendations for corn east of the Cascades assume 25,000 to 30,000 plants/acre and yields of at least 150 bushels per acre. Refer to Oregon State Extension publication FG71 for adjusting fertilizer recommendations for different populations or yield goals.
6. WinMax requires nitrate soil test data for calculating corn grain and corn silage N recommendations east of the Cascades. Enter the average ppm of nitrates for a 5-foot sample. If your nitrate soil test data is in lbs/acre of nitrates, divide the value by 20 to get the equivalent ppm (this assumes a 5-foot sampling depth). If you have ppm values for both the 0-2 foot depth and 2-5 foot depth, average them as follows:
[(0-2' sample x 2) + (2-5' sample x 3)] / 5
7. WinMax can use nitrate soil test data for calculating small grain N recommendations east of the Cascades. Enter the average ppm of nitrates for a 6-foot sample. If your nitrate soil test data is in lbs/acre of nitrates, divide the value by 24 to get the equivalent ppm (this assumes a 6-foot sampling depth). If you have ppm values for both the 0-2 foot depth and 2-6 foot depth, average them as follows:
[(0-2' sample x 2) + (2-6' sample x 4)] / 6
8. With spring-planted small grains on muck and peat soils east of the Cascades, be sure to enter the soil test organic matter percent.
9. With grass pastures east of the Cascades, you can increase the N rec for lower altitude, longer growing season areas. Enter the higher N rec in the Custom N Rec input box on the Crops panel. See Oregon State Extension publication FG21 for more information.
10. With potatoes, enter the soil test nitrate level for a 12" sample.
11. With onions, enter the soil test nitrate level for a 24" sample. Also, WinMax's onion P recs assume 0% soil lime concentration and not fumigated before planting. You can increase the P rec by 8 Lb/A for each percent of free lime. You can also increase the P rec by 40 Lb/A if fumigated before planting. Enter the higher P rec in the Custom P2O5 Rec input box on the Crops panel. See publication PNW546 for more information.
12. No fert recs are available for sugar beets or dry edible beans. With these crops, enter your own recs in the Custom Rec input boxes on the Crops panel.
13. With irrigated crops, be sure to select Irrigation water on the Other Inputs panel.
14. P fertilizer recommendations for most crops assume a banded application. Refer to the fertilizer recommendation's source publication for any increases to make if the P fertilizer will be broadcast.
15. If a field has been manured annually for 4 or more years, be sure to check the Manure Applied Annually box on the Erosion panel. If the field has not been manure annually for 4 or more years, leave this box unchecked.
Pennsylvania Notes
1. Select the appropriate soil testing lab in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you have soil test results from a lab that's not in the list, you'll have to convert your soil test P, K, Mg and Ca data to Mehlich-3 values. Consult with your soil test lab for assistance. If you leave the P Test Used input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the soil test data are Mehlich-3 values.
2. If you are entering soil test data from A&L Eastern Laboratories, be sure to obtain Mehlich-3 results from the lab.
3. If you are entering soil test data from Agri Analysis, be sure to enter the phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium values (lbs/A) and select Lb/A for each value on the Soil Tests panel. Do not use the P2O5, K2O or MgO values.
4. If you are entering soil test data from Brookside Laboratories, be sure to enter the values that are in ppm and select ppm for each value on the Soil Tests panel. Do not use the lb/A values. If more than one phosphorus test is reported, use the "Easily Extractable" ppm of P value.
5. If you are entering soil test data from Spectrum Analytic, be sure to obtain Mehlich-3 results from the lab. Spectrum runs Mehlich-3 but normally converts to and reports Bray P1 and ammonium acetate results.
6. Be sure to enter the % Legume if the previous crop is alfalfa. WinMax uses this to determine the correct legume N credit if corn or corn silage is the current crop.
Rhode Island Notes
1. Rhode Island uses Massachusetts' fertilizer recommendations. Massachusetts' fert recs assume that the UMass soil testing lab's Morgan extraction was used to determine soil phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium levels. If you have soil test results from another lab, you'll need to convert your soil test P, K, Mg and Ca data to UMass Morgan values. Consult with your soil test lab for assistance.
2. Don't enter CEC values from labs other than the UMass soil testing lab. Instead, enter the lab's converted K, Mg and Ca values along with soil pH and buffer pH and let WinMax estimate CEC.
South Dakota Notes
1. If known, select the test that was used to determine the soil phosphorus level in the P Test Used input box on the Soil Tests panel. If you leave this input box blank for a field, WinMax assumes that the Olsen test was used.
2. If no soil test nitrate value (NO3-N) is entered for a field, WinMax assumes a 40 Lb/A nitrate credit.
3. WinMax requires that nitrate (NO3-N) soil test data be entered in units of ppm. If you are entering soil nitrate values that are in Lb/A, divide each value by 8 to get the appropriate value in ppm. This assumes the soil was sampled to a depth of 24".
4. If an NO3-N sample was taken prior to Sept. 15, you can reduce the default N recommendation by 0.5 pound of N per day prior to Sept. 15, up to a maxium of 23 pounds. Enter the reduced N rec in the Custom N Rec input box on the Crops panel and document the reduction in the Source input box.
5. With alfalfa, enter a value greater than 70 for the crop's % Legume if there are more than 4 alfalfa plants per square foot. If there are 3-4 alfalfa plants per square foot, enter a value in the range 51-70. If there are 1-2 alfalfa plants per square foot, enter a value in the range 30-50. If there is less than 1 alfalfa plant per square foot, enter a value less than 30.
Tennessee Notes
1. In calculating grass N recommendations, WinMax assumes 2 tons per cutting with bermuda hybrid hay, timothy and orchardgrass. WinMax also assumes there will be a second cutting if the yield goal is greater than 2 tons/acre with grass-clover hay or greater than 3 tons/acre with grass hay.
2. For alfalfa, enter a value in the range 70-100 for the crop's % Legume if there are more than 4 alfalfa plants per square foot. If there are 1.5 to 4 alfalfa plants per square foot, enter a value in the range 30-70 for % Legume.
3. WinMax's fert recs for grass-clover pasture, grass-clover hay, grass pasture, and grass hay (maintenance recs only) assume no fall stockpiling of fescue. For fall stockpiling of fescue, increase the N fert rec by 60 Lb (15 Lb with grass pasture) and enter the new rec in the Custom N recommendation input box on the Crops panel.
Utah Notes
1. If no soil nitrate value (NO3-N) is entered for a field, WinMax assumes 0 nitrate credit.
2. WinMax requires that nitrate (NO3-N) soil test data be entered in units of ppm. If you are entering soil nitrate values that are in Lb/A, divide each value by 3.5 to get the appropriate value in ppm. This assumes the soil was sampled to a depth of 12".
3. With irrigated wheat crops, be sure to select Irrigation water on the Other Inputs panel.
Vermont Notes
1. Vermont Extension fertilizer recommendations assume that the Modified Morgan extraction was used to determine soil test levels. If you have Modified Morgan soil test results from A&L Eastern Laboratories or Spectrum Analytic, be sure to obtain the aluminum soil test results from the lab. You must enter the Al soil test value to get a P2O5 fert rec.
2. Silage and haylage yields should be entered as wet weights (65% moisture). This includes corn silage, small grain silage, forage sorghum, and sorghum/sudangrass. Hay and pasture yields should be entered as dry weights (one ton dry hay = 2.5 tons haylage).
3. Drainage in the soils table is used in Vermont fertilizer recommendations for several crops. See the soils table help for more information.
4. For typical manure analyses, refer to Table 14 in "Nutrient Recommendations for Field Crops in Vermont," University of Vermont Extension, Br. 1390, March 2004.
Washington Notes
1. WinMax assumes the Bray P1 soil test is used in counties west of the Cascades and the Olsen P soil test is used in counties east of the Cascades. If you leave the P Test Used input box blank on the Soil Tests panel, WinMax assumes that the field's soil test P level was determined by the appropriate P test for the operation's county. If you select the wrong P test for the county's region, or if no fertilizer recommendations are available for the county's region, the default fertilizer recommendations on the Crops panel will be blank.
2. For soil test P and K, enter your levels as ppm for a 12" sample depth.
3. For pastures on dairies west of the Cascades, select the appropriate forage crop (tall fescue, orchardgrass, perennial ryegrass, annual ryegrass). The pasture crops listed are for beef and sheep.
4. Enter corn silage yields as wet tons at 65% moisture. Enter oat haylage yields as wet tons at 60% moisture. Enter yields for hay and pasture crops as tons of dry matter.
5. Fertilizer recommendations for corn west of the Cascades assume 20,000 plants/acre. Refer to Oregon State Extension publication FG10 for adjusting fertilizer recommendations for different populations. Fertilizer recommendations for corn east of the Cascades assume 25,000 to 30,000 plants/acre and yields of at least 150 bushels per acre. Refer to Oregon State Extension publication FG71 for adjusting fertilizer recommendations for different populations or yield goals.
6. WinMax requires nitrate soil test data for calculating corn grain and corn silage N recommendations east of the Cascades. Enter the average ppm of nitrates for a 5-foot sample. If your nitrate soil test data is in lbs/acre of nitrates, divide the value by 20 to get the equivalent ppm (this assumes a 5-foot sampling depth). If you have ppm values for both the 0-2 foot depth and 2-5 foot depth, average them as follows:
[(0-2' sample x 2) + (2-5' sample x 3)] / 5
7. WinMax can use nitrate soil test data for calculating small grain N recommendations east of the Cascades. Enter the average ppm of nitrates for a 6-foot sample. If your nitrate soil test data is in lbs/acre of nitrates, divide the value by 24 to get the equivalent ppm (this assumes a 6-foot sampling depth). If you have ppm values for both the 0-2 foot depth and 2-6 foot depth, average them as follows:
[(0-2' sample x 2) + (2-6' sample x 4)] / 6
8. With spring-planted small grains on muck and peat soils east of the Cascades, be sure to enter the soil test organic matter percent.
9. With grass pastures east of the Cascades, you can increase the N rec for lower altitude, longer growing season areas. Enter the higher N rec in the Custom N Rec input box on the Crops panel. See Oregon State Extension publication FG21 for more information.
10. With potatoes, enter the soil test nitrate level for a 12" sample.
11. With onions, enter the soil test nitrate level for a 24" sample. Also, WinMax's onion P recs assume 0% soil lime concentration and not fumigated before planting. You can increase the P rec by 8 Lb/A for each percent of free lime. You can also increase the P rec by 40 Lb/A if fumigated before planting. Enter the higher P rec in the Custom P2O5 Rec input box on the Crops panel. See publication PNW546 for more information.
