cq perspectives nov 2011

8/3/2019 CQ Perspectives Nov 2011

1/4C 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, INC

C r o p Q u e s t P e r s p e c t i v e s

Moisture Concerns RuleDecision Process for 2012

Continued on Page 2

With the odds now favoring another La Nia thiswinter and farmers from Kansas to Texas sayingtheyve never seen it drier, it looks like 2012 runs therisk of being another short crop year further exac-

erbating USDAs already gloomy outlook for wheatcarryover.

Gary McManus, Associate State Climatologist atOklahoma Climatological Survey, spoke at the Okla-homa Farm Bureaus Drought Summit and painted agloomy picture a pathetic sight, in his words ofwheat prospects there. Citing the better than 50%chance of a new La Nia, he says, and another cycleof drought looks very possible, even likely.

While wheat farmers say they are reluctant to puthigh-priced seed into a bone-dry seedbed sitting atopbone-dry subsoil sapped by the driest and hottest 12months on record in Texas, Oklahoma and importantwheat areas in southwestern Kansas and southeastern

Colorado, they say they probably will. With insurancerules requiring at least the effort, most say they willprobably plant wheat.

And while it doesnt take a professional agronomistto tell you that soil moisture is the primary croppingissue for the spring planting season of 2012, theresnever been a better year to have a professional cropconsultant at your side to help you manage your plant-ing, irrigation, fertilization and other input optionsnext year.

Mark Hatley, who services the Dumas area of theTexas Panhandle, says the hot and windy weatherpattern will create a reduction in corn acres in 2012and a move to more cotton and wheat acres due to

lack of soil moisture. If we dont get 6-8 inches ofwinter moisture, well probably make the change tocrops that have a lower moisture demand than corn,he states.

Unlike in previous years, I think youll seeproducers holding off longer in making decisions onfertilizers, seeds, herbicides, etc. It all depends on thenext 2-3 months.

Hatley says his producers will need to take a closerlook at fertility residues and use that information totheir advantage. It all starts and ends with proper soilsampling. The analysis of our soil sampling will helpus determine where well put crops. Soil is so dry thatit is hard to get a consistent soil sample, so well rely

on soil sampling where we can and fertility history formake cropping decisions.

Hatley doesnt anticipate any problems obtaininggood seed, but when he meets with his producers,

hell be reviewing the latest results of some of themore drought- and stress-hardy seed varieties andwork them into some of the dryer areas. Our cottongrowers are a bit more accustomed to managing cropsin dryer conditions. The main job with them is to helpmanage input costs.

The story is pretty much the same in Tom Steblysarea of Northwest Oklahoma. Some of our produc-ers havent had appreciable rainfall since last August.We have had a lot of dryland crops abandoned thisyear due to the extreme heat and dry conditions. Ithas been estimated that 90 percent of the Oklahomacotton crop will be abandoned this season. The dam-age has been incredible. Even our irrigated acres have

been affected.The aquifer we pull from is strong, but we did

have some wells drawing down as we got late intoJuly and August. Given the long-term forecast, someof our clients are planning to shut off end guns forthis coming season as a way to conserve water. A lotof our irrigated ground is extremely sandy and theyields on the end gun acres have generally been poor.This should help keep from wasting water where thereturns have been so low. Id also expect to see someacres shift away from corn and soybeans, and intocotton and peanuts.

Stebly is not as concerned about fertility and wontknow about seed availability until after harvest. We

like to nish up with harvest before we begin to planfor the coming season. On our dryland acres, we typi-cally dont make many decisions prior to January. Wehave seen an increase in winter canola acres this falland wheat acres appear to be close to normal. If I hadto guess though, Id expect to see a shift in acres awayfrom dryland corn to more milo, cotton, and sesame.We will also try to keep our herbicide options open inwheat this winter this will allow us the exibility to

rotate crops if the weather remains dry and we have toabandon wheat acres.

And on a non-cropping issue, Stebly says that feralhogs are increasing in his area and are causing a lot

Mark Hatley

Jason Reichart

Shannon Evans

Tom Stebly

Volume 21 Issue 6 November 201


2/4C 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

The heat and drought that most of us

experienced this year had a huge impact

on yields for many producers. Failed elds

and even some elds that produced grain have shown a high level

of carryover nitrogen due to yielding signicantly less than what

the eld was fertilized for. Some of our agronomists have found

that wheat or sorghum elds in low-yielding environments may

have had 50 pounds per acre (or more) nitrogen carryover this

year. Without signicant moisture, very little nitrogen will be lost

through leaching or denitrication and will still be available for

the next crop in the rotation.Corn was hit especially hard, due to extremely poor pollina-

tion or failure of the plants to produce an ear altogether. In those

situations, a large portion of the fertilizer that was applied may not

have been fully utilized. Early soil test values for residual nitrates

in corn elds with low yields or those taken for low quality silage

have ranged anywhere from 40-250 pounds N per acre, depending

on yield goal and whether or not the eld was irrigated. As a result

of residual soil nitrogen, a farmer may be able to signicantly

lower the input costs this next year.

