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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Tests Underway with Climate Nitrogen Advisor

Nitrogen is mobile in air, water or soil. Because nitrogen moves, it’s a challenge for farmers to keep everything in balance while maintaining profitability. That’s probably why we hear so much about “precise nitrogen management.”

It seems like everyday we hear about a different way to best manage nitrogen. Universities have moved from the long accustomed Yield Goal approach to Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN), which links corn and nitrogen prices to calculate the best nitrogen rate based on years of data. The objective is to provide a yield increase that will pay for the cost of the nitrogen. Another nitrogen management method involves applying some nitrogen before planting to get the corn started. Then soil or plant tissue samples are taken to determine plant nitrogen levels and to estimate how much nitrogen will be available in the soil for the remainder of the season.

Yet another nitrogen management tool is sensor technology, which uses artificial light to capture on-the-go leaf reflectance and translates that into values to calculate a product rate for on the-go nitrogen side-dress applications. The Nitrogen Advisor tool available through the Climate FieldView™ (CFV) platform combines extensive weather data with rainfall and temperature information to understand leaching, volatilization or other ways nitrogen may be lost based on timing of application, product being applied, and rates being applied. This sounds very familiar to the 4 R’s of nutrient management: Right Rate, Right Source, Right Placement, and Right Timing.

The CFV Nitrogen Advisor is based on a model that has been extensively researched throughout the Midwest. Last winter the Iowa Soybean Association released its research, which included replicated trials using the CFV Nitrogen Advisor. Cooperating farmers across Iowa ran the CFV Nitrogen Advisor and used their own personal nitrogen rates as the check. They compared their rates with both adding and decreasing rates of 40 lbs/acre of nitrogen. Nitrogen Advisor topped 7 of the 10 trials, and in some of these trials, it led to $20/acre profit! Where Nitrogen Advisor wasn’t on top, it was within $10/acre in terms of profit of the top performer.

When profit margins are tight, we’re all extremely interested in getting the best return on our investment. Nitrogen is where we spend most of our fertility budget; we’re experimenting on the Latham Research Farm with the Climate Nitrogen Advisor this season. I invite you to attend our fall field day in Alexander where you will be able to walk through the plot. We’ll also be sharing research results at our post-harvest meetings this fall.

Phil Long

June 26, 2018

Agronomics, General, Precision Ag
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Tests Underway with Climate Nitrogen Advisor

Nitrogen is mobile in air, water or soil. Because nitrogen moves, it’s a challenge for farmers to keep everything in balance while maintaining profitability. That’s probably why we hear so much about “precise nitrogen management.”

It seems like everyday we hear about a different way to best manage nitrogen. Universities have moved from the long accustomed Yield Goal approach to Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN), which links corn and nitrogen prices to calculate the best nitrogen rate based on years of data. The objective is to provide a yield increase that will pay for the cost of the nitrogen. Another nitrogen management method involves applying some nitrogen before planting to get the corn started. Then soil or plant tissue samples are taken to determine plant nitrogen levels and to estimate how much nitrogen will be available in the soil for the remainder of the season.

Yet another nitrogen management tool is sensor technology, which uses artificial light to capture on-the-go leaf reflectance and translates that into values to calculate a product rate for on the-go nitrogen side-dress applications. The Nitrogen Advisor tool available through the Climate FieldView™ (CFV) platform combines extensive weather data with rainfall and temperature information to understand leaching, volatilization or other ways nitrogen may be lost based on timing of application, product being applied, and rates being applied. This sounds very familiar to the 4 R’s of nutrient management: Right Rate, Right Source, Right Placement, and Right Timing.

The CFV Nitrogen Advisor is based on a model that has been extensively researched throughout the Midwest. Last winter the Iowa Soybean Association released its research, which included replicated trials using the CFV Nitrogen Advisor. Cooperating farmers across Iowa ran the CFV Nitrogen Advisor and used their own personal nitrogen rates as the check. They compared their rates with both adding and decreasing rates of 40 lbs/acre of nitrogen. Nitrogen Advisor topped 7 of the 10 trials, and in some of these trials, it led to $20/acre profit! Where Nitrogen Advisor wasn’t on top, it was within $10/acre in terms of profit of the top performer.

When profit margins are tight, we’re all extremely interested in getting the best return on our investment. Nitrogen is where we spend most of our fertility budget; we’re experimenting on the Latham Research Farm with the Climate Nitrogen Advisor this season. I invite you to attend our fall field day in Alexander where you will be able to walk through the plot. We’ll also be sharing research results at our post-harvest meetings this fall.

Webspec Admin

June 26, 2018

Agronomics, General, Precision Ag
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

FB Live: Dissecting a Corn Plant

Tune in as we dissect a corn plant at its current stage on Ask the Agronomist!