12. No fert recs are available for sugar beets or dry edible beans. With these crops, enter your own recs in the Custom Rec input boxes on the Crops panel.
13. With irrigated crops, be sure to select Irrigation water on the Other Inputs panel.
14. P fertilizer recommendations for most crops assume a banded application. Refer to the fertilizer recommendation's source publication for any increases to make if the P fertilizer will be broadcast.
Wisconsin Notes
1. With alfalfa, red clover, and birdsfoot trefoil, enter a value for the crop's % Legume greater than 70 for a good stand, 30-70 for a fair stand, or less than 30 for a poor stand.
2. Texture, Sub Fert, and CYP in the soils table are used in Wisconsin fertilizer recommendations. See the soils table help for more information.
Ten Steps To Getting Started Quickly
1. Use WinMax's on-line help whenever you're uncertain about what to enter or how to proceed. Just press the F1 key to get help for the current menu command, dialog box, or data entry panel. You can also choose Help | Contents to display help on major topics.
2. Choose File | New Project to create a new project data file for entering your own crop production data. WinMax displays the New Project dialog box, where you fill in the new project file's state, year, and descriptive title. Press the Tab key to move from one input box to the next.
When you're done filling in the dialog box, click the OK button to close the dialog box. WinMax then prompts you for a file name for the new project file.
3. Choose Record | Add New to create the file's first field record. (You create one record for each crop field.) WinMax displays the Add New Record dialog box, where you enter a field ID number (up to 9 digits long) for the new record. Optionally, you can also enter a field name and subfield name to help better identify the record.
4. Once you've created a field record, WinMax displays that record's General data entry panel, the first of 10 panels that you fill out for each record. On the panel are input boxes where you enter information. Press the Tab key to move to the next input box and Shift+Tab to move to the previous input box, or click on an input box to jump to it.
5. At the top of the panel are tabs labeled General, Soil Tests, Crops, and so on. Click on a tab to view its corresponding data panel. Note that there's one panel for each section of the data entry form.
Below the panel is the status bar, with its scroll bar. Once you've created more than one field record, click on the scroll bar to move between records. You can also press the PgUp and PgDn keys.
6. Enter as much data as you can for your first field record. You can always come back later and fill in the rest. To see what required data is still missing, choose Record | Check Data.
If you're entering multiple fields for the same farm operation, you only need to fill in the General panel's address and contact information for the first record unless the records will be merged with another project that contains records from other operations.
7. Choose Tools | Worksheets once you've finished entering a record's data. WinMax displays the Worksheet Report dialog box. For now, just click the OK button to generate an itemized production cost worksheet using the dialog box's default settings.
WinMax displays the report in the Preview dialog box, where you can scroll through the report. When done previewing the report, click the Close button to close the dialog box.
8. Now choose Tools | Worksheets again and begin exploring the settings available in the dialog box. For example, to view a worksheet report in Word, check the View With Word box.
9. If you want to create a custom cost file for your own crop input costs, choose Tools | Cost File Editor. Once you've saved your cost file, you can use it instead of the standard costs when generating worksheets.
10. Once you've entered data for several crop fields, try out the Tools | Ranked Summary and Tools | Tabular Summary reports.
Quick Tips On Entering Data
1. F1 for help. If in doubt about what to enter, press the F1 key to display help for the current menu command, dialog box, or data entry panel. If you don't know how to use help with Windows, press the F1 key from within the help system.
2. Undo. To undo typing changes that you've made to a text box, press Ctrl+Z. Note that this works only if you haven't moved from the text box.
3. Operating a pick list. To pull down a pick list with the mouse, click the arrow on the right side of the pick list box. To close the pick list without selecting anything, click the arrow again or click anywhere outside the pick list. With the keyboard, press Alt+Down Arrow to pull down the list. Press Alt+Down Arrow again to close the list.
4. Pick list shortcut. To speed up entering data with a pick list (pesticides, field operations, etc.), type the first letter of the desired item's name to select the first item that starts with that letter. If there's more than one item starting with that letter, you can continue typing that letter to cycle through them. Note that this works even if the list is not pulled down. For example, when entering units, you can simply type L to select Lb without even pulling down the list. (When cycling through the list, don't pause between keystrokes. If you pause, the search is reset. Also, if you type quickly, you can continue typing additional letters of the desired item to jump to it.)
5. Blanking out a pick list. To blank out a pick list box, scroll to the top of the list and choose the first item, which will either be blank or, if the pick list is in a table, (None). With a table pick list, you can also just press the spacebar to select (None) without pulling down the list.
6. County. Be sure to select the field's county in the Field County pick list, not the county of the farm's mailing address.
7. Soils data. To speed up data entry and ensure that your soils data are accurate, enter each soil's map unit symbol in the Symbol column on the Erosion panel, then click the Update Soils From MMP button to automatically fill in other columns in the soils table with MMP soils data. Note that this requires that you have MMP installed. Also, be sure to fill in the Field % column. If you don't have MMP installed, you can use the Update Soils From SDM button instead.
8. Other inputs. If you have a fertilizer (micronutrient), herbicide, insecticide or field operation that's not in the master list or not listed for your crop, enter it on the Other Inputs panel. Be sure to indicate its input type in the Other Input column, then enter its name in the Description column and fill in the Rate/A, Units and Cost/A columns. By indicating the input type, WinMax will know which section of the worksheet (pesticide, field operation, etc.) to list the input, as well as which subtotal its cost belongs to. Note that all costs on the Other Inputs panel are per acre.
9. Pesticide description. Be sure to fill in the Description column of the Other Inputs panel if you're entering a pesticide not on the master list. These descriptions of other pesticides are vital in determining what pesticides need to be added to the master list the following year.
10. Irrigation. Since irrigation affects fertilizer recommendations in some states, be sure to indicate if a field is irrigated by selecting Irrigation in the Other Input column of the Other Inputs panel. Select this even if you don't know what the field's total acre-inches of water is yet (you can leave the Rate/A column blank for now).
11. Cover crop. Select Other cover crop in the Other Input column of the Other Inputs panel if your cover crop is not in the list supported by WinMax.
12. Proofing data. Enter as much data as you can for a field record, then choose Record | Check Data to see if any required data is missing or if there are any inconsistencies in what you've entered. You will also see these warnings at the bottom of the record's production cost worksheet. To check if you've entered enough soil test data to calculate the crop's nutrient needs, click the Info button on the Soil Tests panel.
13. Windows clipboard. You can use the Windows clipboard to copy and paste information within WinMax and between WinMax and other programs. For example, when previewing a ranked summary report, you can quickly locate a particular field ID's record as follows: Select the field ID in the report with the mouse or keyboard, then press Ctrl+C to copy it to the clipboard. Click Close to exit the Preview dialog box. Choose Record | Find (or press Ctrl+F), then press Ctrl+V to copy the field ID from the clipboard to the Find What text box. Now make sure Data To Search is set to Field ID and click OK to jump to that record.
Reporting Problems
If you have problems with the WinMax program, please contact the author:
Phil Hess
Agronomy Dept.
Purdue University
W. Lafayette, IN 47907-1150
Phone: (765) 494-8050
FAX: (765) 496-2926
E-mail: pjhess@purdue.edu
Important! Report problems with WinMax as soon as possible, preferably via e-mail. However, please consult the on-line help first before reporting problems -- answers to some of the most commonly asked questions can be found there.
If you report a problem, be sure to include the version of WinMax that you're using (choose Help | About to see the program version) and the version of Microsoft Windows that you're using (click the Info button in the About box).
Tip: You can download the latest version of WinMax from the following Web site:
www.purdue.edu/agsoftware/winmax
Definitions
WinMax displays the name of the current project data file on the title bar at the top of the main window. If the file is read-only or you opened it read-only, WinMax displays "(Read-Only)" on the title bar to indicate that you can't modify the file. If the file has been locked to prevent its data from being modified, WinMax displays "(Locked)".
The row of keywords at the top of the main window is the menu bar. Each keyword corresponds to a menu that can be "pulled down" by clicking on it. WinMax uses menus to present you with lists of commands to choose from.
Click on a menu command to choose it. Some menu commands may be disabled at certain times. For example, you can't choose some commands until you've first opened a project data file. To exit a menu without choosing anything, press the Esc key or click outside the menu box.
A dialog box is a window you use to enter information or change settings. Most menu commands end in an ellipsis (…). When you choose one of these commands, WinMax displays a dialog box. For example, when you choose File | New Project, WinMax displays the New Project dialog box.
Press the Tab key to move to a dialog box's next input box and Shift+Tab to move to the previous input box, or click on an input box to jump to it. Click a dialog box's OK button to close the dialog box and accept the current settings, or click the Cancel button to close a dialog box and abandon any changes you've made to its settings.
A data entry panel is a window containing input boxes for viewing and entering crop production data. WinMax has 10 data entry panels, one for each section of the data entry form. Once you've opened a project data file or added a field record to a new file, you can click on the tabs labeled General, Soil Tests, Crops, and so on to view the other panels.
Press the Tab key to move to a panel's next input box and Shift+Tab to move to the previous input box, or click on an input box to jump to it.
WinMax uses the status bar at the bottom of the main window to display the current record's state, county, crop, field ID or name, and record number, as well as the total number of records in the current project file. When you pull down a menu, WinMax displays a hint on the status bar for the currently highlighted menu command.
Once you've opened a project data file, WinMax activates the scroll bar at the right side of the status bar. You can click on the scroll bar or drag its slider to move through the file.
County names are stored in a file with an .mcn extension. In the U.S., this file is named usa.mcn. WinMax will not start unless it can find this file.
All crop input definitions and standard costs for those inputs are stored in a file with an .mdf extension. In the U.S., this file is named stnd-usa.mdf. WinMax will not start unless it can find this file.
Initialization settings specific to each state are stored in a file with an .mmi extension. WinMax must be able to find the appropriate .mmi file in order to calculate crop nutrient needs for that state. An initialization file may not be available for every state.
WinMax stores the data for a project's crop fields in a file that has an .mxj extension. You can create more than one project data file, but you can only view and edit one project file at a time.
You can use custom input costs in place of WinMax's standard costs when generating reports. These custom costs are stored in a file with an .mcc extension. You create and edit custom cost files with Tools | Cost File Editor.
An Access file is a standard type of database file used by many other programs. If you need to work with your project data using other software, export it to an Access file with File | Export Data, then open the exported file with other software. An Access file has an .mdb extension.
