You know the Jack Links beef jerky add campaign “Messin’ with Sasquatch”? Well, Mother Nature is messin’ with corn pre herbicide applications. Upper twenties for temps yesterday morning were one thing, but around 20 this morning is another. Nearly all of the weeds that
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With many areas having confirmed glyphosate resistant kochia, all fields need to be managed as if kochia is glyphosate resistant. The key for kochia control is timing. Be early with applications and don't allow kochia to grow. As you can see in the attached picture, kochia is just starting
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If you were like me, you had to wonder - would this day ever come!!  Looks like we are ready to roll at least for a while on fertilizer spreading.  Let's all take our time and do the right job while being safe. 

Speaking of fertilizer - our thoughts and
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It is finally possible to see some winter wheat in the area breaking dormancy. Most winter wheat was planted in less than ideal soils last fall. Wheat, like in the picture, that has very few tillers will need nitrogen as early as possible to promote early growth and tillering.
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There are a few key things to remember when making plans for resistant weeds before spring. The first is to be proactive. Whether you know you have problem weeds, or are unsure, you should start to manage your acres like you do have a problem. Proactive management is the best way to get out in
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The SDSU, NDSU, and University of Minnesota Extension Services will be hosting another series of drainage design and water management workshops in 2013. The workshops will focus on planning and design of agricultural tile drainage systems to meet both profitability and environmental
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Corn determines its maximum yield potential at stage V-5, or so. It turns out that available phosphorus, in the form of phosphate (P2O5), within the seedlings rooting zone, is one of the key factors for determining yield. While ample supplies of phosphorus, applied either in furrow or placed 2
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Rains for the past couple of dates have raised questions of whether it is still OK to plant winter wheat. The answer is this: Agronomically speaking, we are still OK, so it depends on the risk you are willing to absorb.  Optimal planting dates for winter wheat in South Dakota are
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Some fall soil tests are coming back showing significant levels of residual nitrogen and possibly other crop nutrients due to drought conditions and lower than expected crop growth across much of the Wheat Growers service territory.  While residual nutrients can be looked at as a bonus,
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Today I sat down to work on variable rate fertilizer maps and I stumbled onto a field that pronounces the importance of variable rate fertilizer and zone soil testing. I ran into a few things that everyone should be aware of. This is happening in almost all of the fields that I help
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Potassium (K) deficiency in corn has become more prevalent in the area. Potassium is essential in a plant for water uptake and photosynthesis. Potassium is as immobile nutrient in the soil and should be managed accordingly. The deficiencies I am noticing are taking place in two specific areas
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We all know that change is inevitable. There is increasing public concern about the role of crop nutrients, such as chemical fertilizer or manure, as it pertains to water quality from the local and regional levels to the international level. Public policy is likely to affect our fertilizer
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A two or three year old soil test is no longer adequate for several reasons. While an extremely rough estimate can be made by subtracting crop nutrient removal and adding fertilizer values, it is an approximation at best. Crop yields, increased nutrient removal rates by current
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After we started to understand the soil compaction talked about in my previous blog entry, we started to investigate other stressed fields, as well as a few less stressed. Our findings amazed us! We continued to use the excavator to dig root pits looking for soil compaction and discovered very
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Are you ready for a ride on the yield roller coaster? It’s almost a sure bet that if we have sufficient snowfall and rain over the coming months that many of us will be surprised by our yields again. Next season some of us may be pleasantly surprised with higher than expected yields
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This harvest season I have found a few things that I thought would never be true. A few of the producers I work with noticed a significant yield reduction in certain fields that we assumed was due to high levels of salt or just poor ground. With curiosity, I went out into these fields with a
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This summer's weather has some areas harvesting a great crop while others are looking at below average results. Often times the two extremes are taking place in close proximity to one another. As you look to make seed choices for next year evaluate hybrid performance on soils, farming
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Wheat Growers will be having plot tours on Friday August 24th at plots throughout our trade area. This is a great time to compare seed choices as well as discuss other agronomy questions with your agronomist. Contact your local agronomist for more information and to find the
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We are receiving reports of aphids and potential issues of Barley Yellow Dwarf (BYD) showing up in wheat in SD. There are several aphid species that can be present across the Wheat Growers service area in wheat fields, but the target species right now for Barley Yellow Dwarf virus (BYDV)
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When mixing multiple products in with your starter fertilizer be sure to make sure all the products you are adding are compatible. Products that are labeled for mixing with starter fertilizer usually have no problems, but adding multiple products in one mix can lead to
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Water logged fields from 2011 should be managed for the possibility of fallow syndrome in 2012. Fallow syndrome is a result of water logged fields having little or no plant growth. The lack of plant growth reduces the population of healthy fungi in the soil. The reduction in these
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With the early spring, and now a good shot of rain, it is a good idea to make sure you are applying the proper rates of residual herbicides. Half rate pre emerge programs that have worked in the past, when a shorter window of control was needed, may not provide enough
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I have set up a rain gauge and will keep track and post local rainfall totals for the growing season at the Wolsey Terminal. For the month of March we received 1.08 inches of precipitation at the terminal. 

With spring approaching fast, visit with your sales agronomist to make sure you have a plan put together for all your inputs, especially seed and fertilizer.  With what looks like many acres coming back into production from previous years, make sure you have seed to cover those
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Some thoughts this morning as we have just concluded a meeting with all our Sales Agronomists:

Surveys show that about 35% of the farmers in our trade territory still need to finish purchasing their fertilizer for this year's crop.  That adds up to a bunch of
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Well it's March 1st and everyone is starting to think about hooking up their planters and seeing what needs to be done to get ready for the planting season. But after this last snow I am sure the itch to pull the planter out and park it in middle of the yard to
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Don't forget about your soybeans this fall in your fertility program. Phosphorus is the main nutrient to keep and eye on with soybeans in our area. One bushel of soybeans will remove 0.75 lbs of P2O5. So 40 bushel soybeans will need about 60 lbs of 11-52-0 to replace what has been removed.
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Now is a good time to be talking with your sales agronomist about Soil Sampling.  Whether its MZB sampling or Geo-reference sampling, this fall is a great time to get soil sampling out of the way for spring application.  Soil Sampling  is also a great way to plan your
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Baling corn stalks after harvest can provide livestock feed and bedding, but the value of the nutrients in the corn stalks that are removed should be considered. On average, 150 bushel corn will have around 3.5 tons of dry matter per acre. This corn stover will contain 20 lbs of
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One question that I commonly get asked this time of year is why do we need to apply sulfur when my soil tests indicate there is plenty available. The reason we apply sulfur to corn and wheat is to help meet the crop's sulfur needs early in the growing season when root development is
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