cq perspectives sep 2007
TRANSCRIPT
8/4/2019 CQ Perspectives Sep 2007
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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 17 • Issue 5 • September 2007
ELPS ON GRAIN SORGHUMHARVEST AID
It has always been tough
plant milo ground back to
heat in the fall. Sorghum
atures later than corn or
ybeans and as the days getorter and the weather cooler,
seems to take forever for the
ain sorghum to dry down.
Some producers have tried
anting a short season milo
ybrid earlier in the spring,
it matures by late August.
his allows them to rotate into
inter wheat in the same year
ther than lay the ground fal-
w for 12 months.
Growers also have been
cricing some yield potential
y planting shorter term sor-
hum. With temperatures
ll high in September, even
ter the crop is harvested,
rghum will try to put out new
owth which will continue
ntil it is killed by a frost. This
rghum regrowth depletes
oisture needed for the wheat
op that will soon be planted
nd may also harbor aphids
nd other insects that arenleashed on the new wheat
ants soon after emergence.
A better approach to plant-
g wheat right behind a milo
op is to use a harvest aid
eatment of glyphosate as the
ain reaches maturity. By
raying the plants when
the grain is mature, there is
no reduction in test weight
at harvest time. With
the leaves and stalks
dead and dried up, thegrain will dry down
quickly and the milo
plants will stop using
moisture from the soil.
Because the milo plant is
killed, this combination
technique will do a better job
of spreading out the crop resi-
due making it easier to no-till
the wheat directly into the
milo stubble.
Using a harvest aid allows
the grain to dry down quicker.
The grain will be at harvest-
able moisture 7 to 14 days
earlier than if the eld were
not sprayed. A normal maturi-
ty milo can be planted and not
sacrice the yield potential
like you would with an earlier
maturity hybrid. This also
shortens the time that birds
and other animals will have
to feed on the grain. In some
locations, the crop loss causedby wildlife can be very signi-
cant.
With one application of
chemical, the milo crop can
be harvested and rotated back
to wheat in a timelier manner.
By: Jim Gleason
Regional Vice PresidentSt. John, Kan.
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A picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words, althoughsometimes a stride through a eld can reveal as much or more to anagronomist than a photograph. When sophisticated digital aerial im-
agery is combined with the expertise of experienced crop consultantswho know the lay of the land, growers and livestock producers can besure they’re getting their money’s worth, in terms of increased yieldsand efcient application of inputs such as seed and fertilizer.
An important component of Crop Quest’s business philosophy isstaying current with the rapidly developing technologies available foragricultural land management. Aerial imagery provides another layerto analyze with existing yield, soil topography, soil testing or otherdata to provide a complete picture of what is going on at a speciclocation within a eld.
For example, when a NDVI (Normalized Difference VegetationIndex) image depicts a particular section of the farm to be in the “red”zone, it indicates vegetation is not abundant, whereas a “green” zoneindicates abundant vegetation. “The low-end (red zone) reading might
suggest a lack of fertilizer,” says Robert Gillespie, aPrecision Ag Specialist for Crop Quest. The lowend reading might also be caused by other prob-lems, he points out, like topography, water issuesor soil type. Gillespie says, “Because our agrono-
mists know the elds that they scout verywell, they can interpret the readings moreprecisely and give the producer a moreaccurate recommendation.”
Aerial images are taken from around8,000 feet and are fully georeferenced in natural color, near-infraredand NDVI formats, with an accuracy of one meter.
The aerial imagery unit employs an integrated global positioningsystem (GPS), inertial measurement unit (IMU) and digital 4-camera
array. The external sensor is housed in a compact, portable unit ttaches to any compatible single-engine aircraft (such as a Cessnand is connected to an internal computer with a touch screen dis
and ightline steering bar.Sometimes producers don’t need anything fancier from aerialphotography than a high quality natural image of a feedlot showthe pens and alley ways. “Natural images,” explains Gillespie, “instance, give growers and producers a visual perspective for maing their assets, appraising land values and so on.”
Integrating John Deere imagery has allowed Crop Quest to dea better way for our clients to seewhat is going on in the elds.“We can now streamlinethe production of GIS-ready imagery for ourclients,” Gillespiesays, “from ight
mission planning toimage capture andprocessing to naldelivery.”
