Tips to help detect and manage Soybean Cyst Nematode

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Shannon Latham, Vice President

Taking soil samples now will help detect Soybean Cyst Nematodes (SCN) but also will help farmers manage a SCN problem. If need be, Iowa State University Plant Pathologist Greg Tylka recommends that farmers switch to soybean brands that are SCN resistant.

“That single decision could pay dividends to the tune of 10, 15, 20 or more bushels per acre in yield by knowing if you have SCN and managing it properly with resistant soybean varieties,” said Tylka, last week in a news release distributed by the Iowa Soybean Association.

Tylka says management does take effort, but it is well worth it. “You can’t go by what you’re hearing your neighbors say is happening in their fields,” he says. “(Even) two fields on the same farm could be completely different.”

To hear Tylka discuss SCN in more detail, visit ISA’s Production Research Web site to listen to this podcast and others. You can also hear Tylka discuss both corn and soybean nematodes on July 30 during a special farm tour at Latham Hi-Tech Seeds’ headquarters in Alexander, Iowa.

CystX for broad-based SCN resistance: CystX provides broad-based SCN resistance and significant cyst soil population reductions. CystX varieties show an observed tolerance to Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), have healthier root systems and possibly give higher test weights. For more information, click here.

How early is too early?

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Mark Grundmeier, Product Manager

Recent conversation on Farmers for the Future centered around a very good question: just how early is too early to plant corn?

Since the 1970s, the time for planting corn in the spring has moved up 10 to 14 days. The ability to plant earlier is mainly attributed to advances in plant breeding and seed treatments, and perhaps, changes in climate.

A recent article in “Top Crop Manager” states that planting dates vary from April 15-24 across the Corn Belt, depending on soil conditions. Although breeding and seed treatments have allowed for earlier planting, it’s still a good idea to watch the weather. Seed is most vulnerable during its first few days in the soil, so you certainly don’t want to put it in unfavorable conditions early on.

One tip included in this article involves grabbing a clump of soil and watching how easily it crumbles. If the soil stays in a ball, conditions are not right for planting. If it crumbles easily, the soil is fit for planting.

It’s also very important to look at farm insurance policies as they relate to planting dates. Make sure you have looked at the specifications for the “do not plant before” dates — if you plant outside those dates, your insurance coverage could be jeopardized.

In the end, when you plant is truly is a judgment call based on weather and soil conditions. You know your fields better than anyone. And as the article states, it’s very rare that judgment leads a farmer too far beyond the limits.

To read more of the “Top Crop Manager” article, click here. For a helpful table provided by the University of Nebraska Extension on planting dates, click here.

America’s Farmers Honor Earth Day Every Day

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Shannon Latham, Vice President

The first Earth day was celebrated 40 years ago, and since that date, a tremendous shift in favor of preserving our environment has taken place. Since much of the credit goes to our nation’s farmers, the National Corn Growers Association wrote in a recent article, we should acknowledge their contributions and increase grower awareness of the sustainability of their own operations.

“It only makes sense that growers would work to preserve land, water and air,” said NCGA President Darrin Ihnen, a family farmer in Hurley, S.D. “We need to conserve these resources for the survival of our farmers, which most of us have passed from generation to generation.”

According to USDA, today’s farmers produce 70 percent more corn per pound of nutrients than they did in the 1970s. Farmers are able to use less fertilizer because new high-tech equipment puts fertilizer directly over the plants’ roots instead of spreading it on the whole field, and in-seed technologies are constantly improving corn’s fertilizer-use efficiency.

Production agriculture has become increasing more efficient and environmentally friendly. A study released last year from Field to Market shows that producing a bushel of corn has seen a 69 percent decrease in soil loss, 37 percent decrease in land and energy use, 30 percent decrease in greenhouse-gas emissions and 27 percent decrease in water application from 1987 to 2007. And each year, reduced tillage methods save 3.5 gallons of fuel per acre of cropland.

This Earth Day, April 22, farmers have a good tool to help them discover even more environmental efficiencies. Developed by Field to Market, the Fieldprint Calculator helps farmers assess the efficiency of their operations and improve their management of natural resources. You can check that out here.

Source: NCGA