26
May
2016
I’m sure everybody is just as excited that the 2016 planting season is under way! Hopefully by now, most of your corn is planted and you’ve already started planting soybeans. Choosing the correct herbicide program is paramount in protecting yield, and these programs can change drastically based on the weeds you’re targeting. Be sure to have a plan before you have a problem!
Categories: Agronomy Talk
Tags:
While the 2016 crop continues to take shape, I wanted to take a minute to talk about the value of tissue sampling in the pursuit of high yielding crops. Whether you want to take a snap shot of your current fertility program,or you are trying to find your crop’s hidden hunger, collecting tissue samples throughout the season can be a rewarding experience. Tissue sampling gives you a chance to see if fertilizer rates or placement are providing adequate nutrients to the growing crop. Think of this like you or I going to the doctor for a checkup!
23
In some areas, the window of opportunity for planting corn, and environmental conditions that followed, were not ideal for rapid germination and emergence. The cold soils and excessive rainfall we experienced shortly after planting has led to uneven emergence, delayed emergence, and an onset of seedling blights. We have also seen the use of rotary hoes in some areas with crusted soils.
Categories: Agronomy, NE Illinois, NW Indiana
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Chad Kalaher, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, indiana agronomy, Illinois Agronomy, Replant, Delayed planting, seeding rate recommendations
19
Over the past week I have been called to numerous fields to evaluate emerging soybeans that are weak, injured by feeding or herbicides, or were impacted by seedling disease, primarily Pythium (root rot/damping off). I wanted to take a minute to discuss PPO-herbicide injury.
Categories: Agronomy, Missouri
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, agronomist, Missouri Agronomy, Beck's Agronomist, David Hughes, Replant, PPO Herbicide injury
17
The cool temperatures we have experienced over the last several nights have led to questions regarding frost damage. We are seeing some signs of frost damage here at our Ohio Practical Farm Research (PFR)® location, however we won’t know the severity of this damage until three to five days following the frost event. With the low temperatures leading up to this recent frost event, the hardening off process had started making our crops more tolerant of cool temperatures. Wet soils and dew present helps to maintain soil temperatures, thereby decreasing the risk of injury.
Categories: Agronomy, Ohio
Tags: Beck's Blog, corn, AgTalk, soybeans, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Alex Johnson, Wheat, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, Ohio Agronomy, Alexandra Knight, FROST DAMAGE
13
Given the cool, wet conditions we have been experiencing, I wanted to take the opportunity to send a timely update. Now is a great time to evaluate fields we have already planted. Chances are, some of your fields are up while others are taking a bit longer.
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, Iowa Agronomy, corn emergence, GDUS, Greg Shepherd
12
The cool, wet weather we have been experiencing has lead to increased concern for various threats to our wheat crops. This article includes my updates on what I have been seeing in wheat fields across Ohio over the past few days.
Categories: Agronomy, E Indiana, Ohio
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Mark Apelt, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, Ohio wheat, wheat fields, Ohio agornomy, Fungicide, Stripe rust, Armyworms, Wheat Spindle Streak, Head Scab
10
May can be a busy month. Most of us are planting soybeans, post-spraying corn, spraying burndown ahead of beans, and/or checking on maturing wheat. We have a lot happening all at the same time. With that in mind, I thought I’d share some of the things I keep an eye on and field scout for during this busy month. My intent with this article is not to give you a “how-to” for each of these, but rather to let you know what you should be looking for and thinking about from a crop diagnostic perspective.
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Nitrogen Loss, Scouting, agronomist, Missouri Agronomy, Beck's Agronomist, David Hughes, Missouri agornomy, insect pressure, stand assessment, root growth, burndown, herbicide injury
9
My name is Greg Shepherd and I am your new field agronomist in eastern Iowa. I am an Iowa boy, born and raised on a farm in west central Iowa. Nearly 12 years ago, we made our way to southeast Iowa and have put down roots on a family farm near Mt. Pleasant. My wife, Aimee and I have been richly blessed with our wonderful boys; Caleb (6), Silas (4), and Ethan (2).
Categories: Agronomy, Eastern Iowa
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, Iowa Agronomy, Greg Shepherd
6
Deciding when to replant a failed stand of corn can be a difficult decision to make. More often than not, it turns in to an emotional decision rather than a logical one based off of yield potential. Over the last seven years, Beck’s has been conducting studies at our Kentucky Practical Farm Research (PFR)® site to evaluate when exactly it is no longer beneficial for a farmer to replant.