A dBASE file is a standard type of database file used by many other programs. If you need to work with your data using other software, export it to dBASE files with File | Export Data, then open or import these files with the other software. A dBASE file has a .dbf extension.
WinMax can import field data from a dBASE file that has specific column names that it looks for. This standard import format is documented in file ImportDbfSpec.doc.
Manure Management Planner (MMP) uses field, crop, storage, animal and equipment data to create nutrient management plans for animal feeding operations as well as crop-only operations. WinMax can import field, soil test, crop data, and planned manure and fertilizer applications from an MMP plan. WinMax can also export field, soil test, and crop data to an MMP plan. An MMP plan file has an .mmp extension. You can download MMP from www.purdue.edu/agsoftware/mmp.
WinMax keeps a crop field's data in a record that it stores in the project's data file. You can add more than one record to a project, but you can only view and edit one record at a time. The current record is the record whose data you can currently see.
Dates must be entered in the format specified by the Windows "short date style." This can vary from system to system, but typically dates in the U.S. are entered in the form MM/DD/YY. If in doubt, consult the Regional Settings on the Windows Control Panel.
Total N is the total amount of nitrogen in the manure. Some manure analysis reports give ammonium nitrogen (NH4) in addition to total N. Enter both total N and NH4 if you have them, or whichever is provided in the manure analysis report.
File Menu
Use the File menu to create, open, close, merge, extract, and export project data files.
The commands on the File menu are:
File | New Project
Choose File | New Project to create a new project data file.
WinMax displays the New Project dialog box, where you enter the new project file's state, year, and descriptive title. After you click OK to close the dialog box, WinMax prompts you for a file name for the new project file.
After it creates the new file, WinMax displays the file's name on the title bar and the new file's record count (0) on the status bar. Use Record | Add New to create field records for the new file.
You can only have one project open at a time. If a project is open when you choose File | New Project, WinMax closes the open project, saving any changes you made to it.
New Project dialog box
Single-state
Choose Single-state if you will be adding field records from only one state to the new project file. You can always convert a single-state file to multi-state later on by creating a new multi-state file and then merging the single-state file into the new file.
Multi-state
Choose Multi-state if you will be adding field records from more than one state to the new project file or if you want to merge files from more than one state into the project file.
State
If you chose Single-state, select the new project file's state from the list. If you chose Multi-state, any state you select is ignored.
Year
Enter the new project file's harvest year.
Title
Enter a title that describes the new project file. The title can be up to 60 characters long.
File | Open Project
Choose File | Open Project to open an existing project data file for editing or reporting.
WinMax displays the Open Project Data File dialog box, where you select the file to open.
After it opens the file, WinMax displays the file's name on the title bar, updates the status bar, and displays the General data panel for the file's first field record.
You can only have one project open at a time. If a project is open when you choose File | Open Project, WinMax closes the open project, saving any changes you made to it.
File | Close Project
Choose File | Close Project to close the current project data file.
You don't have to close a project before creating or opening another project -- WinMax closes it for you automatically. However, you may want to close a project to clear the WinMax desktop or to release the project's data file so you can back it up without needing to exit WinMax.
File | Properties
Choose File | Properties to display the Project Properties dialog box, where you can view the current project's data file name, the folder where the file is located, the project's state and year, and the release date of the definition file in use the last time the project file was edited. You can also view and edit the project's title, author, company and comments. Note that you won't be able to edit the properties if the current project file is locked or was opened read-only.
Project Properties dialog box
Title
Enter a descriptive title for the project file. The title can be up to 60 characters long.
Author
Enter the name or initials of the person who created the project data file and entered the data. The name can be up to 60 characters long.
Company
Enter the name of the company or organization involved in creating the project file. The company can be up to 60 characters long.
Comments
Enter comments and notes about the project file. Comments can be more than one line (press the Enter key to start a new line). The total comments can be up to 254 characters long.
File | Merge Project
Choose File | Merge Project to merge another project's records into the current project data file.
WinMax displays the Merge Project Data File dialog box, where you select the file to merge.
You can use Merge Project to combine records entered at different computers, or to combine several state project files in order to generate multi-state summary reports.
To merge two projects, both projects must have the same state, or the current project must be a multi-state project. Also, the two projects must not use any of the same field ID's.
File | Extract Project
Choose File | Extract Project to create a new project data file containing a subset of the current project file's records.
WinMax displays the Extract Project dialog box, where you enter a title for the new project file and select the records you want to extract and any data to exclude. After you click OK to close the dialog box, WinMax prompts you for a file name for the new project file that will be created.
For example, you can use Extract Project to create a project data file containing only the records from certain counties.
Extract Project dialog box
Title
Enter a title that describes the new project file. The title can be up to 60 characters long.
Records To Include
Select which records to extract and save to the new project file.
Option When Selected
All Records All records in the current project file will be extracted and saved to the new project file.
Subset Only records specified in the Subset Selection dialog box will be extracted from the current project file and saved to the new project file.
Select
Click the Select button to open the Subset Selection dialog box, where you can view and change the settings that determine which records are included in the subset.
Data To Exclude
Select which data to exclude from the new project file.
Check Box When Checked
Operation Name & Contact The Operation Name and Contact input boxes will be blank in the new project file.
Address And Phone The mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address input boxes will be blank in the new project file.
Field Notes, FSA Numbers The Notes and FSA tract and field input boxes will be blank in the new project file.
Current Data (Advance Year) The current crop year's data will be blank in the new project file, including crop, planting, fertilizer, pesticide, field operation and harvest data. General, field, soil test and soil erosion data will be retained. In addition, the new file's year will be advanced by one, each field's current crop and tillage will become the previous crop and tillage in the new file, and each field's planned next crop and tillage will become the current crop and tillage in the new file.
File | Export Data
Choose File | Export Data to export the current project file's data to Access, dBASE, or MMP. With Access export, a single Access database file is created. With dBASE export, two dBASE files are created, one file for field and crop data and another file for application data. With MMP, a single MMP plan file is created.
WinMax displays the Export Data dialog box, where you select the records you want to export and any data to exclude, as well as options for calculating the production cost subtotals that will also be exported. After you click OK to close the dialog box, WinMax suggests file name(s) to use for the file(s) it will create -- you can accept the suggested name(s) or enter your own.
Export Data dialog box
Records To Include
Select which records to export.
Option When Selected
All Records All records in the current project file will be exported.
Subset Only records specified in the Subset Selection dialog box will be exported from the current project file.
Select
Click the Select button to open the Subset Selection dialog box, where you can view and change the settings that determine which records are included in the subset.
Cost Options
Select the options for calculating production costs.
Check Box When Checked
Use Custom Costs Use a custom cost file instead of standard input costs in calculating production costs. (Click the Load button to select the custom cost file to use.)
Use N-P-K Removal Cost Calculate N-P-K fertilizer cost based on amount of N required by crop (or N applied if greater than N required) and amount of P and K removed by crop, rather than on amount of N, P and K applied.
Use 5-Year Selling Price Calculate income based on crop's 5-year average selling price rather than current selling price.
Charge For Any Soil Loss Include a soil loss charge for any soil loss, not just for any net soil loss above T.
Load
Click the Load button to select a custom cost file to use in calculating production costs.
Data To Exclude
Select which data to exclude from the exported file.
Check Box When Checked
Operation Name & Contact The exported name fields will be blank.
Address And Phone The exported mailing address, phone number and e-mail address fields will be blank.
Field Notes, FSA Numbers The exported field notes and FSA tract and field number fields will be blank.
Costs, Income And Profit The exported cost subtotal fields will be blank.
Export Format
Select which export format to use.
Option When Selected
Access Database The data will be exported to an Access database file.
dBASE Files The data will be exported to two dBASE files, one containing field data and the other containing application data.
MMP Plan The data will be exported to an MMP plan file.
Notes on exporting to MMP:
1. An MMP plan file contains data for only one farm operation. If your WinMax project contains data for more than one farm, you may want to create a copy of the project and delete records for all but one farm, then export to MMP.
2. WinMax uses the general data (operation name, address, etc.) from the first exported record for the MMP plan's general data.
3. WinMax creates a two-year MMP plan, using the current crop for the first year and the next crop for the second year, unless the next crop is blank, then it assumes that the previous crop will be planted again in the second year. Note that you can change the number of years in the plan in MMP if you need space for a longer rotation.
4. If you want to start your MMP plan with the next crop year, create a project with File | Extract Project and check the Current Data (Advance Year) box to bump the extracted project's year, then export the extracted project to MMP.
5. Cost Options are ignored when exporting to MMP since no costs are exported.
File | Import Data
Choose File | Import Data to import external data into a WinMax project data file. WinMax displays a submenu of additional import commands you can choose from.
File | Import Data | Create Project From dBASE File
Choose this command to create a new WinMax project data file from a dBASE file in the standard field data import format. WinMax will prompt you for the dBASE file to import and the name of the new WinMax project file to create.
File | Import Data | Update Project From dBASE File
Choose this command to update an existing WinMax project data file with data from a dBASE file in the standard field data import format. WinMax will prompt you for the dBASE file to import and the WinMax project file to update.
Important! Importing data into an existing project file can overwrite data in the project file. For this reason, make sure the project file is backed up before importing.
Tip: You can't import data into a project file that is currently open. If you need to import data into the currently open project file, close the project file before choosing the import command. When WinMax is done importing, it will prompt whether you want to open the updated project file.
File | Import Data | Create Project From MMP Plan
Choose this command to create a new WinMax project data file from a Manure Management Planner (MMP) plan file (.mmp extension). WinMax will prompt you for the MMP plan file to import and the name of the new WinMax project file to create.
Note: MMP must be installed in order to import an MMP plan file with WinMax. You can download MMP from the following Web address:
Field numbering note: WinMax assigns a field ID to each field record added to a project file during importing as follows: With a new project file created from a dBASE import file or an MMP plan file, WinMax starts numbering the records with field ID 1. With records added to an existing project file, WinMax starts with a field ID that is one more than the largest ID in the project file. WinMax also fills in each field record's field and subfield name from the imported data. These field and subfield names will be displayed on the status bar instead of the assigned field ID's.
Tip: Don't confuse MMP's field ID with WinMax's field ID. The field ID and subfield ID entered in MMP correspond to WinMax's field name and subfield name.
Notes on importing from MMP:
1. When done importing, check that importing selected the most appropriate manure type for planned manure applications and the most appropriate form for planned fertilizer applications. Change these as necessary.
2. As fertilizer and manure are actually applied, you'll want to edit the planned application data that was imported to correspond to what was actually applied. For example, importing sets application dates to the 15th of the month - change all dates to the actual application dates.
