| Thank You for a Successful 2021 Growing Season! Your Weekly Agronomy Updates will return next Spring! |
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:
McKayla Wingert – AYS – Elgin
Chad Mattes – Le Center
Chris Soltau – Goodhue
Zach Hinsch – Wanamingo
Steve Yoch – Elgin
Eric Soley- Ellsworth
Scroll down to hear from your local agronomist.
AYS
Your Advanced Yield Systems Weekly Spotlight:
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McKayla Wingert |
Each year as we wrap up harvest, I like to take a moment to reflect on the growing season. This is a great time to make sure that we are making the most of the harvest data that is collected. I encourage growers to take a moment and think about the things they observed through the growing season; areas that outperformed others, hybrid splits, or other side by side trials. Make your yield data work for you; look at those areas in your maps to understand what worked and what didn’t. By using your yield data and your soil sample data, we can ensure that we are making informed decisions about next years crop and the potential for maximizing yield! Contact your AYS specialist to make sure you are utilizing your harvest data to its full potential. |
West
Belle Plaine – LeCenter – LeSueur
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Chad Mattes |
What will your soybean trait strategy be for 2022? By now we have all seen or at least heard of the fact that the Enlist E3 system experienced some cupping/crop response that made the beans look pretty tough for an extended period of time this past summer. If memory serves me correctly, we saw a similar thing in the 2020 growing season albeit, probably not as severe as this past year. |
I’m not advocating for one platform over the other, as they are both tremendously effective weed control systems that are yielding even better than the Roundup Ready 2 beans we planted just a few short years ago. Rather, I just wanted to take a few minutes to look at the data now that the combines have been put away for the year.
As you can see from the Winfield United Answer Plot’s in our geography (Goodhue & Le Sueur), it’s really a mixed bag of traits that were yield winners. And with the yields we saw this year, most all the traits were winners.
For instance, in the Le Sueur 2.0 set you have a Brevant B181EE (Enlist) bean at #1 with a yield of 77.6 Bu. followed closely behind with a Pioneer P19A14X (Xtend) bean at 76.4 bu. In the Wanamingo 2.0 set you can see 3 different companies Enlist beans occupying the top 4 spots but the next bean is an XtendFlex bean at 3.8 Bu. over the plot mean which was 79 Bu.
So in the end, it might come down to what platform you have the most trust in or maybe what the neighbors are planting in your general vicinity. Just know that no matter which you choose (some of you might plant some of both), they all can be very profitable for you if placed correctly. With that said, I challenge you to reach out to your local Ag Partners sales agronomist to really do a deep dive into what is best for your individual operation.
East
Pine Island – Cannon Falls -Goodhue -Lake City
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Chris Soltau |
With harvest wrapping up and field work being completed, it is time to start planning for next year. Our seed sales representatives from the companies have provided us with information to help us select the best hybrids and varieties for you. Take the time to go over your fertility and crop protection plan with your agronomist. With the higher cost of fertilizer and some supply issues with crop protection products, it will be better to have a detailed plan. Even if there is not a price on a particular product, it is still okay to review. We have five months to get the plan correct. |
Enlist soybeans have been proven to be the best genetic soybean platform for controlling waterhemp. Some still believe that Xtend soybeans are a better way to go for yield. Good soybeans are good soybeans. We had both new Enlist and Xtend soybeans that did not perform as well as the existing Enlist or Xtend varieties that you planted on your farm. There are also some new varieties that excelled in plots that could be a match on your farm.
I have also heard the comment “I spray my own Xtend soybeans”. If you do spray your own Xtend soybeans, please do it correctly. There will be an incident where some soybeans are puckered, and they will point the finger at an applicator/grower that sprayed dicamba. The couple instances company wide that we have had are not very pleasant. The applicator may not even get to investigate the field when the MDA gets involved. There are many factors involved and dicamba usually gets the credit even though underserved at times.
Take advantage of planning early. It is always easier to change a good plan than to have one with loose details. Let’s lay the ground work for a terrific 2022.
Central
Owatonna – Morristown – Wanamingo – Kenyon
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Zach Hinsch |
Here in Wanamingo fall work is wrapping up quickly. It has been an extremely busy fall with fertilizer applications, as we have had great weather to do so. As we turn the page into a new growing season, our AYS team is getting to work on analyzing data from our 2021 crop. With every year being different we will not only see what worked best this past year but layer the data from multiple years prior to see what management decisions we should be making going forward. So, as we plan for a new growing season lets be sure to utilize the data we have collected to increase the probability of generating a positive ROI. |
On a wrap up note I would just like to say thanks. Thank you to our patrons for the business you have done with us over the past year and all the hard work you put in day in and day out. Thanks to all the great employees at Ag Partners who make it possible to carry out everyday business. And thanks to all the family members that have tolerated time away from loved ones who are involved in the busy harvest season.
Thanks for supporting your local Ag Partners!
South
Elgin – Lewiston – Stewartville
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Steve Yoch |
With harvest wrapped up for most and Thanksgiving fast approaching, this is the time of the year that I like to look back and see what made the growing season unique. Each year is different and next year will not be the same. As I think back through the years as an agronomist, there are years that stand out, and I believe 2021 will be one that I will remember as something special. For most growers in our area, it was a year of excellent yields on all crops and record yields for some. I always ask myself: |
- If we could repeat the previous year, would we want to, and what would we change if we could have?
- Which fields really shined and why?
- Was it fertility levels, variety, soil type, fungicide, or we caught the right rain while other fields didn’t?
It is usually a combination of many factors that makes those special fields really stand out above the rest. It’s time to sort the data, look at the variables, and try to control the variables that we do have control over as we plan for 2022. Take the time to visit with your Ag Partners Agronomist and ask what made that highest yielding field, the way it was. There may be insights we can utilize to increase yields across your operation.
I should remember this from elementary school, but I had to do a quick Google search on Thanksgiving. 1621 was generally believed to be the first celebrated Thanksgiving between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people. 400 years ago this year. That is a lot of years to be thankful for and what we have been Blessed with in producing food for the world. Thank you for your business and looking forward to helping you have a successful 2022 season!
WWAS
Ellsworth
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Eric Soley |
Rain and some snow moved into Western Wisconsin at the end of last week, temporarily put a halt to fertilizer and lime spreading for us. We are hoping for a few more good days to finish up the fertilizer work orders for the fall. |
The overwhelming consensus among the farmers in the area is that their yields were way better than ever expected. “You can’t plan for a disaster” was a phrase I used often this summer when the fear of the drought would bring into question the ROI of spraying bugs, fungicide, sidedressing, etc. Farmers that stuck to their high management practices, such as fungicide applications on corn and beans, despite the unknown of when the next rain would come were rewarded this fall with what they saw on the combine monitor. With higher fertilizer prices and tight/expensive supply of glyphosate, some first reactions will be to try to cut back anywhere they can. Take advantage of your agronomist at Ag Partners and look closely at your farm plans to focus on products and practices that have the highest ROI for your operation, before you make any subtractions from your plans. “You can’t plan for a disaster.”
