Your Seed Partner

Adjusting Herbicide Programs for Late Planting

2011-04-29T15:23:00.001-05:00

Wet weather is slowing planting across the entire mid-west. As of last Monday, 4-25-11, the USDA reported that only 10% of the Illinois corn crop was planted compared to 67% on the same date in 2010. Iowa is only 3% planted compared to 61% at this time last year. Wisconsin and Minnesota are near zero acres in the ground. With the cold wet weather it might not be all bad to have the seed in the shed instead of in the ground.

Another area that is not getting much press coverage is the weed growth in the field while we sit and wait. Tillage will help to control these weeds before planting as long as growers make sure they till deep enough to tear out the weed roots. Weeds that are stunted from tillage but not killed are even harder to control with a later herbicide application. One reason is that they have been stressed so they do not take up and translocate herbicides as well. Another is that they are more mature than plant height alone might suggest, so growers often do not apply proper rates for control.

If your fields are looking like the one above, make sure you take the time to get them clean at planting time. From here out it gets more difficult and usually more expensive to achieve adequate weed control. Talk to you Trelay DSM if you have questions.

Here is more info from Ohio State on Adjusting Burndown Programs

Are you confused about refuge requirements?

2011-04-22T10:44:00.000-05:00

You are not alone if you answered yes to this question. Looking at all of the options on the market, it’s easy to understand the confusion that exists today.

Trelay has the solution! We have recently received approval for our new SmartStax RIB Complete. This new offering eliminates the need to plant a separate structured refuge. RIB Complete is the simplest and most convenient product on the market today. It will allow you to plant fence line to fence line with a single product. No more worries about figuring percentages and where to put to put what products.

RIB Complete contains a 95/5 blended product that complies with refuge requirements for above and below ground insects along with glyphosate and glufosinate herbicide resistance in both components of the blend.

We are very excited about the opportunity to talk with you about how Trelay can help simplify your planting time decisions and give you the first single bag solution.

Is it Time To Plant Corn?

2011-04-14T14:57:00.000-05:00

There are two main stresses to be concerned with when deciding to plant corn into cold soils (below 50 degrees). Variable soil temperatures that can slow germination and emergence, and the threat of frost on newly emerged seedlings.

After the seed is planted it will absorb about 30% of its weight in water, soil temperature has very little affect on this process. The next process after the seed imbibes water is shoot and root growth, and these are very dependent on soil temperature of 50 degrees or warmer. In soils colder than 50 degrees, there is greater chance of seedling rot and poor emergence, especially if the cold conditions last more than a day or two. Cold soils at the time of planting, and right after planting are a very common cause of variable final stands. Cold soils after planting can also cause seedlings to be stunted and show distorted leaves like the ones in the picture below if they do manage to emerge at all.

Late frost after the corn emerges is not as serious of a threat as planting into cold soils. The late frost may kill or damage exposed above ground tissue, but the growing point of corn remains below the soil surface until the crop reaches the V6 or 6th leaf stage. As long as the seed is planted at the proper depth and the seed furrow is closed properly, the recovery time from a moderate frost is fairly fast and has almost no affect on final yield. In extreme cases there may be a slight reduction in stand from late season frost.

For more information on corn planting and cold conditions click here or contact your local Trelay DSM.

Time to Top-dress your Winter Wheat

2011-03-31T13:44:00.000-05:00

The winter wheat crop looks like it is off to a good start for 2011, and as I write this the markets are looking good too. We have been fortunate that the snow cover has helped with winter survival. While we have had a few nights of colder weather since our snow melted, these dips do not seem to have caused any serious injury other than the normal leaf burn.

While the wheat in southern Wisconsin has started to break dormancy, the snow a couple weeks ago across central Wisconsin has slowed down the wheat progress compared to normal. Once this snow is off and temperatures warm, wheat in that region will begin greening up also. To tell if your wheat has broken dormancy, carefully wash the roots of a few wheat plants and look for new roots from the crown area of the plant. These roots will be snow white and may be very small, ¼ to ½ inch if the plant has just broken dormancy. Another way to tell that your wheat has broken dormancy is to look at the top two leaves of the plant. If you see a line across the leaves at the point where it was covered by the leaf sheath, it has broken dormancy. The area below the line is the new growth and will usually be a brighter or shiny green color compared to the upper portion of the leaf.