3. WinMax assumes that a fertilizer application will cover the entire field. MMP permits fertilizer apps to just the manure-spreadable or the non-manure-spreadable part of a field. Applications to the non-manure-spreadable part of a field are not imported.
4. WinMax also assumes that a manure application will cover the entire field. MMP permits manure apps that cover only part of the field. These partial manure apps will still be imported, but you may want to delete some of them if they won't manure the entire field.
File | Import Data | Update Soils Data From MMP
If you have Manure Management Planner (MMP) installed, choose this command to fill in each record's soils table (on the Erosion panel) with data from MMP. WinMax will search MMP's soils for each map unit symbol in the soils tables. If it finds a matching soil, it will update other columns in the table with MMP soils data.
Tip: If a map unit has more than one soil (for example, with a soil complex), enter the soil component name that you want in the Soil Name column; if you leave it blank, WinMax will select the largest component in the map unit. Also, if you leave the Slope % column blank, WinMax will fill it in with the matching soil's average slope.
Tip: To fill in just the current field record's soils table, use the Update Soils From MMP button on the Erosion panel.
File | Import Data | Update Soils Data From SDM
If you don't have Manure Management Planner (MMP) installed but your computer is connected to the Internet, you can choose this command to fill in each record's soils table (on the Erosion panel) with data from the USDA-NRCS Soil Data Mart. WinMax will query the Soil Data Mart for each map unit symbol in the soils tables. If it finds a matching soil, it will update other columns in the table with the retrieved soils data.
Tip: If a map unit has more than one soil (for example, with a soil complex), enter the soil component name that you want in the Soil Name column; if you leave it blank, WinMax will select the largest component in the map unit. Also, if you leave the Slope % column blank, WinMax will fill it in with the matching soil's average slope.
Tip: To fill in just the current field record's soils table, use the Update Soils From SDM button on the Erosion panel.
File | Exit
Choose File | Exit to close WinMax.
You do not need to close the current project file or save your work. WinMax does this for you automatically.
Record Menu
Use the Record menu to add, duplicate, delete and rename field records, as well as proof data and search for and jump to different records.
The commands on the Record menu are:
Record | Add New
Choose Record | Add New to create a new field record and add it to the current project file.
WinMax displays the Add New Record dialog box, where you enter the numeric field ID number and an optional field name and subfield name to assign to the new record, then click OK to create the record (with a multi-state project, you also select the new record's state).
After WinMax adds the new record to the project data file, it updates the status bar and displays the General data panel, where you can begin entering the new record's data.
WinMax always keeps a project's records ordered by field ID. When you create a new record, WinMax inserts the record into the project file based on its ID.
Add New Record dialog box
Field ID
Enter the new record's field ID. The ID can be 1 to 9 digits long.
ID numbering tips: If you are using WinMax to enter your own crop production data or just working with a practice project file, you can use whatever ID numbering system you want as long as each ID is unique. For example, you can start field ID numbering with 1.
If you are using WinMax to enter data for the Farming for Maximum Efficiency (MAX) program, the field's ID number should already be recorded on the field's data entry form. This field ID should be exactly 9 digits long. To prevent duplicate ID's, use the county's FIPS mapping code for digits 1-5 of the ID. The remaining 4 digits can then be anything you like as long as they uniquely identify the field within the county. Typically, digits 6 and 7 identify the participant within the county, digit 8 is the participant's field number, and digit 9 is a sub-field number for side-by-side comparisons of different management practices (or 0 if no comparisons).
WinMax initially puts the current record's field ID in the Field ID input box. You can type over this field ID or edit it if it's similar to the new record's ID. This is useful with 9-digit ID's where only the last few digits differ from field to field.
Tip: Don't confuse a record's field ID with the record number. The record number is simply the record's position in the project file and will change automatically as records are added, deleted and renamed. A record's field ID will never change unless you change it with the Record | Rename command.
Field Name
Enter the new record's field name. The field name can be up to 15 characters long. Entering a field name is optional, but helps identify the field better than the numeric field ID. If entered, a record's field name and subfield name together must be unique in the project file.
WinMax initially puts the current record's field name in the Field Name input box. You can type over this field name or edit it if it's similar to the new record's name. This is useful with fields where only the subfield names differ from field to field.
Note: If you enter a field or subfield name for a record, WinMax displays the name on the status bar instead of the field's ID number. To see a field's ID, choose Record | Rename.
Subfield Name
Enter the new record's subfield name. The subfield name can be up to 5 characters long. Entering a subfield name is optional, but helps identify the field better than the numeric field ID. A subfield name can also be used to identify a portion of a field that is being managed differently than the rest of the field. If entered, a record's field name and subfield name together must be unique in the project file.
WinMax initially puts the current record's subfield name in the Subfield Name input box. You can type over this subfield name or edit it if it's similar to the new record's subfield name.
State
This input box appears only with multi-state project files. Select the new record's state from the list.
Record | Duplicate
Choose Record | Duplicate to duplicate the current record, but with a different field ID number.
WinMax displays the Duplicate Current Record dialog box, where you enter the field ID number and an optional field name and subfield name to assign to the duplicate record, then click OK to create the record.
After WinMax adds the duplicate record to the project data file, it updates the status bar and displays the General data panel, where you can begin entering the record's data.
Tip: To reduce data entry time, use Record | Duplicate with two or more fields that have similar data, as follows:
1. Create the first field's record with Record | Add New and enter all data that's common to all of the fields.
2. Create the other field records with Record | Duplicate.
3. Go back and fill in the data that's unique to each field.
Duplicate Current Record dialog box
Field ID
Enter the duplicate record's field ID. The ID can be 1 to 9 digits long.
Tip: WinMax initially puts the current record's field ID in the Field ID input box. You can type over this field ID or edit it if it's similar to the duplicate record's ID. This is useful with 9-digit ID's where only the last few digits differ from field to field.
Field Name
Enter the duplicate record's field name. The field name can be up to 15 characters long. Entering a field name is optional, but helps identify the field better than the numeric field ID. If entered, a record's field name and subfield name together must be unique in the project file.
Note: If you enter a field or subfield name for a record, WinMax displays the name on the status bar instead of the field's ID number. To see a field's ID, choose Record | Rename.
Subfield Name
Enter the duplicate record's subfield name. The subfield name can be up to 5 characters long. Entering a subfield name is optional, but helps identify the field better than the numeric field ID. A subfield name can also be used to identify a portion of a field that is being managed differently than the rest of the field. If entered, a record's field name and subfield name together must be unique in the project file.
Record | Delete
Choose Record | Delete to permanently delete the current record from the project data file.
Record | Rename
Choose Record | Rename to assign a different field ID number or field name to the current record.
WinMax displays the Rename Current Record dialog box, where you enter a new field ID number or field name for the current record.
Note that the current record's field ID or name is always displayed on the status bar.
Rename Current Record dialog box
New Field ID
Enter a new field ID for the current record. The ID can be 1 to 9 digits long.
New Field Name
Enter a new field name for the current record. The field name can be up to 15 characters long. A field name is optional, but helps identify the field better than the numeric field ID. If entered, a record's field name and subfield name together must be unique in the project file.
Note: If you enter a field or subfield name for a record, WinMax displays the name on the status bar instead of the field's ID number.
New Subfield Name
Enter a new subfield name for the current record. The subfield name can be up to 5 characters long. A subfield name is optional, but helps identify the field better than the numeric field ID. A subfield name can also be used to identify a portion of a field that is being managed differently than the rest of the field. If entered, a record's field name and subfield name together must be unique in the project file.
Record | Check Data
Choose Record | Check Data to see if the current record is missing any required data or if there are any inconsistencies in what you've entered. You will also see these warnings at the bottom of the record's production cost worksheet.
This command does not check to see if the current record's soil test data is complete, since that data is not used in the production cost worksheet. To check soil test data, click the Info button on the Soil Tests panel.
Record | Sort Inputs
Choose Record | Sort Inputs to sort the current record's data items by date. This command is useful if you didn't enter fertilizers, pesticides, or field operations in chronological order.
Items without a date sort to the bottom.
Record | Find
Choose Record | Find to search for a field record that contains the data you specify.
WinMax displays the Find Record dialog box, where you specify the data to search for and the type of data to search. If WinMax finds a record containing that data, it displays the record.
Find Record dialog box
Find What
Enter the data to search for. Note that WinMax doesn't distinguish between upper- and lower-case letters when searching. Also, to search for a field/subfield name, operation name, contact name, or field note, you don't have to enter the entire name or note -- WinMax searches for the first record containing the entered text anywhere in that data type's input box.
Data To Search
Specify the type of data to search.
When searching for a field ID, WinMax searches all records in the file, since there can be only one field with a particular ID. When searching for other types of data, WinMax starts searching with the current record -- to search all records, display the first record in the file before searching.
Option When Selected
Field ID Search for the entered field ID.
Field/Subfield Name Search the combined field/subfield names for the entered text.
Field State Search for the entered 2-letter state abbreviation.
Field County Search the Field County input box for the entered county name.
Operation Name Search the Operation Name input box (on the General panel) for the entered text.
Contact Search the Contact input box for the entered text.
Notes Search the Notes input box for the entered text.
Current Primary Crop Search for the entered single-letter primary crop abbreviation.
Cover or First Crop Search for the entered single-letter cover/first crop abbreviation.
Current Primary Tillage Search for the entered two-letter tillage abbreviation.
Record | Repeat Find
Choose Record | Repeat Find to repeat the last search.
WinMax searches for the next field record with the data and type of data that were entered the last time you closed the Find Record dialog box. To view or change the search data, choose Record | Find.
Record | Go To
Choose Record | Go To to jump to the field record with the record number you specify.
WinMax displays the Go To Record dialog box, where you enter the record number to jump to.
Note that the current record's record number is always displayed on the status bar, along with the total number of records in the project file. Remember that adding and deleting records may change existing records' record numbers.
Go To Record dialog box
Record Number
Enter the record number to jump to. The record number must be between 1 and the total number of records in the file.
Record | Previous
Choose Record | Previous to display the previous field record in the project file.
Since WinMax keeps each project's records ordered by field ID, the previous record is the one with the next lowest field ID relative to the current record.
You can also click the scroll bar's left arrow to display the previous record.
Record | Next
Choose Record | Next to display the next field record in the project file.
Since WinMax keeps each project's records ordered by field ID, the next record is the one with the next highest field ID relative to the current record.
You can also click the scroll bar's right arrow to display the next record.
