Northcentral

In the past 3 months, precipitation in IPNI's Northcentral region (IA, IL, IN, MN, SD, WI) has been much above normal: ranging from 50 to 200% above. Generally, the lower end of the above-normal precipitation has occurred in the northern and western reaches of the region, while the southeastern areas have received the most abnormal amounts of precipitation. Soil moisture in the upper 6 ft. is well above normal in western MN and eastern SD – as much as 60% above. Soil moisture in IA, IL, IN, and central and southern WI is 5 to 20% above normal. Temperatures in January have been 3 to 13 degrees above normal across the region. Winter conditions so far have contributed greatly to eliminating the drought in most corn and soybean growing areas of the region. In fact, areas of northern IN and northeastern IL are excessively wet.

In the Northcentral region, the biggest question that will be on the minds of producers this spring is how much N is available in the soil for corn. States offer different soil tests and interpretations for answering this question. Links to the state-specific information are below:

Iowa
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1714.pdf

Indiana
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/pubs/AY-314-W.pdf

Minnesota
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/DC6514.html

South Dakota
http://agbiopubs.sdstate.edu/articles/EC750.pdf

Wisconsin
http://learningstore.uwex.edu/pdf/A2809.pdf

Across most of the Northeast region, corn yields were lower in 2007 than in 2006, owing to shortages in rainfall that resulted in varying levels of drought. Quebec was the exception, with a very good crop of corn. Soybean yields declined from 2006 levels in Ontario and Michigan, but were about the same everywhere else. Corn acreage was up and soybean acreage was down.

The table below shows the yields, acreages, and the amounts of N, P, and K removed by corn and soybeans in 2007 from several key states and provinces of the Northeast region.

Sound management of nutrients replaces the amounts removed by crops, in order to maintain soil fertility at an optimum level.

Soil organic matter releases N as it mineralizes. To maintain soil organic matter, it is necessary to balance the N removed by returning it in organic forms as crop residue.

When soils are low in P and K, rates applied may need to exceed removal. When they are higher than necessary, rates applied may be less than removal.

Minimizing the Risk of Growing Crops

Introduction
Growing shorter-season and cool-season crops is something that our climate in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) is well suited for. Compared to the majority of agricultural areas in the world, we grow crops with a relatively short growing season, cooler growing conditions, and we usually experience a limitation in moisture for at least some portion of and often through a significant part of a growing season. The exception may be the Red River Valley area in North Dakota and Manitoba that seem to receive precipitation more consistently. In spite of climatic limitations, we have and are able to grow crops of good quality and yield reasonably well. Cropping practices have been developed for our region minimizing the risk of crop failure. These practices will be discussed in context of a spring-seeded crop, and will follow a cropping calendar year that begins in fall after harvest of the previous crop and continues until the harvest of this year’s crop. (The principles discussed apply equally to a fall-seeded crop.)

Fall

Pre-harvest or post-harvest weed control: If hard-to-control perennial weeds are present in a field, fall is an excellent time to use a pre-harvest or post-harvest application of a non-selective herbicide to manage these weeds.

Residue Management: The beginning of a crop is at the harvest of the previous crop. Most importantly, it is how the residue from the previous crop is handled. In context of the tillage system used, proper handling of residue will help future field operations, especially planting, go smoothly. In most of the cropped areas of the NGP, precipitation received is less than what could result in optimum yields. The exception is irrigated fields but even then, timely and adequate but not excessive irrigation applications require proper scheduling. In most rain-fed areas, the goal is to chop and spread straw and chaff as evenly as possible over the field to allow the use of minimum or no-till seeding operations to conserve moisture. By keeping residue on the soil surface and minimizing or avoiding tillage, not only is moisture conserved, but wind and water erosion are usually controlled.

Accessing Nutrient Levels: The majority of growers who soil sample do so in the fall. This allows them time to determine what the residual N levels are in a field and determine the status of P, K, S, and any of the other 10 secondary nutrients and micronutrients crops need to grow.

Consider Fall Fertilizer Applications: Make use of fall N fertilizer applications to capitalize on normally lower fall compared to spring prices, as well as spreading the labor and work load out. It may also be a good time to pre-purchase, or purchase and store P, K, S, and other nutrient fertilizers.

Winter

Nutrient Management Plans: Look over the soil-test results from the fall soil sampling and develop a nutrient plan for each field, taking into consideration field history, existing moisture conditions and what the average growing season precipitation is for your area. One strategy growers use is to manage nutrients for a better than average crop, so if conditions are better than average they can capture the improved yield potential. If dry conditions are experienced, excess nutrients will remain in the soil for the next year’s crop and fertilizer applications can then be reduced.

Spring

Plant Early: Plant towards the beginning of the planting window suitable for your area. Late planting usually results in reduced yields compared to earlier planting.

Use an Effective Planting System: Use a planting system that gives your crop the best chance of germinating and emerging rapidly and with good vigor. This includes such factors as the proper depth, adequate packing, adequate but not excessive starter fertilizer, enough separation of the seed from the majority of fertilizer so as to avoid ammonia toxicity and salt damage, adequate seed rate to obtain the desired optimum plant stand, and use of seed treatments to control and reduce the effects of fungal or insect pests as required.

Scout Fields Early: It is effective to begin checking fields as soon as the crop begins to emerge for weeds and potential insect pests. Choose appropriate pesticides and conduct applications on the early-side to maximize weed and pest control and give your crop the best chance to grow successfully.

Summer

Continue to Scout Fields Regularly: The earlier problem growth areas are detected the sooner a possible corrective measure can be used effectively. This is especially applicable to fungal diseases that may or may not develop depending on weather conditions. Also if patches of a specific nutrient deficiency are found, some top-dressing or foliar nutrient applications may be possible. However, some nutrients are not applied very successfully as an in-crop operation, but detection will allow prevention of the same problem in future years.

