Good article on gypsum

There has been a lot of information and misinformation about gypsum the last few years. I've included a link here that has some good basic information on gypsum in it. This is something, like a lot of materials, that has to be used under the right circumstances. And without getting into a lot of specifics, I tend to recommend gypsum in heavy soils where the percent base saturation of magnesium is above a certain level. This is where I have seen some benefit. Lately gypsum has been studied for its affect on water movement and infiltration and I have seen this in the field and demonstrated with simulators. Its noteworthy.  Gypsum has been in my "toolbox"  for 30 years and even with that time frame more information is needed on my part.

There can be instances where an application of gypsum can pay off from a yield standpoint. When sulfur and/or soluble calcium levels in the soil are not ideal there can be a yield boost. I personally think that the effect is more on the physical characteristics of clays allowing for better infiltration and percolation of water. I have personal experience with this on heavy soils with high Mg but also high Na. Some colleagues of mine were having issues with center pivots getting stuck. The application of gypsum and some changes in cultural practices solved this problem. High Mg and high Na soils have serious structure problems. Na in particular peptizes clays rather than flocculate, rendering them incapable of aggregation. Magnesium does not flocculate as well as calcium. This is why I normally can find better structure and water movement in 4 or 5:1 Ca:Mg than 2:1. And remember its affects will be different on different soil types. I think you will see the discussion about gypsum move to "soil quality" before too long as that's where the long term potential benefits are. Always work with a professional when contemplating the use of gypsum on a broad basis, applications in the wrong spots can cause problems.

http://www.agprofessional.com/news/Research-shows-gypsum-enhances-moisture-availability-191209981.html

Thoughts for the week.

Thought I would jot down a couple of thoughts from activity the last 5-6 days. Last week I attended the NAICC conference in Jacksonville FL. This is an annual meeting bringing 4-500 consultants and researchers together for 5 days of presentations and discussions, plus there is a trade show. Two of my colleagues made presentations on technology that were outstanding. An underlying theme to the entire conference to me anyway was "data". There is a lot of data being generated out there and everyone wants it...from seed companies to equipment companies to chemical companies. In fact most of these entities seem to be positioning themselves to acquire data (yours) and see if there is any opportunity to capitalize upon it and market it as a service. Just a few problems, ownership, how will it be used, when you combine your data (which is perfect I'm sure) with someones which is not so perfect, how does that get represented? Which data is used and which is not? How many geographical areas are represented in such data? I'm a little leery of all this. My approach is to help individual growers process their data alone and see where it leads us. There are more and more layers that can be utilized now but one has to be careful when viewing those layers. More on this subject later

Farmer or "Resource" manager.

Its amazing what you come across when reading different sources of information. And what starts running through your mind when you stumble upon an article or report that has some interesting points of view or statistics that may have a perceived impact on how you conduct your business.
 
I was looking through the Wall Street Journal this morning when I came across a report (after a few more mouse clicks) from a London based think tank. The report was titled "Resource Futures". After a few minutes of reading the thoughts started wandering to how this type of report can affect the growers I work with. Well in fact I believe it already has started, but has it changed the way you look at your operation? Do you see yourself as a farmer/grower or a resource manager.
 
In reading the report it discusses the finite resources we have on this earth and the distribution of such, how they are protected and or marketed by the countries and or companies which have control over them. The report says  the availability of resources will be shaped by a combination of factors such as input costs, political factors in both consumer and producer countries, technology both in extraction of resources and development of renewable and competing "replacement" resources, infrastructure etc. The report was much more extensive than what I am touching on here. Addressing more issues than just agricultural. They are of course all inter-related.  

To me what this boils down to is do we need to change or add too our view of what is "your farm". Soil is a finite resource. It has to be maintained and treated as a sustainable resource in order for us to feed that 10 billion people come 2030. Productive soils are a resource that we are indeed blessed with in this country. (Of course I may be preaching to the choir at $17,000 per acre.) Be proactive in managing your "resource". It is not only important for your economic well being but in essence...the lives and well being of billions.    

Balancing profit and conservation.

For the past few weeks and until February I am participating in the 4R certification process. For those of you unfamiliar with the term 4R it is Right Time, Place, Source, and Rate. Now I would argue that we have been practicing 4R for over thirty years, but with the pressure on for environmental stewardship, especially with our proximity to the great lakes I thought to take an opportunity to discuss it here.
On the one hand, farmers are business people, who rightly want to turn a profit. On the other we have an environmental movement, some of who are hell bent on returning the status of surface water and air quality back to what it was before Columbus got here. Now I may be slightly exaggerating the later, but the good news is I think there is some common ground. Virtually every grower I work with is mindful of the fact that we need to protect our soil as well as we possibly can. After all it is their livelihood. The public also has to keep in mind that production agriculture that is market driven, is what feeds us!
Working toward soil quality is the way to accomplish both profitable production and environmental stewardship. Highly productive soil is one that not only has well balanced fertility but it also means keeping soil in place. Achieving that also keeps nutrients you apply in place, but it also means that water and air are not moving that soil to places that are undesirable such as our waterways. When I think of soil quality, it is not just chemical fertility that comes to mind, it is also soil physics and biology as equal "partners" in the quality picture. Water stable aggregates and pore space for water and air movement within the soil and adequate bacteria and fungi to "recycle" residue into nutrients for future crop needs. The system works together.
With the explosion of precision agricultural practices, the ability to practice 4R really enhances the "place and rate" parts of this equation. We can now with extreme accuracy place our nutritional needs at the proper rate with very little trouble. I think timing is becoming the most important part of 4R management we need to accomplish more of to address the environmental impacts that our inputs may be influencing.
One of the practices that needs to be enhanced is the use of cover crops. Cover crops help hold soil and nutrients in the field where we want them. They also improve soil quality and water quality.
This 4R course is a good refresher and it is a way to be and remain proactive with regards to balancing your profit picture along with helping you be environmentally sustainable. 

