How much Nitrogen does my crop need?

You may recognize this title from an article in last year’s newsletter where I talked about the various factors that determine nitrogen availability and need. Several customers who hired us to apply nitrogen with our 360 Y-drops saw significant results from placing the added nitrogen where the plants could find it at the time they needed it. Our adapt-N program gave us a good idea of what rates we needed to apply and we used our 360 Soilscan nitrogen tester to verify how much nitrogen was available from first application in the spring. The main takeaway from last years article was that every field had a different nitrogen need. Soil texture, tillage, planting date, nitrogen source, soil slope, and rainfall all contributed to the difference in nitrogen availability. If we had treated all fields the same using a base calculation of 1.1 lbs of nitrogen per bushel of corn, in some cases we would have spent dollars on inputs without a profitable response. However, in many cases if we had not added nitrogen where it was needed, the customer would have missed out on   upwards to 40 bushel of corn.

Our Y-Drop application gives you the most efficient use of your nitrogen by minimizing the chance of nitrogen loss through better timing and placement of your nitrogen. Nitrogen loss from a spring UAN application over the top in pre-emerge corn can be 50% or higher, compared to less than 20% losses where customers used a split-pass approach with a combination of anhydrous, urea, and UAN. With tight margins between input costs and commodity prices the risk is too high to be guessing our nitrogen needs. Modern technology can give you accurate quantities of how much nitrogen is left in your field. Let us help you put this technology to use and ensure you don’t run short.

Andrew Tucker

 

NEW Trivapro® fungicide premix now available for corn, soybeans and wheat

Trivapro, the next generation corn, soybean and wheat fungicide from Syngenta, is the hardest-working, longest-lasting fungicide on the market. In fact, Trivapro works ten times harder than competitive brands.

What sets Trivapro apart from the competition?

Trivapro contains Solatenol® fungicide, a breakthrough SDHI that is ten times more powerful than any other SDHI on the market. Combined with proven performers Quadris and Tilt, Trivapro gives growers the powerhouse fungicide they need to help shut down existing disease and prevent future infections. Beyond working harder and longer to deliver a step-change in preventive and curative disease control, Trivapro provides built-in resistance management. With three complementary and non-cross-resistant modes of action (strobilurin, triazole and SDHI), Trivapro provides a revolutionary tool to maximize yield potential and return on investment.

 

THE HARDEST-WORKING, LONGEST-LASTING FUNGICIDE

  • Improved water use efficiency in the plant that slows water loss during dry conditions
  • Quicker canopy closure to deprive weeds of sunlight
  • Stronger stalks to reduce lodging
  • Prolonged grain-fill period by preventing crops from dying down early due to disease or environmental stressors

 

Trivapro crop enhancement benefits

  • Trivapro multitasks with several crop enhancement benefits to help produce higher yields: Experience longer-lasting disease control with Trivapro.
  • Trivapro extends residual control of key diseases, stopping the plant from dying early and sacrificing green tissue. By protecting the green leaf tissue of the plant, Trivapro enables plants to continue photosynthesizing longer, allowing the crop to maximize grain-fill and yield.

 

Should I add foliar micronutrients to my sprayer tank?

A topic of conversation that I frequently have this time of year is whether or not foliar micronutrients should be added to the sprayer tank as we begin post emergent spraying.  If fields have been well managed for N,P,K and the other macronutrients then it would be a good idea to consider micros as they might be limiting your yield potential.  Most of the corn around the countryside is at the fourth leaf stage or older which is an important time in its development.  The number of kernel rows is starting to be determined and soon the corn plant will start to rapidly   elongate and have a high demand for plant food nutrients which include needed micronutrients like zinc, manganese, and boron. If you would like to know more about adding micronutrients, tissue and soil testing can be done to determine nutrient levels in the plant and how much your soil can supply.

Another reason to apply foliar micronutrients is to offset the micros being immobilized by glyphosate (Roundup).  Glyphosate is a chelator so it binds to positive ions in the plant like zinc and manganese. You may notice yellow flash in plant tissues after they have been sprayed with glyphosate because this product has temporarily made some micronutrients unavailable to the plant. These symptoms will eventually go away  after enough days have passed, but they can be lessened or prevented by adding foliar micronutrients with the glyphosate. With more micronutrients available, stress will be reduced and the plant can continue optimum growth. From company research and what we’ve seen ourselves, we consistently achieve at least a 2 to 1 return on investment with the foliar micronutrients that we    recommend.  If you have any questions about foliar micronutrients or about tissue and soil sampling, contact your agronomist at WS Ag to get more information.

Mark Kendall

 

Maximizing Spring-Applied Nitrogen

In recent years, Nitrogen Management has become one of the biggest focus areas in manufacturing, retail, and to growers. Once was a time when we had little control over how and when nitrogen was managed for the corn plant when often, it is the plant’s most limited resource. As farming becomes smarter and the markets tighten, we become more cautious of how we are allocating our resources, specifically the timing in which we apply nitrogen and the tools we use to protect that investment.

Spreading out nitrogen applications has allowed corn plants to utilize their nitrogen when needed. We can    decipher when the corn plant needs its nitrogen most by tissue and soil sampling throughout the growing season, but what we can’t control is the weather and when we can get in the field to spoon-feed the corn. In the last few months, we’ve seen above-average rainfall from both the average and 2016. The major difference in this year’s pattern is when the rainfall occurred. In the midst of planting, the Darlington area saw large amounts and time periods of rain    throughout April and May, causing delayed planting in many surrounding areas and the application of nitrogen deferred.