Crop Quest’sPrecision Ag divi-sion provides all of these services to ben-et the producer. Callone of our Precision AgSpecialists to learn moreabout generating higherreturns from this agriculturalinvestment.
By: Ron O’Hanlon,President
Member, National Alliance
of Independent Crop
Consultants, CPCC-I
Certied
A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words
PLANNING AHEADAs summer comes to a close,
it is time to start making plans forthe next cropping season. Dry-land wheat producers will havealready made decisions by thetime this newsletter is printed,but those with irrigated crops
will have to decide whether to plant back to a small grain crop or to wait andplant next spring to a row crop. Prices for most of these crops are still hover-ing at high levels which make any cropping decision a good one that willensure protability next season. Because of tight supplies worldwide and the
growing demand ethanolplants are exerting for bothcorn and grain sorghum,it appears the prices mayremain at protable levels inthe near future.
Despite these high prices,
many farmers are still strug-gling nancially because of all the natural disasters andexcess rain in particular,while other farmers are en- joying their most protableyear ever.
Wheat seed for plantingwill be in short supply thisyear due to the late springfreeze and other weatherrelated events such as ood-ing. This may keep someacreage – that normally
would have been seeded – from being planted back towheat. Soybeans are nallygetting up in price wherethey may be able to once
again compete for corn aGrain sorghum is a very petitive crop on those acwhere water is not sufcto raise corn or soybeans
Even alfalfa has enjoycompetitive price for the
couple of years, but this becomes a longer term cmitment with a high laborequirement and works bfor those who have plannfurther ahead than one yat a time.
As you make plans forthe next cropping seasonkeep in mind that yourCrop Quest agronomist ithere to help in hybrid/vaselection, fertility and tilmanagement, crop rotati
recommendations, equipsuggestions and crop budanalysis. It is our busineshelp you have a successfcropping season.
An example of an NDVI image.
Robert Gillespie
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Nutrient Management Plans ImproveStewardship And Lead To Proftability
Nutrient Management Plans (NMPs) are effective tools for over-
seeing and controlling fertilizer input and animal waste handling
costs. They also constitute useful guidelines as producers and grow-
ers introduce good management practices to their operations. And
NMPs play a major role in maintaining and improving surface waterquality – which is the reason they were established in the rst place
30 years ago by the EPA, and tweaked, revised and augmented over
the years by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
and state environmental agencies.
But NMPs can be confusing, open to interpretation and require
piles of paperwork and time to bring a producer into compliance
– and the plans need to be signed-off by an agronomist or produc-
tion specialist certied by the NRCSand state regulatory agencies. States
have differing programs. In Minnesota,
permits are required for facilities with
as few as 50 animals. Operations of
any size in Nebraska require a permit if
they have potential to discharge. Some
states, like Kansas, expand on federal
rules by regulating conned animal
feeding operations (CAFOs) that are
smaller than the EPA cutoff point of
1,000. Several states have laws with
enforceable requirements concerning non-point source pollution
from manure and fertilizers.Crop Quest boasts two certied Technical Service Providers
(TSP’s), - Randy Waldren, in the Dodge City Headquarters ofce,
and Grant Havel, in the Silver Lake Division in NE Kan. Waldren
and Havel specialize in the various aspects of NRCS and state
regultory agencies compliance and are certied through the EPA
and the NRCS to draw up comprehensive NMPs.
Havel, for instance, draws up Nutrient and Pest Management
Plans that focus on fertilizers, pesticides and other nutrients used in
crop production; these plans work with the Environmental Qual-
ity Incentive Program (EQIP) and Conservation Security Program
(CSP) that producers are enrolled in. Much of his work involves
assisting producers in collecting information and documentation f
these programs.
Waldren, on the other hand, directs much of his attention to mo
comprehensive plans on solid and liquid waste disposal. Several o
Waldren’s customers are larger operations such as feedlots.The biggest challenge growers and producers face in toeing the
line with NMP regulations is poor record-keeping. That’s where
Crop Quest’s multi-faceted services of collecting and organizing
production data and establishing business models for the farm fal
in line with the documentation the NRCS requires in its NMPs.