Average nitrogen fertilizer prices currently range from about

$0.48-$0.72 per pound of actual N, depending on the type applied;

so it is easy to see that accurate and timely soil testing will be

extremely important for controlling input costs.

With high fertilizer prices, it is important to know how m

additional fertility is needed. For example, applying 50 pou

acre less nitrogen as anhydrous for dryland sorghum in a w

sorghum, fallow rotation would save approximately $24 pe

Likewise, reducing preplant anhydrous applications in corn

120 pounds actual N per acre due to carryover nitrogen of

140 pounds per acre would save close to $57 per acre. The

further increase if other forms of nitrogen, such as urea or U

are your typical fertilizer source.

Other nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium may

have been fully utilized. This may allow for a reduction in amount of those products applied next year in an

annual subsistence fertility program, or possibly an

additional year between manure or bulk fertilizer applicatio

you utilize a three to ve year rotation for phosphorus and

nutrients.

Without a soil test, it is easy to underestimate residual n

which can lead to applying more fertilizer than needed and

ing unnecessary expense to your operation. Most of the res

nutrients indicated in the soil test should be available for th

crop. The best way to know whether you may lower your i

for next year is to soil sample your elds and then discuss t

results with your agronomist to adjust your goals in implem

a fertility program.

Moisture Concerns Rule Decision Process ... Continued from Page 1

of crop damage in the Canton, OK, area. The hogs havebeen moving north over the past 3 to 4 years and damageis increasing. There isnt a lot we can do given how pro-lic they are. However, we are trying to prepare for them

by coming up with some trapping and control options.Jason Reichart, a Crop Quest agronomist located in

northeast Kansas, paints a completely different picture

for his producers adequate moisture! We are in bettershape moisture-wise in this area. Our top soil is certainlydrying out now in the upper six to twelve inches, but thesubsoil, is generally in decent shape, especially the moreclay-based soils.

Reichart notes that wheat his producers have drilledlooks fair and would improve with just a little rain. Healso notes the cover crops that a few of his producers aretrying have germinated and putting down their roots. Allthat good news is enough reason for Reichart to approachthis coming year with guarded optimism. I am moreconcerned about the hybrid and variety selection of corn,soybeans, wheat and alfalfa than long-term lack of mois-ture. Continued advancements in seed technology can help

mitigate the increasing variance in weather.Overall Reichart sees his part of the country being

business as usual regarding cropping programs. Wemay see a little adjustment in planted acres in the springbased on the markets and input cost, but I dont expectsoil moisture to really be a deciding factor. It usually isntanyway.

Crops are coming off and we want to get our elds

sampled and make our nutrient recommendations as

quickly as possible so our producers can manage theirfertilizer input costs. Its all about minimizing inputs andmaximizing outputs. Thats why we are heavy into gridsampling, yield mapping, etc. in this area. Customersexpect us to arm them with the best information, so theycan do the best buying, Reichart reports.

Shannon Evans based in Montezuma in southwest

Kansas, reports that their dryland wheat has not beenplanted because there is no soil moisture. Irrigation issuesare compounded with the fact that many of his producershave used up their water allotment. We are only allocatedabout 24-acre-inches of water a year. Many producershave already used that allotment this year and have bor-rowed some from next year. Some may only have 15-20inches of irrigation available to them. That will affect whatwe plant, where we plant it and certainly our crop inputoptions. We will look closer at corn hybrids that are moredrought or stress resistant. Simply put, we will be rethink-ing everything!"

In conclusion Evans says, Were doing a lot of soilsampling so we know where were at and can make those

key input decisions. Were nishing harvest and will waitand see where we nished up with yields, water use, soil

fertility, etc. and then sit down and do some real-timeplanning. This is not the time for knee-jerk reactions andquick decisions, he warns. It is certainly the time to lookat the data and make informed decisions based on facts,new variety data, and new technologies and then move inthe best direction we can. But these tough decisions needto be based on facts, not gut reactions.

By: Chris Sheppard


3/4C r o p Q u e s t P e r s p e c t i v e s

Recognized For

Years Of Serv iceDwight Koops

Thirty years of service in the same occupationis a long time. One of the founding membersof Crop Quest was recently recognized for

30 Years of Agronomic Service during theannual Crop Quest Full Staff Meeting onNovember 11, 2011, in Midwest City, OK.

Dwight Koops graduated from ColoradoState University in 1981 with a B.S. degree inAgronomy. He immediately began work as anagronomist with Servi-Tech in the Ulysses, KS,area. He proceeded to serve as the Ulysses Divi-sion Manager from 1983 to 1991 at which timehe was promoted to Western Regional Manageruntil the founding of Crop Quest in February1992, where he was named Crop Quest VicePresident of the Western Region. He still residesin Ulysses, KS.

