docs: def get_rates(file,au_min=25,au_max=150):
      """ Use the rates program to determine the minimum and maximum bounds for planting"""
      import os, string
  
      rate_command='rate.pl --file %s %d ' % ( file, au_min)
      rate=os.popen(rate_command)
      line=rate.readline()
      print line
      rate.close()
      (min_rate, min_ang, min_aw, min_rmin, min_rmax)=string.split(line)
      rate_command='rate.pl --file %s %d ' % ( file, au_min)
      rate=os.popen(rate_command)
      line=rate.readline()
      rate.close()
      (max_rate, max_ang, max_aw, max_rmin, max_rmax)=string.split(line)
      rmin=float(min(max_rmin, min_rmin))
      rmax=float(max(max_rmax, min_rmax))
      aw=float(max(max_aw,min_aw))
      angle=(float(max_ang)+float(min_ang))/2.0
      rates={'rmin': rmin, 'rmax': rmax, 'angle': angle, 'aw': aw}
      return rates