August 27, 2013

                The heat is on! This past week we have been lucky enough to receive some much needed rain around the area. With rain falls ranging from .6” to 1.9” throughout the area this might be just what the doctor ordered.

                We have been busy scouting soybeans for aphids. Within the past week we have noticed an increase in the aphid population. We have been treating fields where the economic threshold has been reached. The economic threshold for soybean aphids according to Iowa State is 250 aphids per plant. Aphids generally start on the field boarders and work their way into the field as time goes on. A good place to start to look is on the newer growth on the bottoms of the plant. Generally there under the leaves but as the infestation gets worse they will work their way up the plant and infest the stems.

                Economic thresholds are appropriate until the plants reach the R5.5 stage. Spraying at R6 or later has not produced a consistent yield benefit, according to Iowa State University. A good majority of the beans that we have been scouting are anywhere from R2-R4. Below is a good picture of what the bean pods look like at numerous stages.

 

                On the corn end of things we haven’t been noticing a great amount of disease in the corn plant. Where fungicide was sprayed the common rust has been held at bay. We are seeing a little more gray leaf spot every week and would have to say while northern corn leaf blight is out there it really has yet to spread in the canopy.

Company Plot Days:

                Jackson Junction Plot Days: August 29, 2013, At Ernie’s starting at 11 A.M.

                Bremer’s Plot Days: August 29, 2013, 4.5 miles North of Bremer on V21 starting at 4:30 P.M.

                Fredericksburg’s Plot Days: August 28, 2013, Along Highway 18 starting at 11:30 A.M.

July, 24 2013

                What a spring and summer we have had so far this year. With the spraying season slowing down and summer finally here we cannot forget a few important agronomic topics, fungicide and insect scouting.

                 With corn in the area starting to tassel an important topic to discuss is a fungicide treatment at the VT stage. There are some questions we must ask ourselves when making this management decision. First, what was the previous crop? Many of the foliar pathogens survive in corn residue. With this being said the risk for foliar diseases increases when corn is planted into a field following corn. Next question is what has the weather been like? Rainy and/or humid weather is most favorable to foliar diseases. In growing seasons when these conditions prevail, the risk for disease development increases. The last question is what is the disease history in the field? Have the past years corn crops been prone or shown a heavy disease pressure. We also have to take into consideration what the weather forecast looks like for the grain fill period. For disease to happen, or continue to develop, certain environmental conditions need to occur. Below is a table of what weather conditions favor certain disease development.

 

               

              Along with scouting disease in the corn we are also keeping a close eye on the soybean crop. Are main concern on the insect front as of now would be aphids. We have not seen much of an infestation as of yet but there are a few out there. There have been some reports of heavy pressure where treatment was necessary around the Burr Oak area. A good place to start to scout for aphids would be in any bean fields where a seed treatment was not used. Aphids start on the bottom of the bean plant and work their way up. The first place you will find them is on the lower canopy on the plants new growth. With the outbreak of spider mites last year people have also been concerned about them. What we can say is spider mites like hot and dry weather. Something we have not really experienced recently. We have not seen any this year and the probability of them showing up this year is very slim.

                With all this being said these next few weeks scouting corn and beans will be critical for optimum yield this fall. Thanks for stopping by.

June 27, 2013

                This past week we have once again been sidelined with some heavy rains. The southern locations have been a bit on the dryer side and able to work through some of the rain fall. The northern locations have been saturated with rain and in some cases flash flooding. These wet soils have led to many questions about the survival of crop and nitrogen loss.

                First let’s talk about the survival of corn and beans in the flooded or saturated areas. There are several factors that corn survival depends on: length of time flooded, partially submerged or completely submerged, temperature, and stage of development. Basically, corn in flooded soils depletes its available oxygen in 24 to 48 hours. Continued survival is better with cool temperatures, cloudy days and clear nights. Also, partially submerged crops can withstand flooding considerably longer than completely submerged crops. The crops which do survive may have disease problems later in their lifecycle. Soybeans follow almost all the same guidelines. They will only be able to survive for 24 hours without oxygen, and completely submerged fields will suffer a greater loss than partially saturated fields.

