cq perspectives jan 2004
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Water usage regulations were changing and
Wendell R. Nicholas, Owner of Nicholas Farms in Johnson,
an., needed to change his traditional ood irrigation system.
Like many other producers in the area, his options were sprinkler
r subsurface drip irrigation (SDI). After carefully evaluating the
pros and cons of both systems, Nicholas chose SDI, which few
ansas corn farmers were using when he rst instal
ection of tape six years ago.
“I didnʼt want to lose production on the corners
ith sprinklers, and the drip irrigation uses less wat
f the acreage – that was the deciding factor for me,
ays.
efore deciding on SDI, Nicholas had several q
bout the system. First, he had to know if the increa
quipment costs would pay over the long run.
“Itʼs quite a lot more expensive,” Nicholas notes
ther hand, it is more water efcient and could have
useful life than a sprinkler system. The projections f
rrigation s̓ useful life have been extended even sinc
nstalled it. We̓ re also very conscious of performinmaintenance to extend our system s̓ life.”
icholas visited several farms using SDI before
n using “tape” from T-Systems International, Inc.
s placed 15-inches deep, and he has never disturbe
r had to replace sections since installing the rst T-
products six years ago.
After choosing to install SDI, he consulted with
uest on how to maximize his investment and prod
reater yields by fertilizing through the system.
“Weʼve learned together,” notes Glen Robertson
onsultant for Crop Quest. “Weʼve been able to use
rip irrigation system to apply 50% of the Nitrogen
ertilizer. We have encountered a few challenges usiystem. For instance, itʼs hard to get a corn stand wi
having a little moisture on the ground s̓ surface in a
year. To get the seed to germinate in a dry spring, w
had to revert back to ood practices and water the c
to establish a stand.”
n Nicholasʼ system, the tape is placed 60 inches
nd water emitters are placed every two feet on the
eep tape, which provides about ve feet of soak to
rops. The farm also has battled corn rootworms an
to control the infestation by intense adult beetle trea
ince a larvae rescue treatment is ineffective withou
push the insecticide down to the root zone.
“Weʼve relied heavily on Crop Quest to help us navigate
through the corn rootworm infestation and have been discussing
using rootworm-resistant varieties to prevent problems in the
future,” Nicholas says.
He notes that lu in also is a concern for the s stem but
Increasing Yields, Decreasing Water Use with Drip IrrigationWestern Kansas producer utilizes drip irrigation to increase yields, conserve water
1C r o p Q u e s t P e r s p e c t i v e s
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CROP QUEST AGRONOMIC SERVICES, IN
Volume 13 • Issue 1 • January 2004
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2 C r o p Q u e s t P e r s p e c t i v e s w w w . c r o p q u e s t . c o m
By Jim Gleason
Regional Vice President
St. John, Kan.
Q
When is the right time to control
weeds in established alfalfaelds?
A f the weed problem is mustards,
andelions and other winter annual
weeds, the best time to treat established
alfalfa elds is late winter when the hay
is dormant. The ground needs to be free
of any snow cover during treatment so
none of the weeds are missed.
If the target weeds are summer annual
grasses and broadleaves, then consider a
treatment between cuttings. The treat-
ment needs to be applied before many of the weeds begin to develop. Usually this
requires a second application during mid-
summer months to continue the control.
There are several chemicals to choose
from based on the weed spectrum to be
controlled. Generally, all treatments work
by contact as well as residual activity.
This residual action will help control any
late-emerging weeds as well.
Increasing Yields Continued from page 1
by Dwight Koops
Regional Vice President
Ulysses, Kan.
Oats are a multi-purpose crop that can add exibility to your
rotation. Oats can be harvested for grain, hay, green chop or usedfor grazing purposes. If the crop is harvested for grain, the straw
lso has value as quality bedding material. Oats are also utilized
s a cover crop for alfalfa and other legumes because they tend to cover the ground
uickly after emergence. The oat hay/legume mixture yields a very high-quality feed
s well.
he growing season for oats is short enough that they can be planted following
fall-harvested crop and producers will still have time to double crop following oat
arvest. In situations where irrigation water is in short supply and is being spread
ver too many acres, oats give a producer the opportunity to efciently water some
cres in the off season and again during the growing season. Some producers are
reaping a nancial benet by following oats with a forage sorghum crop. Brown Mid
ib sorghums are becoming very popular. They have high feed value and can be
raised with much lower expenses than traditional silage corn.
Oats produce high-quality hay or ensilage that is desirable to many livestock
producers. In order to produce high-quality hay, oats must be harvested at the proper
ime with little or no rain while they are in the windrow. At times, this hay is almost
s valuable as high-quality alfalfa.
Oat production is similar to most other small grains with some exceptions. Certain
phid species are more destructive to oats than other small grains, but the manage-
ent of these insects is likely to be similar.
here are not as many herbicide choices available to an oat crop, but weed control
s manageable. It is important that good weed control be achieved in an oat crop to
preserve the quality of the feed, yield and harvestability of the grain.
Deciding whether to take oats for grain or forage depends on local markets and
eed. Push a pencil to oats and see what works best for your operation. If oats t intoour rotation, it may enhance your cropping exibility.
Consider Adding Oatsto Your Rotation
along the track keeps particles in suspension as water drips through the emitters.
There are three main types of plugging Nicholas is concerned with: physical
plugging from sand and soil, which can be prevented with ltration; chemical
plugging from calcium or hard water deposits, which can be dealt with by acidizing
the system; and biological plugging from growth within the system, which can be
controlled through chlorination.
Even though Nicholas is worried about these types of plugging issues, careful
maintenance to the SDI equipment has kept the system problem free.“What we have seen is an increase in yields from the drip irrigation with less
water usage,” Nicholas notes. “Weʼre able to raise 5% to 10% more crops on half the
water, and we are in compliance with state regulations.”
Nicholas farms about one-third of his total acreage using SDI, and the remaining
elds are split between ood irrigation and sprinkler systems. In the future, Nicholas
plans to install more SDI.
“As energy costs increase, we will continue to install more tape and convert the
existing ood irrigation to drip,” Nicholas says. “The increase in water efciency is
worth the initial expense.”
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Mission StatementCrop Quest is an employee-owned company dedicated to providing the highest quality agricultural services for each customer. The quest of our
network of professionals is to practice integrity and innovation to ensure our services are economically and environmentally sound.
Crop Quest Agronomic Services, Inc.
Main Ofce: Phone 620.225.2233 • Fax 620.225.3199
Internet: www.cropquest.com • [email protected]
Crop Quest Board of Directors
President: Ron OʼHanlon
Director: Dave Wetmore
Director: Jim Gleason
Director: Dwight Koops
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Director: Chris McInteer
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