In addition to working with many producers inWestern Kansas, overseeing the Western Regionand assisting with advancing many other pro-grams company wide, Koops is also an electedmember to the Crop Quest Board of Directors.

Koops has enjoyed his career as an agrono-mist, being out in the eld watching crops grow.He relayed that it has been a privilege to work

with the best group of people, including hiscolleagues, farmer producers and business as-sociates. He said every one of them has had animpact on him and his career.

As memorable times, he has had the opportu-nity to witness the onset of genetically modiedcrops, the growth of precision farming and theconversion of ood irrigation to sprinklerirrigation on the High Plains.

Married for 28 years, Koops and his wife,Kris, have three daughters Jennifer, Hannahand Maggie. Koops said his most memorablemoments have been watching his children growand mature into ne young adults.

We congratulate Dwight Koopsand pray that he will enjoy manymore years of success in the cropconsulting profession.


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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

professionals is to practice integrity and innovation to ensure our services are economically and environmentally sound.

PRSRT STD

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DODGE CITY K

PERMIT NO. 43

Employee-Owned & Customer DrivenCrop 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 OHanlonDirector: Jim Gleason

Director: Dwight Koops

Director: Cort Minor

Director: Chris McInteer

Director: Rob Benyshek

Introducing RapidEyeSatellite Imagery

Satellite imagery is not a new technol-ogy; in fact its been around longer thanmany of the precision ag tools producerscurrently use.

Every once in a while though, therecomes a new spin on mature technologythat makes us step back and reevaluatehow we can put it to work. This is why we

are introducing RapidEye Satellite imagery. Historically, obtain-ing and working with satellite imagery has been cumbersome,making the imagery costly and difcult to use.

Crop Quest has teamed up with SST (a precision ag softwaredevelopment company) to obtain and analyze satellite imagerythrough SST Summit; making imagery easily accessible for

agronomists and affordable for our clients. SST Sum-mit is the scouting software Crop Quest agronomistsuse to deliver digital eld reports and process preci-sion ag data (grid samples, yield maps, veris EC data).RapidEye imagery is an excellent tool for gaining a bigpicture feel for whats happening in your elds, andwith simple downloads and delivery options, we believe it is a toolproducers will nd value in.

Over the last couple of months, a select group of Crop Questagronomists have been Beta testing RapidEye Satellite imagerythrough SST Summit. When the tool rst came online, limited 2010imagery was available but now it has a partial set of 2010 and 2011imagery. SST currently has 2011 imagery for 30% of the 50 millionacres in FarmRite. FarmRite is SSTs standardized informationprocessing system, that among other things, allows us to share, pro-

cess, and store data. Only a fraction of those acres are serviced byCrop Quest, but one can appreciate the size of this project.

Once SST has acquired historic imagery for the 50 million acres,the task becomes a matter of maintenance. SST estimates that keep-ing the system current will mean posting new imagery within 72

hours from the satellite acquisition. In the future the hope is to hautomated conrmations that will inform Crop Quest agronomiwhen new imagery is available for download and delivery to theproducer.

With the Rapid Eye Satellite Imagery being relatively new, ouragronomists have had only limited time to work with it. However,Grant Havel, Manager of the Northwest Kansas Division, has notia connection between the yield data and the imagery on a numberelds. Havel has observed, some imagery having an inverse correl

tion to yield, particularly in wheat due to increased growth andpotential for lodging. Havel states, With wheat, I can see somebenets from being better able to identify areas of increased growith some uses of growth regulators to help prevent the lodging

those spots. Havel thinks the same may be said about using

growth regulators in cotton production as well.In corn, Havel also noticed the imagery following yielmap patterns. This enables a person to better identify s

types and higher production areas which allows him tvary seeding and fertilizer rates, to take advantage of

the better producing areas in the eld. Havel states, I csee benets under irrigation as well, imagery helps recognize sprkler patterns and nozzle problems. Looking at some of the eldshad hail damage through the season, you could also identify totaacres affected when corn had lost its canopy. Just like any part precision agriculture, having access to more imagery will give yomore layers, to answer more questions, to unlock more yield pottial for that eld or farm.

Download a RapidEye Flyer from the web for quick bullets abthe imagery service, visit us online at cropquest.com, or visit wit

your local agronomist for more information. Whether you are buing variable rate growth regulator prescriptions for cotton, variarate nitrogen prescriptions for wheat, or determining irrigationissues in corn; allow us to provide you with the precision ag toolsnecessary to help manage your crop.

Grant Havel

By: Nathan Woydziak

cq perspectives nov 2011

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