CROPS
Agronomy 2006, the year in review
BY Dr. Paul Tracy
Many forage and wheat growing areas had inadequate spring moisture, which resulted in very low feed stocks going into this winter. MFA’s feed division has designed a very good program for helping our growers make it through this tough time period.
Fortunately, some fall moisture has occurred and our groundwater resources have become partially recharged. However, most of our region is still holding at double-digits in inches of moisture deficit and needs above-average rainfall this winter.
This situation actually lends itself to those who have planned pasture renovation or at least introduction of legumes through winter frost seeding. If you are interested in pasture renovation, graze or clip pastures as low as possible to provide the best potential for frost seeding success. For those not reseeding stressed pastures, be prepared to employ an aggressive weed control program in 2007.
I recommend a kill-smother-kill approach to pasture renovation, using a summer annual forage smother crop followed by reseeding of the perennial forage crop next fall. This allows time for good seedbed preparation, weed control and fertility management.
High input prices in 2006 caused many producers to cut back on fertilizer usage, especially phosphorus and potassium. To maintain good levels of these nutrients in the soil, you may have to adjust 2007 rates to account for 2006 crop removal.
Once again, potassium deficiencies in corn and soybeans were widespread. Low soil test potassium levels, primarily caused by inadequate potassium replacement management philosophies continue to occur.
One of the hottest topics going into 2007 is the pressure being put on producers to consider continuous corn. While agronomically this is not always the most efficient crop rotation, corn prices and ethanol production have certainly created interest.
We know that continuous corn must be managed differently than corn/soybean rotations. Tillage operations may need to be modified as pure no-till is much harder to manage in continuous corn. Expect to use 20 to 60 more pounds of nitrogen fertilizer in continuous corn compared to corn following soybeans. We also often experience yield drag in continuous corn, even when the extra nitrogen is used. This occurs due to a myriad of reasons including crop diseases, insect pressure (especially corn rootworm), residue problems, stand establishment and others.
There were few surprises in the world of integrated pest management throughout 2006. Once again, herbicide resistance reared its ugly head with tall waterhemp populations in Missouri being officially verified as glyphosate tolerant. Some of these populations also contained cross resistance to the diphenyl ether PPO herbicides such as Ultra Blazer, Reflex, Cobra and Flexstar.
The herbicide resistance issue will not go away and must be dealt with. With additional acreages of glyphosate-tolerant corn expected to be planted in 2007, it is important that we manage resistance proactively.
I strongly recommend a planned two-pass program using residual herbicides, followed by glyphosate (if necessary) during the growing season. That philosophy needs to be used on both corn and soybean production systems.
The soybean rust and aphid situation has changed little since last year. We had late-season migration of soybean rust as far north as central Indiana. However, infection came too late in the season to influence soybean production. Winter freezes should drive rust into the deep South by early winter.
Other pests in 2006 included barley yellow dwarf virus vectored into wheat through aphid feeding, stinkbugs, bean leaf beetles, gray leaf spot, white grubs and wireworms.
Precision agronomy programs took center stage in 2006 with increased emphasis on product placement accuracy, fertilizer use efficiencies, environmental stewardship and detailed on-farm record keeping.
Recently, MFA Incorporated installed its first network of Real Time Kinematics (RTK) coverage. The RTK system allows our commercial rigs, as well as our farmer operators, one-centimeter application accuracy. Product savings, environmental protection and reduction in operator fatigue are improved with this technology.
MFA launched its Nutri-Track program in 2006. This program emphasizes building soil fertility levels across the landscape through grid soil sampling/testing. Once soils reach optimum fertility levels, future fertilization is based upon site-specific removal associated with field yield maps.
Another program that we explored in 2006 was the use of sensors to determine crop nitrogen needs. The sensors allow on-the-go variable rate nitrogen application based upon in-season crop needs. MFA participated in preliminary research using this technology and will be testing its commercial viability on a limited basis in 2007.
In general, 2006 provided average to good crop yields combined with excellent commodity grain and forage prices. Hopefully, the high input costs last year have stabilized.