FB Live Video: https://www.facebook.com/LathamSeeds/videos/10156497920517138/

Webspec Admin

June 21, 2018

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Corn, Crop, General, Growth Stages
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Quick Tips for Assessing Soybean Stands

The spring of 2018 will be remembered for too much rain and cold temperatures, which all contributed to one of the most challenging planting seasons in recent history. Farmers were concerned about getting their seed in the ground early enough to capture full yield potential, but one must take more than planting date into consideration. Soil conditions at the time of planting and the short-term weather forecast also play an important role in germination and emergence, as many were reminded when they saw poor emergence and weak stands.

With this in mind, the following guidelines will help you evaluate soybean stands and determine whether re-planting is necessary:

» PLANTING DATE: In a five-year study completed by Latham’s research team across multiple states, there was no significant yield difference between soybeans planted before May 15. We evaluated planting dates of late April and early May to mid-May. Planting on or before June 1 averaged 95% of expected yield. In fact, yields didn’t drop to the 85% and lower range until soybeans were planted after June 15. These results compare very closely to similar studies done by university researchers throughout our trade territory.

» PLANT POPULATION: Soybean stands can suffer from a wide variety of problems that will reduce population: hail, disease, insects, cold soil temps at planting time, compaction and planter failures. The biggest problem we find is that stand reductions almost never occur evenly across the field, so farmers must be diligent in scouting their fields and take the necessary time to evaluate their stands properly.

I recommend taking 10 stand counts in the area with the worst damage and 10 counts in the part of the field that was not affected or affected just slightly. At each point, measure off 10 feet of row and count the number of live, viable plants. You can take the average of your 10 points and compare them to the table on Page 3 to see how many plants per acre you have remaining.

A stand of 100,000 evenly distributed plants generally gives you optimum yield. Remember that as the growing season progresses, it is much more difficult to establish a good stand of soybeans. This means you might be better off leaving a stand of 75,000 plants on July 1 rather than trying to establish a new population. A stand of 75,000 on May 15, however, seems very inadequate and would warrant replanting.

Evaluating your stands early will help you identify concerns while there is still time to remedy the situation. If you have questions on evaluating your soybean stands, feel free to contact me or Phil Long.

Webspec Admin

June 19, 2018

Agronomics, Crop, General, Growth Stages, Soybeans
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

FB LIVE: Pros & Cons of Rolling

Is rolling your fields the best option? Tune in to here the pros and cons of rolling.

FB Live Link: https://www.facebook.com/LathamSeeds/videos/10156478876747138/

Laura Cunningham

June 14, 2018

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, Emergence, General

Ask the Agronomist, From the Field, Rolling
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

FB Live: Volunteer Corn

Tune in to our 50th episode of Ask the Agronomist as we discuss the impacts of volunteer corn!

Facebook Live Link: https://www.facebook.com/LathamSeeds/videos/10156461584057138/

Laura Cunningham

June 7, 2018

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, General, Weed Control

50th episode, Ask the Agronomist, From the Field, volunteer corn
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

FB Live: Volunteer Corn

Tune in to our 50th episode of Ask the Agronomist as we discuss the impacts of volunteer corn!

Facebook Live Link: https://www.facebook.com/LathamSeeds/videos/10156461584057138/

Webspec Admin

June 7, 2018

#AskTheAgronomist, Agronomics, General, Weed Control
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Adjust Fertilizer Applications to Meet Crop Needs

As spring turns into early summer, our focus turns from getting the crop planted to keeping it clean and healthy. Mother Nature has made it challenging to put down timely applications of herbicides, fertilizer and micronutrients this year.

Information gathered from several places helps us determine whether our growing crop will have enough food to reach its full yield potential:

1. Pre-planting soil tests.
Soil tests, taken in the fall or early spring, are used to see what is available for plants to uptake during the growing season.

2. Fertilizer applied at planting time.
A general broadcast application of N-P-K with or without micronutrients and a starter fertilizer is usually put down at planting time. Some planters also have the ability to apply micronutrients.

3. Current field information.
Random soil tests can verify if the nutrients previously applied were lost due to a weather event. These tests also indicate if there’s a proper balance of micro- and macronutrients. Some folks believe an early tissue test can reveal if micronutrients are lacking for early crop growth. I prefer to take tissue samples after a plant’s root system is totally developed to reflect the value of N-P-K.

With this information, we can make fertilizer adjustments to balance the crop’s needs and adjust application based on anticipated corn yields. This allows us to apply what is needed without over applications. This saves money and helps avoid nutrient runoff and waste.

