May

Panel: Understanding Crop

Establishment

Being Confident in Your Decision-Making

Panelists

Réjean Picard Farm Production Extension, Manitoba Agriculture & Resource Development (MARD)

Amber Knaggs Agronomist, Shur-Gro Farm Services

Brendan Blight Claims Services Agronomist, MASC

Moderator

Dane Froese Oilseed Specialist, MARD

1

Goals for Agronomists

How to evaluate a crop stand

Where to look for resources

Confidently explaining your

decisions and setting

expectations for your client

Evaluating results

2

Reseed

Decisions

3

Top Causes for a Reseed

4

Where Does MASC adjust

Reseed Claims the

Most?

5

Giving the Option to Reseed

MASC Adjustors give the producer the option to reseed but do not advise the producer if they should reseed or not.

Must meet insurance criteria:

• Insured crop

• Cause of reseed is for an acceptable reason

• Seeded before the seeding deadline

6

Reseed Calculations

All MASC plant count sheets are developed using University and third-party research.

Any plant counts a adjustor makes below where the yield curve plateaus would allow a producer to qualify for a reseed.

7

How Often does MB Reseed?

Bulk of claims are:

• Canola (62%)

• Winter Wheat (30%)

On average, 238,044 acres are reseeded every year in Manitoba.

2%

2%1%

1%

62%0%

0%

0%

1% 1%

30%

0%

Average Percentage Reseeded Acres (2007-2017)

Red Spring Wheat Oats Flax Fall Rye

Argentine Canola Oil Sunflowers Grain Corn Dryland Potatoes

White Pea Beans Soybeans Winter Wheat Pinto Beans

8

Réjean Picard – Farm Production Extension

• Rejean’s Rules for Early Crop Evaluation

1. Timing

2. Plant Population Target

3. Plant Population Assessment

4. Damage Assessment

5. Economics of Reseeding

6. Re-cropping options

7. Decision

9

Scenario 1: Flea Beetle Pressure in Canola 10

Scenario 1: Flea Beetle Pressure in Canola

Planting Date Late May 2019, wheat stubble

Soil Type unreported

Moisture Conditions Dry, cold soil

Agronomic Issue Significant flea beetle pressure, visible

damage worse in some areas than

others

Farmer Concerns Big concerns with canola field,

wondering if he should re-seed or

spray and keep the stand

Timing & Targets

11

Action

Threshold for

FB Damage in

Canola

12

Action: 25% Defoliation

Economic: 50% defoliation

Dr. Julie Soroka, AAFC

John Gavloski, MB Agriculture

Crop Establishment

Crop Date Target Plant

Population *

Plant Type

Wheat May 1 - 31 23-28 plants/ft² Cool/short

season

Canola May 1 – June 10 5-9 plants/ft² Cool/short

season

Soybeans May 15 - 25 180-210,000/a= 4/ft²

Warm/long

season

* Varies depending on management13

2005-2013 Seeding Date vs Average Yield Response (MASC)

14

May 2915

May 3116

Scenario 1: Assessment & Economics

Scouting Notes • 3-4 plants/foot²• Stand was fairly uniform throughout

Options/Implications 1. Spray and Keep

2. Reseed

Could a canola crop be reseeded?

Are there any other issues to

consider?

17

Canola Reseeding Evaluation:

Reseed Date 1st week June

Date - Yield Factor 0.9164

Estimated Reseed Yield (bu/ac) 39.5

Estimated AgriInsurance Reseeding Indemnity ($/ac) $75.24

Estimated Seed Company Reimbursement ($/ac) $0.00

Reseed Seed Costs ($/ac) $62.50

Reseed Machinery Costs ($/ac) $16.50

Estimated Gross Revenue ($/ac) $426.36

(net reseeding indemnity, reimbursements & expenses)

Estimated Benefit (Cost) of Reseed Decision ($/ac) $235.87

Contact your local MASC office

to verify seeding deadlines.

Reseed Economics

www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/farm-management/production-economics/farm-

software-and-worksheets.html 18

Resources

• CCC: Canola

Encyclopedia

• MASC

• MARD: Farm

Mgmt Production

www.canolacouncil.org/

canola-encyclopedia/

19

Scenario 1: Resources & Results

Decision Must evaluate the economics for each

option.

Decide to spray and keep.

Expectations What should be discussed with

client?

Resources Canola Council of Canadawww.canolacouncil.org/canola-encyclopedia/

MASC – Reseed deadlines

Results Scouted regularly, final plant stand

count was 4.5 plants/foot². Yielded 54

bu/acre.

20

June 1121

Scenario 2: Hail on Soybeans22

Scenario 2: Hail on Soybeans

Planting Date May 15, on canola stubble

Crop Stage Unreported by farmer

Moisture Conditions Dry, dusty soil

Agronomic Issue Hail fell June 12

Farmer Concerns Hail damage is significant. Are there

enough plants for a good crop, or is

re-seeding necessary?

If I must reseed, I don’t have enough

nitrogen down for canola.

Timing & Targets

23

Seeding by Plant Population

• Actual population

Plant Rate: 150,000/0.82

= 183,000 or

1.3 SSU/acre

Expected Survival

82%

Target:

140-160K Plants/Acre

http://mpgabeanapp.com/seeding-rate-calculator.html#

http://mpgabeanapp.com/soybean-plant-stand-assessor.html

24

June 14 25

Resources

In-crop evaluation determined soys to be V2-V3.

26

27

Give it timeAfter a severe hail storm it is tough to do any adjustments until at least a week after the storm.

This will give enough time to determine whether or not the plants are living or dead by determining if there is any new growth.

Time crunch is tough for producers and adjustors.

28

What Types of Damage at What Stage?

Adjustment Process

Stages of Applicable Soybean Adjustment

Vegetative R1-R3.5 R4-R6.5 R7-R8

Stand Reduction

Cut-Off and Broken Over

Defoliation

1-for-1 and Factored Plants

Pod Loss

29

Bruising Makes the Decision Tough

Research on Bruising:• Minor bruising shows

no measurable loss to seed production process.

• Severe bruising can cause the plant to break and the produced seed to become unharvestable

• Adjustors may need to defer any claim.

30

Agronomists –Look at Severity of Stem Bruising

Minor Bruise

• Does not penetrate the pith

Severe Bruise

• Penetrates the Pith

• May need to defer

31

Minor Bruise

32

Severe Bruise

33

Scenario 2: Assessment & Economics

Scouting Notes • 30” row spacing

• ~140,000 plants/acre

• Damage worse on 60/160 acres

• Most plants still have 1-2 nodes

Options/Implications 1. Leave and re-evaluate

2. Reseed to soybeans

3. Reseed to another crop

What are the re-crop options? Any

concerns with crop/pesticide rotation?

34

Setting Expectations

Soybean Yield Potential

Factor Based on Plant

Population (before pod

formation) - MASC

35

Setting Expectations

36

2005-2013 Seeding Date vs Average Yield Response (MASC)

37

Scenario 2: Results

Decision Must evaluate the economics for each

option.

Decide to evaluate losses & keep.

Expectations What should be discussed with client?

Resources • Kristen MacMillan’s MPSG

Summary Report on Simulated Hail

in Soybeans

• MPSG Production Factsheets

• Agronomist experience

Results Left for a week to determine new

growth, final plant stand count was

136,000 plants/acre. Yielded 41

bu/acre. 38

39

Thank you to our Panelists!

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