MAY 6TH AGRONOMIC INSIGHTS

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Posted By > May 6, 2022 >

The one-stop-shop to hearing everything you need to know this week about what is happening in your fields.

 

This week’s featured agronomists are:

Adam Steffel – Belle Plaine
Gregg Gustine – Pine Island
Zach Hinsch  – Wanamingo
Steve Yoch- Elgin
Kirsten Rinholen- Ellsworth

Scroll down to hear from your local agronomist.

West 
Belle Plaine – LeCenter – LeSueur

Adam Steffel

 After a cold and wet start to the spring, the forecast looks like its finally turning around. Less rain and warmer temperatures will be getting everyone out in the fields. The beginning of a new season brings us an opportunity to get our weed programs done right this year. The key to being successful in weed management is to start clean. Putting down a pre-emergent and overlapping it with another residual in your post program is going to give you your best odds.

East  
Pine Island – Cannon Falls -Goodhue -Lake City

Gregg Gustine Agronomist Pine Island

Gregg Gustine

Patience           

With field conditions on the wet side, it is important to wait for proper soil conditions before we begin tillage or planting. Failing to do so can cause many problems.  Below are a few issues can be seen if we do not have the proper soil conditions:

 

This plant pictured below developed a pancake root caused by working the field too wet. A compaction layer was created by the shovels smearing the soil underneath them that the roots could not penetrate.  The yield loss was around 40 bpa.

Being able to hold your seed trench in my hand is not a good thing. Pictured below, this was caused by 2X2 colters smearing and creating a vertical compaction layer the roots could not penetrate. This can cause hairpinned roots and limits early nutrient uptake. The corn plant is showing Phosphorus deficiency because the roots can not get through the compaction and access the starter band.

A little patience can pay off big in bushels at harvest time.

 

Central  
Morristown – Wanamingo – Kenyon

Zach Hinsch

Zach Hinsch

Spring is here! As we start this planting season, let’s be sure everything is calibrated properly. Before you know it, you’ll be pulling into the last field, and we don’t want that to be when you find out one row unit wasn’t planting at the proper depth. Trust me, it has happened! With that being said, your corn should be planted about 2” deep and soybeans should be 1-1.5” deep.

If you haven’t already, be sure to stop at your local Ag Partners location to pick up some PMZ DRY for your corn seed lubricant (just over $1 per acre). Below are a couple informational sheets on how PMZ DRY will benefit your operation.

HAPPY PLANTING!!

 

Rocket Seeds PMZ Dry Tech Sheet

 

South
Elgin – Lewiston – Stewartville

Steve Yoch

Steve Yoch

I always enjoy a good cartoon clip.  I came across this one and it has some similarities to this spring.
Here is how I looked at the clip:

  • Guessing the snails took a while to get to the start line… similar to us on when we could get the first fertilizer spreading job started or when you could get your first tank of NH3 applied this spring, but we did make it to the start line!
  • The length of the race is short…. It is amazing to me how many acres can get planted in a very short period of time!  Larger planters, faster planters, acres per fill of seed or starter fertilizer, etc. all add to speeding up the spring planting process.
  • The Finish line.  It may seem that it isn’t in sight as you start your first field, but it is there.  You will cross the line, it may just not be on the calendar date that you had hoped or planned for.

 

Thank you for your business and have a safe and productive Spring as you start and finish your planting race!

WWAS
Ellsworth

Kirsten Rinholen

 Promising conditions look like they are headed our way. This week’s soil temps are on the rise and it feels like Spring 2022 is finally getting ready to take off! We all know timing is everything and patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to planting. Here are a few quick reminders as we start hooking up our planters:
  1. The corn seed requires a minimum soil temp of 50ºF and needs to absorb around 30% of its weight in water to properly germinate.
  2. A study by the University of Wisconsin, indicates beans that are planted in mid-late April will typically yield 5-10 bushels per acre more than those planted in mid-May. Don’t shy away from early planted beans! They can perform at a minimum soil temperature of 55ºF.
  3. Yield loss from uneven emergence can be anywhere from 6-22% depending on conditions.
  4. Careful choice in hybrid can always play a key role in a great and even stand! Be sure to ask your agronomist which hybrids to lead with and which should be planted last.

In turn as we move our focus to the corn and soybeans this week, don’t forget about alfalfa. Winter 2021/2022 in Western Wisconsin offered some below average temperatures and very little snow for insulation for our stands.  With these wet and cold temperature fluctuations this spring, those with heavier ground may also be concerned about heaving. For help with evaluations be sure and call your local Ag Partners agronomist or use the following resource from UW Extension.

https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/forage/alfalfa-stand-assessment-is-this-stand-good-enough-to-keep/

Happy Planting!

Filed Under: Agronomy, News, Seed, WWAS