Good Article on ROI and Presicion Ag

Came across this and thought I'd pass the site on.

http://www.precisionag.com/article/31540/precision-agriculture-higher-profit-lower-cost?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PA%20eNews%20Nov%201%202012%20(1)&utm_content=

Thoughts from the season

Don't you just love bloggers who only blog once every 3 months. I seem to have a problem keeping up with this page which may or may not be good. I have been emailing information to clients who have addresses that I know of but am sorely lacking when updating this site. A lot has happened this growing season. Obviously the biggest story is the drought and what impact it has had on our production. Well, dry beans are all over the board, 10 bushel to 50 bushel seems to be the range. And as one would expect whoever caught some rain had better beans. Corn is all over the board and within the same field. We have 60 bushel and 240 in the same field. There definitely some pollination issues with the heat and just plain not enough water on the lighter soils. The the heavier ground isn't too bad. Soybeans have been a nice surprise. those who caught some late rains are seeing beautiful beans. Sugar Beets are still being harvested and conditions are not the best. Tons seem to be good and sugar not too bad either. We'll know more in few weeks.

Going forward things to keep an eye on are the election which will have tax and regulatory implications. Obviously you all keep an eye on USDA reports. This will impact planting decisions and also fertilizer prices. Report I have just received is not seeing much movement in any of the major sources we use for inputs other than ammonia has inched up a little more. Going into spring a lot will depend on fall applications in corn belt. This source is raising forecasts by about $20.00 for spring. Urea is steady and will most likely move a little higher going into spring. International markets will have some influence here. UAN has some downward potential mainly from current inventory and lack of activity/interest in western Europe.

Phosphates seem to be steady to a little down due to cheaper imports but not too much movement apparently at all. PCS, a major potash producer is cutting production (surprise). Seems to be alot in the pipeline and no clear indication from India or China on demand and pricing. Prices moving forward predicted to move sideways maybe some upward in spring depending upon inventories.

I think I related to everyone that we have made a major change in software applications regarding mapping/recommendations. This resulted in a much slower than anticipated distribution of fall recommendations. I appreciate the patience. Its difficult to explain the "detail" one has to watch out for when doing these conversions. That is why you always need to look closely at the information provided to make sure things "line" up. There were some things I had to fix but surprisingly few. 2013 should be much smoother. The software package is Ag Leaders SMS (spatial management systems). It is an extremely powerful program with capabilities beyond what I anticipate using but can if I so choose.

This coming winter and going into spring I intend to push the use of satellite imagery to add information to layers we already have in place (soil zones, yield, RTK elevation, sensor data).
We have found a very reasonably priced service for this and I need some commitments in order for the "passes" to include your fields. price will be $2.50 to $3.00 per acre. This information has the potential to be very useful in continuing to "fine tune" zones and possible yield predictions. How would it help your marketing if we could get close on what fields would yield in July/August.

Remember, if someone is "custom" applying" variable rate fertilizer based on my maps try and get an "as applied" map from applicator. This is important because if there was a wrong rate or place it will have an impact on next years sample. For instance, if only a part of a lighter area was covered with lime this fall, when the whole area is probed next time it may not be representative of what is there. I suspect this can be a reason why we are seeing some variations that are not explained some times. I know we have seen it with nitrogen.

As always contact me for anything you think I may be able to provide for your operation.  

Off to a good start

In my early travels and as my crew continues to sample fields crops look pretty good at the moment. And as we are getting a colder rain today it is still needed and should carry us a ways. Sugar Beets I think are off to a great start. I have heard less this year, so far, of root infection issues than the previous 4 years. Corn is looking good for the most part also. One issue I have noticed and have discussed with colleagues in Ohio and Indiana are some patchy areas in these corn fields are showing up now and after investigating a little further we are finding some possible maggot or wireworm damage resulting in reduced stands in some fields in particular early planted that stayed in ground for a while. It is possible that the seed treatment dissipated enough to allow some damage to these kernels thus reducing stand in small areas.
Soys are emerging nicely and are also off to a good start. If we could just get warm and stay there more consistently we should be off to a great year.

Keep an eye on potash prices from here on out. The last I read we may dip into the low 500's by end of month. A 200 lb application at $525 will cost about $7.50 per acre less than at $600.