                The next big question is; “What is happening to my nitrogen?” There are a few different considerations one must look at. First, some areas where apparent nitrogen loss appears to be showing up may be a lack of oxygen to the corn roots. Oxygen is needed for normal root development and for efficient uptake of nutrients by the roots. Oxygen levels will be depleted in flooded soils and foliar symptoms can be exhibited that may look similar to nutrient deficiencies.  Second, we need to look back to when the nitrogen was applied. Early fall applications will obviously have the greatest risk of leaching, whereas late spring or side dress nitrogen will be the most likely to still be available. When the decision comes to rescue apply nitrogen we will have to take into consideration, timing, cost, current crop condition, yield potential and application method.

                Just last night we observed some of the first lighting bugs in the area. As most know when the lighting bugs show up we should start to be concerned with the root worm and corn borer hatch. According to Iowa State University the corn rootworm egg hatch typically occurs from late May to the middle of June, with the average hatching date around June 6^th. Egg development is driven by soil temperature, which is measured by degree days. Iowa State research suggest about 50% of egg hatch occurs between 684-767 accumulated degree days based on a soil temperature of 52 degrees. The map below shows the heat unit accumulation at Iowa State rootworm stations on 6-14-13. On an average summer day in northeast Iowa we accumulate approximately 18 heat units. This leaves us roughly 13 days from 6-14-13 until the hatch will begin.

Thanks for reading and if there are any questions about the topics discussed above please stop and ask one of the agronomists at a location near you.

June 13, 2013

                With the talk of preventive planting sweeping the country side there are several questions being asked about what to do with the preventive plant acre. Many of the questions will have to be answered by either your insurance man/women or county FSA office but there are plenty of cover crop questions the agronomy team at FFC would be happy to discuss. The three crops we are recommending as a fallow ground cover crop would be oats, rye and tillage radish. These three crops all are going to keep the soil working and nutrients available for next year’s growing season. The supply on these crops is all over the board with oats being very hard to get, rye being available but in a tight supply and tillage radish having a good supply. Feel free to stop by any location and talk to an agronomist about what cover crop would best fit your acre.

                The few days it hasn’t been raining we have been busy spraying post emerge corn, pre emerge corn, and pre emerge beans. A few things we have been noticing are that although the weather hasn’t been very favorable for vegetative corn or bean growth it seems that weeds in some fields have not slowed down. As difficult as it’s going to be to get in the fields this year to spray we are going to have to make sure we are using extra precautions for the best kill possible. This may mean slowing down, increasing gallons per acre and spiking in some extra chemical to make sure it kills the larger weeds.

                The scouts at FFC have been busy these past weeks covering many acres. They have been seeing a little bit of everything in the fields. In some areas the weed pressure is starting to develop and in other fields weed pressure is minimal. There hasn’t been much bug pressure yet but we expect that to be coming. The number one issue out there now is flooded out fields. In these flooded out or extremely wet fields we have discovered some rhizoctonia in beans and pythium in corn. Both diseases strive in the cool wet soils we have been experiencing. The only way to help combat these problems is selecting a good seed treatment. Although it is late in the season and some are leery about spending the money on a seed treatment, we are still recommending it on all bean acres. Below is an interesting picture of a farmer who was using treated beans and finished up the last of the field with some untreated beans. The beans on the left were treated and the beans on the right were untreated.

 

       Thanks for taking the time to read the blog and let’s keep our fingers crossed for some dry weather!

June 3, 2013

                Wet, that seems to be the theme to this spring season. After coming off a record amount of moisture in May one can only hope June will bring warmer, dryer weather. With most planting conditions not being ideal due to the great amount of moisture we have accumulated this past May, soils are left saturated. Saturated soils will pose a challenge not only at planting time but, for the rest of the growing season.

