Phil Long, precision agronomy advisor, is scouting in the corn field. He highlights unique characteristics you could see with corn rootworm damage. You may be looking for the wrong thing!
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
#AsktheAgronimst – Corn Rootworm
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
Plant Cereal Rye and Skip Pre-Emergence Herbicide
Phil Long, Precision Agronomy Advisor At Latham Hi Tech Seeds, we take pride in providing all the options for soybean herbicide traits. Each of these traits has its place, but there is only one product that I’ve seen prevent tough weeds like water hemp from even getting started.
Cereal rye used as a cover crop before soybeans eliminates early season weed growth without a pre-emergence herbicide. Allelopathic chemicals released by the cereal rye roots suppress growth of many challenging broadleaf weeds. This effect will eventually wear off, but mulch can continue to inhibit germination of light-sensitive weed seed.
If you’re using cereal rye to reduce weeds in soybean fields, it will be more beneficial to have seeding rates closer to a bushel per acre. Also use a guaranteed seeding method, such as a drill or vertical tillage tool, for an even stand to get adequate seed-to-soil contact.
Cereal rye adds more value than early season weed control. It can slow erosion, hold onto nutrients, break up compaction with its fibrous root system, increase the amount of water soil can hold during heavy rain events and provide food all winter long for the forgotten microbe population in your soil. This is the benefit of adding just one cover crop to your corn-soybean rotation!
In the Latham Premier Agronomy Center, our long-term plots provide tips for incorporating cover crops into your operation. This spring we planted earlier hybrids and varieties, so we can more easily establish cover crops this fall. You wouldn’t need to do this on every field, but it could extend your seeding window of opportunity and help you get that task done before you fully get into harvest.
Mark your calendars for Sept 8th to attend the unveiling of our Premiere Agronomy Center and to learn more about the practices we’re incorporating to help make cover crops work with our corn-soybean rotation!
Latham Hi‑Tech Seed’s Premier Agronomy Center -
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
Latham’s Premier Agronomy Center Opens for Tours
Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ Premier Agronomy Center at our company headquarters in North Iowa provides us with opportunities to collect data on real-world challenges. It also provides us with an opportunity to talk about the exciting new Latham® products, as well as management practices, that help you raise more bushels. This year we have 18 different plots (10 corn and 8 soybean) to demonstrate different techniques.
Interested in seeing Latham’s Premier Agronomy Center? Plan a visit! Latham Dealers are encouraged to make arrangements with their regional sales manager (RSM), so they can bring their customers throughout the growing season. We will be open for public tours on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 4 p.m.
Here’s what you can see inside Latham’s Premier Agronomy Center… As you drive west on 180th Street in Alexander, Iowa, you will see our Latham Showcase plots featuring our top corn and soybean products. Next to that are corn and soybean seed treatment demonstration plots. I also planted my hybrid stress research up front. Twenty different Latham hybrids were planted from 22,000 to 36,000 plants per acre, so we can pinpoint when each hybrid flexes and how we can better manage them in-season.
The second tier of plots contains high-yield plots (corn/beans) where we “throw the kitchen sink at it,” so to speak, to try to add some extra bushels. Our soybean Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC) plot uses tactics like in-furrow chelated iron products with increasing population to overcome the challenges IDC can bring. We have a silage demonstration plot with a planting date demonstration. You’ll also see a sneak peak of Latham’s corn breeding program alongside some great observation plots featuring planting depth.
The third tier of plots are “long-term plots” that include cover crops, no-till and continuous corn. These practices come with many challenges, so we have several different products/treatments including in-furrow fertilizer, biologicals, in-furrow fungicide, and biological products for providing nitrogen to corn. We also have included herbicide demonstrations, showing how cover crops can increase water infiltration during pounding rains, as well as also reduce herbicide costs and improve weed control in soybeans.
All growing season long we’re providing opportunities to learn from our demonstrations in the Premier Agronomy Center. Follow @LathamSeeds on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. We share our weekly “Ask the Agronomist” videos, as well as season-specific information.
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
Summer Fertilizer Increases Alfalfa Winterhardiness
Core Catt, Forage Product Manager With everything from groceries to gas on the rise, we understand the need to question whether expenses are necessary or justifiable. Below is information to support why fertilizing alfalfa in summer and applying fungicide to silage hybrids warrants your attention.
Fertilizing alfalfa in the summer helps fill the cellular gas tank of the plant’s crown, which helps increase its yield potential for the current growing season, as well as increases its potential for winterhardiness. All alfalfa benefits from in-season fertility, regardless of cutting schedule or strategy.
Summer seeding is fast approaching. July 20 through August 1 are key seeding dates for Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ northern territory, which includes North Dakota, as well as northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. August 1-15 is the range of recommended alfalfa seeding dates for southern Minnesota and southern Wisconsin while most alfalfa growers in Iowa typically seed in mid-August. Look at this graph.
Sourced from University of Wisconsin – Extension Due to our late spring, many Midwest alfalfa growers have moved seeding alfalfa to this fall. The success of fall seeding depends on moisture. It’s important that alfalfa germinates quickly, develops a crown, and builds enough crown carbohydrates to overwinter.
