As new technologies and ideas have emerged in agriculture, growers have adopted them and adapted their cultural practices to continue increasing yields and managing inputs in order to maintain their per-bushel costs. This year has provided a great example for many growers in the realm of nitrogen management. In the past many growers simply multiplied…
As growers prepare for harvest, it’s a great time to gather observations about the crop. The combine cab is similar to a chair in the doctor’s office in that most growers can make observations about symptoms of ailments they are seeing when they are at a different angle above the crop. The real question that…
The words ‘final exam’ are likely scary for many, but for corn growers the pre-harvest period is the perfect time to grade themselves on this year’s efforts. Take this opportunity to walk your fields and gain insight on the past year while formulating any plans to correct preventable losses. Go to various spots in the…
Many parts of the country have experienced excellent growing conditions that include warm temperatures and near optimum moisture, leading to hopeful expectations for a strong harvest. While we tend to focus on what we can see above ground, what goes on below the surface can be just as impactful. Those same warm temperatures, good moisture…
As we continue to learn and study nitrogen I began measuring nitrate levels in a field on my home farm in Michigan. The field was planted on May 9th and received 15 lbs of actual N via AMS broadcast and incorporated on May 2nd. An additional weed-n-feed broadcast application of 60# of actual N via…
With planting wrapping up in most areas, the focus shifts to protecting yield. While scouting to evaluate weed control, it is common to find areas where the weeds persist or see areas with crop injury. Consider pH when evaluating herbicide effectiveness. PH changes occur in cropping systems for a number of reasons, including the conversion…
Today’s growers try to walk the fine line between producing large crops as efficiently as possible while working hard to maintain environmentally friendly practices. A term we hear tossed around quite a bit today is NUE, which stands for Nitrogen Use Efficiency. You often hear numbers like .8#/bu or 1.1#/bu associated with the concept –…
Many growers have already applied all or a portion of their nitrogen for this year’s crop. In many areas, a warm and wet November-December, in connection with an early warm-up this spring, has led to conversion of the NH4+ molecule to the NO3- molecule, making it more available to leach or to be denitrified, depending…
No other soil characteristic is more important in determining the chemical environment of plants and soil microbes than pH. The degree of soil acidity, expressed as soil pH, greatly influences the root uptake availability of many critical nutrients. Effects of Soil pH Strongly acidic soil presents a host of problems. These include toxicities of…
Many producers had a good application window for anhydrous ammonia applications this fall. Many of us unhooked from the applicator around Thanksgiving feeling good about our nitrogen plan. Then we had one of the warmest and wettest Decembers. Statewide Average Ranks: 1895 – 2016 Dec ’15 – Feb ’16 Temp – ? – ?…
