Stabilizing Anhydrous Ammonia

Applying anhydrous ammonia in the fall is a common practice in the Midwest. It’s a great opportunity to minimize spring soil compaction and to lessen the spring workload which gives you a wider window for timely planting.
Anhydrous ammonia is subject to environmental losses, whether it is fall or spring applied. To minimize these losses, I highly recommend stabilizing your NH3 with N-Serve and wait for soil temperatures to approach 50 degrees and trending cooler before applying NH3 in the fall.
Why 50 degrees? Let’s talk about it.

When you apply NH3 to the soil, it converts to ammonium nitrogen (Nh4) which has a positive charge. This positive charged N “attaches” to small soil particles that have negative charges. This “magnet” effect holds the NH4 nitrogen at the application depth. However, there are bacteria in the soil, called nitrosomonas bacteria, which convert the ammonium nitrogen to nitrate nitrogen (NO3) which has a negative charge. With a negative charge the NO3 nitrogen is not “attached” to the soil particles which leaves it vulnerable to environmental losses and not available to next years’ corn crop. When soil temperatures are at 50 degrees and trending lower, the nitrosomonas bacteria start slowing down their activity and do nothing when the soil freezes. N-Serve in the soil stops the nitrosomonas bacteria’s ability to convert NH4 to NO3, no matter what the soil temperatures is. N-Serve will naturally start to break down in the soil when soil temperatures are at 50 degrees and higher. So when NH3 treated with N-Serve is applied when soil temperatures are at or above 50 degrees in the fall, the N-Serve is still stabilizing your fall applied NH3, but there will be less N-Serve in the soil next spring to do its job. If you have any questions or concerns about fall applied anhydrous ammonia, please contact WS AG Center.

Importance of Potassium to Corn Production

Potassium is a vital nutrient for corn production second to nitrogen in terms of quantity of a corn plant’s needs, requiring an average uptake of around 274 pounds K20 per acres, in order to produce a 200 bushel yield.
Some of potassium’s vital functions in corn development are, being a supporter for water uptake in the plant which is essential in times when water is not readily available. Potassium regulates the plants leaf tissue openings, thus reducing water loss through the leaves. It also activates enzymes required for growth which helps prevent disease and control insects and also maintain stalk strength and stand ability.
Also hybrids designed to resist corn rootworm requires an extra boost of an important nutrient potassium. Corn rootworm protected hybrids yielded, on average, ten percent more than there conventional counterparts, and showed a thirteen percent increase in potassium uptake. More of an increase than nitrogen and sulfur like wise.
So as we are beginning what seems to be a harvest with better than expected yields we need to be aware of potassium levels. Your WS Ag Center representative will be able to help you with fertilizer recommendations and whether or not soil sampling is needed.

Preparing the Aging Horse for Winter

Winter will soon be upon us, and that means it is time to start making sure your horses, and especially your older horses are prepped and ready to take on the cold. Ideally your horse should be between a five and six on the body condition scoring scale. This way they will have plenty of fleshy coverage to help insulate them against the cold. A horse that is below a score of a five will have a harder time staying warm because they will need to burn more calories to maintain their base body temperature. You should also be sure to record the weights of your horses so that you have an objective measurement to compare to later in the winter or spring to make sure they have been maintaining their weight.

Be certain that your senior horse’s teeth are free of any sharp points so that they are able to properly chew their hay and swallow it. If you see any balls or clumps of hay on the ground then your horse is having troubles chewing and it is best to get your vet out to have their teeth floated.

The next step is to make sure that you have plenty of quality hay that is ready for winter because horses will eat nearly two percent of their body weight in hay when it is cold out. This can be upwards of twenty pounds of hay per day. Another option to substitute for hay is alfalfa pellets or cubes. Cubes are soft and easy to chew making them perfect for senior horses. We currently have many types available and in stock.

Another option for horses having trouble eating hay is to feed a complete feed. A complete senior feed is a great option because all of the roughage they need is already included into the feed its self. A senior feed will also be easier for the horses to chew, as the texture is softer and even more importantly digest. Aging horses benefit so greatly from senior feeds because the feeds are further processed to compensate for the less effective hind gut that older horses are plagued by, thus ensuring that they are able to absorb all of the nutrients in the feed. As always make sure that your horse has adequate shelter, plenty of fresh water and access to free choice salt/minerals.

Preparing for Corn Silage Harvest

Although we don’t like to see summer go, the cooler nights remind us that fall is on its way. The temperature changes remind us to start preparing for harvest season. For some that means corn silage or small grain harvest.

Your crop hopefully is doing well now but the process of ensuring a quality corn silage or small grain silage can be challenging. The industry has given us many ideas to help with proper cut length, moisture levels and packing ideas. However, we maybe are less prepared for bag busts, rips, tears and other ways that our hard work is exposed to air. The process of opening up our bunks and bags to feed creates the ideal environment for nutrient loss as this exposure to air creates the environment for yeast and molds to grow.

Lactic acid alone will not stop the growth of yeast and molds. However, products that provide both propionic acid and lactic acid producing bacteria will give you comfort in knowing that you are providing your silage with the maximum aerobic stability. Propionic acid inhibits the growth of yeast and molds during your feed out timeline which reduces the mycotoxin levels and provides less spoilage.

Take some time to consider the long-term protection plan on your corn silage or grain silage this year by discussing the “Silage Supreme Line” of products available to you through WS Ag Center. Have a safe and bountiful harvest!

Coccidiosis

Coccidiosis has been a problem for cattle producers in this part of the world for years. I’ve seen a large increase in the incidence of Cocci over the past year and a half. Ionophores such as Rumensin and Bovatec traditionally have done a decent job of helping to control the severity of outbreaks of this disease. Recently, however, we have seen that it takes a more aggressive approach to control Coccidiosis.

Amprolium is the drug of choice. Corid is the main brand of amprolium that we handle at WS Ag Center. Structurally, Corid mimics Thiamine (Vitamin B-12) which is required by Coccidia for normal growth and reproduction. When Coccidia ingest Corid, they experience thiamin deficiency and starve from malnutrition. Corid for prevention administer when experience tells you conditions are favorable for the development of Coccidiosis or any time cattle are exposed to unusual stress. Feed or use water soluble products at Label recommended levels for 21 days during these times. During periods when you see clinical signs of coccidiosis (dark or bloody diarrhea) treat using either product at label recommended levels for five days.

WS Ag Center Welcomes Back Chuck Kaschub!

Hi, my name is Chuck Kaschub. I am one of the previous owners of C. D. Farm Supply in Columbus which my family and I owned and operated for 40 years. I worked with all types of livestock feeds, livestock waterers and equipment, field seeds including winter wheat, small grains and grasses, animal care products, equine feeds, landscape supplies, pet foods and more. I will be at W S Ag center in Columbus to consult and work with customers and employees as time allows. I will continue to work with crop and farm property insurance at the Richards Insurance Agency in Columbus. I look forward to seeing you at WS Ag with your feed and seed questions.