                Fungicide at V5-V7 is going to be more important this year because of the wet soils. The more moisture in the soils, the more prone the early stage corn is to disease. The main disease this fungicide application would be targeting is anthracnose stalk rot. Anthracnose survives in the residue and turns the bottom half of the corn plant a black color. Although the plant is infected in June one will not see the rot show up until August. Fungicides are a great tool to help prevent the start of anthracnose.

Anthracnose Stalk Rot

                The spring rains have also delayed planting of corn and soybeans. Since the calendar reads June 3, most everyone has had to make the decision to switch corn or bean maturities. When it comes to switching corn we are at the point of the year where one must take a good look at the GDU’s (Growing Degree Units) till physical maturity, or black layer. The less GDU’s till black layer the sooner it will be ready in the fall. Our main concern is if we were to get an early frost.

When looking at soybean maturities we believe one should wait till at least June 15 before looking at switching to earlier maturities. In a later planting scenario, like this year, a soybean variety of 0.5 to 1.0 shorter maturity group is recommended after June 15. Also since soybeans are photoperiod sensitive, they will flower at the same time despite planting date and relative maturity. Earlier planted soybeans simply have more nodes and greater yield potential. There has been some research done at Iowa State's research farm located in Nashua. The graph below shows you that with the research gathered the late maturity varieties had greater yield potential across all the planting dates.  A few other tips when planting beans after June 1^st would be to increase populations by 10%. The increase in population will help get more nodes in the field and the increased plant density will hasten canopy closure, make the beans taller and increase the number of pods per acre. The use of narrower rows has also been proven to be better with the later planting date.

 



Influence of planting date on soybean yield of early (1.7) and late (3.0) maturity varieties (2004-2008).

May 9, 2013

                This past week northeast Iowa has gone through all four seasons in 7 days. The way the year has been going it’s not a surprise. From snow last Thursday to 75 degree weather yesterday this spring continues to throw us many curve balls. Take the 2-4” of rain along with 2-4” of snow we have received this past week and we are at another standstill. There has been some fertilizer spread, anhydrous applied and some corn planted but the general consensus is it’s wet. As you can see below the seven day does look fairly dry and with a little luck we can miss the showers on Wednesday be back on track with spring field operations.

                With planting right around the corner there are a few things we should remember about corn germination and emergence. Corn requires approximately 120 to 125 growing degree units (GDUs) from planting to reach emergence, depending on soil temperatures. Corn must absorb 30% of its weight in water to germinate. Seeds can absorb water at temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but growth will not occur until soil temperatures are 50 degrees or higher. As temperatures increase, the process required for germination to progress occurs at a faster rate, leading to more rapid emergence. Under ideal conditions, corn will emerge in ten days or less, but with cooler soil temperatures the process may take three weeks or longer.  The formula to calculate GDU’s is simply the daily high temperature plus the daily low temperature minus 50 and then divided by 2.

                Also this week at our Jackson location the construction on the dry fertilizer shed has almost been completed. The construction of the building is complete now they are waiting on the equipment to be installed inside the shed. The liquid fertilizer tank is also nearing completion, the only steps left being to plumb the unload/load system.

               Thanks for reading this week’s blog post. Don’t forget to stop by next week where hopefully we are discussing planting progress in northeast Iowa.

May 1, 2013

                What a difference a year makes. As of this morning there was estimated only 5% of corn planted in Iowa and Ohio. The 5 year average this time of year is 31%. As we all know the weather has us a little behind the 8-ball this spring. This past Thursday began the start of the real push into spring field work. Anhydrous is being applied throughout the area along with fertilizer and some liquid nitrogen. The long term forecast seems to be favorable for the farmer.