Latham’s Seed-2-Soil® program can help with (1) nutrient management; (2) FieldXField TM crop planning; (3) seed treatments and (4) agronomics. Learn more at LathamSeeds.com or by calling 1.877.GO.LATHAM (1.877.465.2842).

Webspec Admin

June 5, 2018

Agronomics, Fertility, General
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

Ways to Benefit from the Climate FieldView™ Cab App

“Hindsight is 20/20” is a phrase what we’ve all used. If we’re using our precision technology in the tractor cab, however, it’s a phrase that we shouldn’t have to use at planting time.

The Climate Fieldview™ (CFV) Cab App allows you to see everything that’s happening during planting, so you can decrease the number of issues you will have to re-live during harvest. Having Climate FieldView software in the cab is so beneficial. On most monitors, you can typically see planting population, seed spacing, doubles and skips, and downforce. Depending on your planter and planter monitor, you may see a few more or a few less diagnostic readouts. The one thing missing is the map unless you have CFV’s Cab App.

Using the CFV Cab App, you can see different readouts in a map form on an iPad. It’s extremely helpful to see color changes, but the CFV Cab App has much more power and function than just a few color maps. For those of us who like to analyze in real-time to make sure we’re making the most of the current planting season, a planting summary
report shows how many acres of each hybrid or variety has been planted. It also tells you the number of acres you have planted, so you can calculate the amount of seed needed to finish that field.

Another benefit of the CVF Cab App is that you can drop a pin in a spot where you noticed a tile blowout or a hard spot in the field that needs some extra tillage next fall. You can also create on-farm tests on the fly with the Cab App. You may see a spot in the field that you want to monitor; simply draw a “field region” polygon around that spot. You’ll get yield analysis specifically within that area, so you can watch it throughout the season.

Also remember to input starter fertilizer or seed treatments in the CVF Cab App. If you’re applying a little extra, track those areas and see if you get a return. You also can map seed treatments that were applied to each variety/hybrid. On the starter fertilizer side, the CFV platform allows you to write a variable rate starter fertilizer prescription to match various populations within a field.

One final valuable feature of the CFV Cab App that I’ll cover here is the ability to send a summary or quick report with a map. You can send a map to your crop adviser or your landlord to keep them updated and/or engaged in what you’re doing. You even have the ability for a split-screen view, so you can place a soil map next to your population map. Doing so may help you make changes on the fly.

There are more valuable features in the CFV Cab App than I can mention in one article. If this is something that could benefit your operation or your customers’ operations, give me a call. I’ll gladly sit down and look at how the CFV Cab App could be used to benefit your particular situation and operation.

Webspec Admin

May 22, 2018

Agronomics, Precision Ag
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds

How to Troubleshoot Issues with Precision Ag Equipment

Technology is so exciting when your prescription file (Rx) uploads to the monitor, when your planter runs smoothly, and when planting rates change by zone.

The primary reason we implement new technology is for convenience. However, there are few things more frustrating than not being able to reach tech support when you have an issue with your precision ag software or hardware. That’s why in this article we’re providing you with a list of resources to help resolve issues that might arise.

Your equipment dealer should be your first call if he or she sold you precision ag monitors or hardware for your equipment. They can typically walk through some diagnostics over the phone. Climate FieldView™ (CFV) also has an excellent staff on call at 1-888-924-7475. These staff members are trained to diagnose issues with CFV and the Cab Drive, as well as how to navigate through different monitors.

Smartphones are another useful resource. Climate has excellent resources online, including a YouTube channel with “how to” videos that demonstrate how to import and export data. These videos also demonstrate other important tasks for planting season. In addition, Climate’s “Knowledge Center” is the best place to find helpful videos, information, and PDF reports that you can print and keep in the tractor cab for future reference.

Another unique feature of the CFV platform is the “remote view,” which allows you to give permission for someone to see your iPad screen and troubleshoot in real time. This could help you diagnose a planter problem, such as issues with singulation or seed spacing. Remote View also may be used to load Rx planting file. Another benefit of this feature is that someone can see the field where you’re working and how much ground you have left, so he or she knows when to bring seed to the next field.

Unless your precision ag equipment is working properly, the value is lost. Sometimes farmers decide to keep planting without taking the time to record the data or without making the time to ensure the data is being properly recorded. Remember, the data you’re collecting can only bring so much value to your operation. Garbage in equals garbage out!

Think of precision ag equipment like the other equipment you fix on your farm. The technology in your cab is really another tool that can provide you with valuable insight. If you are interested in understanding how your data can impact your bottom line, call your Latham RSM to schedule a Cab Drive demo this spring in your planter.

Webspec Admin

May 1, 2018

Precision Ag, Tech Tuesday