Ask An Agronomist

Question: Is It OK to Spread Ground-up Mesh on Pastures?

 

Answer: Recently, we heard from a farmer who was concerned about round hay bales that some folks choose to grind up for their cattle with the plastic mesh still on the bales. 

 

His questions: Will this turn the fields into a type of land fill, as the manure is spread on the fields? Will this plastic ever break down?

 

The farmer contacted the retailer who makes the mesh. Here’s what he learned and then shared with Farm Journal:

 

"The company said that in some cases cows have literally starved to death from the plastic getting wrapped up inside the animal. The mesh is not degradable and what does pass should not be hauled on to the fields. It is a very wide-spread practice. You can't hardly see the plastic once it's been ground, so the practice goes on in order to hold the bale together as it is put into the tub grinder and no one wants to take the time to remove the mesh. Our suspicion was correct, but until someone sees an adverse affect, or has a moral conviction, the practice will continue, but not on my farm."

 

Bottom line:  If you have been spreading ground-up plastic mesh from hay bales on your fields, you might want to reconsider this practice.  It sounds like a less-than-healthy option for hay-fed cattle or grazing cattle, and it also does not provide any benefit to soil structure. Please do yourself, your cattle and the environment a favor and remove the mesh from bales prior to feeding them.

Question: Last year, we had a number of ears of corn that split. We are sending you a picture, so you can see what we’re talking about. What would cause this?

 

 

Answer: I can’t tell you with 100 percent certainty what caused the ears to split like this, but there are only a couple of things I can think of that may have caused the problem. These split ears are pretty unusual and I would say that, most likely, they were caused by a genetic mutation. A second possibility would be a heavy stinkbug infestation. What occurs in that scenario is that in the early shoot, around V9, the stinkbugs pierce completely through the ear and cause an infection to occur. I have seen this type of stinkbug problem only once in 25 years, however.

Answer: Split-applied nitrogen is used by most of my clients who target yields of 100 bu. per acre and higher. Split applications minimize risk and push yields higher by allowing the grower to more accurately determine the total nitrogen requirement later in the season. When split applying spring nitrogen, the first application should be timed at or slightly prior to the green-up stage. Base your application rates on tiller densities and plant health. Apply higher rates to later planted, thinner fields and lower rates to early emerging, over-tillered fields. Then, apply the balance of spring nitrogen at about jointing. In some situations, wheat producers will apply between 20 lb. and 30 lb. per acre of late-season nitrogen just prior to flag leaf emergence if yield potential seems higher than initially fertilized for. While it means another pass, you will have added another 5 bu. to 10 bu. per acre. With current prices, that’s worth the trip.

 

It’s the small incremental changes you make in your management practices that really add up to greater yields at harvest.

 

 

 Answer: While soil testing is an important tool to determine soil nutrient levels and nutritional requirements, I use tissue tests to refine the soil tests further and make more accurate post-applied nutrient recommendations. Tissue tests are ideally taken when the plants are 4” to 6” tall in the spring, usually around two or three weeks after green-up. At this point, the plants are taking up nutrients but there is still adequate time to apply the required nutrients before any lack of nutrients can have a negative impact on yield. Tissue tests are taken by carefully cutting plants off at ground level, but be sure to not contaminate the samples with soil. Select a number of different sites within the field for analysis, or you can select good areas to sample and compare them separately to bad areas. This latter suggestion can help if you are looking to isolate specific nutrient deficiencies within different regions of fields. Contact your local Extension office or consulting agronomist for more direction on how to mail in your samples for testing.

 

Seeking sound agronomy assistance from a certified crop adviser is money well spent. After all, if you don’t compare your varieties to others, how can you be sure you’re planting the best ones?