It is amazing how much planting can get done in a week; however, we still have some more work to accomplish, especially with soybeans. About half of the Burrus territory appears to be finished or very, close to being done with corn planting. Soybeans appear to only be about half planted. This recent rain gave most, but not all of the Burrus footprint, a rest. Many are starting to be able to row corn and soybeans this week. No worries as of yet, we still have time to finish planting before mid-May without losing yield potential. The planting date only accounts for about 11 percent of total yield potential of corn.
Some have commented recently that the April 21st planted corn (and soybeans) emerged quicker than corn planted on April 13th. This has everything to do with Growing degree days (GDDs) or heat units. It takes approximately 100-120 GDD's for corn to emerge and soybeans can emerge with 90 GDD's. The 8 days between the April 13th and April 21st planting date only differed around 50 GDD's in Springfield IL and Chillicothe, MO. In DeKalb, IL, there was only around 10 GDD difference! Sorry, Southern Illinois, I was not able to find a good example of total recorded GDD's for you.
We recently polled the Burrus Account Managers and had them give us their best estimate of percent planting of corn that has been completed in the Burrus territory. Below, you can see of those that reported, the highest percent of planting appears to be in the west. This area, of course has been a bit warmer, but also missed some rains, which allowed for a broader planting window. On the other hand, planting has just begun in the last couple of days to the north. Many are also still concerned about the possible freeze warning over the weekend, especially as you move north. There could be a lot of field work completed between now and the middle of next week, when rain is in the forecast.
Every year, growers across the country begin preparing for planting season. We're all familiar with the usual pre-plant chores. However, this article isn't meant to discuss things such as soil preparation or fertility. No, the purpose of this article is to address the essential preparation of your equipment and technology that every grower needs prior to dropping the planter down in a field.
This time of year, everyone is anxious to get started planting and the recent weather pattern hasn't helped relieve this anxiety. Instead, the energy just builds until everyone is about to come unglued. But all this pent-up energy can quickly turn to frustration if you end up experiencing problems with your equipment or discover too late that your precision data is not ready.
1. First and foremost, get yourself and your operation organized. Prioritize tasks and identify ones with which you need to enlist help on. If you have tasks that need others' assistance, be sure to get them set up as soon as possible. If you need their help, it's a good bet that others do too. So, don't wait to the last minute.
2. Ensure you have a properly leveled toolbar - it's essential to the function of your row units.
3. Differences in soil as you move across a field make checking your down pressure imperative. This is of course something that isn't set-it and forget-it. You should evaluate your down pressure all planting season, field by field to ensure proper seed placement.
4. Check and adjust your seeding depth. Every year, you should make a zero adjustment to your press wheels.
5. Ensure your row cleaners are set properly. Remember, their purpose is to remove trash and residue from the front of the row unit.
6. To ensure optimum seed-to-soil contact is obtained, check and adjust your seed firmers and see that close wheels are aligned behind the row unit properly.
7. Check that your starter or two-by-two pumps are in working order.
8. Don't forget to make sure that your field data is loaded and ready to go on your monitor.
9. Verify all these adjustments are at the speed you normally plant. Varying planting speed can adversely impact your hard work. Doing this will ensure consistency in your planting.
10. Lastly, pay attention to soil conditions.
After planting is completed, it's important to validate that your equipment performed as you had expected. Monitor crop progress throughout the year and document your findings to ensure you met prescription, planning and profit objectives. With the uncertainty of today's market, you need to extract every drop of value from every acre and every input. Managing each acre independently is imperative to your operation's success. Capturing data on soil type, soil texture, fertility, soil moisture, planting conditions, populations, product placement and yield history are all integral pieces of the puzzle that is ROI. Your Burrus team is here to partner with you to ensure that you achieve success year after year and build profitable operations for generations to come.