Now is the time to get that spring nitrogen on the wheat as the soil conditions permit. Rates should be based on yield goals for your farm and soil type. I usually like to use dry nitrogen to reduce leaf burn on the new emerging leaves. If you are using liquid nitrogen you will want to try to apply it in a band to reduce the amount of leaf surface that can be potentially injured from the application.

As you are checking for green up in the wheat, it’s a good time to look for the growth of any winter annual weeds that might need to be controlled before they get established and compete with the wheat crop. If you have questions on this or other topics, please contact you local Trelay DSM.

Frost Seeding

2011-03-29T09:48:00.000-05:00

Frost seeding has been used for many years, but it is getting new attention in recent years with increased rotational grazing. It is a great way to improve hay or pasture yields or introduce new forage crops into an older, thinning stand. There are many advantages to frost seeding as opposed to tearing up and old stand and re-seeding. The list of advantages include reduced labor and energy, lower equipment investment, a shorter establishment period, and it is a great way to maintain productivity of permanent pastures or hay stands without problems with tillage or soil erosion in spring seeding.

There are a few keys to frost seeding

1) Seed to soil contact is very important for seed germination. One way to help this is to fall graze or clipped to expose the soil. Sod bound pastures are the most challenging because they usually have a thick layer of thatch that covers the soil.

2) Competition from established plants must be controlled. This can be controlled in pastures by grazing frequently in the spring and early summer, but remove livestock when it is down to two inch plant height to allow the light to get to the new seeding. Make sure not to clip lower that a couple inches or the new seeding will not have time to establish an adequate root system.

3) Seed selection and seeding rates. Red clover and birdsfoot trefoil are usually fairly easy to establish with frost seeding. Alfalfa, alsike clover, ladino clover, and white clover can also work well under proper management. One caution is to not seed alfalfa into an established older stand of alfalfa. Alfalfa roots produce autotoxicty that will prevent establishment of the new seeding.

4) Timing is important. For frost seeding to be successful, there must be alternating freeze and thaw cycles, along with spring rains to help incorporate the new seeding. Seeding on top of snow works if the snow is not deep and there is not much slope for water movement during a rapid thaw.

Frost seeding is a low cost way to improve productivity of older pastures or hay stands. Be sure to manage soil seed contact to improve germination of the new seeding. Limit competition of established stands to improve results. Select proper species and seeding rates for your field and situation. For more information on this or other questions click on the following link or call your local Trelay DSM.

Frost Seeding Legumes and Grasses

Assessing your alfalfa stands for winter injury

2011-03-25T08:37:00.001-05:00

Now is the time to be looking at your alfalfa fields to make stand evaluations. Even though we had good snow cover this winter, it is still important to look at your fields this spring before you finalize your cropping decisions. By evaluating stands now you will be able to make decisions about what fields to save, what fields are getting thinner and need to be replaced next year, and what may need to be rotated to another crop this year.

The best way to evaluate your stand is to look at the above ground part of the plant first. Check to see how many shoots you have in a square foot, over 55 stems per square foot is ideal, 40-55 means yields may be reduced, and under 40 means the stand is poor and will need to be replaced. Look to see that the shoots are coming from all sides of the crown and not only one side, this would indicate some crown damage and you would want to dig up the roots to get a better look. Check for crowns that may have heaved up over winter or do not show any new shoot growth also.

Be sure to dig some roots of healthy looking plants and check to see that these crowns are healthy also. Healthy crowns and roots will look white to cream colored and will be firm. If the crowns are discolored or soft they may be infected with some root rot diseases that will limit production.

Talk to your Trelay DSM if you have questions or would like help in evaluating your alfalfa stands this spring to make sure you get the most from every acre that you farm. For more information on what to look for to evaluate your stand click on the link below.

