Monthly Archives: August 2010

Milk-Line Can Maximize Productivity of Milking Line

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Written by Brad Beatty, CCA

Corn silage harvest is underway in eastern Iowa. To help ensure the best quality silage possible, watch the crop’s moisture content.

Optimal performance by dairy cows occurs when whole-plant moisture is between 65 and 70%. This moisture range also works well to preserve silage quality in horizontal (bunker) silos. However, corn may need to be chopped a bit drier when stored in up-right silos like Harvestores. Moisture levels between 60 and 65% moisture can minimize seepage in up-right silos, but research shows that reduced fiber and starch digestion, along with reduced lactation performance, occurs when corn silage is harvested at 60% moisture or below.

The optimum 60 to 70% whole-plant harvest moisture corresponds closely with when the kernel milk-line has moved from one-half to three-fourths the distance from the kernel’s crown to the tip where it’s attached to the cob. Click here for information on how to find the kernel milk-line.

Once moisture of a hybrid is known, figure a corn plant will lose about 1% moisture daily. Monitor the milk-line to gauge whether the moisture is changing too fast. It usually takes 12-15 days to go from early dent to 50% kernel milk and another 12-15 days to go from 50% kernel milk to black layer.

More corn silage harvest techniques are available online at http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/Management/pdfs/NCH49.pdf.

NOTE: Milk-line and whole-plant moisture can vary between hybrids and across environments. What Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids are working well to make silage in your area?

2010 Crop is Ahead of One- and Five-Year Averages

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Another week of favorable weather has helped push crops ahead of the one- and five year averages, according to a recent Wallaces Farmer article. Farmers began harvesting corn for silage and could be harvesting for grain in early September.

Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) continues to be a concern for soybean growers throughout the Upper Midwest. This year has had one of the worst epidemics since SDS was found in Iowa in 1994, says XB Yang of Iowa State University’s Department of Plant Pathology.

Mark Grundmeier, Latham’s soybean product manager, agrees that SDS is the worst in 2010 that he’s seen in his career. Click the below video to listen to Mark talk about why SDS is so much more prevalent this year.

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Northwest Iowa

Because 1,000 variables affect yield – seed bed preparation, weed pressure, type of bean planted (Cyst resistant, trait packages, etc.), plant health protection used, etc. – Tom Larson says it’s not easy to predict how SDS might impact yield. Soybeans that have been infected with SDS continue to decline and drop leaves. A majority of the corn in his northern Iowa territory has entered the early stages of dent. Tom has noticed increased populations of corn aphids on the upper leaves, as well as around the ear. If these numbers continue to increase or are already at populations over 1,000 per plant, an insecticide application might be necessary. Studies show that at least ½ bushel per day can be lost to corn aphids.

 

Northeast Iowa

Nick Benson reports that corn silage harvest has begun in earnest. Overall, farmers are positive about this year’s silage crop although there are a few obvious tough spots from excessive moisture. Rainfall has been so variable: one area got hit very hard by total rainfall throughout the summer, but just 20 miles to the north, fields there received just the right amount. While SDS has been capturing everyone’s attention lately, Nick believes farmers here will be pleasantly surprised with this fall’s soybean yields. In areas without SDS, he’s predicting record-breaking crops. Yesterday he randomly walked into a field planted to Latham® L2440 Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybeans and pulled two plants with five, four-bean pods! He says he’s having a hard time finding L2440 R2’s without four-bean pods. On the corn side, Nick believes areas without excessive moisture will produce extremely high yields. From viewing Latham® showcase plots, he believes the new Latham LH 5622 3000GT will be the hybrid to beat this coming year. It’s throwing a very nice ear with some great plant health.

 

Wisconsin

Steve Bailie reports corn silage harvest began this week, and many of the fields being harvested for corn silage are coming out at 65 to 70% moisture. The majority of ears of corn in the fields have reached full dent, and many of the husks have already started to loosen up. Anthracnose is showing up inside the corn plant if you cut it to look at the nodes. Many nodes are starting to turn brown. Some of the soybean fields are showing symptoms of SDS, white mold and brown stem rot. Even though disease is present, Steve predicts that yields will still be adequate simply because the diseases didn’t show up until late in the growing season. Latham® Hi-Tech Soybean L1936R has once again proven its value by as not white mold is present in these fields.

