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:
Scroll down to hear from your local agronomist.
WEST
Belle Plaine – LeCenter – LeSueur
Dave Richter
After several weeks of wet weather farmers in the area have worked long hours to make huge progress on getting the crop in the ground. With planting getting close to finishing up we turn our attention to weed control. With a later finish to planting and some warm weather, it’s only taking a few days in many cases for corn and soybeans to emerge. Early emergence does not mean the end to PRE applications; products such as Sure Start in Corn can be applied as an early Post Application. Prefix in Soybeans have a label for preemergence and can also be used as an early post application with adding an oil surfactant.
EAST
Pine Island – Cannon Falls -Goodhue -Lake City
Tyrell Treptow
Signs of poor seed-to-soil contact:
– Uneven height
– Low germination rate
– Stunted growth
– Small root system
If you have noticed one or more of these problems with your plants, you may have a seed-soil contact problem.
Click on the picture above to hear an update in field with Tyrell.
Sidewall compaction can result in non-uniform emergence, stunted plant growth and nutrient deficiency symptoms despite adequate soil nutrient levels due to poor root growth.
Click the picture above to hear Tyrell speak on sidewall compaction.
CENTRAL
Morristown – Wanamingo – Kenyon
Justin Schaefer
Fall Fertilizer…seems like a weird time of year to bring this up. This spring reminded us of its most important benefits, which is allowing us to be more timely and more efficient with our spring spreading of Urea and AMS. Many of you took advantage of a long fall in 2021 and applied your phosphorus, potassium and elemental sulfur, not knowing what spring 2022 would bring. These fall applications allowed us in many cases to cut spring applied pounds of fertilizer in a half, which in turn allows us to get to all of your fields a lot quicker than normal.
When spring planting season gets pushed back a few weeks due to cold soils and wet conditions, these types of decisions you made can really speed up your planting window. It pays huge dividends in helping to get crops in the ground earlier on the calendar and achieve maximum yield potential. Let’s not forget some of the other benefits of fall fertilizer…historically fall fertilizer is priced lower than it is in the spring.
Our AYS data has also shown increased yields by applying fall fertilizer. These increases in yield are likely due from the fertilizer having more time to break down and thus being more plant available for the following growing season. Below is a chart showing the benefits of fall applied potassium, pulled from our AYS database.
SOUTH
Elgin – Lewiston – Stewartville
Samantha Schoenfelder
It’s hard to believe, but some of our first corn ground was spread about a month ago! For the growers that impregnated their fertilizer with pre-emerge chemical and were one of those first out of the gate, it is time to start scouting for weeds. We have had the timely moisture to help the pre-emerge work to the best of its ability, but it may be nearing the end of it’s residual. It is a lot easier to scout early and often than try to take down weeds that may have escaped. The rain we received this week followed by the heat moving into the weekend will bring another flush of weeds with it.
Be sure to work with your Ag Partners agronomist to come up with the best weed management plan for all of your acres. I hope you have a safe and profitable 2022 growing season!
WWAS
Ellsworth
Chase Kinneman
This week has been chaos trying to keep ahead on fertilizer and pre spraying, as guys try to get everything planted before the mid-week rain. I would say about 50% of guys are done planting and the other 50% are close to being done.
The rain may have frustrated some by having to stop planting but it will be a huge benefit for the early planted soybeans and corn that got pounding rains dumped on them shortly after being planted. Some are really struggling to break through the crust on the ground surface caused from the heavy rains.
Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend!
 |
 |
| These are soybeans that were up before the heavy rain and got washed out. |
These soybeans were planted the day of the heavy rains. They are trying to push through the crust. |