Record | First
Choose Record | First to display the first field record in the project file.
Since WinMax keeps each project's records ordered by field ID, the first record is the one with the smallest field ID in the project file.
You can also drag the scroll bar's slider all the way to the left to display the first record.
Record | Last
Choose Record | Last to display the last field record in the project file.
Since WinMax keeps each project's records ordered by field ID, the last record is the one with the highest field ID in the project file.
You can also drag the scroll bar's slider all the way to the right to display the last record.
Tools Menu
Use the Tools menu to generate worksheet reports, ranked summaries, tabular summaries, and create and edit custom cost files.
The commands on the File menu are:
Tools | Worksheets
Choose Tools | Worksheets to generate a worksheet report for selected records.
WinMax displays the Worksheet Report dialog box, where you can change various settings for the report. Click OK to save your settings and generate the report, or click Cancel to abandon any changes you made to the settings and cancel the report.
Worksheet Report dialog box
Records To Include
Select which records to include in the report.
Option When Selected
Current Record Only the current record will be included.
All Records All records in the current project file will be included.
Record Range Only records whose record numbers fall within the specified range will be included. (Enter the starting and ending record numbers separated by a hyphen in the adjacent input box.)
ID Range Only records whose field ID's fall within the specified range will be included. (Enter the starting and ending ID's separated by a hyphen in the adjacent input box.)
Subset Only records specified in the Subset Selection dialog box will be included.
Select
Click the Select button to open the Subset Selection dialog box, where you can view and change the settings that determine which records are included in the subset.
Pages To Include
Select the pages you want to include for each record in the report.
Check Box When Checked
Production Cost Worksheet Include page with itemized production costs, income, and profit.
Nutrient Management Analysis Include page that shows crop's nutrient needs, total nutrients applied, and any deficits or excesses.
Cost Options
Select the options for calculating production costs.
Check Box When Checked
Use Custom Costs Use a custom cost file instead of standard input costs in calculating production costs. (Click the Load button to select the custom cost file to use.)
Use N-P-K Removal Cost Calculate N-P-K fertilizer cost based on amount of N required by crop (or N applied if greater than N required) and amount of P and K removed by crop, rather than on amount of N, P and K applied.
Use 5-Year Selling Price Calculate income based on crop's 5-year average selling price rather than current selling price.
Charge For Any Soil Loss Include a soil loss charge for any soil loss, not just for any net soil loss above T.
Load
Click the Load button to select a custom cost file to use in calculating production costs.
Data To Include
Select the optional data to include in the report.
Check Box When Checked
Field ID Include record's field ID on each page of report.
Field Name Include record's field name and subfield name on each page of report.
Operation Name Include operation's name (from General panel) on each page of report.
Field Notes On Worksheet Include field notes (from General panel) on each production cost worksheet.
Soil Test Data On Worksheet Include soil test data on each production cost worksheet.
Input Costs On Worksheet Generate each production cost worksheet showing not only the crop inputs, but also the unit and per-acre costs for the inputs that it used in calculating total cost and net profit. If this box is not checked, WinMax generates each worksheet with just the crop inputs, omitting unit and per-acre costs so you can fill in actual costs.
Explanatory Notes Include explanatory notes at the bottom of each nutrient management page. If this box is not checked, the page will be significantly shorter.
Output Options
Select output options for the report.
Format
Click the Format button to open the Worksheet Format dialog box, where you can change the report's font size and other format settings.
View With Word
Check the View With Word box to view the formatted report in Word. If you leave this box unchecked, WinMax will display the report as text-only (unformatted) in its Preview window, where you can browse, search, print and save the report, but not edit it.
Save To File
Check the Save To File box to save the report to a file in a choice of formats: Rich Text Format, HTML Document, or Text File. If View With Word is also checked, the output file will be opened in Word.
Tools | Ranked Summary
Choose Tools | Ranked Summary to rank selected records by yield, unit cost, or profit.
WinMax displays the Ranked Summary dialog box, where you can change various settings for the ranked summary report. Click OK to save your settings and generate the report, or click Cancel to abandon any changes you made to the settings and cancel the report.
Ranked Summary dialog box
Records To Include
Select which records to include in the report.
Option When Selected
All Records All records in the current project file will be included.
Subset Only records specified in the Subset Selection dialog box will be included.
Select
Click the Select button to open the Subset Selection dialog box, where you can view and change the settings that determine which records are included in the subset.
Rank By
Select how you want the report ranked.
Option When Selected
Yield Rank the fields by harvest yield (in descending order).
Unit Cost Rank the fields by cost per harvest unit (in ascending order).
Profit Rank the fields by net profit (in descending order).
Cost Options
Select the options for calculating production costs.
Check Box When Checked
Use Custom Costs Use a custom cost file instead of standard input costs in calculating production costs. (Click the Load button to select the custom cost file to use.)
Use N-P-K Removal Cost Calculate N-P-K fertilizer cost based on amount of N required by crop (or N applied if greater than N required) and amount of P and K removed by crop, rather than on amount of N, P and K applied.
Use 5-Year Selling Price Calculate income based on crop's 5-year average selling price rather than current selling price.
Charge For Any Soil Loss Include a soil loss charge for any soil loss, not just for any net soil loss above T.
Load
Click the Load button to select a custom cost file to use in calculating production costs.
Data Columns To Include
Check which columns of data you want included in the report.
Keep in mind that if you check a lot of data columns, the resulting report may be too wide for your printer.
Output Options
Select output options for the report.
View With Word
Check the View With Word box to view the report in Word. If you leave this box unchecked, WinMax will display the report in its Preview window, where you can browse, search, print and save the report, but not edit it.
Save To File
Check the Save To File box to save the report to a file in a choice of formats: Rich Text Format, HTML Document, or Text File. If View With Word is also checked, the output file will be opened in Word.
Tools | Tabular Summary
Choose Tools | Tabular Summary to generate a tabular summary of average production costs, yield, and profit for selected records.
WinMax displays the Tabular Summary dialog box, where you can change various settings for the tabular summary report. Click OK to save your settings and generate the report, or click Cancel to abandon any changes you made to the settings and cancel the report.
Tabular Summary dialog box
Records To Include
Select which records to include in the report.
Option When Selected
All Records All records in the current project file will be included.
Subset Only records specified in the Subset Selection dialog box will be included.
Select
Click the Select button to open the Subset Selection dialog box, where you can view and change the settings that determine which records are included in the subset.
Table For Each
A tabular summary is broken down into tables. Choose the data type whose categories will be used to group the summary records into separate tables. For example, if you choose Current crop, there will be a separate table for each crop.
Note that with a multi-state project file, the first two data types are Country and State rather than State and County.
Row For Each
Each table is broken down into rows. Choose the data type whose categories will be used to group the table's records into separate rows. For example, if you choose Current tillage, there will be a separate row for each tillage system.
Note that with a multi-state project file, the first two data types are Country and State rather than State and County.
Cost Options
Select the options for calculating production costs.
Check Box When Checked
Use Custom Costs Use a custom cost file instead of standard input costs in calculating production costs. (Click the Load button to select the custom cost file to use.)
Use N-P-K Removal Cost Calculate N-P-K fertilizer cost based on amount of N required by crop (or N applied if greater than N required) and amount of P and K removed by crop, rather than on amount of N, P and K applied.
Use 5-Year Selling Price Calculate income based on crop's 5-year average selling price rather than current selling price.
Charge For Any Soil Loss Include a soil loss charge for any soil loss, not just for any net soil loss above T.
Load
Click the Load button to select a custom cost file to use in calculating production costs.
Data Columns To Include
Check which columns of data you want included in the report.
Keep in mind that if you check a lot of data columns, the resulting report may be too wide for your printer.
Output Options
Select output options for the report.
View With Word
Check the View With Word box to view the report in Word. If you leave this box unchecked, WinMax will display the report in its Preview window, where you can browse, search, print and save the report, but not edit it.
Save To File
Check the Save To File box to save the report to a file in a choice of formats: Rich Text Format, HTML Document, or Text File. If View With Word is also checked, the output file will be opened in Word.
Tools | Manure Application Setbacks
Choose Tools | Manure Application Setbacks to generate a report of manure application setbacks for specified application criteria.
WinMax displays the Manure Application Setbacks Report dialog box, where you can specify criteria for a planned manure application. Click OK to save your settings and generate the report, or click Cancel to abandon any changes you made to the settings and cancel the report.
Manure Application Setbacks Report dialog box
Geographic Features [Type of Farm Operation]
Select one or more geographic features that may require application setbacks.
Tip: You can select the same feature for more than one type of farm operation if more than one setback requirement applies (for example, if both NRCS 633 standard and CAFO setback requirements apply).
How Manure Applied
Select how the manure will be applied.
Days To Incorporation
If the manure will be incorporated, enter the number of days between manure application and incorporation.
Examples: With single-pass incorporation, enter 0. If manure will be incorporated within 12 hours (same day), enter 0.5. If manure will be incorporated within 24 hours (next day), enter 1. If manure will be incorporated within 48 hours (day after next), enter 2.
Buffer Width
If the field has a vegetated buffer or filter strip between the manure application area and the selected geographic feature, enter the width of the buffer. If you leave this blank, WinMax assumes that there is no buffer.
Gradient Barrier
Check this box if there is a gradient barrier between the manure application area and the selected geographic feature or if all manure will be applied downgradient from the feature.
Slope
If you know the field's slope, enter it here.
Residue
If you know what percent of the ground will be covered by crop residue at the time of manure application, enter the percentage here.
Manure Applied To
Check any of these boxes that are relevant to the field. If you leave a box unchecked, WinMax assumes that the item does not apply to the field.
Output Options
Select output options for the report.
View With Word
Check the View With Word box to view the report in Word. If you leave this box unchecked, WinMax will display the report in its Preview window, where you can browse, search, print and save the report, but not edit it.
Save To File
Check the Save To File box to save the report to a file in a choice of formats: Rich Text Format, HTML Document, or Text File. If View With Word is also checked, the output file will be opened in Word.
Tools | Cost File Editor
Choose Tools | Cost File Editor to create and edit custom cost files.
WinMax displays the Cost File Editor dialog box, where you can create, edit, save and print custom cost files. You can also view and print the definition file's standard costs.
Cost File Editor dialog box
After you create or open a cost file, WinMax displays the various crop inputs in a table where you can edit their costs. Note that you can't make changes to the table's Input Name, Type, Applicable Crops, or Cost Unit columns.
Input Name
This column lists all crop inputs, grouped by type and alphabetically within type. The first inputs in the table are miscellaneous ones; to see fertilizer, pesticide and field operation inputs, scroll down through the table until you find them.