Evaluating and Managing Alfalfa Stands for Winter Injury

Sifting Through Latest Glyphosate Info

2011-03-16T08:31:00.001-05:00

Recently there has been increased buzz about alleged negative interactions of glyphosate with micronutrients and plant diseases. To date there are many sources of information about this topic in both scientific papers and the popular press. Bob Hartzler from Iowa State University has done a very thorough literature review and discussion of this topic that he presented at the 2010 ISU Integrated Crop Management Conference (Ames, IA). His conclusion from that presentation and the paper he presented were that although these interactions cannot be completely ruled out, there is no data to suggest that there is widespread negative impact on micronutrients or plant diseases.

Purdue University has also published a paper that discusses glyphosate’s impact on field crop production and disease development. In this paper by Purdue University they state “the claims that glyphosate is having a widespread effect on plant health are largely unsubstantiated.” They go on to state “Most importantly, the impact of these interactions on yield has not been demonstrated.” Based on the opinion of Iowa State University and Purdue University, we believe that there is no yield risk with using glyphosate for weed control in Roundup ready Crops. As always glyphosate should be used as part of an integrated pest management system when needed, be sure to follow all label directions when using these products. For more info on these articles, click on the links below.

Iowa State University

Purdue University

Nematodes that feed on corn

2010-12-03T10:11:00.000-06:00

Nematodes are microscopic worms that live in the soil and water. Many nematode species feed on decaying organic mater, bacteria, fungi, and even other nematodes. But some nematodes, including many that live in the soil, feed on plants and are called plant-parasitic nematodes.

The term corn nematodes would imply that these pests are one uniform group and that they only feed on corn, but this is not correct. There are more than a dozen different species of plant-parasitic nematodes that feed on corn. Most of these also have a wide range of hosts.

Nematodes that feed on corn are not new to the Midwest, these nematodes are believed to have been present since long before corn was a crop in this region. Before corn was a major crop, these pests fed and lived on native plants and prairie grasses

It is common to find these nematodes that feed on corn in almost every field in the Midwest, but populations must reach a certain number called the damage threshold before they are believed to reduce corn yields. This damage threshold varies between species also, for example it only takes 1 sting nematode per 100 cm3 while it would take over 1,000 spiral cause significant damage.

There have been many changes in crop production practices that have been blamed for the increase in nematode damage to corn. These include decrease in soil-applied insecticides, corn frequent cropping of corn, and a decrease in the amount of tillage performed on each acre. While there is no way of knowing that these factors are the cause, we have seen an increase in damage to corn from these pests.

The only way to determine if plant-parasitic nematodes are causing yield loss in your field is to take soil and root sample and have them tested by a qualified lab.

Nothing can be done to minimize the damage or “rescue” a corn crop if nematode damage is confirmed during the growing season. But there are some good management strategies to protect corn from nematode damage in future years. One of these strategies is to use a seed treatment such as Votivo on the seed before planting. Votivo is a very promising new seed treatment that is showing great performance in the Midwest. Please contact you local Trelay DSM for more info on nematodes that feed on corn and what control options are available for your farm.

True Armyworms

2010-06-08T15:34:00.002-05:00

True armyworms are showing up in SW Wisconsin and NE Iowa. Armyworms are an occasional pest in the area, but seem to me more numerous than normal is year. Bob Rose and Chris McLimans are both reporting fields with high enough pressures that growers need to take action to prevent stand and yield losses.

This pest will rarely cause trouble in conventional-tilled fields, but growers should be checking reduced and no-till fields. Another likely area of infestation would be fields that had wheat stubble or rye planted as a cover crop that was taken off in the spring. Any kind of ground cover makes a great place for the moths to lay their eggs as they fly up from the south. When the eggs hatch, usually about 7 to 10 days, they begin to feed and will continue for 5 to 6 weeks. At the end of the feeding period they will pupate and reemerge as moths to lay eggs and start the cycle again, we usually see up to 3 generations per year. The second generation will usually appear in July, and is the most damaging.

