The one-stop-shop to hearing everything you need to know about what is happening in your fields this week.
This week’s featured agronomists are:
Jake Heitshusen – Le Sueur
Hannah Hernke – Kenyon
Chris Soltau – Goodhue
Brett Decker – Lewiston
Eric Soley – Ellsworth
Scroll down to hear from your local agronomist.
WEST
Belle Plaine – Le Center – Le Sueur
Jake Heitshusen
This has been a fall to remember, almost zero rain here in the Le Sueur area and we haven’t had to stop fieldwork once since we started earlier in late September! There is not much left for standing crop in the country and a lot of the fall fertilizer and NH3 applications have been completed. Now is a great time to think and reflect about how the year went- what went right, what went wrong, and what changes need to be made. As seed plots continue to be harvested and be compiled, our Ag Partners agronomists will be able to give local data on what worked in your area this year. Along with supplier data from around the state we can help build a good portfolio of hybrids and varieties for the farm for 2023! Same as in the past, we’re selling 4 different brands of seed this year including Dekalb/Asgrow, Croplan, Syngenta NK, and Brevant – with some attractive financing options available for each as well. Make sure to ask your local Ag Partners Agronomist about the right options for you!
CENTRAL
Morristown – Wanamingo – Kenyon
Hannah Hernke
As we begin to wind down on the 2022 crop year, we are already starting to think about our management practices for the 2023 crop year. The talk this Fall has been how hard tillage has been with the lack of moisture in the soil. According to the USDA Drought Monitor, most of the area remains in the moderate drought category.
The looming question this Fall is how do I preserve soil moisture going into spring?
- Crop Rotation – High residue crops decrease evaporation and increase infiltration of moisture into the soil
- Cover Crops – Instead of water run-off, infiltration into the soil is increased while protecting the soil from the sun, therefore reducing evaporation.
- Tillage – Set chisels and disks shallow and reduce speed. These changes can limit the amount of residue from being buried and avoid large aggregates of soil from forming.
- No-Till Beans – Maintains surface residue and moisture – increases the chances of a quicker canopy.
These options may not be feasible for everyone, but critical to consider when we are a preparing to get the perfect stand going into Spring of 2023. I hope everyone continues to have a successful & safe harvest season!
https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/managing-soils-under-dry-conditions
EAST
Pine Island – Cannon Falls – Goodhue – Lake City
Chris Soltau
1st Year Corn Fungicide
It is amazing how fast a harvest can go. The goal growing up was to have most of the corn harvested before the 1st weekend of deer hunting. It looks like we are on schedule for that. The forecast looks good for fall fertilizer and tillage. The slide below shows a historic average of 7.26 bushel advantage from fall potash compared to spring. The conservative number I use is 3.8 bushel/acre from some old side by sides we did. Pine Island side by sides were 7 bushel. Potash is potassium chloride. We need to knock off the chloride molecule to get the potassium into the plant. Moisture and time allow this to happen. Elemental sulfur also needs time break down into sulfate. Putting elemental sulfur on in the fall gives it that head start. If you are trying to decide if you want to do fall fertilizer, hopefully this information will help.
SOUTH
Elgin – Lewiston – Stewartville
Brett Decker
What a year 2022 has been. The ups and downs throughout the growing season showed through this fall. In our geography we have seen some of the best crops but also some of the less desirable crop too. The fall harvest has had some nice weather to get harvest nearly completed. Soybean harvest is done with average to above average yields achieved by most growers. Corn harvest is roughly 85% complete in the area. As many have found out to the south of the region, what looks like a bumper corn crop can quickly turn into a lot of questions of what went wrong.
|
Excessive moistures this summer caused the corn plant to become infected with crown and stalk rots, which then made way for the dreaded tar spot to settle in. The tar spot then quickly deteriorated the plant’s ability to finish the kernels which resulted in shallow, smaller kernels with less than average yields. We did have various trials of fungicide that we did this summer to possibly showcase what the disease can affect for yield. As we continue to collect the data it will be interesting to see what worked and what didn’t. Hopefully everyone continues to have a safe and successful harvest as we finish.
|
 |
 |
WWAS
Ellsworth
Eric Soley
What a fall it has been to get crops off in Western Wisconsin! We have maybe had 3 or 4 days that were interrupted by moisture otherwise it has been nonstop going since soybean harvest began. The downfall is that it is scary dry in the fields and a few soil probes have been broken while trying to sample hay fields. Hopefully we can get some moisture this weekend to help the cause.
I would estimate corn harvest to be at 70% complete in our area with yields being far better than what anyone anticipated in August. We continue to take advantage of the great weather by spreading our fall fertilizer and lime.
Lets finish up harvest safely!
 |
 |