With the spring we’ve had, there will be many acres that receive the majority of their nitrogen in a topdress or sidedress application. These applications can begin as early as V2 and into VT corn, but the largest portion of nitrogen is taken up by the plant from the V8 to VT time period. Furthermore, it is recommended that if there is no prior nitrogen applied, a V6 or earlier application timing is optimal.

In addition to application timing, another way to protect your spring-applied nitrogen is to use a Nitrogen     Stabilizer. Last issue, Mark Kendall wrote an article describing the different types of Nitrogen Stabilizers and different ways to use them. Using products like N-Serve, Instinct II, and AgroTain have been shown to bump yield, even in     late-season applications. University research tell us that ammonium can convert to nitrate (a less stable form of nitrogen) in as little as two to four weeks in warm, wet growing conditions. If we think about when the corn plant needs its nitrogen most, we could have a one to four week gap between our nitrogen application and when the plant begins rapid uptake of applied nitrogen. A Nitrogen Stabilizer will extend nitrogen’s residual in the soil so it’s still there when the corn plant is ready.

Looking back, this spring has been a struggle across the state of Wisconsin. Rain events have delayed field work, planting, and nitrogen applications but looking forward, the best thing we can do is optimize our applications of nitrogen with proper timing and utilizing tools like Nitrogen Stabilizers to get corn into pollination. Contact your WS Ag Agronomist to see how you can optimize your yield potential this spring.

Abbey Edel, Dow AgroSciences

 

2017/2018 Projected Crop Production – Costs

Well, it’s been quite interesting. I thought we’d have spring in February, then March was even colder than February. All in all, we started out normal between the rainy times and we are still finishing up planting. One thing for sure, crops planted in April or early June really are not that far apart as we’ve had no real accumulation of heat units yet. I did a forecast of crop production costs for    2017-2018. Prices for fertilizer are at 10-15 year lows. With other prices dropping it makes commodity prices easier to deal with.

Once again, the key to  profitability is yield. We need to maximize the yield to get a profit at these commodity price levels. Commodity prices have been on the upswing but make sure you’re ready to protect a profit with your marketing organization. We can also give insight on how to lock in these profits.

Remember last year corn reached a peak in mid-June for about 24 hours, and then the bottom dropped out. We need to be ready to take advantage of what the market gives us. WS Ag can help you have a profitable year by maximizing your yield and helping you have a great growing season. Also, look at your input costs, because they are at historical lows. This will not last as N-P-K are under valued versus the rest of the world, we are on a low-price island especially for nitrogen products.

We at WS Ag have the trained agronomists to help you maximize your yield potential and profits. We can formulate the right plan for your crops this growing season as well and diagnosis problems and solve them with a precision formula. Contact us to have a profitable growing season, no matter what this season presents us.

Kent Ganske

 

Don’t Miss Our Show Trailer!

Don’t Miss Our Show Trailer!

This year WS Ag Center’s show trailer will be heading to four fairs. Our fair list includes Dane County, Rock County, Green Lake County, and Dodge County. Our Trailer will be stocked with many show supplies from paint and adhesive cans to pig whips and halters. Don’t run out of show supplies on your big day. Good luck to all of our showmen!

 

 

Meet Our 2017 Summer Intern – Madelyn Ryan

My name is Madelyn Ryan and I’m from Marinette, Wisconsin. I am an animal science major, with an emphasis in equine, and a minor in Spanish at UW River Falls. I’ve been riding and competing with horses for the last 13 years in United States Pony Club, 4-H, Wisconsin Interscholastic   Horsemanship Association, Northeast Wisconsin Dressage Association, and USDF/USEF. I’ve competed at the state and national levels, and I hope to continue my career with horses and expand my knowledge on them. I’m very excited to be working at WS AG Center this summer, and I want to learn more about sales and animal nutrition.

 

Meet Our 2017 Summer Intern – Sarah Schalk

My name is Sarah Schalk.  I go to UW – River Falls and am majoring in Animal Science with an Equine and Meat  Animal emphasis.  Also I am minoring in   Agricultural Business.  At River Falls I am  involved with Sigma Alpha, IHSA Hunt Team, Horsemen’s Club, and WRFW Radio Show.  My favorite class is Colts in Training.  This summer I hope to learn more about the sales side of WS – Ag  Center and to expand my knowledge on farm animal nutrition.

Meet Our 2017 Summer Intern – Sarah Schmitz

My name is Sarah Schmitz. I go to UW River Falls for Dairy Science Major with a Biology Minor where I want to pursue further and get my  Masters in Dairy Calf Nutrition, and possibly even my Ph.D. for further future goals. I help run my families farm we raise Holstein beef steers and do cash crops. Through UW- Rivers Falls I am doing undergraduate research and plan to keep doing research as I work with a company and also have my own farms to better the dairy calf industry.

Meet Our 2017 Summer Intern – Haley Wileman

Haley Wileman

My name is Haley Wileman and I am from Edgerton, WI where I grew up on a grain farm. I will be a senior this fall at UW-Platteville, I am majoring in Animal Science with a livestock production emphasis. On campus I am involved in NSLS, Collegiate Farm Bureau and am the treasurer of Block and Bridle club. I have been involved in showing livestock since my first year of eligibility and have really found my passion in beef and swine. I am currently starting my own beef herd and am excited to see it expand these next years. This summer at WS Ag Center I am really excited to learn about many different feeds and supplements for many different species and to help with my communication skills with sales to customers. Along with being able to attend fair with the Weaver show  trailer to help youth with their projects.