The season of winter meetings is coming to a close. Hopefully, there will not be too much of an intermission till #plant13. (for those that don't know, that is a #hashtag. There will be a Twitter post in the near future)
I thought I would share a few of the random tidbits that I learned at the various meetings I attended winter.
*Earthworms exude nitrates or ammonia depending on the soil conditions.
*The Brassica family is like "Red Bull" for soil organisms. When planted as a cover crop, the population and activity of soil organisms greatly increases.
*Have a dandelion problem in your field? You probably have excess Potassium levels.
*Faba Beans are cold tolerant and takes the heat, watch for them in Ontario soon as a cover crop or a niche crop.
*Oat residues can inhibit the germination of certain fungal scarlatina
*by including wheat and clover in a Corn-Soy-Wheat rotation over a C-S-C-S rotation you will see a 5% increase in corn yield, 8% increase in soys. Use Red Clover with the wheat and get another 4.5% in corn yield.
*we often forget that the LibertyLink gene is also part of some corn hybrids. In the fight against glyphosate resistance don't forget this potential option for weed control (just check to be sure your hybrid has the trait before heading to the field with a tank full).
*Pioneer has some great R5 products coming down the pipe this year. More info to follow!
*A corn plant can "see" any other green living plant with in 8cm of it. I know I already posted a blog about that but I find this research very cool!
*Pioneer has their own YouTube channel. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/PioneerHB Check it out for videos about topics like research, products, equipment set up and agronomy.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
What a Difference a Year Makes
I spent St. Patrick's Day 2012 on the beach in Grand Bend with my family. We played in the sand, ate ice cream and enjoyed the sunny 25C weather.
Just a little different this year! The corn seed is still waiting to be sorted, no planters have been dragged out yet, and the snow blowers are still ready to use.
Is this more normal spring weather a bad thing compared to last year?
The earliest corn I heard about for 2012 was planted March 20th in northern Huron county. It took a few hard frosts, lost some population due to cold emergence issues but in the end the yield reductions were not as large as I would have thought. Compared to April 12th planting, hybrid A at 198bus/ac lost 42 bus and hybrid B at 160bus/ac lost 73 bus. An interesting experiment for when the weather allows but it shows that mid April planting in the right conditions is the right choice.
In the same area, there were soys planted March 22, In yield, the reverse occurred. At 64.9 bus/ac the March planted soys were 2.4 bus better. Should we plant our soys before our corn? I don't think so but the results do show that you should be trying to get those soys in as early as possible. The larger the soybean plant by flowering (the end of June), the more potential yield.
One plus of this more normal spring is the snow cover and cold. Last years mild winter and early spring gave the advantage to the bugs in 2012. Hopefully, between the more normal weather and the cycle of damage causing insects and beneficial insects we should be in for a few less insecticide treated acres in 2013.
So, as this east wind blows and we expect another 5cm of snow and freezing rain today - relax - it's not April yet.
Just a little different this year! The corn seed is still waiting to be sorted, no planters have been dragged out yet, and the snow blowers are still ready to use.
Is this more normal spring weather a bad thing compared to last year?
The earliest corn I heard about for 2012 was planted March 20th in northern Huron county. It took a few hard frosts, lost some population due to cold emergence issues but in the end the yield reductions were not as large as I would have thought. Compared to April 12th planting, hybrid A at 198bus/ac lost 42 bus and hybrid B at 160bus/ac lost 73 bus. An interesting experiment for when the weather allows but it shows that mid April planting in the right conditions is the right choice.
In the same area, there were soys planted March 22, In yield, the reverse occurred. At 64.9 bus/ac the March planted soys were 2.4 bus better. Should we plant our soys before our corn? I don't think so but the results do show that you should be trying to get those soys in as early as possible. The larger the soybean plant by flowering (the end of June), the more potential yield.
One plus of this more normal spring is the snow cover and cold. Last years mild winter and early spring gave the advantage to the bugs in 2012. Hopefully, between the more normal weather and the cycle of damage causing insects and beneficial insects we should be in for a few less insecticide treated acres in 2013.
So, as this east wind blows and we expect another 5cm of snow and freezing rain today - relax - it's not April yet.
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