This insect will usually feed on the leaf margins and will stop at the midrib. Young corn plants have a remarkable ability to recover from the feeding, an ISU study showed that corn in the V7 to V9 stage with 50% defoliation recovered after treatment and only showed a 2-6% yield loss.
Treatment should be considered in V7-V8 stage if larvae are less than 3/4 inch in length, the population is larger than eight larvae per plant, and there is 25% or more defoliation. If armyworms are less than 3/4 inch, they still have about a week to feed before they pupate. At 1 ½ inches, the larvae are about done feeding and treatment is not going to give any economic benefit. There are many common insecticides labeled for armyworm control, you will need to check with your local chemical supplier to see what pricing and availability is for your area.

Sidedressing NH3

2010-06-08T14:16:00.000-05:00

Anhydrous Ammonia is a very good source of Nitrogen and also usually the cheapest form available. It is important to make sure you apply the NH3 properly to avoid injury issues.

NH3 is injected into the soil, and usually is the most concentrated within 4” or so of the knife track. In sandy soils or very dry field conditions the concentrated band will be larger because NH3 has a huge attraction to water, and it will move to find available soil water. If you run the knife too close to the rows, you could see root injury from the applicator knife, but there is an even greater risk of burning the roots of the plant from the NH3 itself. See the picture below of root “burn” from NH3.

Once the NH3 ties up with soil water, it moves with soil water to the plant roots and can be taken up and used without causing any injury problems.

Another way NH3 can cause injury is by burning the leaves above ground. In very wet soils the knife will seal the sidewalls so the NH3 cannot move into the soil profile. This will cause the NH3 to move back up the slot made by the knife and escape into the air. Not only will you loose the NH3 that you are applying, it will burn the leaves of the young corn plants. Usually the corn will recover, but the Nitrogen that escapes is lost and does not available for the plant later in the season when it needs it most. It’s always good to make sure soil conditions are good and that you are getting a good seal in the knife tracks when applying NH3.

Frost Damaged Soybeans

2010-05-12T11:39:00.000-05:00

Now I would like to talk a little about the differences between how soybeans react to frost as opposed to corn. In the last post I talked a little about frost damage on corn. And because of the way corn grows, a frost early in the season usually doesn’t cause serious problems. When we look at soybeans the game changes, soybeans don’t have the protection from frost that corn does because the growing point of the soybean plant is exposed as soon as it emerges. Just like we talked about with corn, the best thing to do with soybean is have a little patience to see if the individual plants will survive. This picture shows what to look for when assessing frost damage on soybeans.

If the plant was damaged by frost below the cotyledonary node, it will not survive. But if the plant was injured by frost, but only down to the area above the cotyledonary node, the plant will be able to generate new growth from the auxiliary buds at the node. This new growth from these buds will be very similar to the original plant if it had not been damaged. Recovery will be good with little or no impact on final yield. If there are a mix of plants that will recover and several that are frosted and will not survive it is important to take stands counts from many areas of the field to determine the next step. We may find some areas that are hurt more than others, but the number I use to make decisions on replant is 100,000. If you have at least 100,000 plants an acre it is too good to justify the cost and time to replant. if replant is needed try to identify if you can fill in areas of the field, or if it is best to tear it up and start over. And just like corn, this crop has been stressed, so make sure you give it time to recover before you add any more to it with herbicide applications.

Frost Damaged Corn

2010-05-12T10:32:00.001-05:00

The past weeks weather has slowed the great progress we have seen with planting and crop emergence. Some areas even experienced snow and frost, so I am going to give you a few thoughts on what this means if you were in one of these areas. First we need to look at how corn grows, when corn emerges the growing point of the plant is still well below the soil surface. In fact the growing point does not reach the soil surface until the plant reaches v5 to v6 growth stage. That means that at least 5 full leaves are developed and you can identify the leaf collar on the plant.