The calendar says it is the second week in April, but recent weather conditions suggest otherwise. Cool, wet soils have halted field work throughout the Burrus footprint, but we are hopeful we will be able to get into the field soon to plant, apply fertilizer, apply a burndown, etc. For growers with cover crops, there is also an additional step – terminating that cover crop. Being able to adequately terminate your cover crop is essential to the success of your cash crop. Most commonly, a herbicide program is used to control the cover crop. Helpful tips to ensure success are below.
Herbicide selection can be dependent on which cover crop you used. It is important to know what species you have in your mix to get the most control. For instance, a dense stand of cereal ryegrass will not be controlled with 2,4-D products. Glyphosate is a commonly used active ingredient which is non-selective. For added broadleaf control of possible broadleaf cover crops or broadleaf weeds, the addition of a growth regulator type herbicide can give added control. If you are applying the herbicide prior to planting the cash crop, know plant back restrictions (see chart below). If you are applying the herbicide in-crop, know which herbicide tolerance your crop has.
Although we know there are numerous benefits to using cover crops, when it comes to termination, we must think of them as a weed. By this I mean we want to apply the herbicide when we would apply it to weeds, therefore follow height and growth stage restrictions or adjust rates accordingly. Plants that are jointing or bolting are more difficult to kill. Therefore, other means of termination may be warranted.
For the best herbicide efficacy, the plant needs to be actively growing otherwise you will not get adequate control. For the plant to be actively growing we typically recommend temperatures greater than 50 degrees. This does not mean one day above 50 degrees, but multiple days to have the plant active and therefore taking up the herbicide. Timing becomes important here because as we start warming up, the cover crop will begin actively growing and will rapidly gain size, making the herbicide possibly less effective.
With the delay of planting, growers are going to be rushing around trying to get field work completed in a timely fashion. If you do have cover crops, make sure that you are prepared to properly terminate them to prevent weeds in your cash crop. As always, if you have any questions about cover crop termination reach out to your Burrus Sales Agronomist.
Soil Health Class: Can we meet in the middle?
Everywhere I turn, "soil health" seems to be the new buzz word. When I arrived to my first classroom experience, I did not know what to expect, but I soon learned that the agenda was packed full of positives of no-till and cover crops for the soil and ecosystem. There is nothing wrong with this, but the training took on what I would call a "sales approach" and with my University Extension background, I was hoping for more of an unbiased training. Our room was filled with instructors from the USDA, NRCS and American Farmland Trust as well as farmers, agronomists, ecologists, biologists, and conservationists. There were video cameras everywhere!
It did not take long until I got this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was the same feeling I got a long time ago when I was in graduate school. I was studying plant pathology (study of plant diseases). Back then, I loved microbiology and my microscope, so I was really excited to take Mycology (study of fungi) with some of the other Crop Science students. A few days into the mycology course, I realized 2 things: our professor was brilliant and the mycology students shunned the crop science students. They labeled us as "fungi killers." I had never really thought of myself as a killer before. Heck, I was just trying to feed the world. But, it did give me a whole new fungal perspective, which was good.
Barry Fisher, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) taught us some visual ways to show the positive aspects of long-term no-tilled soil (left) showing no sediment compared to conventional tilled soil (right), which produced sediment after a "big rain." No-till is one tool to help keep our soil (and some nutrients) in place.
Barry Fisher, NRCS shows us by pouring water (heavy rain event) and letting it infiltrate conventionally tilled soil, it creates cloudy water in the glass on the right. This is erosion or sediment is what can change our landscape. Soil health is the continued capacity of a soil to function as a vital, living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans.
A positive perspective on cover crops and how they relate to soil health is just what I needed after being called out on many "negative" field calls last year. It is obvious more farmers than ever are trying their hand at cover crops. Many have been successful but others have given up too easily when things don't go their way. The truth of the matter is that not every farmer manages their farm in the same way. Many farmers may not be utilizing cover crops, but are implementing many other different strategies to improve soil health and reduce nutrient loss. So far, I have learned a lot, especially from actual farmers, and continue to keep an open mind. I hope to share with you my thoughts on what I would label as "farmer, pesticide, and nutrient misconceptions" as well as some agronomic red flags. And yes, my hope, after much thought, is that we can meet in the middle.