Latham® AlfaShieldTM is a great seed treatment to help facilitate quick emergence. Think of AlfaShield as wrapping your alfalfa seed in a sponge. It helps protect the fragile germ of the seed. It also helps draw moisture to the seed, which is particularly important when seeding into moisture-stressed soils. Summers-seeded alfalfa is up against the time clock; approximately four to six weeks of significant growth needed to develop the crown before frost. The 2022 and 2023 Latham product guides include a dry matter (DM) ton advantage of AlfaShield compared to the old industry standard. AlfaShield has a bigger advantage in moisture-stressed soils.
Summer Considerations for Corn Silage
When I walk fields and test plots in the fall, I note a hybrid’s stay-green ability. I believe this observation relates to plant health. Healthy plants tend to have a lower probability of developing infection, which can create the environment for molds and mycotoxins to grow. Fungicide application promotes plant health and can boost yield and corn silage quality. Healthy, dark green, disease-free leaves are like solar panels capturing more sunlight for more photosynthesis. Healthy leaves also build more yield, as well as reduce chances for mold and mycotoxins to develop.
There are a variety of fungicides to select from, all of which inspire improved plant health. I have the most experience with BASF fungicide corn silage research relating to improved corn silage tonnage and forage quality. Several of the studies have resulted in two to three more tons of corn silage per acre plus the potential of reduced molds and mycotoxins is encouraging. With current commodity prices, that’s around an extra $140 to $210/acre in corn silage tonnage!
Investing fungicide is worth consideration for livestock producers, who raise their own forages. Molds and mycotoxins can be more challenging to quantify. When fed to livestock, however, they can severely impair animal performance. In severe instances, it can lead to mortality.
Feel free to contact your local Latham rep with any questions about summer fertilizing or fungicide application. You’re also welcome to email me at coreyc@lathamseeds.com. I’m always happy to visit with Midwest farmers who are interested in raising better meat, milk and eggs!
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
Tissue Test for Better Yields
Phil Long is in the field this week looking at the rapid growth phase of corn. He also shares what to scout for this time of year and how to send in a proper tissue test. Check out the video or read the article below to learn more.
With current input and commodity prices, we must get the most from each crop. To help your crop reach its potential, start with fertility. Regular soil tests are great, but the next step is in-season tissue testing.
Tissue testing supplements your soil test. You shouldn’t take a tissue test without a current soil test in hand. Once you take the tissue test, compare it to your soil test. See where the two tests match. Then make plans to address those needs either this season or next season.
Tissue testing every two weeks shows how your crop is developing throughout the season. If you only can tissue test once or twice, I recommend pulling a sample early (V4 for corn or soybeans) and before grain fill (R1 for corn and R3 for soybeans). This will give you a good understanding of what needs are not being met during crucial development stages.
Here are some tips on how to use tissue testing to your advantage this season:
- Sample whole plant (above ground) when shorter than eight inches. Once a plant gets to reproduction, use the leaf below and opposite the ear leaf for corn. For soybeans, use the most recently matured leaf (usually the 2nd or 3rd leaf from top of the plant). Take at least 15 leaves/plants per sample.
- Take multiple samples to compare locations in the field and to look for consistencies. If you are looking at a trouble spot, be sure to also take a sample from a good spot in the field. Send samples in a breathable bag (not a plastic Ziploc bag), or your results may not be good.
- Compare back to your soil test. Keep environmental conditions in mind at the time of sampling. Most labs will categorize the nutrient levels based on what growth stage the plant was in when sampled. Tissue testing is like taking your temperature; the tissue test can reveal consistencies in a field that must be addressed to break that next yield barrier.
Check out other corn videos and articles on The Field Position.
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
Alfalfa Threats
Corey Catt, Forage Product Manager Like other crops, high-quality alfalfa is commanding a good price. Strong market prices can change the economic thresholds, making it easier to justify investing in pest control. Below are some charts to help guide you.
Many insects can damage alfalfa, so it’s important to build a plan that keeps alfalfa healthy. Insects can damage the plant so much that the plant can acquire a disease and die.
Each alfalfa plant is like a factory. Crop scouting, spraying and fertilizing is like providing critical maintenance to keep the factory operating efficiently, as well as to optimize yield and quality.
Controlling alfalfa insects generally involves two things: (1) spraying insecticide; and (2) cutting alfalfa early. Check out these two articles for more insight.
Alfalfa insects: What to look for and how to scout
Check out other alfalfa articles and videos from our experts.
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
#AsktheAgronomist – Tough Start
It’s been a tough start to the 2022 season with delayed planting and cool weather. Phil Long, precision agronomy advisor, unpacks GDUs across Latham Country and when corn and soybean stands will really take off. Check out more agronomy videos.
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
#AsktheAgronomist – Stand Count
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
#AsktheAgronomist – Emergence
Precision Agronomy Advisor, Phil Long, brings us an update from the field. He shares what to keep an eye on with this late spring and how emergence may be quicker than normal.
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Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds
#AsktheAgronomist – Spring Tillage
Phil Long, precision agronomy advisor, breaks down spring tillage and when to know if the field is ‘fit.’ It’s been a challenging spring, but there is still plenty of time to get the crop in safely and efficiently! Subscribe to Latham’s YouTube Channel today!