Fortunately most of our corn was not at the v5 stage yet. If you did experience some frost on smaller corn the best thing to do is wait and watch. The frosted leaf tissue will turn yellow and start to wilt as it turns brown and begins to decay over the next week. If you dig some plants and split them open you will see that the plant material below ground will be white and firm, this is a good sign and tells you that the plant is alive and will recover with the return of warm weather. The plant will continue to grow and push up through the damaged tip, as it does so its important to watch and make sure the new growth is able to open the new leaves to collect sunlight and recover. In some rare cases I have seen where it helps to clip the frosted tips off to enable the new growth to come through, but this is rare. From here forward the crop will recover, but it’s important to remember that it has been stressed, so make sure we do not do anything to add to the stress; like apply any herbicides for a few days.

Plant by Soil Temperature, not the Calendar

2010-05-03T13:59:00.002-05:00

Planting is moving fast this year, with most areas of the Midwest way ahead of last year and the five year average according to USDA crop progress reports. Planting early can help to maximize yield potential along with allowing more time for the crop to mature this fall. Here is an article that quotes Dr. Bret Bean, Extension Agronomist from Texas. Many of the things he notes also are important for growers here in the upper mid-west. Click here to read the full article.

Assessing Alfalfa Stands

2010-03-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

Now is the time to be looking at your alfalfa fields to make stand evaluations. Even though we had good snow cover this winter, it is still important to look at your fields this spring before you finalize your cropping decisions. By evaluating stands now you will be able to make decisions about what fields to save, what fields are getting thinner and need to be replaced soon, and what may need to be rotated to another crop this year.

The best way to valuate you stand is to look at the above ground part of the plant first. Check to see how many shoots you have in a square foot, over 55 stems per square foot is ideal, 40-55 means yields may be reduced, and under 40 means the stand is poor and may need to be replaced. Look to see that the shoots are coming from all sides of the crown and not only one side. Check for crowns that may have heaved up over winter or do not show any new shoot growth.

Also be sure to dig some roots and check to see how healthy the crowns are. Healthy crowns and roots will look white to cream colored and will be firm. If the crowns are discolored they may be infected with some root rot diseases that will limit production.

Talk to your Trelay DSM if you have questions or would like help in evaluating your alfalfa stands this spring to make sure you get the most from every acre that you farm.

Managing White Mold in 2010

2010-02-24T15:09:00.000-06:00

The 2009 season had record cool weather in July that was ideal for soybean white mold development. This disease was widespread in the north central region of the country.

In fields that had heavy white mold in 2009, no-till is the best tillage option. Tilling these fields with bury the sclerotia in the soil which increase the survival rate of the white mold fungus. The sclerotia can survive in the soil for up to seven years. Sclerotia within the top two inches of the soil surface will germinate and produce spores even in the corn. Getting as many of these sclerotia to germinate in corn so they are not able to colonize the soybean crop in 2011 is a critical step in managing this disease for future years.

Crop rotation is also critical. Fields with heavy pressure in 2009 should not be planted to soybean in 2010. The risk of an infection of white mold is too high to plant beans on beans in 2010.

Variety selection is the best tool we have to reduce the incidence of white mold problems. There are drastic differences in tolerance to white mold in varieties, but all beans are susceptible under very high pressures like we saw in 2009. Row spacing and population are two cultural practices than can easily be managed to control the canopy density and reduce the risk of white mold.

Chemical controls include soil applied Contans before the crop is planted. This biological control agent breaks down the sclerotia in the soil so they cannot germinate. There are also several fungicides now labeled for suppression of white mold, but timing is critical with application of these products. Another chemical option is the use Cobra herbicide to improve the plants natural defense against white mold. With any chemical control agent it is important to read and follow label directions.

Talk to you Trelay DSM on the best control options and soybean varieties for your farm in 2010

Vertical Tillage

2010-02-24T11:13:00.002-06:00

Vertical tillage is newer trend that is getting a lot of attention. There are many manufactures building equipment designed for vertical tillage. Most of these tend to look like a disk in that they have a series of blades in a gang on a tool bar. Some models have individual blades mounted on spring shanks similar to a filed cultivator.

