There are several factors to consider when managing soybean production in no-till conditions: variety selection, insect management, disease management, fertility management and weed management.
“Choosing a variety is the single most important decision a soybean producer can make to maximize yield,” says Aaron Saeugling, Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist. He also recommends that growers choose varieties that have the ability to excel in a given environment because no-till varieties requires more than just picking the highest yield variety in a seed plot.
As for fertility management, Saeugling says fall is the best time to build your farm’s fertility program. You need a quality soil sample for the basis of fertilizer. Click here to read Tuesday’s blog post for soil sampling guidelines.
For more tips on no-till soybean management read the complete article here.
Source: Iowa Soybean Association’s E-Gold Standard Newsletter.
It feels like I’ve been giving a play-by-play account of growing conditions across Latham Country for the past six months. We’ve covered everything from seed bed prep to SDS detection and fall harvest results. Most farmers across our six-state marketing area are finishing fieldwork and, now that temperatures have dropped, are applying anhydrous.(http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/press/cropAndWeather.asp)
The time is also right to focus one’s attention on next year’s seed needs. The following reports by Latham’s regional sales managers offer tips and insights on product performance in their areas. To view yield results in your area, visit www.lathamseeds.com.
Northwest Iowa
With harvest complete and most field work and fertilizer applications done, the only thing left is anhydrous ammonia application in Northwest Iowa. Applicators will be in full force this week as the weather continues to be favorable. Now it’s time to turn your attention to next year’s seed needs. Genuity® Roundup® Ready 2 Yield Soybeans jumped ahead of the pack, proving themselves as “the bean” to plant next year. There are many different corn hybrid options to fit your farming operation with equaled success. Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids with Genuity® VT3 TripleProTM provide an excellent package with late-season insect control. Latham hybrids with Agrisure® 3000GT have come on strong as well, offering Ignite® as an option for weed control. Visit www.lathamseeds.com to review yield data in your area.
Central Iowa
Bart Peterson says field work is nearly complete across North Central Iowa and anhydrous applications will be complete by the middle of next week. Field work is about 50% done in West Central Iowa and farmers are just starting to apply anhydrous there. Now is a great time to get your seed ordered for 2011. Many Latham® products will be in demand, so order now while quantities are strong. Below are Bart’s “top picks” for hybrid seed corn and soybeans in his territory.
Harvest is pretty much complete in the northern and central parts of Travis Slusher’s area with some corn left to be harvested in the southern part. The fall weather has provided many producers great conditions for fall tillage, along with a lot of tiling and terrace and waterway work being done. Much of the fall fertilizer has been applied. Farmers are beginning to apply NH3 as temperatures have dropped.
Central Iowa
Harvest, for the most part, is complete across Kevin Meyer’s area. Producers have taken advantage of one of the nicest falls in recent memory by catching up with some items that didn’t get done a year ago. Now is a good time to study crop notes and finish building a crop plan for 2011. Strong performance and a diverse line-up of Latham® products offer some great options for next year’s plan.
Wisconsin
A few soil samples are being pulled to see what nutrients will be needed for next year, and Wisconsin farmers are now applying fall fertilizer. They’re also cleaning up the equipment used during harvest, says Steve Bailie. Last week’s winds, reaching 50 miles per hour, caused problems for fields of corn that had not yet been harvested. Many growers who have corn remaining in their fields will have a few problems getting the corn fed into the heads of their combine.
South Dakota
Bill Eichacker says corn harvest in South Dakota should rap up this week. Many farmers are completing field tillage and fertilizer application is going strong.
Now that fall harvest is complete, it’s the perfect time to take a walk in your fields. A recent Wallaces Farmer reminds readers to collect soil samples (1) to determine whether soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) are present, and (2) to develop management strategies to control nematode numbers in those fields that are infested.
“The key to profitable long-term soybean production in SCN-infested fields is to prevent SCN from increasing,” says Greg Tylka, Extension nematologist at Iowa State University. Taking soil samples this fall can help save you money in the long run.
Soil Sampling Guidelines
The more soil cores collected and the smaller the area sampled, the more accurate the results will be.
Soil cores should be from the upper eight inches of soil.
If corn or some other non-host crop was last grown in the field, it doesn’t matter if soil cores are collected in the previous crop’s row.
Click here for the full list of soil sampling guidelines and to read the complete article.
The excitement continues for the Iowa State football team as the Cyclones captured another big “W” on Saturday against Kansas. It’s a great time to be a fan.
Last Thursday I posted about Latham’s sponsorship of the Locker Room Show. Hopefully, you got a chance to tune in after the game and listen to Coach Rhoads and the players recap their performance.
