Your first conversation

Ask your first question, then learn how to get better answers.

Until your data is ready, Winnow answers from a demonstration farm. Its names are made up.

1. Ask your first question

First, connect Winnow. Then open a new chat and ask:

Prompt

I'm a farmer using Winnow for the first time, and I want to use AI to improve my farming operation. I'm planning next year's corn acres. Rank my corn fields by average yield over the last five years and flag any field that grew corn on corn. Show it as a table, best field first, and keep any explanation to three sentences.

This is the answer for our demonstration farm, Prairie Line Farms. Your answer uses your own fields.

Example answer

I ranked 44 corn fields by average corn yield, 2021–2025. I left out two fields that grew corn only once in that time.

Rank	Field	Average yield	Corn crops	Corn on corn
1	Jessup	242 bu/ac	3
2	Fenwick	240 bu/ac	3
3	Lofton	239 bu/ac	3
4	Halloran	228 bu/ac	3
5	Denton	227 bu/ac	3
…
40	Vickers	165 bu/ac	4	2022–2024
41	Pettit	155 bu/ac	4	2022–2024
42	Jarrell	151 bu/ac	2
43	Whitaker	151 bu/ac	4	2022–2024
44	Kingsley	140 bu/ac	2

Six fields grew corn on corn, and four of them (Hollis, Vickers, Pettit and Whitaker) are in your bottom seven. Those four average 160 bu/ac. Your other fields average 200 bu/ac.

2. Tips to get better answers

a) Set the stage, define the task, set the rules

A good prompt has three parts. The prompt above uses all three:

Set the stage. Say who you are and what you want to decide. "I'm a farmer using Winnow for the first time… I'm planning next year's corn acres."
Define the task. Say what you want it to do. "Rank my corn fields by average yield over the last five years and flag any field that grew corn on corn."
Set the rules. Say how you want the answer. "Show it as a table, best field first, and keep any explanation to three sentences."

You do not need all three every time. Use the parts that help.

b) Add context

Winnow knows your fields. It does not know your prices, your costs or your plans. Tell it.

Prompt

ChatGPT Claude

Corn sells for $4.50/bu, soybeans for $11.00/bu and wheat for $6.00/bu. My operating costs per acre are $600 for corn, $325 for soybeans and $325 for wheat. Which fields made me the most money last year?

Example answer

Here is profit per acre for 2025: crop sales minus operating costs. Fields that grew wheat and then double-crop soybeans count both crops.

Rank	Field	Crops	Acres	Profit per acre
1	Mercer	Corn	31	$575
2	Vickers	Wheat + soybeans	93	$569
3	Osborne	Wheat + soybeans	558	$562
4	Hollis	Wheat + soybeans	201	$537
5	Whitaker	Wheat + soybeans	87	$506
…
39	Ivey	Wheat + soybeans	266	$225
40	Ingalls	Corn	145	$220
41	Yarbrough	Corn	721	$209
42	Larkin	Wheat + soybeans	295	$200
43	Kingsley	Wheat + soybeans	88	$191

Three of your top five, Vickers, Hollis and Whitaker, are corn-on-corn fields from your last question. In 2025 they were rotated to wheat and soybeans. Corn and wheat with double-crop soybeans both averaged about $340 per acre.

I left out Underhill. Its records show corn, wheat and soybeans on the same 152 acres, so check that field. I also left out two fields under 20 acres.

You can also attach a file, such as a seed guide, a soil test or a dealer quote. Then ask about it with your farm data.

c) Follow up

The best results come from a conversation, not one question. Stay in the same chat.

Ask for more: "Did my corn-on-corn fields yield less every year, or only in some years?"
Give feedback: "This is good, but leave out fields under 50 acres."
Redirect: "Actually, I meant total profit per field, not profit per acre."

If the chat goes off track, start a new chat.

d) Personalize

Use ChatGPT and Claude's settings to store information about your farm so you don't have to copy it into the chat every time.

ChatGPT: Settings → Personalization → Custom instructions (help)
Claude: Settings → Instructions for Claude (help)

For example, add this to your instructions:

I farm corn, soybeans and wheat. I plant double-crop soybeans after wheat. Use bushels per acre and dollars per acre. When I say "the north fields", I mean Ackley, Ashby and Barnett. Keep answers short, and give the number first.

Both apps can also remember details from your chats. Turn this on or off under Settings (ChatGPT, Claude).

3. Common problems

What happens	Try this
It does not use your farm data.	Say "Winnow" or type @Winnow at the start. This tells ChatGPT or Claude to use your farm data.
The answer is too general.	Add the crop, years and fields. Instead of "How did my corn do?", ask "How did my corn yield on each field in 2025 compare with 2024?"
The answer is too long or too short.	Say the length. "Give me three bullets I can read in the truck." Or: "Explain your full method."
It did not use your format.	Show the format. "Make a table with one row per field: field, acres, yield and profit per acre."
It sounds sure, but it is wrong.	Check numbers before you act on them. Ask: "Which years and acres did you use?"
The tone is wrong.	Say who it is for, in plain words. "Write this as a short, friendly note to my landlord."
It counted the wrong thing.	Say what to leave in or out. "Leave out the replant." Or: "Count only fields I harvested."

4. Learn more

These free courses teach you to work well with AI:

Claude: AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations
ChatGPT: AI Foundations (free sign-up)

Here's a really good video to teach you how to do data analysis with AI: