cq perspectives sep 2005

8/4/2019 CQ Perspectives Sep 2005

1/4 1C r o p Q u e s t P e r s p e c t i v e s

Volume 15 Issue 5 September 2005

Using A Stale Seedbed For Fall Alfalfa Establishment

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CROP QUEST AGRONOMIC SERVICES, INC


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Glyphosate Control Is Disconcerting By:Ron OHanloPresidentMember, National Allianof Independent CropConsultants, CPCC-ICertiedCrop Quest agronomists across our entire service area,

especially throughout the state of Kansas, are reporting

numerous cases of the lack of total weed control usingglyphosate-type products including Roundup, Touchdownand the many generics on the

market.

No state west of Missouri has

ofcially reported the presence ofglyphosate-resistant weeds, but all

of the failures cannot be attributedto insufcient product rates,

application errors and weatherconditions.

In the image (right), this patchof weeds was treated twice (three

weeks apart) with 32-oz.-per-acrerate of a 4-lb.-per-gallon product.These weeds had a total of 64 ozs. applied along with the

proper additives, yet they are still quite alive and growing, ascan be seen in the image (above). This happens to be mare s

tail weed, which is the#1 reported glyphosate-

resistant weed in the eastern United States.

Other weeds reported by the Crop Quest agronomists as n

being completely controlled include water hemp, pigweed ankochia. We dont know whether these are resistant weeds ornot, but we do know that the current

rates of product that we have beenusing are no longer doing the job of

good weed control.

As we move into more no-till

farming practices, weed control isessential for making this system

work. Your Crop Quest agronomistswill be exploring for tankmix

partners and visiting with herbicideproduct reps to see if we can onceagain get the upper hand on weed control management.

Scott Beguelin, Crop QuestAgronomist in Silver Lake, Kan., hastracked the spread of soybean rust

(Phakospora pachyrhizi) during the growing season, whileclosely following the sporadic appearance of soybean aphids.

QHave the tropical storms and hurricane winds thissummer increased the risk of soybean rust spreadinginto the Midwest?

A So far, soybean rust has not been documented any furthernorth than Alabama, though some reports indicate the diseasemay have been found in Tennessee. Even if soybean rust isoccurring in Tennessee, that is over 700 miles from Kansasand the disease-carrying spores are not likely to reach thisfar north. Furthermore, only late-planted beans would besusceptible to soybean rust at this time. Though there isalways some risk, it doesnt seem to be signicant this year.

QShould growers be concerned if new storms occur inthe Gulf of Mexico?A If infections are reported in Texas, that would createmuch more concern and we would be at a higher risk fromstorms that occur along the Louisiana-Texas coast. At thistime, the heaviest concentrations of soybean rust have beenin Florida, Alabama and Georgia, so storms that come ashorein those areas are more likely to cause spread of the diseasein the Southeast, but not in our area.

QIf late-season storms in the Gulf Coast do bringsoybean rust spores to the Midwest, should growers

be concerned about the disease for the 2006 growinseason?

A Currently, there is no evidence that soybean rust can owinter this far north.

QIs there a correlation between occurrence of soyberust and soybean aphids?A No. Storm systems can spread both, but there is no reacorrelation. Soybean aphids have been a sporadic problemeastern Kansas, but as of early August, not at levels to mespraying.

QWhat weather conditions are most conducive to apfeeding and damage on soybeans?

A Aphid numbers decline in temperatures over 90F. Ifwe get week-long periods of below normal temperatures,soybean growers need to look for aphids. If that happens,

could get into situations in which they would have to spracontrol rapidly feeding infestations.

QDo soybean aphids over-winter in the Midwest?A In Kansas, we do get some over-wintering of the soybaphids. The primary over-wintering areas are along creekbeds and generally in uncultivated areas adjacent to soybeelds. The most common over-wintering host is buckthorFarmers can reduce the risk of over-wintering aphids byremoving buckthorn. Information concerning identicatioand control of buckthorn can be obtained by contacting anCrop Quest consultant.

Is Severe Tropical Weather Affecting Soybean Rust Risk?

Weeds not controlled with upto 64 oz. of glyphosate.

Roundup is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company Touchdown is a registered trademark of Syngenta Company


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

Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from plants. In theUnited States in 2004, in excess of 1.26 billion bushels of corn

were used to produce 3.9 billion gallons of ethanol and 7.3million metric tons of distillers grain, used primarily forcattle feed.

At a time when gasoline prices have risen to an all-timehigh of over $2.20 per gallon nationally for regular unleaded

fuel, ethanol prices have decreased by more than 20% to

less than $2.00 per gallon in some states.The obvious question is, Why isnt more ethanol used?The short answer is, More is being used. The long answercan be explained by looking at the prot level of Americas

largest petroleum company Mobil-Exxon. Fourth-quarterprots for the petroleum giant reached a staggering $3.8

million per hour and other U.S. petroleum companies showedsimilar prots.

