Agronomy News

Danville Co-op Agronomy News - Sept 2010

As of this writing, the areas' corn crop is all but in the bin.  The Danville Co-op has completed the harvest of the corn plots in our area and the results of the plots are available at most locations.  It was surprising to note that this years' weather really indicated those corn hybrids that were able to stand the heat, a little less rainfall and the ability to pollinate under adverse conditions.  Some would say that this years' weather is typical for this area.  And the winners are.................  Again, if you're interested in corn production, you can get copies of the test plot results from your local elevator location or from Ron by request.

We wish to thank you for your seed business this year!  Our seed business has picked-up a lot thanks to your patronage.  We look forward to serving your seed needs again next year.  The row crop selling season will be starting soon.  There are big discounts available for seed ordered early.  Also keep in mind, we will have wheat seed available upon request.  Let us know how we can help you!

Let us give you a tip on soybean inoculants for your first soybean crop.  Since the bacteria (rhizobia) are not common to our soils that trigger nitrogen production, and you are considering double-crop soybean planting after wheat, it may be a big advantage to apply soybean inoculants to your wheat seed and allow the bacteria to build a population in the soil before the soil temperature gets cold.  The inoculums will over-winter and will pre-inoculate your ground for your "first soybean crop".

I have talked in past newsletters about  our new ability to do variable rate fertilizers and also to do the soil testing that enables us to do precision agriculture.  This is not new technology, however is now very affordable.  Where this technology becomes important to you is in the application of liming products and the ability to correct deficiencies in soils that are variable.  For instance, recently we did a grid sample on a piece of ground that was fairly flat and didn't seem like there was much difference in soil type or nutrient levels, only to find out that the over-all lime recommendation varied between 0-7 tons of lime and that the phosphate levels were varied between 10 ppm to 40 ppm.  The potassium values went from no recommendation to a very low value.  We could actually find the limiting factors in crop production.  Along with harvest yield information, which we can overlay on soil maps, we can glean even more information on what can be the limiting factors in production.  If we can save you some money on liming material (put the right amount in the right place) or in nutrients, wouldn't it be worth it to learn more about how this is possible and what the cost of the analysis might be?

Thanks Again!   Ron Kenney  (620) 840-1104