In the late summer, assess the potential to use a pre-harvest herbicide application (e.g. glyphosate) to facilitate even ripening and or control perennial weed problems.

Conclusion
A successful crop is not the result of one activity. It is the culmination of a series of well-planned and executed operations. Some of the individual cropping actions noted above may seem of little consequence, but if not done well can result in decreased crop yields and lower economic returns.

Winter wheat condition across the region is quite variable. Early season dry conditions have slowed development and caused spotty to nonexistent stands in some areas. Likewise, wheat forage availability has been less than normal in most of the grazing regions. On the other hand, wheat crop condition in areas such as northern and eastern Kansas if fairly good. Wheat is a resilient crop, though, and has the ability to recover from significant drought and environmental stress. So, as the season unfolds make sure that wheat yield is not stifled by insufficienct N. Remember that where topdress N is needed, it should be in the root zone before jointing. Wheat grain prices have been excellent, so vigilance in management decisions has the potential for good return.

With spring just around the corner, it is a good time to review the benefits of starter fertilizer application to corn. The benefits of placing a portion of the crop’s fertilizer needs in a concentrated band near the seed (starter) or with the seed (pop-up) at planting have long been recognized. The use of N, P, K, S, and other nutrients in a starter band can result in early season response that translates to yield increases and greater profit in corn (and other crop) production. Starter and pop-up benefits are usually associated with accelerated early plant development, improved nutrient and water use efficiency, reduced grain moisture at harvest, and increased yield and crop quality. The use of starter may be especially beneficial where early cool, moist soil conditions prevail, even though soil test levels (P and K) are high. Remember though that excessive seed placed or pop-up fertilizer can be detrimental, and that established limits and guidelines should be adhered to. The use of starter (and pop-up) fertilizer is an effective management practice that is based on sound agronomic principles. However, in most cases it should not be used as the sole fertility program. The best approach to starter is to view it as a catalyst for a crop that will have adequate and balanced available nutrients in the soil rooting volume as the season progresses. The IPNI website is a good resource for review of this and other relevant crop nutrition information.

Winter wheat acreage in the Southeast is up 23% from 2007. All states in the region have increased their acreage, but the biggest climbers are LA, TN, and AL with increases of 70, 48, and 42%, respectively. These increases are due largely to strong pricing combined with good planting and germination conditions in several parts of the region. However, some states including GA and SC were reporting very dry conditions late in the year. Dewey Lee, Georgia Extension Grain Specialist, was quoted as saying: "We are so dry that some growers are watering wheat. We’re mostly advising people to hold off on this unless it’s specifically to water in nitrogen or if they need to water wheat up. Where growers had a little moisture, wheat came right up and grew well in these warm conditions. One grower who irrigated up his wheat said it was the best looking crop he’s ever had.” “Good-looking wheat” is also the comment coming out of TN, LA, and AR, which is encouraging.

Many people were wondering if the Easter freeze and severe drought this past year would have growers gun-shy to plant wheat in the Southeast. Clearly, this hasn’t been the case, but growers are looking carefully at the economics of their production systems. Even considering the high commodity futures prices, growers are considering reducing fertilizer inputs, particularly P and K, as a way to reduce costs in 2008 and recover lost income from last year. In response to this situation, SE Region Director Dr. Steve Phillips has prepared a seminar titled "Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency in Southern Cropping Systems". The presentation will focus on the importance of a balanced nutrient management program, sustaining optimum soil fertility levels, and how in many situations, improving efficiency can be more profitable than reducing inputs. Dr. Phillips is scheduled to present this seminar as part of CCA training and university extension programs in Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee in early 2008. For specific dates and locations contact: sphillips@ipni.net.

In early October, the Southern Plant Nutrient Management Conference (SPNMC) was held in Olive Branch, Mississippi. This conference is an annual gathering of university research specialists, industry representatives, and CCAs from all states in the Southeast Region...plus Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia...to discuss current issues in plant nutrition. The topic of discussion this year was the fertility requirements for cellulosic biofuel crops, specifically switchgrass. Switchgrass is being touted as a low-input crop that will yield well on marginally fertile land. Research specialists presenting at the SPNMC disagreed, citing considerably higher requirements for N and K when switchgrass is grown for energy, as compared to forage production. For more information, see the article titled “Is Switchgrass a Low Nutrient Input Crop or Not?”, No. 5 in the Winter 2007 series of Plant Nutrition TODAY (www.ipni.net/pnt).

What a difference a year makes!

Last year we looked forward to uncertain crop prices, low water supplies, and rising costs for inputs. The outlook was rather gloomy for many people. However, farmers rapidly responded by shifting crop selection, conserving water, and using inputs more efficiently.

2008 promises more of the same opportunities for change and adjustment. Concerns about the water supply continue to cause shifts in crop selection, installation of advanced irrigation systems increases, and efforts continue to use nutrients more efficiently.

Recent storms have bulked up the snow pack, commodity prices continue to hold firm or increase, and the growing demand by export markets for our products all point to an optimistic outlook. The coming year looks to be successful as demand for almost all crops grown in the Western Region is high -- if there is sufficient water for irrigation.

The demand for crop nutrients continues to increase throughout the U.S. This reflects an increase in corn acreage and moderate increases in application rates. World fertilizer prices have taken off the last few years, putting pressure on domestic prices and product availability. Be sure to place your fertilizer orders early to make sure you can get what you need for crops this year.

Everyone is looking to tighten production budgets and get the most return from every input. Partner with your local Certified Crop Adviser on tips for getting the most value from your hard work this year.