The big difference is that the blades on this type of tillage equipment are a straight or fluted blade, more like a coulter. It runs 2 to 3 inches deep and is designed to cut crop residue and not move soil like the offset or tandem disks.

Leaving the residue on top off or mixed in the top few inches of the soil helps speed up decomposition and speeds the cycling of nutrients when compared to conventional tillage systems.

The main objective of using vertical tillage is to break up surface compaction, and take out rills or wheel tracks from harvest equipment.

Planting corn in fields that have been worked with Vertical tillage equipment can be tricky, and usually requires selecting hybrids bred to handle these soil conditions and the increased trash present. Trelays team has many years of experience and can help you make the right seed selections to match your tillage and filed conditions.

Are Twin Rows for You?

2010-02-16T08:11:00.000-06:00

Twin row crops are planted with a staggered seed drop. This allows for more growing room for each individual plant, and it allows each plant to have greater access to water and nutrients, improved light interception, and improves the plants ability to cope with stressful conditions that may develop throughout the season.

Twin Rows are usually planted 7 ½” inches apart on 30” centers. This allows for much better spacing between plants. For example dropping 33,000 seeds per acre in 30” rows would result in 6.3” between plants, the same 33,000 in twin rows would result in 12.6” spacing between plants. This is even more impressive when we go to higher populations, 40,000 seeds per acre in 30” rows puts seeds at a spacing of 5.2” while the same 40,000 seeding rate in twin rows would have 10.5” between plants.

We conducted yield trials across 20 sites last year to compare yields of twin rows and traditional 30” rows. Or results showed at the lower populations there was little response, but at higher populations (above 30,000) we were getting 3 to 5 bushel response to twin rows. Some studies in other areas are showing as much as a 15% yield increase.

As you travel around the Corn Belt this next year, you may see corn fields that look a little different. Our Trelay District Sales Managers have a lot more information on twin rows available, so give them a call today.

Soybean Seed Germination Issues for 2010

2010-02-02T16:12:00.000-06:00

2009 is behind us, and most growers are ready to leave it behind and look forward a better 2010. One problem with that idea is the wet harvest season last fall may have an effect on the soybean seed you purchase and plant this year. There have been several reports of soybean seed infected with Phomopsis seed decay. When wet weather causes delays in normal harvest, this fungal disease has the opportunity to infect the pods and seeds of soybeans because of the continued wetting and swelling of the seed and pods. Phomopsis is present in most of our soils and lies dormant until the soybean crop begins to mature. As the soybeans mature, this fungus moves into the pods and seeds covering them with a white, chalky mold growth and causes the beans to have a shriveled appearance. This causes a reduction in seed weight, and a reduction in germination rates of the infected seed. Healthy looking seed may also harbor the fungi within the seed coat. During germination this fungus will grow rapidly and can cause seedling wilt and/or damping off if it does not prevent germination all together.

The best way to manage your risk is plant quality seed. Check the germination on your seed lots to make sure they are 90% or above. This information is printed on the seed bag or on the seed tag of each bag or bulk unit of soybean seed. Another excellent way to control this risk is to use treated seed. Most of the common seed treatments today do an excellent job of controlling this fungus and will greatly increase germination and emergence on seed lots that may have low levels of infection. If you have questions or concerns about your seed quality, talk to any of our Trelay Seeds Reps and they will be happy to assist you with more info about this issue and if seed treatments would benefit your operation.

Hybrid Maturities

2009-12-29T07:52:00.001-06:00

Corn hybrid maturity ratings can be confusing to farmers and Ag professionals. One of the causes for this is that maturity can mean different things to different people.

Agronomists and plant breeders talk about corn maturity and think about the end of the grain fill period. This is the point when kernel weight has reached its highest point for the crop. Another term that is used interchangeably is “physiological maturity”. Another term that may be more commonly used is to say the crop has reached “black layer”, because an actual black layer develops at the tip of the kernel.

Grain moisture at this stage can be anywhere from 25 to 40%, and is typically in the mid 30%. It varies from hybrid to hybrid and year to year because of growing conditions in the season.