I was especially proud this season of ISU’s win over Texas. I can empathize with what it’s like to take the field as an underdog – at Latham, we compete against the “big dogs” every day. But just as ISU has proved, underdogs shouldn’t be underestimated. We continue to offer the broadest, deepest lineup of corn hybrids and soybean brands available in the marketplace. And that’s why the same sense of pride I had for ISU as they captured the win against the Longhorns is similar to the feeling I have when customers call in with winning results against our competition.
One of the things I enjoy most about being a parent is the opportunity to relive all of my favorite memories from my own childhood. When I think about “Halloween pasts,” I remember how much excitement I felt about choosing my costume and going trick-or-treating with my cousins. Each week I religiously read TV Guide to see when “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” was going to air and marked my calendar so I’d be sure not to miss it. And Halloween preparations also meant my mom and I would be busy in the kitchen.
Making “Great Pumpkin Cookies” became an annual tradition. This tradition lives on, and this week my son spent some time after school baking up these delicious holiday treats in my mom’s kitchen. Because they’re as fun to eat as they are to make, we’d like to share our treasured recipe with you. I’m also including the “Charlie Brown theme song” in case you need a little background music as you bake.
What are your family’s Halloween traditions?
P.S. While the cookies are baking, your aspiring artists can try their hand at making jack-o-lantern or Frankenstein luminaries. This also makes a great “rainy day” activity. Check out this Website for more ideas to fight boredom when kids are stuck inside: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/bored.htm#in
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT WITH HALLOWEEN LUMINARIES
Materials
Glass jar of any size
Paint brush or 1” foam brush
Tissue paper, cut into approximately ½” wide strips
Black and white construction paper (other colors as desired)
Paper maché paste or wallpaper paste
Electric candle
Instructions
Coat the jar with paste and smooth on tissue paper. Don’t worry about making all of the strips nice and neat; it actually makes a neat effect when strips are placed every which way. Cut out eyes, nose and mouth; adhere to jar with another coat of paste. Put on one final coat of paste, making sure all of the tissue strips are covered. You’ll see that we also used a glue gun to adhere bolts to Frankenstein’s head. Last fall my daughter and I made jack-o-lantern luminaries. For directions on how to make these, click here: http://www.craftideas.info/html/recycled_jar_pumpkin_b.html
As a proud Iowa State University alum and a die-hard Cyclone fan, I couldn’t be happier about the huge win the Iowa State football team had last week over their ranked opponent, Texas. (In fact, one of the biggest wins in school history!)
Email blast that was sent out to Cyclone fans after the big victory at Texas.
John and I both graduated from the College of Agriculture at ISU and are proud to support our team in any way we can. One way we support the Cyclones is by sponsoring the Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Locker Room Show, a post-game show where analysts, coaches and players share their thoughts about the game.
To keep the momentum going from the big win, you can vote for Coach Rhoads as Coach of the Year at www.coachoftheyear.com. (Note: You can vote daily!)
Cyclone fans will reunite this Saturday for ISU’s Homecoming. The Cyclones will be taking on Kansas with kickoff at 1 p.m. Be sure to tune in to Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds Locker Room Show following the big game! For a listing of which stations air the show, click here.
Which team will you be rooting for this weekend? Go Cyclones!
This year’s harvest is starting to wind down, the weekly weather and crop conditions survey released October 25 shows 86% of Iowa corn acres have been harvested, 35 days ahead of last year and 25 days ahead of the 5-year average. Soybean acres harvested are 97% complete, 24 days ahead of last year and 19 days ahead of the 5-year average. (Source: Wallaces Farmer)
A photo of a Latham test plot that I took while riding combines on Oct. 15.
South Central Iowa
Harvest is winding up across South Central Iowa, so many producers are doing fall tillage, tiling and fertilizing. Travis Slusher says gale-force winds this week will put corn that is still in the field under an extreme stand-ability test. Corn yields have been variable to say the least, but there have been some very good performances. Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids that did well in this area include LH 5645 3000GT, LH 6003 3000GT, LH 6032 RR, LH 6056 VT3, LH 6394 3000GT and LH 6598 VT3. Some of the standout soybean varieties in this area are L2735R2V, L2984R2, L3186R2, L3268R2 and L2987L.
Central Iowa
Kevin Meyer reports harvest is almost complete in his territory. Fall fertilizer and tillage is underway with fall anhydrous application set for the end of this week. Soybeans had a very good year, even with a strong presence of SDS in the area. Latham® Hi‑Tech SoybeansL2182R2 and L2440R2 performed very well against the competition with a 6 to 10-bushel advantage. New products in our soybean lineup, along with proven performance of the Roundup Ready brands, offers some great yield opportunities on soybean acres in 2011. Kevin’s customers saw strong performances from Latham® Hi‑Tech HybridsLH 5228 VT3, LH 5376 VT3 and LH 5494 3000GT; LH 5896 VT3 and LH 5877 VT3 PRO rounded out the season with great stalk strength and grain quality in the 108-day maturity. There was a big improvement in dry down and test weight from the 2010 as compared to 2009 crop.