Type
This column lists each input's type.
Applicable Crops
This column lists the crops that are valid for each input, using one-letter crop abbreviations.
Unit Cost
This column lists each input's cost from the currently open cost file. Unless the cost file is read-only (check the dialog box's title bar), you can change any cost in this column.
Cost Unit
This column lists how each input is priced.
New
Click the New button to create a new custom cost file.
Open
Click the Open button to open an existing cost file. Note that you can open the definition file too, but you can't edit it.
Save
Click the Save button to save any changes you've made to the currently open custom cost file. If the cost file already exists, WinMax uses the same name; if it's a new cost file, WinMax prompts you for a file name.
Save As
Click the Save As button to save any changes you've made to the currently open custom cost file under a different file name.
Click the Print button to print the currently open cost file. WinMax displays the Print Costs dialog box, where you choose an output destination.
Exit
Click the Exit button to close the Cost File Editor dialog box.
Help
Click the Help button to display help for the Cost File Editor dialog box.
Crops
If you want to reduce the number of inputs that you see in the table, you can uncheck certain crops in this list. Only inputs that are valid for at least one of the checked crops are listed in the table or printed (although WinMax always saves all input costs to the cost file).
Check All
Click the Check All button to check all crops in the Crops list.
Uncheck All
Click the Uncheck All button to uncheck all crops in the Crops list.
Help Menu
Use the Help menu to access the on-line help system, which displays instructions and information in a special help window.
The commands on the Help menu are:
Help | Contents
Choose Help | Contents to display a list of major help topics that you can choose from to branch to other parts of the help system.
Help | What's New
Choose Help | What's New to display a list of new features in this version of WinMax.
Help | Frequently Asked Questions
Choose Help | Frequently Asked Questions to display a list of common questions and their answers.
Help | Getting Started
Choose Help | Getting Started to display instructions for new users.
Help | Quick Tips
Choose Help | Quick Tips to display a list of important tips and time-saving shortcuts.
Help | Distribution Files
Choose Help | Distribution Files to display a list of files included with WinMax.
Help | Reporting Problems
Choose Help | Reporting Problems to display information on how to report problems with WinMax.
Help | About
Choose Help | About to display the WinMax version and copyright.
General Data Panel
Use the General data panel to enter the farm's mailing address and general information about the crop field.
The input boxes on the General panel are:
Operation Name
Enter the name of the farm operation.
Address
Enter the farm's street address.
Town
Enter the farm's town.
State
Enter the 2-letter post office abbreviation for the farm's state.
Zip Code
Enter the farm's 5-digit or 9-digit zip code.
Contact
Enter the name of the farm's contact person.
Office Phone
Enter the contact person's office or business phone number, including the area code.
There's space to use the following suggested form:
(###) ###-####
Home Phone
Enter the contact person's home phone, if different from the office phone number. Be sure to include the area code.
There's space to use the following suggested form:
(###) ###-####
E-mail Address
Enter the contact person's e-mail address.
Field County
Select the county where the field is located, not the county of the farm's mailing address.
Once you've selected the field's county, WinMax displays it on the status bar.
Field Size
Enter the size of the field in acres.
Cash Rent Value
Enter the actual rent value ($ per acre) for the field, if available.
If the weighted average of the soil productivity ratings entered on the Erosion panel is 0, WinMax uses the rent value entered here for the field's land cost rather than calculating it.
FSA Tract Number
Enter the field's FSA (ASCS) tract number, if available. You can enter up to 10 characters.
FSA Field Number
Enter the field's FSA (ASCS) field number, if available. You can enter up to 4 characters.
Notes
You can use this input box to record notes, comments, or other information about the field. You can enter up to 60 characters.
Soil Tests Data Panel
Use the Soil Tests data panel to enter the field's soil test data.
The input boxes on the Soil Tests panel are:
Year Tested
Enter the year the soil test's sample was taken.
Organic matter
Enter the field's organic matter (in percent), as determined by a soil test.
Phosphorus
Enter the field's phosphorus level, as determined by a soil test, then select the appropriate units in the Units input box.
This value must be in pounds per acre or parts per million of elemental P. If your test value is expressed as pounds per acre or parts per million of P2O5, multiply the value by 0.44 to convert it to elemental P.
P Test Used
Select the test that was used to determine the field's soil phosphorus level.
Potassium
Enter the field's potassium level, as determined by a soil test, then select the appropriate units in the Units input box.
This value must be in pounds per acre or parts per million of elemental K. If your test value is expressed as pounds per acre or parts per million of K2O, multiply the value by 0.83 to convert it to elemental K.
Magnesium
Enter the field's magnesium level, as determined by a soil test, then select the appropriate units in the Units input box.
This value must be in pounds per acre or parts per million of elemental Mg.
Calcium
Enter the field's calcium level, as determined by a soil test, then select the appropriate units in the Units input box.
This value must be in pounds per acre or parts per million of elemental Ca.
Sodium
Enter the field's sodium level, as determined by a soil test, then select the appropriate units in the Units input box.
This value must be in pounds per acre or parts per million of elemental Na.
Aluminum
Enter the field's aluminum level, as determined by a soil test, then select the appropriate units in the Units input box.
This value must be in pounds per acre or parts per million of elemental Al.
Soil pH
Enter the field's soil or water pH, as determined by a soil test.
Buffer pH
Enter the field's buffer pH, as determined by a soil test.
CEC
Enter the field's cation exchange capacity (in milli-equivalents per 100 grams), as determined by a soil test. If you leave CEC blank, WinMax attempts to estimate a CEC to use in any calculations.
Nitrate N
Enter the field's nitrate N level (in parts per million of NO3-N), as determined by a soil test.
EC
Enter the field's electrical conductivity (in mmhos/cm or dS/m), as determined by a soil test.
Sulfate S
Enter the field's sulfate S level (in parts per million of SO4-S), as determined by a soil test.
Basal N
Enter the crop's basal nitrogen value (in parts per million of nitrate N), as determined by an end-of-season cornstalk tissue analysis.
Info button
Click the Info button to check if you've entered enough soil test data to calculate the crop's nutrient needs. This also displays the name of a publication you can refer to for more information about the primary crop's nutrient needs in your state.
Crops Data Panel
Use the Crops data panel to enter the field's crop and tillage history.
The Crops panel contains a table with 4 rows that you fill in. Each row has a column to enter Crop, Crop Fert Rec To Use, Tillage System, Yield, and % Legume.
Note: A state may have more than one fertilizer recommendation for a crop, for example winter vs. spring wheat, conventional vs. no-till corn, etc. You can select which fert rec to use in the Crop Fert Rec To Use column. If there's only one fert rec for a crop, you can leave this column blank and WinMax will use the rec by default. This column is also useful when you select Other in the Crop column – in this case, WinMax doesn't have a default fert rec and you need to specify which fert rec it should use.
Tip: Selecting the crop fert rec also allows for better identification of "other" crops in reports. If you don't see the crop you need in the Crop column, select Other, then pull down the list in the Crop Fert Rec To Use column and see if it's there. If it's not, this means that WinMax does not have an Extension fertilizer recommendation for your crop and you'll need to enter the crop's fert rec in the Custom Fertilizer Recommendations input boxes at the bottom of the Crops panel.
Tip: With forage crops, be sure to enter the crop's percent legume stand so WinMax can more accurately calculate the crop's legume N credit. Note that WinMax ignores values that you enter in the % Legume column if the crop is not a forage crop such as alfalfa, clover, grass-legume, or grass.
Previous Primary Crop
Enter the previous year's primary crop, the crop to use for fert recs, tillage, yield, and percent legume stand (forage crops only). If the field was double-cropped the previous year, enter the previous year's second crop.
Be sure to enter the previous year's crop if you know what it was, as this can affect how WinMax calculates the current crop's nitrogen needs.
Cover or First Crop
If the field has a cover crop or first crop in the current year, enter the cover or first crop, the crop to use for fert recs, tillage, yield goal, and percent legume stand (forage crops only).
WinMax considers a cover crop to be a non-harvested crop, so don't enter a yield goal for a cover crop if it won't be harvested.
WinMax considers a first crop to be the first harvested crop in a double-cropped year, so be sure to enter a yield goal for a first crop. If the field has only one harvested crop in the current year, enter it as the Current Primary Crop.
Current Primary Crop
Enter the current year's primary crop, the crop to use for fert recs, tillage, yield goal, and percent legume stand (forage crops only). With a double-cropped field, enter the current year's second harvested crop.
Once you've selected the field's current primary crop, WinMax displays the crop's abbreviation on the status bar and displays the crop's yield units in the Units column.
You must enter the current crop before you can enter crop-specific data, such as pesticides and field operations, and before WinMax can display planting and yield units.
If the current crop's yield has not yet been entered on the Harvest panel, WinMax uses its yield goal from the Crops panel to calculate the field's income. This yield substitute is flagged with an asterisk (*) in worksheets and ranked summaries to indicate that it is only a goal, not an actual harvest yield.
Don't enter the current crop's actual yield on the Crops panel, only its yield goal. If you don't know what the yield goal is, leave it blank.
Next Primary Crop
Enter the next year's planned primary crop, the crop to use for fert recs, tillage, yield goal, and percent legume stand (forage crops only).
Consecutive Years In Current Tillage
Enter the number of consecutive years the current tillage system has been used with this field.
Default Fertilizer Recommendations
Once you've entered enough soil test, crop and yield goal data, WinMax displays the current crop year's Extension fertilizer recommendations in the lower part of the Crops panel. These default fert recs are also used on the worksheet report's nutrient management page.
Tip: For more information about the Extension fert recs, consult the indicated source publication. If the source is underlined, this means the source document is available on the Web. If you click on the underlined source WinMax will launch your Web browser, which will download the source document from the Web for viewing.
Notes:
1. Initially WinMax uses the yield goal entered on the Crops panel in calculating fert recs. However, once the crop's actual harvest yield has been entered on the Harvest panel, WinMax uses this actual yield to determine the crop's nutrient needs more accurately.
2. The current crop's N rec includes any legume N credit from the previous year's crop.
3. If you have a double-crop (two harvested crops in the same year), the fert recs displayed are the sum of the two crops' individual fert recs.
4. If the P Test Used pick list on the Soil Tests panel contains more than one test, be sure to choose the test that the lab used to determine the field's phosphorus level.
5. In some states, entering additional data for the field's soils on the Erosion panel can result in a more accurate fert rec. See the Erosion panel's help for more information.
