cq perspectives sep 2006

8/4/2019 CQ Perspectives Sep 2006

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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

Volume 16 Issue 5 September 2006

Wheat farmers in Kansas and Oklahoma have long been

looking for a non-grass winter rotational crop. Canola has

the capability to ll the need, with yield potential comparableto wheat and a good market demand, plus it can be grown and

harvested with existing equipment used for wheat.Despite its potential, canola had plenty of problems in

Kansas and Oklahoma last year. In central Kansas,Crop Quest agronomist Jim Gleason says as much as80% of canola elds were abandoned. Further southand east, the abandonment rate was signicantly lower.

We think canola has some promise for our area,Gleason says. Last year was our rst year workingwith the crop, and we had some tough times. I hope grow-ers wont give up on canola based on one bad year, he says.Down the road, we will have better varieties and more experi-ence with the crop, he adds.

In southwest Oklahoma, Crop Quest agronomist HowardBartel says canola was very erratic, some elds were a disas-

ter. The biggest problem in Oklahoma is there is no labeledinsecticide to control aphids. Aphid damage, plus extreme

drought conditions in the fall which led to late, thinstands, were a lethal combination for canola insome parts of Oklahoma, according to Bartel.

The losses may be attributed to freeze dam-age, but I think the lack of cold hardiness was

more due to thin stands, small plants andaphid damage, which stressed plants go-ing into the winter months, Bartel says.Canola plants have to be 4- to 6-inch

rosettes to survive winter, and thedrought, plus some late plantings,

caused many elds to be abandoned, Bartel says.

Mike Stamm, a canola breeder for Kansas State Universityand Oklahoma State University, echoes a concern shared byGleason and Bartel, that canola requires more managementthan wheat. Producers interested in growing canola shouldprobably start with 20 to 30 acres to get a feel for the manage-

ment required, Stamm says.Three different species of aphids cause problems with

canola. Insecticide-treated seed may protect canola into

January, but unlike wheat, insects continue to be a problem forcanola throughout the winter months. Green peach aphids andturnip aphids are big problems for canola in the fall, winterand early spring. Cabbage aphids attack canola in the bud andowering stages.

Stamm says a rm seedbed, not light and uffy, is critto getting adequate stand establishment. Seeds are small

planting depths less than an inch are needed. Gseed-to-soil contact is essential. In Oklahoma,

says his growers had the best success at plantidepths of one-fourth to one-half inch.

Growers wanting to try canola should abe aware that sulfonylurea herbicides, suFinesse, Maverick and Olympus, whicommonly used for weed and grass contwheat, have an 18-month plant-back retion for canola. Canola is highly sensiti

the SU family of herbicides. Sumner, a Kansas State carelease, possesses tolerance to SU herbicide carryover anbe planted on wheat elds treated with an SU in the spricording to Stamm. There is no label protection for applyherbicides over the top of Sumner and it is not a recommpractice.

In central Kansas, Gleason says his growers who usedno-tillage systems fared better than those using conventitillage. In Oklahoma, Bartel says just the opposite was trAphids and worms were our big problem, and it was eato control these pests in conventional-tillage systems, Bsays. If we came back in with a harrow and knocked th

wheat straw down, canola seemed to do better, he addsCanola is being touted as a high-quality source for bio

It has only 7% saturated fat, giving canola-based biodiesincreased cold ow for use in colder climates. Canola al40% oil content, compared to 18% for soybeans, which top crop for biodiesel production in the United States.

In Oklahoma, Bartel says better insect management antimely establishment of good stands are critical to canola

production. In Kansas, where aphids and worm pressureless, Gleason says seedbed preparation and getting a goostand are critical, but says the crop is so new to growers Kansas, that simply learning more about production pracwill help future production.

Canola will need season-long management, and gettinprofessional help in establishing seedbeds and managing

insects may be the difference between success and failur

Oklahoma and Kansas.

A Good Rotation For Whea

Finesse is a registered trademark of DuPont.

Maverick is a registered t rademark of Monsanto Company.

Olympus is a registered trademark of Bayer CropScience.