South Central Iowa

Travis Slusher’s region is still receiving weekly rainfall, with another 1.5 inches recorded in the past week. Corn and soybeans are progressing nicely despite all of the moisture this growing season. SDS is still the main topic of conversation on the soybean side, and fortunately Latham® brand soybeans have handled the pressure better than others throughout the majority of his area. Corn is denting nicely with Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH 6167 VT3Pro, LH 5877 VT3Pro, and LH 5645 3000GT looking like some powerful new hybrids for South Central Iowa.

Central Iowa

Kevin Meyer says seed corn harvest began last week in his territory, which is a good 10 to 14 days earlier than normal. Kernels depth and test weight continue to be a concern due to hot weather. Corn earworm damage should be evaluated this fall as earworm moth flights were very high this year. Fortunately, Latham has some great new technologies in the 2011 product lineup to help control above- ground insects in the field. SDS is the hot topic at local plot days. He encourages farmers to take crop notes and see how SDS is affecting different soybean varieties. As these fields return to soybean production in 2012, good management decisions will help eliminate this problem in the future.

East Central Iowa

In a year when disease is prevalent, Brad Beatty said some corn numbers from Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids are displaying a sound defensive package. The following new hybrids are looking good in his plots: LH 5426 VT3Pro, LH 5494 3000GT, LH 5645 3000GT, LH 6167 VT3Pro, and LH 6068 VT3.

These new Latham® hybrids appear to be fending off is anthracnose, which is one disease that is becoming a problem this season in Brad’s territory. Anthracnose is related, favoring wet periods and warm nights. Disease severity can be increased by extended periods of overcast conditions and high humidity. It’s also more problematic in corn-on-corn situations because the fungus over-winters in corn residue. Crop rotation is a way to help control anthracnose, so keep this in mind as you order seed for the 2011 planting season.

 

Minnesota

Jason Obermeyer reports that soybeans and corn are progressing nicely in his area. The first signs of maturing corn are a welcome treat for those who can’t stand the summer heat because we know cooler temps on the way! One local dairy producer said yesterday that he will be chopping corn in two weeks. Soybeans still look good, although about an inch of rain would be welcome in South Central Minnesota now. Some of the hills are dipping back, indicating that moisture is needed.

 

Eastern Nebraska

Crops are about 10 to 12 days ahead of last year’s, says Mike Lorenz. Cattle Feeders have been cutting silage. Beans are getting closer to coloring; corn is in full dent stage and early black layer. The concern now is disease. He’s seeing a variety of diseases affecting soybeans in his region. Sudden Death Syndrome is prevalent in central Nebraska while Stem Canker is affecting the northeast corner of the state. Despite these challenges, he says it will still be a relatively good year for crops.

Central Nebraska

Steve Edwards says it looks like an early harvest this year. The corn crop is fully dented. Farmers have been chopping for a week in areas where silage is put up. Symptoms of SDS are showing up in the soybean crop where there was excess moisture and compacted soil. Beans also have been expressing some heat stress because they’re in their peak demand for moisture as the pods fill.

Northern Missouri

Rick Foster reports that soybeans are looking good except for areas where they drowned out.

Widespread SDS has many asking, “What do I do?”

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In last week’s crop report, we highlighted the fact that SDS has been widespread in Iowa and surrounding states. One reason we’re seeing widespread SDS this year is because fields have experienced the perfect storm: soils that were compacted last fall due to a late and wet harvest were also wet and cool during the 2010 planting season. As a result, ideal conditions were created for the soil-borne fungus that causes SDS.

Farmers throughout Latham service areas, including Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri and South Dakota, have been asking repeatedly, “What should I do?”

Although there isn’t anything you can do right now to minimize the severity of damage from SDS this season, there are multiple management practices you can employ to help ensure SDS doesn’t strike again in the future. Ways to avoid future SDS damage include:

  1. Crop rotation – Make sure you don’t plant beans-on-beans in fields that have been hit with SDS. Note fields where SDS is especially prevalent. Crop notes will help you plant a soybean brand with high SDS tolerance in those areas the next time you plant soybeans.
  2. Tillage – No-till practices allow soil to remain cooler and wetter longer, which can increase the severity of SDS. Tilling helps change soil conditions to be more adverse to SDS.
  3. Planting Date – Planting at a later date can help reduce the risk of SDS, as well.
  4. And Variety Selection – Variety selection is incredibly important. Choose soybeans brands that have high SDS tolerance. Latham® brands that have done very well in SDS-affected soils include the following:
    1. L2085R
    2. L2767R2
    3. L2987L
    4. L2648R2
    5. L2875R
    6. L3268R2

We will follow up with additional blogs on SDS this week. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about your own fields. Are you seeing SDS in your fields? If so, to what degree?