Custom Fertilizer Recommendations
You can enter custom N, P2O5 or K2O recommendations to use instead of the default recs. For example, if the current crop's P and K need was supplied by commercial fertilizer or manure applied for the previous crop, you can enter 0 for the P2O5 and K2O custom recs.
Important! If you do enter any custom recommendations, be sure to document the source of your custom recs in the input box provided.
Planting Data Panel
Use the Planting data panel to enter the field's planting information.
The input boxes on the Planting panel are:
Date Planted
Enter the date the field was planted.
Planter and Size
Enter the name and size of the planter used to plant the field. The name can be up to 30 characters long.
Row Width
Enter the field's row width or spacing (in inches).
Attachments
Check the planter attachments that were used during planting.
Variety/Hybrid
Enter the name of the hybrid or variety used to plant the field. The name can be up to 30 characters long.
Maturity
Enter the hybrid or variety's maturity.
With corn, this is the number of days to maturity; with soybeans, this is a maturity group number (for example, enter 3 for Group III, 4 for Group IV, etc.).
Bioengineered Seed Traits
Check any bioengineered seed technologies that apply to the hybrid or variety.
Primary Crop Planting Rate
Enter the field's planting rate in the indicated units.
Seed Count
Enter the seed count (in number of seeds per pound of seed) for these crops:
Corn (only if Planting Rate was entered in Lb/A).
Soybeans.
Sunflowers (only if Planting Rate was entered in Lb/A).
Cover/First Crop Planting Rate
If the field has a cover crop or first crop, enter its planting rate in the indicated units.
Nutrients Data Panel
Use the Nutrients data panel to enter the field's fertilizer and manure applications.
The Nutrients panel contains three tables, one for entering N-P-K fertilizers, one for other (micronutrient) fertilizers, and one for manure. The tables have the following columns that you fill in:
N-P-K fertilizer table
N-P-K Analysis
Enter the N-P-K analysis for each fertilizer. The analysis must be entered in the form NN-PP-KK, where each number represents the corresponding nutrient's percentage. For example, 10-45-5 might be a common analysis, meaning the fertilizer is 10% N, 45% P2O5, and 5% K2O by weight. Remember that the sum of the three numbers in an N-P-K analysis cannot exceed 100.
If sulfur is included as part of an analysis, enter the sulfur portion separately as an Other Fertilizer. For example, if 50 pounds of 30-20-0-10 were applied in a dry form, enter this as 50 pounds of 30-20-0 and 5 pounds of dry sulfur.
Rate/A
Enter the quantity applied (in units per acre) of each fertilizer. Fertilizers must be entered as the amount of applied fertilizer, not the amount of actual nutrients.
Units
Select each fertilizer's application rate units from the list. If you don't specify an N-P-K fertilizer's units, WinMax assumes that the rate units are pounds if the fertilizer's form is Gas or Dry or gallons if the fertilizer's form is Liquid, Suspension, or Foliar.
Form
Select each fertilizer's form. Make sure the fertilizer's form is correct since this determines which fertilizer component cost (gas, dry, liquid, etc.) from the cost file is used in calculating the fertilizer's cost.
Normally a fertilizer's units will be consistent with its form. However, you may prefer to enter the amount of dry fertilizer dissolved to form the liquid material, rather than the amount of liquid applied. In this case, you could have Lb for units and Liquid for the form, for example.
Date
Enter the date each fertilizer was applied.
You can enter the fertilizers in any order and then sort them into chronological order by choosing Record | Sort Inputs (this sorts the other panels' inputs too).
Other fertilizer table
Other Fertilizer
Select from the list each other fertilizer that was applied.
Rate/A
Enter the quantity applied (in units per acre) of each fertilizer.
Units
Select each fertilizer's application units from the list. If an other fertilizer is priced by weight, the list will contain weight units; if it's priced by volume, the list will contain volume units.
If you don't specify an other fertilizer's units, WinMax assumes that the rate is in the product's standard application units.
Date
Enter the date each other fertilizer was applied.
Manure table
Manure Type
Select from the list each manure type that was applied.
Rate/A
Enter the quantity of manure applied (in units per acre).
Units
Select each manure's units from the list. If you don't specify a manure's units, WinMax assumes that the rate is in the manure's standard application units (pounds with solid manure, gallons with liquid manure).
Tot. N, NH4-N, P2O5, K2O
Enter each manure's analysis if you know it. If you leave an analysis blank, WinMax will use a typical analysis for the type of manure you selected.
A manure analysis must be entered in pounds per ton (if solid manure) or pounds per 1000 gallons (if liquid manure) of that nutrient (total N, NH4, P2O5 or K2O).
Tip: If your lab analysis reports nutrient concentration in parts per million (ppm), you'll need to convert the analysis to pounds using one of these equations:
Liquid manure Lb/1000 Gal = ppm x 0.00834
Solid manure Lb/Ton = ppm x 0.002
If your lab analysis reports nutrient concentration as a percent by weight (%), convert the analysis to pounds using one of these equations:
Liquid manure Lb/1000 Gal = % x 83.4
Solid manure Lb/Ton = % x 20
Note that this assumes that the density of liquid manure is similar to that of water (about 8.3 pounds per gallon).
Tip: With P and K, the manure analysis must be entered as P2O5 and K2O. If your lab analysis reports the concentration of elemental P and K, you'll need to convert the analysis using these equations:
P2O5 = 2.3 x P
K2O = 1.2 x K
% DM
Enter each manure's percent dry matter from the manure analysis if reported. Some labs may report this as percent solids. Other labs may report only percent moisture. If you know the manure's percent moisture, its percent dry matter is (100 - % moisture).
Date
Enter the date each manure was applied.
Method
Select how each manure was applied to the field.
Method Description
Injection Injected into the soil.
Inc same day Surface applied and incorporated the same day.
Inc in 1 day Surface applied and incorporated within 1 day.
Inc in 2 days Surface applied and incorporated within 2 days.
Inc in 3 days Surface applied and incorporated within 3 days.
Inc in 4 days Surface applied and incorporated within 4 days.
Inc in 5 days Surface applied and incorporated within 5 days.
Inc in 6 days Surface applied and incorporated within 6 days.
Inc in 7 days Surface applied and incorporated within 7 days.
Inc in >7days Surface applied and incorporated after 7 days.
Not incorp Surface applied and not incorporated.
Irrigation Irrigation.
If you leave the Method column blank, WinMax assumes that the manure was surface applied and not incorporated.
The method you select affects how WinMax calculates short-term manure nitrogen losses due to application method. Longer-term N losses due to application timing may also occur, but may not be reflected in the amount of manure available N reported in the worksheet report's nutrient management page.
Note: In order for WinMax to calculate the amount of available nutrients from the manure application, you must enter the manure type, rate and, in the case of manure N, the application date.
Pesticides Data Panel
Use the Pesticides data panel to enter the field's herbicide and insecticide applications.
The Pesticides panel contains two tables, one for entering herbicides and one for entering insecticides and fungicides. The tables have the following columns that you fill in:
Herbicide table
Herbicide
Select from the list each herbicide that was applied. This list also contains surfactants, adjuvants, defoliants, and growth regulators.
Rate/A
Enter the quantity of herbicide applied (in units per acre).
Units
Select each herbicide's application units from the list. If a herbicide is priced by weight, the list will contain weight units; if it's priced by volume, the list will contain volume units.
If you don't specify a herbicide's units, WinMax assumes that the rate is in the product's standard application units.
Timing
Select from the list the application timing of each herbicide.
Date
Enter the date each herbicide was applied.
You can enter the herbicides in any order and then sort them into chronological order by choosing Record | Sort Inputs (this sorts the other panels' inputs too).
Insecticide table
Insecticide
Select from the list each insecticide that was applied. This list also contains fungicides and nematicides.
Rate/A
Enter the quantity of insecticide applied (in units per acre).
Units
Select each insecticide's application units from the list. If an insecticide is priced by weight, the list will contain weight units; if it's priced by volume, the list will contain volume units.
If you don't specify an insecticide's units, WinMax assumes that the rate is in the product's standard application units.
Method
Select from the list the application method of each insecticide.
Date
Enter the date each insecticide was applied.
Operations Data Panel
Use the Operations data panel to enter all field operations.
The Operations panel contains a table with the following columns that you fill in:
Field Operation
Select from the list each field operation that was performed. Don't forget to select the field's planting and harvest operations. Also, make sure you've accounted for all fertilizers, pesticides and other inputs entered on the Nutrients, Pesticides, and Other Inputs panels.
Enter field operations performed the previous fall if they occurred after the previous crop's harvest. Don't enter any operations performed after the current crop's harvest.
When fertilizer and pesticide applications are made in combination with other field operations (for example, starter fertilizer or herbicide applied with planter), enter them as separate field operations.
Date
Enter the date each field operation was performed.
You can enter the operations in any order and then sort them into chronological order by choosing Record | Sort Inputs (this sorts the other panels' inputs too).
Trips
Enter the number of times each field operation was performed.
You can enter a fractional number of trips. For example, if an operation was not completed or does not apply to the entire field, you can enter 0.5 to indicate that only half the operation's cost should be charged.
Other Inputs Data Panel
Use the Other Inputs data panel to enter any crop inputs that don't apply to the other panels. For example, in this panel you can account for lime, irrigation, pest scouting, and seed treatment. You can also enter fertilizers, pesticides, and field operations that are not in their respective panels' lists.
The Other Inputs panel contains a table with the following columns that you fill in:
Other Input
Select from the list the type of each other input.
Description
Enter a description for each other input, up to 30 characters long. If you're entering a pesticide, be sure to enter a description. These descriptions of other pesticides are vital in determining what pesticides need to be added to the master list the following year.
Rate/A
Enter the quantity of each other input (in units per acre).
Units
Select each other input's application units from the list. Since WinMax doesn't know whether the other input is liquid or dry, this list contains both weight and volume units.
Cost/A
Enter the cost ($ per acre) of each other input. Remember that this is the total per-acre cost of the input, not the input's unit cost.
Date
Enter the date each other input was applied or performed.
You can enter the other inputs in any order and then sort them into chronological order by choosing Record | Sort Inputs (this sorts the other panels' inputs too).
Irrigation Water Nitrate N
If you entered any irrigation water in the other inputs table, enter the water's nitrate N content here, in ppm.
Erosion Data Panel
Use the Erosion data panel to enter the field's soil and erosion control data.
The Erosion panel contains a table for entering data for up to three soils, as well as several input boxes for entering residue, soil loss and watershed data. Note that you don't have to enter all three soils if your field doesn't have that many soils or if you're only interested in the field's predominant soil.
