Featured Agronomist: Dave Haines, Southern IN, dave.haines@channel.com

In planning for the 2013 crop year, farmers in southern Illinois, Indiana and western Kentucky have been asking how to improve yield potential. We have compiled some of the most common questions and talked with Dave Haines, Technical Agronomist for Channel, about best management practices for the upcoming season. Specializing in agronomic issues in this area, Haines gave some tips for improving yield potential for next year.

Question: What should farmers focus on when planning for the upcoming season?

DH: Farmers need to look back at previous growing seasons, and not just the growing season the year before. They need to plan for risk and the only management practice they really have is spreading maturity. The greatest risk comes during corn pollination. Not everything will be able to pollinate under stress so they really need to choose a product appropriate for their maturity zone and plan accordingly.

Question: What are some best management practices you have seen for protecting against weather issues?

DH: The common answer is to plant early. Planting early gets the crop to the reproductive phase earlier in the cycle, which will help avoid the hot, dry period that typically hits the Midwest in July. Early planting is really critical in years with drought conditions. We really want to get the corn/soybean crop planted as early as possible.

Question: Based on soil type, what are your current fertilizer recommendations?

DH: A lot of farmers will pull their fertility programs from last year. Farmers need to be getting a good soil test from all production fields. They must look at soil test levels and crop yields in each field to see what amount of nutrients have been removed; this will dictate what your fertilization should be. Most are over fertilized. Do the correct math on what proper removal is and then calculate for phosphorous/potash. Nitrogen gets a little more complicated. Nitrate testing should be done in the spring. The problem is getting an accurate sample. The procedure is labor intensive so it is hard to get a sample you can feel good about. Yield-limiting problems will occur if nitrogen runs out prematurely.

Question: What type of genetics would you recommend?

DH: Farmers need to select the genetics most adapted to their zone; that includes all aspects: disease, yield, stress, insects. For corn-on-corn rotation, farmers need to focus on disease resistance as the most important criteria followed by stress tolerance. For corn-soybean rotation, farmers need to focus on drought resistance followed by stress tolerance. With the wide range of soil types across the Midwest, it is important to select corn hybrids and soybean varieties that perform on the grower’s soil types. Pay particular attention to the soil’s water holding capacity.

When planning for next year, farmers need to look back at previous growing seasons to see how their crops performed in order to make the best decisions. Management practices will differ depending on each field.

To learn more best management practices in your area, contact Dave Haines from Southern Indiana (dave.haines@channel.com) or your local Channel Seedsman today.

Channel® is a registered trademark of Channel Bio, LLC. ©2012 Monsanto Company.
 

Author: Frank Miklozek, Indiana, frank.miklozek@channelseedsman.com

Planting a cover crop has been an agricultural practice for centuries and can be a good option for managing overall soil health and environmental sustainability. A cover crop is implemented to benefit the soil and is not intended to be harvested as a cash crop. Cover crops can offer the following benefits¹:

• Soil fertility and quality management
• Control of erosion (water and wind)
• Suppression of weeds, pests, and insects

Selecting the appropriate cover crop may vary depending on timing and premeditated outcomes. There are many different types of cover crops falling into two different categories: legumes and non-legumes. Clovers, hairy vetch, field peas, annual medic, alfalfa, and soybeans are a few crops that fall under the legume umbrella. Legumes help translate atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can utilize. Non-legumes include rye, oats, wheat, forage turnips, oilseed radish, sudangrass, and buckwheat. These help reduce leaching losses by recycling existing soil nitrogen. However, timing is crucial when deciding how a cover crop will fit into rotation.

Figure 1 Wheat can be a good non-legume cover crop.

Some cover crops require taking land out of cash crop production for all or part of the growing season, while winter cover crops planted in late summer or autumn will remain in the ground until spring. Other crops can be planted during spring, summer, or fall in between cash crops while interseeded cover crops may stay in the ground for varying amounts of time². Providing improved erosion control due to the simultaneous planting of both cover crops and cash crops, interseeding can put your field at an advantage by providing more organic matter to the soil².

Other advantages of cover crops include slower evaporation of soil moisture and increased infiltration of rainfall³. Cover crops can also be used as a pasture for livestock before cash crops are planted.

For more information on cover crops, contact Frank Miklozek from Indiana frank.miklozek@channelseedsman.com or your Channel Seedsman.

¹http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0142.html
²http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/covercrops.html
³http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/forages/publications/ay247.html

Featured Agronomist: Dave Haines, Southern IN, dave.haines@channel.com

Winter field management is key when preparing for planting season. If not properly managed, weeds can overtake a field during this time making it extremely difficult to maintain a clean field come planting season. Dave Haines, Technical Agronomist for the Channel® brand, explained that winter field management starts right now. Haines answers a few common questions growers have been asking in preparation for the winter months.

Question: What should growers be doing right now regarding winter field management? Specifically, weed management?

DH: Growers should already be taking measures to control weeds in their fields. In my area, marestail has been a problem in soybean fields. Growers should use Valor® herbicide, tank mixed with Roundup® agricultural herbicide and/or dicamba or 2,4-D to manage weeds until planting season when a spring application can be used. In corn-on-corn environments, weeds have not been as big of a problem due to the herbicides available. because it is hard for the weed to compete with an established corn plant. Corn residual herbicides are very effective for controlling glyphosate resistant weeds, however, it is still crucial to manage all weeds before they reach four inches in height. It will be harder and more costly to control if they get any larger.

Question: What are some challenging weeds growers should be planning for in the spring?

DH: Growers should be aware of glyphosate-resistant weeds including marestail, palmer amaranth, and waterhemp. These weeds have become resistant to glyphosate, and need to be controlled using multiple modes-of-action including residual herbicides instead of relying only on glyphosate alone to control these weeds.

Question: Should growers be planning their 2013 weed control now and what tips do you have?

DH: Growers should absolutely be planning their 2013 weed control now. Weed pressure will vary by field so they should focus on a field-by-field approach. They need to be aware of each weed species they are trying to manage so they know the correct product and rate to apply. Its always a good idea to read the herbicide label to ensure that all application requirements are followed.

It is never too early to begin planning for the 2013 growing season. Winter field management should begin now so that growers have enough time to make the correct decisions for their weed management plans.

For more information on what you should be doing to manage your fields over the winter, contact Dave Haines (dave.haines@channel.com) from Southern Indiana or your local Channel Seedsman.

Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. This product has been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Biotechnology Industry Organization.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Roundup Ready® and Roundup® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Channel® is a registered trademark of Channel Bio, LLC. Valor® is a registered trademark of Valent U.S.A. Corporation. ©2012 Monsanto Company.