Elements of an NMP include site and soil maps; yield mapping
soil, plant, water and organic nutrient analysis; quantication of
nutrient sources; and rate, timing and method of application. “The
data required for an NMP is the same as what we’re already doing
in the normal course
of our crop consulti
services as we gene
ate detailed weekly
producer reports,”
says Havel.
All states, howeve
advise their farmers
and producers to vie
NMPs not as anothe
regulatory hoop to
jump through, but
as an opportunity to
improve the protab
ity of their operation
“The EPA and theKansas Department
Health and Environ
ment simply want a
better handle on the
nutrients being gene
ated and how solid
and liquid wastes w
be applied to agricu
tural land that does
not exceed the norm
crop removal of nut
ents,” says Waldren
The NMP itself, accordinto Havel, is a document th
shows precisely what and
how nutrients will be used
on a farm. The function o
the plan, he explains, is to
mitigate environmental damage and to maintain the chemical and
biological condition of the soil.
So, it makes sense for farmers and producers to take advantage
of Crop Quest’s dual capability both to deliver crop consultation
that enhances the protability of a farm or feedlot and to prepare
properly documented NMP that complies with NRCS requiremen
Randy Waldren
Grant Havel reviews NMP data.
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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.
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“Employee-Owned & Customer Driven” Crop Quest Agronomic Services, Inc.
Main Ofce: Phone 620.225.2233
Fax 620.225.3199Internet: www.cropquest.com
Crop Quest Board of Directors President: Ron O’Hanlon
Director: Jim Gleason
Director: Dwight Koops
Director: Cort Minor
Director: Chris McInteer
Director: Rob Benyshek
Crop Quest Consultants On The Move
As a growing company, one of Crop Quest’s responsibilities is
to be sure its outlying ofces and territories are staffed with
highly qualied agronomists and consultants. As Crop Quest
expands, it remains committed to ensuring its clients will always
have access to the top people in the industry and that any staff
transitions will occur seamlessly.
Recently Crop Quest has transferred a couple of its key
managers to management positions in different locations in
addition to bringing on another veteran crop consultant to work
full time in the Dodge City headquarters.
Scott Beguelin, the current manager of the Sil-
ver Lake operation in eastern Kansas, is heading
south to run the Uvalde, Tex., ofce. Beguelin has
worked the Silver Lake territory for 15 years,
but says he is looking forward to the move west
of San Antonio.
“I am looking for new experiences and
to expand my knowledge of other crops,”
says Beguelin, who has spent almost
20 years as a crop consultant starting
out in Hutchison, Kan. Specically,
Beguelin is anxious to get involved with southern crops like
cotton, peanuts and sesame after devoting his career thus
far to crops such as soybeans, corn, winter wheat, milo and
alfalfa. But he has one specialty from the north that he
wants to import: sod and turf management. Scott is a
Kansas State University graduate in agronomy.Chris McInteer, currently working in the Dodge
City division, will be taking over for Beguelin as
the manager of the Silver Lake ofce. McInteer has
been with Crop Quest since its inception in 1992
and, overall, has 23 years of experience as a crop consultant from
the time he graduated from Kansas State University with a degre
in agronomy. Chris grew up in Minneola, Kan., and worked on
his grandfather’s farm. He is particularly interested in alfalfa and
notes the alfalfa crop in Crop Quest’s Silver Lake territory has
expanded exponentially. McInteer’s family is also
eagerly anticipating the move; they will be
living in St. Mary’s just northeast of Topeka
where his wife will be a rst grade teacher in
the school district there.
Monte Hampton brings more than 20
years experience in crop sciences and
consulting as he joins the Crop Quest
team in the Dodge City operation.
Hampton has a degree in animal
science and agronomy from Fort Hays
State University. He has taught classes on basic agronomy,
plant physiology, weeds and insects as an instructor at Dodge
Community College in addition to working with producers
through his former work as a crop consultant and an Extension
Agent with Kansas State Research and Extension Service.
Hampton says he knows many farmers and ranchers in
Southwest Kansas but is eager to meet and work with
new producers. Although his crop experience is broad,
Hampton has worked a lot with wheat, setting up strip an
plot demonstration trials in eld situations. Monte
also has a ranching background, and his familyfounded Hampton’s Arena where rodeo events hav
been staged for years.
Scott Beguelin
Chris McInteer
Monte Hampton