 When we look at the calendar, the typical suitable days for fieldwork for the next week or so, and the optimum Midwest corn planting dates, it is apparent that there will be a stacking up of various field operations this spring. As soon as conditions are favorable there will be a lot of pressure to get spring time anhydrous applications and planting operations moving. When these two tasks are crunched into a short period of time there are greater risks of corn seed and seeding injury from ammonia.

                The question that comes to mind is how soon after anhydrous ammonia application can corn be planted. There are several factors that come to mind to determine this time frame. Some of these include the application depth, soil texture and moisture, rate, distance between knives and direction of application compared to corn rows. Generally it is recommended that growers wait a week after applying ammonia to plant their corn. However, if soil moisture conditions are good, the application depth is 7-9” deep and the anhydrous is applied at an angle to the corn rows, corn can be planted 3-5 days after ammonia application with minimal potential for injury.  Below is interesting graph of the effect of nitrogen rate, application depth and time between ammonia applications and planting, along with some pictures of the damage caused by ammonia burn.

 

Table 1. Effect of applications depth, time of planting, and ammonia toxicity on corn stands. Depth of Application (inches)						Days Delay in Planting after Anhydrous Ammonia Application
0		7		14		0		7		14
200 lbs N/Acre						400 lbs N/Acre
-------------------------------- Plant Population (% of Normal) -------------------------------
4	60		96		100		35		60		90
7	100		100		100		80		100		100
10	100		100		100		100		100		100
(Source: University of Illinois)

 

Corn injury after spring applied anhydrous ammonia

Corn injury after spring applied anhydrous ammonia

 Thanks for reading and don’t forget to stop back next week when we will update you on spring progress.

 

Citation

            http://www.agronext.iastate.edu/soilfertility/photos/mphotosnitrogen.html

April 23, 2013

                Another week behind us and another week of abnormal rainfall mixed with cold temperatures. The graph below shows rainfall totals from the past 7 days. Our area was fortunate to avoid the heaviest rains which have caused some serious flooding in southeast Iowa. These rainfalls, although frustrating, have provided relief from the past years drought.  Below is the most recent drought monitor released by the USDA this past Thursday. As you can see eastern Iowa has been lifted from the drought status. Add together the drought relief; a warm dry seven day forecast and things seem to be shaping up into favorable spring conditions.

Rainfall Totals April 16, 2013-April 22, 2013

 

 



 

 

 

                These spring rains bring many benefits to the ground soil. They provide moisture to recharge the soil profile which will significantly improve our soil moisture conditions for early-season growth and the rest of the growing season. Along with these benefits there are also some immediate negative impacts these rains can have on our soil such as, soil erosion and soil compaction.

                First we will take a look at soil erosion. Fields with intensive fall tillage can experience significant amounts of soil erosion. Fall tillage alters the soil surface enough to cause it to almost seal off which in return leads to more soil and sediment loss when heavy rains arrive. The main factor when it comes to soil erosion is the lack of residue on the soil surface. Fields that used cover crops or no-till practices will experience less soil erosion because of the residue left on the top soil. Residue management, buffer strips and waterways are all ways one can help slow water movement and provide more opportunity for water to penetrate into the soil profile.

                Another concern with heavy spring rains is soil compaction. Wet soil conditions present a challenge when it comes to spring field operations. As we all know we need to try and avoid entering fields when soil moisture is at or above field capacity, this is when the risk of soil compaction is at its greatest. Soil compaction can also occur at planting which can cause damage to the corn’s root system, which in return affects its ability to transport nutrients from the soil to the plant. It is important to monitor the top 6 inches of soil moisture before you decide to enter the field.

                Thanks for reading and don’t forget to stop in next week where we will update you with the construction progress in Jackson and talk about planting corn.

Citations

(http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2013/0419alkaisi.htm), Spring Rain: The good and the ugly.

