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How to Create Prescriptions in John Deere Operations Center

Use Work Planner and the Prescription Creator to build variable-rate seeding prescriptions for your field.

John Deere’s Prescription Creator has moved into Work Planner in Operations Center, so the best starting point is the work plan instead of the old plan-header link. From there, you can create a prescription based on soil survey data or historical yield data, set your rates, save the file, and send it to your display in the field.

 

 

Start In Work Planner

Begin by opening the correct work plan for the year and crop you want to manage. In the video example, the operator selects a 2026 seeding work plan and then chooses the green Plan Seeding button to begin setup.

Next, select the field you want to write the prescription for, then click Next. You will also need to choose the crop and a variety before continuing, even though the variety can be changed later in the machine if needed.

Create A New Prescription

On the rate screen, open the RX dropdown and use the plus button to create a new prescription for that field. This launches the Prescription Creator with the field already loaded.

At this point, the field, farm, and boundary information are carried into the prescription tool, which saves time and reduces extra setup steps.

Choose A Prescription Source

The first decision is the prescription source, which determines how zones are created for the field. Common options include:

  • Average yield, which uses yield maps and historical data.

  • Field operation, which uses a single past operation.

  • Free form zones, which lets you draw zones manually.

  • Soil survey map, which builds zones from soil types.

  • Existing prescription, which starts from a prior prescription.

For most users, the two most practical options are soil survey and average yield.

Build Zones From Soil Survey

If you choose soil survey, the system generates zones based on the soil types in the field. You can review the acres in each soil type and assign a planting rate to each zone.

This is a simple way to match your seeding rate to the field’s productivity. In the example, lower areas get a lighter rate, better areas get a higher rate, and stronger soil types are adjusted to fit the operator’s planting goals.

Build Zones From Yield Data

If you choose average yield, you can build the prescription from historical yield information. Select the crop type, choose the years you want to include, and pick the data layer you want to use, such as harvest yield.

After you generate the zones, you can adjust the breakpoints, change how many zones appear in the map, or reduce the minimum polygon area for more detail. The system then redraws the prescription zones based on those settings.

Set Rates For Each Zone

Once the zones are created, enter the seeding rate for each zone. If you have several zones, the distribute option can save time by letting you enter a starting value and an ending value, then automatically filling in the rates between them.

That makes it easier to apply a higher rate in lower-producing areas and a lower rate in higher-producing areas without typing every value separately.

Make Minor Zone Edits

If you want to refine the prescription, you can manually edit the zones. The video shows two helpful tools:

  • Add polygons, which can create check strips or check blocks.

  • Split, which divides a zone into two sections.

You can also click a zone number to highlight it on the map, which makes it easier to confirm you are editing the correct area.

Save The Prescription

When the zones and rates look right, click Save to create the prescription. Depending on the field size, it may take a few seconds for the file to finish generating and return to Operations Center.

After saving, the system automatically names the prescription using the farm and field, the selected variety, and a timestamp. Operations Center also shows the average field rate after the prescription is created.

Send It To The Field

Once the prescription is in Operations Center, you can send it to your equipment in two ways. One option is to finish and save the work plan, then send that work plan to the machine.

Another option is to go to More > Files and find the prescription in the Prescriptions category. From there, you can transfer it directly to the display or download it for another transfer method.

Helpful Tips

A few details can make the process smoother:

  • You must choose a crop variety before you can continue.

  • Soil survey and average yield are the most common starting points.

  • More zones and a smaller minimum polygon area create more detail.

  • If you have many prescriptions, work plan transfer can be easier than importing each file one by one.

Need A Simpler Workflow

If you are creating prescriptions often, it helps to decide ahead of time whether you want to base them on soil data or yield history. That keeps the setup faster and helps you get consistent results from field to field.