Categories: Agronomy, Kentucky, Tennessee
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Kentucky PFR, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, Austin Scott, Kentucky Agronomy, Tennessee Agronomy, Replant, replant decisions for corn
Over the past week, much of Ohio has received excess rainfall that has slowed fieldwork and planting almost to a halt. As of May 1, 2016, the USDA reported that 27 percent of Ohio’s corn was planted, but only 1 percent had emerged. With the cool, wet weather we have had, emergence is taking longer than usual. It’s tempting to look at the calendar and start to get concerned if your corn isn’t coming up in 7 to10 days like you might have expected. If you are looking at your planted fields and wondering when you will start to see rows of corn, the following information should help you understand when you might expect to see those small green spikes
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Alex Johnson, Cover Crops, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, Ohio Agronomy, corn emergence, Ohio corn, GDUS, GDU CALCULATIONS
2
Despite its deceivingly short height, wheat has reproductively matured well over the last few weeks. I have seen a few leaf diseases this year (mostly minor infections) but if you are thinking about fungicides, make sure to first determine if you are concerned about leaf diseases or head scab (Fusarium head blight.) When it comes to leaf diseases, we should be most concerned with keeping the flag leaf (last leaf out before the head) as clean as possible. About 50 percent of a wheat plant's yield comes from energy made by the flag leaf.
Categories: Agronomy, S Indiana
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Head Scab in Wheat, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, indiana agronomy, Indiana wheat, Steve Gauck Agronomy, fungicide in wheat
28
Apr
Most of the wheat in our area was planted between October 1-10, with the majority planted by October 7. Along with timely planting, the warm fall promoted excellent fall growth and tillering for overwintering. I noticed a few challenges this spring where seeding depth was too shallow or significant residue created poor seed-to-soil contact. I continue to see that the best stands are the ones where residue has been evenly-distributed and lightly incorporated with a vertical tillage tool or disk prior to seeding. No-till also continues to work well where the seed is placed deep enough for good seed-to-soil contact.
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Chad Kalaher, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Head Scab in Wheat, Wheat, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, indiana agronomy, Illinois Agronomy, wheat growth stages, fungicides in wheat, flag-leaf growth stage, leaf diseases in wheat
25
This spring I had the opportunity to demo a tillage tool I have been very curious about, the TERRADISC 4001 manufactured by Pottinger. This tool is what I refer to as a high speed disc or compact disc. It is a one-pass tillage tool that can take corn residue and till it to be plant-ready with just one pass.
Tags: Alex Johnson, Ohio Agronomy, Tillage Tools, Pottinger, TERRADISC4001, Compact Disc, Tools, Machinery
21
The first drink of water corn or soybean seed takes is important. A rain event within 24 hours of planting can cause lower yields and possibly a thin stand. A small, light rain (such as 0.1 in.) doesn’t seem to have an adverse effect, but larger rain events often do. So the million-dollar question is, “do I plant today or do I stop because a rain is coming?” If you are looking for some data to help you make that decision, we have a tool for you...
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Weather, Alex Johnson, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, Ohio Agronomy, Farmserver, Weather Forecast, Spring Planting
20
Was there any effect on the wheat crop as a result of the cold temperatures from last weekend? As I have been looking at wheat fields throughout Ohio this past week, I was worried the cold temperatures might have frozen some of the developing wheat heads. I was especially concerned for areas in southern Ohio where the wheat was further along.
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Mark Apelt, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, Ohio wheat, wheat fields, Ohio agornomy, frost damage on wheat, Stripe rust, Septoria leaf blotch
14
While April field activities commence, there are several key things to remember when you head out to the field. Make sure to avoid soil compaction and plant your corn and soybeans so rapid germination and even emergence take place. The weather last fall was very conducive to correcting the previous seasons’ compaction pains. Now we’re essentially starting with a clean-slate in regards to our soil’s physical condition. It’s said that 75 percent or more of a total season’s compaction is created by the first spring tillage operation. Be mindful of soil moisture conditions at the depth of tillage/planting and what your tractor and equipment axle loads are. Wait to plant until soil temperatures hold a constant 55°F at the 4 in. depth. Both crops will germinate at lower temperatures, though emergence may be less than desired.
Every year when April rolls around, I get excited about two things: baseball season and getting those planters rolling! Hi, I’m your new southern Illinois field agronomist, Sean Nettleton. For my first ever Agronomy Talk, I wanted to keep it simple and talk about what I think is the most important pass we make in the field - planting!
Tags: Illinois Agronomy, Agronomy Talk, Sean Nettleton
Finally, that time of year has arrived... planting season! With many farmers preparing to plant and others already rolling through the field, there are a few things to keep in mind this spring. The first is to get your planter set. It’s always wise to inspect your planter and service it before you have half your crop planted.
Tags: Agronomy Talk, Austin Scott, Kentucky Agronomy, Tennessee Agronomy
Does tax deadline time mean it’s time to plant soybeans? Trends over the past couple of decades have shown that farmers continue to plant corn earlier as farm sizes increase and we continue to push for higher yields. On the other hand, farmers often wait to plant soybeans until later in the year. Beck’s 10-year Practical Farm Research (PFR)® data demonstrates that the highest average soybean yields were obtained when planting occurred between April 15 and May 15.
Tags: Iowa Agronomy, Agronomy Talk, Pat Hollaway