(http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/climate/week.phtml)

(http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/)

 

4/16/13

                As another cool wet week goes by we are still at a standstill with spring field work. As you can see from the picture below much of the area has received 3-3.5” of rain these past seven days. These much need rains are what we have been looking for to recharge the drought plagued soil for spring field work. This Thursday the up to date drought monitor will be generated and it will be interesting to see if these local rains will provide any relief from the lingering droughty conditions. While it takes patience to wait until wet soils dry out, it is still early and we have not begun to lose yield from potential planting delays. The forecast for May shows above normal temperatures, so the crop will have a chance to get going and catch up if it is May before we get started.

Rain Fall Totals April 9, 2013 to April 15, 2013

                It seems like weather is the big talk this time of year considering all decisions hinge on what Mother Nature decides to throw at us. FFC has decided this year to add a weather station of their own, to help track local weather conditions. The station will be located in Jackson Junction for this year with plans to add a couple more to other locations in the future. The station will tell us wind speed, precipitation, heat units, growing degree days, 4” soil temperature, 1’ soil moisture reading and a 4’ soil moisture reading. We are hoping to have the station up and running within the next few weeks. You will be able to access the weather station information from either the blog or Fredericksburg Farmers Coop homepage.

                When the weather eventually straightens up the first seeds to be hitting the ground for some, will be small grains and alfalfa. We want to discuss a few things to refresh your memory when it comes to planting small grains and alfalfa. First off small grains, such as oats, will germinate at soil temperatures in the mid- to high 30’s. If you are planting alfalfa you are going to want to wait till soil temperatures hit the high 40’s. Oats should be seeded approximately 1” deep, and alfalfa and other forage legumes should be seeded about .25”-.5” deep, followed by press wheel or cultipacker. On average planting after mid-April, oats will lose an average of 10% of yield per week and planting after May 1 will lose about 15% of their yield per week. As we hit the mid April mark we are counting on the weather to change in order to try and avoid that yield loss.

                Thanks for reading and don’t forget to stop by next week where we will be discussing more local agronomy information.

Citation

(http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/climate/week.phtml)

(http://www.extension.iastate.edu/winneshiek/page/crop-notes-brian-lang)

April 10, 2013

                 What a nice change in the forecast we have had this past week. Warmer weather last week has helped lift the frost and started greening up the grass. The rain this week is exactly what the doctor ordered. The gravel roads and fields have seemed to soak up the moisture we have received. Although this rain has fallen in substantial amounts we still aren’t out of the drought picture. The photo below is the drought monitor comparison to last year at this time. As you see the eastern Corn Belt looks to be back to normal but the western half is still in a moderate to exceptional drought.

Early April Drought Comparison 2012 vs. 2013

With the cooler spring weather questions have come up about the germation tests used by seed companies. There are two different tests companies use to rate the germ on their seed, a cold germ test and a warm germ test.

The cold germination test gives us a reasonable idea of emergence under less than ideal conditions. The seed is chilled 50°F for seven days without light and then moved to a 77°F for five additional days. The seeds are then evaluated to decide what the germ on the crop is. The cold germ test typically takes 12-14 days.

The warm germination tests are to give us a reasonable idea of field emergence under favorable conditions. This test is normally conducted at 77°F for 7 days. The sample seed is then evaluated and a warm germ score is determined. Warm germ tests are typically 7-10 days long.

The past week we have also been busy treating soybeans. There have been many different benefits discovered when using a seed treatment at planting. A few benefits include better emergence, additional defense against early season disease and prevention of early season feeding from the bean leaf beetle.         

Along with seed treatment we have been adding inoculant to some of the beans being treated. Inoculants have been around for a while and have been proven to aid the soybean in cool spring soils along with fields following a drought like last year.

 As the soybean plant starts growing roots it sends a chemical signal to the rhizobia in the soil. Once this process is done the plant then prepares itself for the infection of rhizobia. The rhizobia then starts to create the nodules on the root mass. These nodules are used to start the nitrogen fixation and create important protein for the plant. The more healthy nodules a plant has the more efficient this process is and the greater your yields will be.