Though ethanol is cheaper, cleaner and provides morebenets for the domestic workforce, it is not economicallyfeasible for U.S. oil companies. In New York, Connecticut

and California, petroleum companies are required by law toblend ethanol (8.5% in California and 10% in New York and

Connecticut).Simply blending up to 10% of all gasoline sold in the

United States would save American motorists an average of8 cents per gallon and would triple the domestic market forcorn. Though ethanol prices have fallen by 40 to 50 cents per

gallon nationwide, there has been no obvious movement bypetroleum companies to reduce the cost of fuel by blending

cheaper ethanol.What does all this mean to U.S. corn growers? Crop Quest

Agronomist and West Region Vice President Dwight Koops(right) says there is a potential benet to farmers from at

least two perspectives.The obvious advantage of increased ethanol production

from corn or grain sorghum is that it could provide a morestable market and more stable prices for our crops overtime. The benet would come mainly from a higher demand

on corn. I believe we have the land base and the technologyneeded to produce enough corn to meet the projected market

needs, Koops says.According to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA),

demand for ethanol by 2012 will exceed eight billion gallons,

requiring 2.8 billion bushels of corn to sustain production.Farmers are concerned about price insecurity of

commodities and energy costs, Koops notes. It is feasiblethat increased ethanol production could at the very least

stabilize, and possibly lower energy costs, and may even

raise commodity prices somewhat. It is highly unlikely thatcommodity prices will increase signicantly. If the grain gets

too expensive, then ethanol production will drop in relationto the cost of producing crude oil. Some balance will evolve.Increasing ethanol production adds to the competition of the

overall energy industry, and that is healthy for our economyand our farmers.

There are currently 88 ethanol plants in the United States,

producing nearly 3.9 billion gallons per year. In constructionor expansion are 16 additional plants with a capacity toproduce over one billion gallons annually. Included in thisexpansion are recently opened plants in Garnett, Kan., and

Fairbank, Iowa.According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ethanol

production utilized 11% of the 2004 corn crop, adding over$5 billion to the value of the entire U.S. corn crop. A modern

dry-mill ethanol plant produces 2.8 gallons of ethanol and 17lbs. of feed from one bushel of corn.

The RFA recently announced that Americas race, the Indy

500, will be powered by ethanol in the future. In 2006, Indycars will be powered by

a 10% blend of ethanoland gasoline. By 2007,

Indy cars will be poweredtotally by ethanol,according to the RFA.

RFA President, BobDinneen says, The

science is clear ethanolblended fuel does reduce

total smog-formingemissions, it is cleaner and

safer than gasoline, it iscurrently less expensive

than gasoline and it doesbenet farmers and ruralcommunities.

According to the RFA,the outlook is bright

for soybean farmers as well. Though only a fraction of thedemand expected for ethanol, the demand for biodiesel,primarily from soybeans, is projected to reach a half billion

gallons by 2012.Whether ethanol provides Corn Belt growers an

alternative buying source or not is still in question. Butone item is clear any positive growth means additional

opportunity.

Ethanol:A Boon or Bust

For Corn Farmers?

Dwight Koops


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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 networ

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

PRSRT ST

US POSTAG

PAID

DODGE CITY

PERMIT NO.

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 OHanlon

Director: Jim Gleason

Director: Dwight Koops

Director: Cort Minor

Director: Chris McInteer

Director: Rob Meyer

If you have been reading the recent editions of Crop Quest s

newsletter, you have noticed articles featuring the benets of grid

sampling and variable rate fertilizer applications. A number of

customers have taken advantage of this service, and have been

very pleased with the results. In fact, they have had overwhelming

satisfaction.

Variable Rate Technology (VRT) has proven to be one of the

most efcient means of applying fertilizer and utilizing their

fertilizer dollar. Crop Quest

has featured how their

customers have not only

saved money on fertilizer,

but have also improved the

overall production from their

elds.The program is tailored to

meet the goals of each eld.

This service does a great job

of revealing the nutritional

variability that is not always

obvious. In situations where

low pH is a problem and lime

applications are needed, VRT

has paid for itself the rst

year almost every time.

At Crop Quest we believe

that variably applying

fertilizers is an underused practice and should become a moremainstream application method. Farmers are faced with ever-

increasing energy and fertilizer prices. VRT can be part of the

solution to these higher costs.

If you think this service is not for you, or is too expensive,

Crop Quest would encourage you to visit with your agronomist

about how to improve your

bottom line by utilizing

variable rate technology on

your farm. This can be done

with virtually no equipment

investment on the part of

the farmer. Crop Quest takes

care of collecting the geo-

referenced boundary, pulling

the site-specic samples,

customizing the recommendations with your help, creating the

maps and delivering the necessary information to the applicato

Many local fertilizer providers have the capability to variab

apply the fertilizers once the recommendations are made. We

even help line up these services. Crop Quest has strived to keeup with the most recent technology to offer these services to o

customers at very economical prices.

This fall, Crop Quest would like to encourage farmers to giv

our grid-sampling program a try and let us show you how you

benet from VRT. A good starting point would be for you and

agronomist to identify a eld or two that has not performed as

as expected over the last few years. We are very condent you

return on investment will be well worth your time and effort. Y

Crop Quest agronomist is fully capable of integrating this pra

into your operation.

A great time to get started on your grid-sample program is r

after harvest, so please visit with your agronomist today. This

give them ample time to customize the recommendations to myour goals and get your fertilizer applied in a timely manner.

At the same time, ask us about all our Precision Ag services

Precision Ag Staff has all the GIS tools and abilities to meet y

precision farming needs.

Take Advantage Of Crop QuestsEconomical Grid Sample Program!

cq perspectives sep 2005

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