Starter fertilizer will often result in increased early- season growth. Although it is difficult to predict exactly where and when yield responses occur, it is easy to provide conditions that improve the potential for response. These include the following:

Low Phosphorous Availability:

Corn plants need a readily available supply of phosphorous early in the growing season. It is especially important that the plants have phosphorous near the row on low testing soils. Soil tests below 20 ppm are considered low. However, even on medium to higher testing soils there is data that shows starter will increase yields in cool damp soil conditions.

Cool Soil Temperature:

Reduced tillage systems increase residue left on soil surface, as a result reduce soil temperature early in the growing season. This reduced soil temperatures slows root growth, and reduces nutrient uptake unless the nutrients are near the seed. Low temperatures also reduce the rate of microbial release of nitrogen from soil organic matter. Therefore some nitrogen near the seed can be an important thing.

Where Should I Place Starter Fertilizer:

Most common two practices for starter placement is 2 inches below and 2 inches to the side of the seed. Or in furrow placement, which is very near seed placed in seed trench. There are only certain starters that can be placed with the seed that are seed safe.

There are other reasons that in furrow starter placement can have advantages for farmers:

Carrier for micro nutrient packages, carrier for insecticides, cheaper equipment costs on corn planter.

In conclusion there are many options and “what ifs” when it comes to starters. In my past experiences I feel starter can definitely pay for itself more years than not.

Tom Arndt

We should not expect yields of corn planted in the first or second week of April to be higher than those of corn planted the third or fourth week of April. We have had a few instances when corn planted in early April yielded less than corn planted later in April or first of May. This doesn’t happen often enough to rule out early planting, but it does mean the main reason to plant in early April is to get done by the first week in May and avoid late-planting yield loss.   Another caution is to plant early only when seedbed conditions stay favorable if it rains or is still wet, growers should not try to get in the fields too soon.  It typically requires about 110 to 120 growing degree days (GDD) for corn to emerge.  With highs in the mid-60s and lows in the 40s to low 50s, we accumulate less than 10 GDD per day, so it can easily take two to three weeks for the crop to emerge.  Typically this isn’t a problem however it is a long time and problems can develop that hinder emergence.

Early-planted corn should be watched carefully, especially when GDD accumulations pick up and the crop  approaches emergence.  Low soil temperatures are not the major risk factor that planted corn faces. Instead, heavy rainfall soon after planting, with seeds or seedlings dying from lack of oxygen, is the major cause of replanting.  Chances of this happening are no higher for early than for later planting that depends more on soil moisture.  While we hope that we won’t need to replant, one of the  advantages of early planting is that if we need to replant it can be done early enough to avoid large yield loss from late replanting.  Hopefully Mother Nature is good to us this year and we can start on time and finish on time. Just keep in mind it sometimes is beneficial to wait an extra day after a rain before getting back in the fields.

Thanks, Joel Wilhelmson

With spring right around the corner we are preparing crop plans for the upcoming growing season. Part of this planning includes nutrient management planning. If you are not sure if you should have a plan written, the Agriculture Water Quality Act states that a land owner with 10 or more acres in agriculture production must create a nutrient management plan. If you apply manure or any nutrients to your land, you must also have a nutrient management plan written.  These plans are developed to be used on farms to protect water quality from excess pathogens, sediments, and nutrients.  Nutrient management allows farmers to use nutrients to optimize their economic benefit with minimal impact to the environment. Information used to write a plan consists of: Soil Type, field slope, crop rotation, and residual nutrients.

Nutrient Management Plans are written based on five basic steps. These steps include:

1. Determine the total volume and amount of nutrients generated on the farm.
2. Determine soil fertility with annual soil tests.
3. Determine nutrient application rates based on existing soil fertility, crop nutrient requirements, nutrient application timing and method, and fertilizer type.
4. Create a cropping plan for utilizing generated manure on a field-by-field basis
5. Implement the plan and keep records.

Here at WS Ag Center we can help every step of the way to creating a Nutrient Management Plan. For more information contact your WS Ag Agronomist.

Katie Meiselwitz

Now that the snow has melted and the days are getting longer, it’s time to get out into the fields to look at how fall seeded small grain crops survived the winter.  It’s important to evaluate your winter wheat stands to determine if there are enough plants in the field to maximize yield.  The threshold is 12-15 plants per square foot.  If you consistently find that the stand throughout the entire field falls below this threshold then you should strongly consider terminating the field and planting a new crop.  One important point on stand evaluation: don’t just look at the above ground vegetative plant parts; dig up plants to look at what is below the soil surface.  Live plants that should contribute to final yield will have healthy, white roots and crowns.  Any feeding damage or signs of root or crown rot will usually cause early plant death.  Carefully scout areas that didn’t have a lot of snow cover or had ice sheeting this winter.  These conditions increase the likelihood of winter injury.  Once you determine that you have an optimal stand, your next step should be a nitrogen application with some sulfur too.  Recent data from UW-Extension showed that the ideal time to apply nitrogen to maximize yield is at spring green up.  This is contrary to older studies that advised farmers to wait until after tillering for a nitrogen application if they had healthy stands.  Be careful about trying to apply nitrogen when it is too wet as the soil compaction will be detrimental to the wheat yield.  Instead, fertilize your wheat on cold mornings when the ground is firm or wait until the soil has dried out.  Urea can be broadcasted on wheat but avoid broadcasting UAN through a sprayer as this will cause excessive leaf burn.  If UAN is your choice, use a stream bar sprayer attachment to get a more direct UAN application.

Finally, I wanted to touch on terminating a rye cover crop.  Cereal rye is one of the more winter-hardy small grain crops.  Don’t try to cut corners when it comes to getting rid of rye as it will only give you head aches when your next crop is established.  Consider spraying rye when it is 4-6 inches tall and the ground is firm enough for a sprayer.  An application of glyphosate and a grass herbicide labelled for rye should do an excellent job of controlling the rye.  Seven to ten days after the application, you should be able to perform field operations for the next crop in the rotation.  Consult an agronomist at WS Ag Center for spring recommendations on fall seeded wheat and rye.

Mark Kendall