Most growers think of maturity in terms of “harvest maturity”, or when the crop can be harvested with minimal kernel loss or damage, and minimal drying expense. Usually growers like to see this harvest moisture around 25% or lower, depending upon whether the crop will be stored and fed for high moisture grain or marketed as dry grain.

Traditionally corn hybrids have been rated by seed companies on days to maturity, such as a 98 day hybrid for example. This method of rating hybrid maturities compares new hybrids to other hybrids of known maturity based on their grain moisture content at harvest time. The normal standards are that a hybrid will have a dry down rate of about 0.5 percentage points per day, so if the new hybrid has grain moisture 4% over a known hybrid that is rated as a 90 day hybrid, the new product would be rated as a 98 day hybrid (4 points moisture divided by 0.5 points per day moisture loss equals 8 days). It’s important to keep in mind that this system uses some assumptions about average grain drydown and normal growing conditions, as we well know from this last season, not all years are normal growing seasons.

Another method used to express relative maturities considers heat units, often referred to as growing degree days, or growing degree units. This method takes into consideration the amount of heat accumulated of a specific period of time. It is based on actual temperature measurements and not based on comparisons to other hybrids. Trelay has corn hybrids that range from 2150 to 2925 growing degree units in our product line-up.

The correlation between the two systems is close but not identical. Neither method is perfect because they are influenced by the environmental factors of the growing season, and plant stress on plant maturation such as moisture and or drought as a couple examples. Another factor to keep in mind is that not all seed companies use the same method for hybrid maturity evaluations. Some count days from planting, and some count days from crop emergence, so there can be some variation between two seed companies that are both selling products that are marketed as 98 day hybrids.

So what does this all mean to you? This is just one more reason you need to do some research before making decisions on hybrids. Be careful not to make decisions based on a single plot or test location. The more plots and yield info that you can compare across several sites and multiple years will give you a much better idea of how a specific hybrid will perform on your farm. Your local Trelay Rep will be able to help supply you with much of this information to partner with you and help make the best decision for your farm.

2009 Harvest Results

2009-11-10T12:58:00.005-06:00

Harvest results are steadily streaming in...I've added links to Trelay's corn and soybean harvest results under My Favorites. New data is posted daily, so check back often.

Corn Test Weights

2009-11-10T12:04:00.001-06:00

Corn test weight is a popular topic this year. It is a volumetric measurement; the official definition is “the amount of grain contained in 1.244 cubic feet of space”. The US Grain standard is 56 lbs. per bushel for No. 1 yellow corn, and 54 lbs. per bushel for No. 2 yellow corn. This weight is contingent on moisture content; the normal standard use in the grain industry is 15% or 15.5% moisture. I’m not sure how this system started hundreds of years ago, but my guess is that it was used because scales were not as accessible as today and it was just easier to measure the amount of grain in a wagon or corn crib than to actually take it over a scale.

Many growers associate high yields with high test weight grain, and low yields with lower test weight grain. The truth is that there is very little relationship between yield and test weight. We often see the same test weights across high-yielding and low-yielding environments. Higher test weights will allow you to get more lbs. of grain in a given volume of space, such as a truck or a bin.

What influences test weight?

The physical characteristics of the kernel, such as size, density, shape, and texture of the kernel surface, all come into play. Grain moisture is the most important factor to influence test weight. As grain dries down, it also shrinks, allowing more kernels to fit into a given space or bushel, in this case. This fall, we are seeing corn wetter than we have in many years, so it stands to reason that we will see lower test weights because of the higher moisture.

How much test weights will increase after grain drying varies based on hybrid genetics, condition of the grain, and the temperature that is used to dry it. The following table shows some general guidelines to use for calculations.

Some other factors that influence test weights are: 1) plant stresses during grain fill that could include disease, 2) ear rots and molds, 3) insects, 4) soil or fertility conditions, 5) hail damage, and 6) like this year, in many areas, frost hits before corn reaches Black Layer. Any of these events can disrupt the movement of nutrients and sugars to the kernels.

What if my corn didn’t make it to Black Layer?