But A Tough Crop To Manag

Jim Gleason

Howard Bartel


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Kyle A

The cotton crop in West Texasis mostly irrigated and looks like

another good crop. Crop Questagronomist Kyle Aljoe says the

harvest aid systems they use changefrom eld to eld, with the constantbeing a need for careful management to

ensure strippers get the maximum yieldsavailable in the eld.

Texas ranks rst in cotton production in the United States. Cottonis the leading cash crop in the state, and is grown on ve millionacres. This crop generates $1.6 billion in cash for farmers and has atotal economic impact of $5.2 billion for the state.

Cotton is grown in six different regions of Texas. From the HighPlains to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, each region is extremelydifferent on the approaches to cotton production due to variations inclimate, soil type, percentage of the crop that is irrigated and harvesttechniques.

This year, our irrigated cotton looks real good and our drylandcotton not so good, says Aljoe. What, how and when harvest aids

are applied depends largely on how fast growers want to get into theeld to strip it, he notes.When a eld looks like it is ready, we go in and cut open bolls.

If the seeds are full, not jelly-like, and if the seed coat is brown toblack, those are good signs that its time to open the bolls withethephon, and then dry down the plant with paraquat, he explains.

For the past two years, Aljoe has been working withCrop Quest precision ag specialist Nathan Woydziak todevelop variable rate application for growth regulants. Bykeeping the eld uniform in growth, the agronomy team isable to maximize harvest efciency. Uniform growthalso helps make defoliation more efcient, further

improving stripping.

Typically, Aljoe and Woydziak recommend twoto three pints of an ethephon-containing defoliant

to open bolls, hopefully at variable rates to makethe boll opening uniform across the eld. After

maximum boll opening is achieved, he comes back with paraquat tokill the cotton plant.

In the High Plains, virtually all the cotton is stripped, not picked.The High Plains region of Texas is located north and south ofLubbock, Texas, between the Caprock and the New Mexico border.This area consists of 27 counties that produce 64% of the statescotton crop.

Two techniques are used to harvest cotton in Texas. Stripperharvesting is generally performed in regions with a shorter grow-

ing season and low-input production systems. The entire cotton(carpels and seed cotton) is removed from the stalk and unwantplant trash is separated at the gin. Strippers are used exclusivelywhere tight-bolled, storm-proof cotton varieties are grown.

Picker harvesting is used in areas with long growing seasons longer staple cotton. Pickers remove only the seed cotton (berseeds), which results in less trash but higher harvest costs.

While some West Texas growers simply wait for the cotton tofreeze out, then strip it, research indicates the cost of preppingdesiccating cotton far offsets the cost of not doing so. In our exence, it almost always pays to open the bolls, then kill the plantpick when cotton is fully mature, rather than waiting for weathedetermine when the optimum time is to pick, Aljoe says.

In some cases, organophosphate desiccants are used, but it iscal to remove all the green from cotton before it is stripped. A n

material, uthiacet-methyl, is currently being tested, and combiboll opening and removes juvenile foliage and suppressesregrowth for an extended period of time during the har-vest period.

We typically will use ethephon on two to three elds,

or enough for a grower to strip in three to four days, andthen come back with more elds. If we get freezewarnings, we stop treatment on mature eldsand move to immature elds to try and open asmany bolls as we can before the freeze hits,Aljoe says.

While growers in the High Plains of Texas arestill hoping for three- to four-bale cotton on their irrigated acreamost growers in Oklahoma are just hoping to salvage a decentcotton crop.

We had a good-looking crop up until late July. Then we starlosing fruit load with intense heat and drought conditions, sayCrop Quest agronomist Howard Bartel. Many of our growers wget cotton out early and plant wheat for rotational purposes, if psible, he concludes.

For most growers with these dry conditions, opening bolls ia big concern. Because of the dry weather, we will use more decants, primarily to save costs. In the better cotton in our area, wwill use an organophosphate desiccant, along with ethephon. Wtending to go to higher rates of ethephon and reduced OP materon our better cotton, Bartel concludes.