As National Women's Month continues, get to know Burrus Sales Agronomist Stephanie Porter, CCA!
What's your position at Burrus Seed?
Share some of your awards and certifications.
Where did you work before joining the Burrus team?
What do you enjoy doing when you aren't in a field?
I enjoy traveling, wineries, Amazon shopping, Netflix on my couch, and Agvocating!
What made you want to work in the ag industry?
Even though a school guidance counselor tried to detour me from working in the agricultural industry, I knew that was what I wanted to pursue after participating in FFA activities.
What was your exposure to agriculture growing up?
I grew up on a farm, with a farm family, and was active in FFA.
What is your favorite thing about working in the ag industry?
I enjoy helping farmers to increase their yields and return on investment, while promoting sustainable and environmental friendly practices to keep the future of farming prosperous for upcoming generations.
Are there any women in the ag industry (past or present) who have inspired you?
Linda Johnston (my Mom), Nancy Pataky, Becky Doyle, Colleen Callahan, Pam Smith, Dr. Jennifer Riggs, and Dr. Temple Gradin to name a few.
What is your favorite part of being a Sales Agronomist at Burrus Seed?
I enjoy solving problems, outreach, and participating in the product selection process.
Do you have any advice for younger girls thinking about pursuing a career in agriculture?
My advice would be to experience as many internships or job shadowing opportunities as possible when deciding on an agricultural career.
To keep up with Stephanie in and out of the field, be sure to follow her on Twitter @skporter!
Continuing our celebration of National Women's Month, meet Burrus Seed Account Manager Erin Holbert!
What made you want to work in the ag industry? Agriculture is something that I've always loved and have grown more passionate about as I grew up. I love the opportunity to work with the people who grow our food, fuel, and fiber and feel very blessed that I'm a small part of the industry.
Did you have a lot of exposure to agriculture growing up?
Yes, I grew up on a family farm and was a ten year 4-Her. My school didn't have FFA, but my mother is the 4-H extension educator in our county, so I was heavily involved in my 4-H club, Jr. Leaders, and the livestock and forestry judging teams.
Having grown up in the ag industry, Erin still enjoys spending free time working on the family farm.
It's definitely a biased opinion, but I believe the people in the ag industry are some of the best people out there and are always willing to help each other out.
What is your favorite part of being an Account Manager at Burrus Seed?
The best part of being an Account Manager is building a relationship with farmers and being a small part of helping them to be successful.
Personally, I was very blessed to grow up in a family and farming community where it didn't matter that I was a girl. My dad always expected me to do my fair share of the work. I didn't realize until I went to Purdue and then graduated and moved on to my career that there were people who saw a difference between men and women in the industry. My advice would be that there are plenty of people who are more than willing to treat you as an equal, and if there's someone who doesn't, then it's not worth wasting your time on them.
In honor of National Women's month, we are spotlighting some female members of our Burrus Seed team. First, get to know Jamie Long!
I grew up in Ellis Grove, IL but I'm currently living in Carlinville, IL.
A.S. Southwestern Illinois College, 2012. B.S. Plant and Soil Science, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2014. M.S. Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 2017.
I was a Graduate Research Assistant at Purdue University, an Agronomic Research Intern with BASF, and an Undergraduate Research Assistant at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
I like hunting, attending concerts, spending time with my black lab (and people too).
During my childhood, my mom was an extension educator. I wanted to be like her and help farmers raise the best yields.
I was raised on our family farm outside of Ellis Grove and both my dad and stepdad farmed.
I enjoy the comradery. I have met so many great people through agriculture; it's really a close knit industry.
Every woman in agriculture inspires me! The list could go on and on!
I really enjoy the diversity within my job. I'm fortunate enough to work directly with the entire company, including growers, account managers, the research team, owners, and external suppliers.
Do it! If you have a passion for agriculture, nothing should hold you back.
To keep up with Jamie in and out of the field, be sure to follow her on Twitter @jamieatburrus!