Black Layer or physiological maturity signifies the end of nutrient accumulation in the kernel. If corn freezes before it reaches this stage, we can expect lower test weights. The University of Minnesota conducted a study on drying immature corn a few years ago. Their results are listed below (KM = kernel moisture, TW=test weight).

In this study, corn that was in the soft dough to early dent stage actually decreased in test weight after drying. Immature corn that was well dented to Black Layer all increased in test weight to nearly 56 lbs./bu after drying.
Once again, in a year like we have just seen, we can expect to see lower test weights because of higher grain moistures. The good news is test weights will most likely increase after drying, but the amount of increase will vary between varieties and their stage of development of the corn at the time of frost.

References:

Hicks, Dale. 2004 Corn Test Weight Changes During Drying. Minnesota Crop News. http://www.extension.umn.edu/cropenews/2004/04MNCN29.htm
Nafzinger, Emerson. 2003. Test Weight and Yield: A Connection? The Bulletin, Univ. of Illinois Extension. http://ipm.illinois.edu/bulletin/pastpest/200323h.htm
Nielson, R. L. 2009. Test Weight Issues in Corn. Corny News Network. Purdue University Dept. of Agronomy. http://www.agry.purdue.edu/Ext/corn/news/timeless/TestWeight.html
Rankin, Mike. 2009. Understanding Corn Test Weight. University of Wisconsin Extension Publication.

Silage Harvest Update

2009-10-22T09:05:00.004-05:00

Silage harvest is done in most areas. I have been getting many forage samples back and have been very impressed with what I am seeing this year. Silage yields are down in tonnage for central and northern Wisconsin, in the areas hurt by the dry weather earlier this year, but quality seems to very good yet. The rest of the areas are reporting big yields and high quality. Silage yields are running in the high 20’s to low 30’s for tonnage to the acre. Our new full season hybrid we added this year even bumped 40 ton to the acre in one plot!! Now that’s a lot of corn. This variety also produces good grain yields so the starch levels in the feed sample have been good. A couple earlier hybrids that we added are also doing great, we have a new 104 day and 107 day hybrid that both came back with great tonnage yields and starch levels in the high 30’s, a dairyman’s dream.

Early Frost?

2009-10-21T15:50:00.003-05:00

What a year, we go from one of the nicest Septembers with 80 degree weather and great growing conditions to high temps in October that are 20 degrees below normal. Most areas saw the first frost over the weekend. So what will this do the corn that has not reached black layer yet? Blow is a chart that shows what the kernel moisture is typically at different growth stages of the plat, along with the yield loss that could be expected with frost at that time.

This does a nice job to explain what we may see in the field if you find yourself with corn that has not quite made it to the finish line. The good news is that early grain harvests are coming in better than we expected for the year. Some yield results are running well over 200 bushel an acre, and even over last year’s numbers! Have a great harvest season, and look back for more yield updates as they com in.

Plot Tours - 3rd Week of August

2009-09-28T11:27:00.006-05:00

This past week I had the opportunity to travel to many of our local plot and field days. I was impressed with how Trelay’s crops looked overall. In north central and north eastern Wisconsin the crop shows some stunting from the dry weather, but the rains came in time to produce some good grain yields. Many varieties are just getting to hard dent and have a ways to go before they reach black layer, but the warm September weather is just what we needed to finish this crop.

When the corn is at full dent, the kernels are about 1/4th milk and approximately 3 weeks to black layer or physiological maturity. Silage harvest has begun in many areas with whole plant moisture running in the low 60% to over 70%. Dry matter accumulation of grain is about 75% at 1/4th milk line and about 90% at ½ milk line.

With large acres affected by the hail storms this year, growers need to be concerned with molds that may be present in their fields this fall. These molds can cause the development of mycotoxins which need to be tested before the grain or forage is fed. As long as the concentrations of mycotoxins are known, the feed can be fed safely, although it may need to be blended with other feed stuffs. Different classes of livestock have different levels of sensitivity to mycotoxins, so consult your nutritionist before feeding any hail damaged crops that may contain mycotoxins.