Regardless of whether cotton is stripped or picked, three-baleone-bale potential, getting a eld ready for harvesting is criticaboth in terms of maximizing yield and quality and in reducing cassociated with damage to pickers and strippers. Getting it righrequires some careful planning and good management.

COTTON DEFOLIATION REQUIRESMANAGEMENT, T IMING AND LUCK

than Woydziak


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Every year, Crop Quest agronomists get in touch with their cur-rent clients to sign a crop service agreement to continue theiragronomic services for another crop season. For many of the consul-tants, this is the most difcult part of their career due to the fear of

rejection or the potential loss of acres. Our agronomists are trainedvery well in the technical and agronomic sciences, but most do notconsider themselves to be salesmen, even though they receive train-ing in this area.

Early sign-up or contract signing is something we highlyencourage for all our farmer/clients. Even thoughCrop Quest does benet due to fewer trips (less fuel cost)when the clients sign early, the real benet is for the

farmers themselves.Long-term planning is one of the key

factors in a successful crop managementplan. By signing early, it gives

the agronomists the time thatyour farm deserves for

developing a suc-cessful croppingplan. Soil samplingis absolutely essen-tial in knowing what

nutrient levels arepresent in your soil andto plan ahead for timing,

application and the kindof fertilizers most economical for your operation.Most fertilizers have to be broken down by microbesor chemical reactions into their usable forms that the

plant roots are capable of absorbing. When the process is delaythe crop is put at risk due to nutrient deciency or the nutrient be partially lost due to improper timing.

Crop Quest agronomists spend considerable time in understa

the crops that have been selected, to see if they are the best chofor the soil type, pH, usage (high moisture, ensilage, dry grain)ease tolerance or resistance, stress tolerance, planting characterincluding early vs. late seeding, and the many other concerns thare associated with the planting of a particular crop.

These are not decisions that should be made on the spur of tmoment or to wait until the crop is ready to be planted. A succful crop management plan is one which the farmer and agronomdevelop over a period of months. This discussion should includcropping alternatives, rotations, nutrient requirement, hybrid orvariety selection, water requirement, potential crop usage, econbudgets, planting method (no-till, strip-till, conventional-till, covation-till, ridge-till), herbicide and insecticide selection, interations and carryover concerns and etc.

In order to have time to assist our clients in these important dsions, we really encourage the farmers to let their agronomists early their intentions of continuing with our agronomic serviceThe best way to accomplish this is by signing the contract earlyremove the frustration of time and expense in the commitmenthas to be made before our agronomists are able to devote their and energy into your management plan.

We very much appreciate each farmers business in the past thank all who have participated in our early sign-up program. Wour agronomists approach you to continue our services for anoyear, know that it is mostly for your benet that they are asking

By: Ron OHanlon,President

Member, National Alliance

of Independent Crop

Consultants, CPCC-I

Certied

Why Shou ld A Farmer

As we head toward the harvest season, it is our nature to sit backand take a deep breath, because we feel that we are over the humpand are about to reap the benets of all our hard work. But as we allknow in agriculture, our work is never done. This is the season todo as much evaluation as you can of the conditions and variations inyour elds, and to critique some of your farming practices. Takinggood notes now about weed, insect and disease pressure, wateringpatterns, soil conditions, hybrid performance and other aspects ofyour elds will go a long way toward making more protabledecisions next year.

It is also a good time to evaluate how your machinery is func-tioning, so you can do needed repairs and upgrades over the wintermonths.

Make sure you double-check your records of what biotech traitswere planted in your elds this past year. Store those records sothey can be easily accessed when you start making cropping plansfor next year. This is especially important for the herbicide traitsin seed. Volunteer problems need to be addressed differently forRoundup Ready

or LibertyLink

varieties.

The combine is a great place to do more record keeping. Fromthe cab, you can note noxious weed areas and insect damage. It is agreat place to observe watering patterns, and this can help you decidewhether a sprinkler, for instance, needs an upgraded nozzle package,or whether the sprinkler had chronic plugged nozzles.

