Monthly Archives: September 2010

From the FieldTo Till or Not to Till…

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It’s that time of year when farmers think about fall field operations. A recent “Wallaces Farmer” article addresses whether or not fall tillage is needed and the difference between fall and spring tillage.

Iowa State University Extension soil management specialist Mahdi Al-Kaisi and his colleague, ISU Extension ag engineer Mark Hanna, provide tips to help farmers decide if fall tillage or spring tillage best fits their operation. When making a tillage decision, these two experts advise farmers to take two things into account: soil conditions and soil management. “These two considerations are critical to achieving the intended results of any tillage system,” said Al Kaisi and Hanna.

They further note that deciding when to till is also dictated by many factors that are not easy to control, including soil moisture conditions and soil temperature. “These two factors can have significant impact on soil fracturing, tillage depth, clod size and level of soil compaction,” said Al Kaisi and Hanna.

For more tips and guidelines, read the complete article here:

http://www.wallacesfarmer.com/story.aspx/fall/versus/spring/tillage/which/is/better/9/42327

From the FieldNew Seed Technologies Are Proving Their Worth

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Northwest Iowa

Harvest is slowly resuming after last week’s rainfall, says Tom Larson. Parts of northern Iowa received up to 12 inches of precipitation. Early reports show Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 (RR2) Yield Soybeans are dominating. One customer, who farms near Osage, called to report his Latham® L2440R2 averaged 71 bushel per acre (b/A). The first corn fields are also being harvested, and Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH5896 VT3 is rising to the top again. As you harvest your crop, be in touch with your Latham rep to get started on next year’s success.

South Central Iowa

Travis Slusher says yesterday is the first time since last Friday that farmers were able to get in the fields due to high rainfall amounts. He rode a combine yesterday while Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH6068 VT3 was being harvested. The plant health was exceptional with yields in the 180-bushel range, which is in the top end for that farmer. Stalk rot still needs to be watched closely as there are areas that are starting to show the effects of this, so corn growers need to manage this and try to harvest those areas as soon as possible.

How to Detect Stalk Rot

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West Central Iowa

Soybeans are ready to combine in Bart Peterson’s territory, and area farmers started hitting it hard yesterday as the soil dried enough for them to resume harvest. West Central Iowa is 5% done combing beans and about 10% done with corn. West Central Iowa will have one of its highest yielding bean years as plants have a lot of nodes and a lot of pods. Watch out for RR2: they’re going to prove their worth this year!

East Central Iowa

More corn has been harvested than soybeans in Brad Beatty’s area. Because of recent rainfall, the soybeans need some sunshine and warmer temps to dry them. Soybean harvest is expected to pick up this week. Those fields that have been harvested show the soybeans yielding about five bushels better than last year.

Wisconsin

During the last couple of days, a lot of soybeans are being harvested in Wisconsin. Many growers are seeing a yield bump from Latham® soybeans with the Genuity® RR2Y technology, says Steve Bailie. In a plot harvested Monday in South Central Wisconsin, Latham’s L2084R2 topped the plot with 71.4 b/A. A little corn was also harvested this past week; yields as high as 260 b/A are being reported in well-drained soils. There is talk that fertilizer prices will follow the corn and bean prices, so Steve says it might be a good idea to talk with your fertilizer supplier to see whether you can lock in prices for next year.

Northeast Iowa

Nick Benson reports things are moving fast in the northeast corner of Iowa. As yield results roll in, Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH5426 VT3 Pro and Latham® Hi-Tech Soybeans L2440 RR2 are showing very well. Picking and choosing which fields to harvest first will continue to be a very important management decision as stalk rot takes hold in fields. With the tremendous amount of pods on soybean plants, lodging will start to be a concern.

Central Iowa

It’s been a wet week in central Iowa, says Kevin Meyer. Fortunately, there was no flooding and some harvest activity took place in between showers. Corn yields remain good with field moistures around 18 to 20%. Early hybrid plot data shows strong performances from LH5376 VT3, LH5494 3000GT, and LH5896 VT3.

Missouri

Cropping is going slow in the south, says Rick Foster. His area received another 1 to 3 inches of rain over the past two nights.

From the FieldAgvocating: It’s harder to say than do

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When I first heard people saying the word, “Agvocate,” I tried repeating it and realized it’s not an easy word to say. But here’s the good news: it’s much harder to say “agvocate” than it is to be an agvocate. 

The word agvocate was coined by Mike Haley, a fifth generation Ohio farmer, and it’s become a movement that has been fun and inspiring to watch. It’s never been more important for those of us involved in food production to tell the story of modern agriculture - to remind people that a modern farm is still, almost always, a family farm. Greater understanding is accomplished when farmers share with their “urban neighbors” how food is grown, the number of hours it takes and the labor required, as well as the heart and soul that goes into producing food for the world.

Agvocating has been an amazing movement to watch thus far. If you’re ready to become a part of it, I urge you to get involved. Sign up for Twitter, share the story of your farm on a family blog, or simply remember to talk about the importance of modern day food production and agriculture with neighbors and community members.

Here’s a great resource for getting started: http://agchat.org/2010/09/why-would-a-farmer-want-to-blog.html.

Also, check out this link to a great video creating by the Ag Chat foundation that shares some interesting information about just how much agriculture does for our world today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYoADgvJgE4

How are you agvocating?