Soils table
Tip: If you have Manure Management Planner (MMP) installed, simply fill in the Symbol column and click the Update Soils From MMP button. WinMax will search MMP's soils for each map unit symbol in the table. If it finds a matching soil, it will update other columns in the table with MMP soils data. If a map unit has more than one soil (for example, with a soil complex), enter the soil component name you want in the Soil Name column as well; if you leave it blank, WinMax will select the largest component in the map unit. Also, if you leave the Slope % column blank, WinMax will fill it in with the matching soil's average slope.
Note: If you don't have MMP installed but your computer is connected to the Internet, you can click the Update Soils From SDM button instead. WinMax will then query the USDA-NRCS Soil Data Mart for each map unit symbol in the table.
Important! The Soil Data Mart does not contain the state-specific miscellaneous soil attributes listed below. In these states, use Update Soils From MMP or fill in the additional soil attributes manually.
The soils table contains the following columns that you fill in:
Symbol
Enter each soil's map unit symbol.
Slope %
Enter each soil's percent slope. WinMax uses the slope of the soil that makes up the greatest part of the field as the field's overall slope.
Soil Name
Enter each soil's name, up to 20 characters long.
If possible, fill in both the Symbol and Soil Name input boxes for each soil. This information is vital to properly identifying a soil. If you leave both the Symbol and Soil Name input boxes blank, WinMax ignores the soil's other data.
Field %
Enter what percentage of the field is made up of each soil. WinMax uses the slope of the soil with the greatest percent as the field's overall slope. WinMax also uses the soils' percent of field in calculating the field's weighted average T value and productivity rating.
Note that the percentages must add up to 100.
Texture
Select from the list each soil's surface texture.
Drainage
Select from the list each soil's drainage class.
T Value
Enter the tolerable soil loss "T" value (in tons per acre per year) for each soil.
WinMax uses the weighted average of the field's T values, along with the field's actual water and wind soil loss, to calculate the field's net soil loss.
Rating
Enter the productivity rating for each soil in the appropriate units for your state, as follows:
Rating Corn yield rating (Bu/A)
CSR Corn Suitability Rating (Iowa, 0-100)
If your state does not use one of these productivity rating systems, leave the column blank and be sure to fill in the Cash Rent Value input box on the General panel.
WinMax uses the weighted average of the field's productivity ratings, times a charge from the cost file, to calculate the field's land cost. If the weighted average is 0, WinMax uses the Cash Rent Value entered on the General panel for the land cost.
- Misc Data -
With some states, you can enter additional soil attribute data so that WinMax can more accurately calculate fertilizer recommendations. If you don't know what to enter, you can leave the last two columns blank. WinMax will assume a default value in calculating fert recs in those states. Note that if you imported an MMP plan's data into WinMax or clicked the Update Soils From MMP button, these and other soil attributes should already be filled in.
WinMax currently supports the following additional soil attribute data:
Alabama Select the soil's CEC group in CEC Grp if you know what it is, as follows:
Sandy = sandy soils with CEC < 4.6
Loamy = loamy and clayey soils with CEC between 4.6 and 9.0
Non BB = non-Black Belt clayey soils with CEC > 9
B Belt = Black Belt clayey soils with CEC > 9
Georgia Select whether the soil is coastal plain or piedmont in Cst/Pied if you know which it is, as follows:
Coastal = coastal plain soil
Pied = non-coastal plain soil (piedmont)
Illinois Select the soil's subsoil P-supplying power in Subsoil P and the soil's CEC level in CEC if you know what they are, as follows:
Low
Medium (Subsoil P only)
High
Iowa Select the soil's subsoil P level in Subsoil P and the subsoil K level in Subsoil K if you know what they are, as follows:
Low
High
Wisconsin Select the soil's subsoil fertility group in Sub Fert if you know what it is, as follows:
A = southern "forested" medium- and fine-textured soils
B = southern "prairie" medium- and fine-textured soils
C = red medium- and fine-textured soils
D = northern medium- and fine-textured soils
E = sandy coarse-textured soils - sands and loamy sands
O = organic soils - mucks and peats
Select the soil's corn yield potential in CYP if you know what it is, as follows:
VHigh = very high
High = high
Med = medium
Low = low
Other data
Type Of Artificial Drainage
If the field is artificially drained, select the type of drainage. If more than one drainage type applies to the field, select the type that presents the greatest risk of runoff.
Manure Applied Annually
Check this box if the field has been manured annually (every year) for the last several years. Leave the box unchecked if the field has not been manured every year.
Residue
Enter the field's crop residue cover (in percent) after planting.
Water Soil Loss
Enter the field's estimated soil erosion due to water (in tons per acre per year). Typically this is sheet and rill erosion as calculated by RUSLE or RUSLE2.
If the sum of the field's water and wind soil loss is greater than the field's average T value, the field has a net soil loss; if so, a soil loss charge will be added to the field's production cost total.
Wind Soil Loss
Enter the field's estimated soil erosion due to wind (in tons per acre per year).
Watershed Number
Enter the NRCS hydrologic unit code (HUC) for the watershed where the field is located. The code will be a 12-digit number. More information about watershed codes is here:
http://www.ncgc.nrcs.usda.gov/products/datasets/watershed
Watershed Name
Enter the name of the watershed where the field is located. The watershed name can be up to 30 characters long.
Harvest Data Panel
Use the Harvest data panel to enter harvest data for the current year's primary crop and, if the field was double-cropped, its first crop.
The column of input boxes on the left are for the primary crop; the column of input boxes on the right are for the first crop. The input boxes are as follows:
Harvested Area
Enter the total number of acres harvested for the specified weight.
Net Harvested Weight
Enter the total net weight harvested.
Harvest Weight Units
Select from the list the harvest weight units. If you leave this input box blank, WinMax assumes the harvest weight is in pounds.
Moisture At Harvest
Enter the crop's harvest moisture (in percent). Leave this input box blank if moisture does not apply (for example, with corn silage and cotton).
Sugar beet tip: With sugar beets, this input box's label changes to Sugar At Harvest. Enter the crop's percent sugar at harvest.
Standard Moisture
You can override the program's standard dry-down moisture (in percent) if you want to use a different standard moisture in yield and drying costs calculations.
If you leave this input box blank, WinMax will use its own standard moisture, as follows:
Corn 15.0
Soybeans 13.0
Wheat 16.0
Oats 15.0
Barley 14.0
Rye 14.0
Sorghum 14.0
Sunflowers 10.0
Navy beans 18.0
Black beans 18.0
Sugar beets 18.0 (% sugar)
Yield
Enter the field's harvested yield (in the indicated units) if it's not already entered.
Normally you don't enter the yield yourself since WinMax calculates and updates the Yield input box as soon as you've filled in the Harvested Area, Net Harvested Weight, and Moisture At Harvest input boxes. However, if you're missing some of that information, you can enter the yield yourself. Note that once you've entered the information needed to calculate yield, WinMax overrides any yield value you enter yourself.
Until the yield is entered, WinMax uses the current crop's yield goal from the Crops panel to calculate income. This yield substitute is flagged with an asterisk (*) in worksheets and ranked summaries to indicate that it is only a goal, not an actual harvest yield.
Cotton tip: WinMax does not calculate yield for cotton. Enter the lint yield in the Yield box and the seed yield in the Additional Yield box. If you don't know the field's seed yield, leave it blank and WinMax will use lint yield x 1.6 as the estimated seed yield in income calculations.
Date Harvested
Enter the date the field was harvested.
Harvest Premium
If a harvest premium applies to the crop, select it from the list. This list may be blank with some crops.
Additional Yield
This input box appears only with certain crops, like cotton, which have two kinds of yield. Enter the primary yield (with cotton, this is lint) in the Yield box and the secondary yield (with cotton, this is seed) in the Additional Yield box.
Preview Dialog Box
When you preview a report in WinMax, the report is displayed in a window in the Preview dialog box. You can view and scroll through the report in this window, as well as print it, save it to a file, and search the report for text that you enter.
When you're done previewing the report, click the Close button or press the Esc key to close the Preview dialog box.
Find What
Enter the text to search for.
Match Case
Check this box if you want a case-sensitive search -- that is, if you want WinMax to require that the case of the matching letters also match. If this box is unchecked, it doesn't matter if your search text is upper- or lower-case.
Find
Click the Find button to start the search. You can also press the Enter key from any of the controls in the Find Text box to start the search.
Click the Print button to print the report.
Save
Click the Save button to save the report to a file.
Close
Click the Close button to close the Preview dialog box. You can also press the Esc key.
Subset Selection Dialog Box
When you click the Select button, WinMax displays the Subset Selection dialog box, where you can view and change the settings that determine which records are included in the report or file.
Click OK when done making changes to save your settings; click Cancel to abandon any changes you made to the settings.
Data Type
Click on an item in this list to see all possible data categories for that type of data. The data categories are displayed in the Data Subset checklist.
Data Subset
Uncheck the data categories that you don't want in the subset.
If a data type (County, Current crop, etc.) has at least one unchecked category, WinMax excludes a record from the report if the record falls into an unchecked category, or if the record's value for that data type is missing. For example, to exclude all corn fields from a report, uncheck the Corn box.
Check All
Click the Check All button to check all of the currently displayed data categories.
Uncheck All
Click the Uncheck All button to uncheck all of the currently displayed data categories.
Reset Subsets
Click the Reset Subsets button to check all categories for all data types.
Worksheet Format Dialog Box
When you click the Format button, WinMax displays the Worksheet Format dialog box, where you can view and change the worksheet report's font size and other format settings.
Click OK when done making changes to save your settings; click Cancel to abandon any changes you made to the settings.
Boxes Around Sections
Check this box if you want WinMax to use linedrawing characters to draw a box around each section of the report.
Font Size
Select the report's font size from the list.
You can format the text used for different parts of the worksheet report:
Section Headings
Labels
Crop Inputs
Costs
Bold
Check this box if you want those parts of the report to be bold.
Italic
Check this box if you want those parts of the report to be italicized.
Color
Select from the list the color you want to use for those parts of the report.
About Box
The About box displays WinMax's version and copyright information, as well as links to important help topics and resources. For more information, click on one of the links listed in the About box.
To close the About box, click the OK button or press the Esc key. To display the About box again, select About from the Help menu.
Help
These are help topics that contain answers and solutions to many common questions and problems, particularly for new users.
Resources
For additional information beyond WinMax's built-in help, click on one of these links.
Examples
To view a sample or blank data collection form, click the appropriate link.