The yield monitor onyour combine is anothertool you can use to evaluatethe performance of your elds. Yield maps can helpyou and your agronomist decide where there may befertility issues and other soil variations that need further attentioThese maps can help us pinpoint where we need to pull soil samand can help us evaluate how to maximize yields in the more prtive areas of the eld.

If you are collecting yield monitor data, Crop Quest has all th

computer tools and skills necessary to help you create proper noized yield maps that will be very useful in making better managdecisions. I urge you to get your yield monitor data to your agromist so we can help you utilize the data properly. Crop Quest hasome of the best trained GIS specialists in the country that are fcapable of taking the burden off of you to organize and compiledata into a very useful tool. You can rest easy knowing that you have to be a computer wiz or spend countless hours of your valutime to get great use out of your data.

As your agronomist, we also enjoy jumping on the combine wyou. We too can learn many things by seeing the crop from that tage point. We hope to see you inside the cab of your combine thharvest, and we hope you have a bountiful harvest.

Cont ract Serv ices Ear ly?

Roundup Ready is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company.

LibertyLink is a trademark of Bayer CropScience.

Y o u C a n L e a r n A L o t F r o m A C o m b i n eBy: Dwight Koops

Regional Vice PresidentUlysses, Kan.


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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

US POSTAGE

PAID

DODGE CITY K

PERMIT NO. 4

Employee-Owned & Customer DrivenCrop Quest Agronomic Services, Inc.

Main Ofce: Phone 620.225.2233

Fax 620.225.3199Internet: 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

Reasonable ExpectationsWith all of the technology traits in the

seeds that are available today, farm-ers are faced with more choices than

ever before. These traits offer manage-ment options for controlling corn borer,rootworms and weeds. They are being

offered as individual traits or are stacked in various com-binations. This technology is easy to use since it is bred intothe seed; however, this convenience comes at a cost. Withthis increased cost of the seed comes a higher expectation ofperformance as well.

One of the traits that have been adopted fairly quicklyhas been the Roundup Ready trait. It is available in corn,soybeans, cotton, canola and alfalfa. A glyphosate-basedsystem has given producers a chance to have clean eldsfairly inexpensively, and we have come to expect clean eldswith a couple of chemical applications. With all of the ge-neric glyphosate products available, the price of the chemicalis one-third of what it was just a few years ago. The cheapchemicals are nice when they work.

Cheap chemicals have less product representation. Themajor manufacturers still offer brand-name glyphosate, butwere forced to compete with a lower price. They still haverepresentation out in the country, but in far fewer numbersthan they were in the past. Since they are spread thinner, theytry to do most of the product performance claims by tele-phone or e-mail rather than come walk the eld. The genericand house brand chemicals have never had good productsupport and that is one of the reasons they have been pricedlower. More of the risk of poor performance is carried by theproducer with these cheaper products. The applicator doesnthave anyone to call when a treatment fails. There is anincreasing reluctance for applicators to apply these nonsup-ported chemicals. They usually offer these as producer-ap-plied products since they dont come with much support.

The discovery of glyphosate-resistant water hemp hasbeen conrmed in Missouri recently. With this discovery, theapproach of weed control programs needs to change as well.

Water hemp is in the pigweed (amaranth) family and is acommon weed in the eastern High Plains. This weed used tobe controlled by glyphosate, but with this chemical being usedon more acres and crops for a number of years, resistance hasdeveloped in water hemp in Missouri. We are seeing this weedmove farther west every year and it has the potential to bringthis resistance trait with it. That will increase the cost of weedcontrol programs if it does.

In the past, there have been other chemicals that quit work-ing. When one quit working, we had another one to switch to.By rotating between chemical families and modes of action,we were able to have pretty good weed control performance.Since there have not been a lot of new chemicals discoveredin the last few years, we will be doing more tank mixes of old

products to keep this resistance from spreading. We will needto rotate between chemicals. The cost of our weed control willincrease because of tank mixing and the performance maynot be as good as we have come to expect. We will have toadjust our expectations to what is reasonable.

By: Jim Gleason

Regional Vice President

St. John, Kan.

Reasonable Expectations

Roundup Ready is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company.

cq perspectives sep 2006

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