Wisconsin
Steve Bailie reports most growers in his territory have finished their 2010 harvest of corn and beans. With higher yields, this year many bins are full so growers have had to take the remaining crop to the local elevator or to the river. It’s an inconvenience, but it’s not a bad problem to have, especially considering market price has been above average this fall. Corn yields this year were higher than in the past years. Steve was amazed by yields on hybrids with the Roundup Ready® trait next to the stacked hybrids. One hybrid that did particularly well in Wisconsin is Latham®LH 4999 RR, which has been pulling yields above 200 bu/A in many locations across the state. LathamLH 4999 RR is an amazing refuge corn choice for growers here. With wet, windy weather in the forecast this week, it’s a great time to finish crop planning and finalizing your 2011 seed purchases.
West Central Iowa
The northern region of Bart Peterson’s territory is done combing corn and soybeans. Field work is mostly done there, as well. Anhydrous is being applied. The western half of Bart’s territory has finished soybean harvest and 10 to 15% of the corn has yet to be combined.
Northwest Iowa
Big yields require replacement of fertilizer to ensure big yield opportunity for next year, says Tom Larson. Potash is the most over looked product when going from corn to soybeans. Consult with your fertilizer specialist about soybeans.
Northern Missouri
Rick Foster reports harvest is still moving along and was slowed a little this weekend with 1 inch of rain.
After receiving frequent and sometimes heavy rainfall through the month of the September, many farmers today are receiving the first measurable rainfall in the month of October. The warm, dry fall weather allowed many to finish harvesting all of their crops before they had even started harvesting corn in 2009. But after nearly 30 straight days of long hours in the field, many farmers are welcoming this opportunity to tackle their “rainy day” lists.
A very informal and unscientific survey that I conducted today reveals the following “top to dos” for farmers across Latham Country:
Repairing machinery;
Doing bookwork;
Napping;
Meeting with my Latham sales rep to finish crop plans; and
Ordering Latham® seeds for 2011 planting.
I can’t think of a better way to spend the day than meeting with your Latham rep to finish crop plans and getting your seed ordered while the supplies are good. (However, my opinion may be a bit biased!) Anyone who has seen the great results from Latham®L2440R2 knows this brand is going to be in high demand. One Latham customer near Odebolt figures this Latham® soybean brand will deliver $150 more per acre because it yielded 15 bushels better than his next best yielding variety. He achieved whole-field averages of 77 bu/A on an 80-acre field, 76 bu/A on a 110-acre field and 72 bu/A on a 48-acre field. Another Latham soybean brand, L2984R2, went 73 bu/A across a 142-acre field near Adel, Iowa, while Bob Quinn from WHO radio was riding in the combine. You can also check out other great soybean results online at https://lathamseeds.com/yield-results.cfm.
We’re also hearing some great reports on the performance of Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids. Recently, I rode in two different combines in northeast Iowa where our hybrids beat the competition by 30 bushels an acre. One Latham customer commented, “I just made an extra $200,000 with Latham. How can I afford to plant anything else?” For corn yield results, visit www.lathamseeds.com/yield-results.cfm.
What’s your favorite way to spend a rainy day? I absolutely love baking on rainy days. Stay tuned for my “Great Pumpkin” cookie recipe this Friday, along with some rainy day activities to keep little ones from getting bored when they’re cooped up inside.
Applying Recommended Nitrogen to Corn Maximizes Returns
Applying nitrogen to corn at recommended rates is critical to maximize economic returns, minimize environmental losses and conserve energy, says John Sawyer, ISU Extension soil fertility specialist and agronomy professor.
In an effort to increase awareness of farm energy conservation practices, Iowa State University Extension has released a publication titled, Energy Conservation in Corn Nitrogen Fertilization. This publication shows the energy consumed during the production of nitrogen versus phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. It also provides resources to determine recommended nitrogen application rates for corn, such as the online Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator from ISU’s Department of Agronomy.
More information, including a link to this Extension publication, is available today from Wallaces Farmer online. To view the entire article, click here.
I’m a big fan of the seeds covered with hard shells in all varieties — as a sundae topping, in baked goods, or simply by themselves! (You probably thought I was going to talk about how I’m a raving fan of Latham Seeds, eh? Instead I’m taking a break from promoting our company’s products to talk about nuts.)
National Nut Day is celebrated annually on Oct. 22. So, today I decided to devote a little time to studying this topic. I learned that people around the globe are encouraged to celebrate National Nut Day by eating large quantities of baked goods, nuts or snacks. Any holiday that encourages you to eat baked goods is worth celebrating.