The problem with cold soils is they delay the whole chemical process and the soybean takes longer to start its nitrogen fixation process. The seed inoculant we are applying to the beans helps kick start this process so there won’t be a delay in the nitrogen fixation.

The problem with soils following a drought year is the impact the drought has on soil microbial populations. The soybean plant needs these soil microbial popultions in order to provide plant nutrients and create the proper growing environment for the rhizobia. In return the rhizobia will turn atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia which is then used by the soybean plant. For all this to happen nitrogen-fixing bacteria must be present in the soil in relatively high numbers at planting. A drought will kill the bacteria needed in the soil and it will not be available to the plant at planting time. The innoculant we are using on our treated soybean contains the extra bacteria needed at planting that may have been  killed off during the drought.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check in next week for more information as we creep up on the spring season.

Citation:

(“The Soy Report” http://thesoyreport.blogspot.com/2012/12/drought-impact-on-soil-rhizobia.html)

(“Soybean Inoculation; its Science, Use and Performance” http://agcrops.osu.edu/specialists/soybean/specialist-announcements/SoybeanInoculation.pdf/view)

April 2, 2013

                The first week of April is here and the weather looks to be slowly changing for the better.  As the old saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers”.  With the start of April everyone in the agriculture industry is hoping there are indeed April showers. In the past 13 years April has had an average rainfall of 4” with an average temperature of 48 degrees. The way the 7 day forecast looks we will be right around normal on the temperatures and as the weekend rolls around hopefully we will find rain falling from the sky. The warmer temperatures and spring rainfall should help lift the frost and warm the soil temperatures. As you can see from the picture below the 4” soil temperatures around northeast Iowa are still in the mid 30’s.

                If you have been by our Jackson location along Hwy 24 you may have noticed all the construction taking place. FFC has added a 1.5 million gallon liquid 32% tank which will hold approximately 8,000 ton of liquid nitrogen. We will take advantage of the rail car access for the majority of our product deliveries. Along with the 32% tank we are adding on 4,000 ton of dry fertilizer storage to our existing fertilizer shed. The addition will consist of 5.5 fertilizer product bays along with one micronutrient bay. These improvements will help FFC take it to the next level when it comes to product and service.

Dry Fertilizer Shed

Liquid 32% Tank

 

Jackson Junction is having their seed pick up days, so stop by to pick up your seed corn, beans and alfalfa. For any questions regarding their seed pick up days or delivery of your seed contact Gary, Ernie or Josh.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check in next week, when we will be discussing more agronomy news and hopefully be a week closer to planting.

March 27, 2013

At FFC we are always exploring new ways to bring you up-to- date, useful and current information. As a way to provide this information in a timely manner we have decided to start an agronomy blog. The link will be available on the Fredericksburg Coop home page (http://www.fburgcoop.com/index.cfm) or the QR code located on the homepage. The blog will concentrate on weather updates, current events in the agronomy industry and what we agronomists are seeing in local fields. We will be updating the blog at least once a week if not more depending on what is going on in the country side. We hope you enjoy the blog and feel free to add you own comments or input.

                With the weather looking as if it may be straightening up this coming week we are finding ourselves gearing up for your spring needs. The construction in Jackson is going well, with the tank nearing completion and the dry fertilizer shed just being started. Check back in next week for some pictures of the new construction and more agronomy information.

Fredericksburg Location                                                               Jackson/Waucoma Location

Phil Hill - 641-330- 1672                                                                  Josh Adams -319-240-2135

Levi Bergmann - 319-215-5395                                                    Ernie Schmitt - 563-379-6814

Ron Cruise - 641-394-2183                                                            Gary Schmitt - 563-379-6444

Bremer Location                                                                              Sumner Location

Matt Blasberg - 319-240-6153                                                     Mark Mason – 319-429-6969

Hawkeye Location

Jeff Anfinson -319-240-6613