Macks Page

An almost perfect marriage

2012-02-01T13:12:00.001-05:00

I realize I am usually behind the times on alot of things and this is probably no exception. However, I just wanted to put a few thoughts down about the marriage between precision ag and agronomy. This is, as most of my colleagues realize, an almost perfect marriage. To be capable of measuring nutrients and precisely apply with geo-referenced maps is a no brainer. The ability to install shut off units on planters, swath control and section shut offs on spreaders and sprayers is a no brainer. This technology a perfect tool for us to use to learn more about what is happening in our fields, and zones within those fields than we may be able to process.The ability to spatially separate yield by variety by zone is great information. To create a down pressure margin map (for those of you with 20/20 seed sense monitors) and compare with areas we suspect had emergence issues is good information. Elevation data to explore possible areas for additional tile is good information. The more layers of information we can add the better we separate the variability and define zones to the point of permenency. I feel when we get to that point, issues we may have within those zones we identify quicker and treat as economically as possible. And that in turn leads us to the goal we want to achieve. Maximum output for minimum input while maintaining sustainability thru improved soil quality.
This is technology that will not only pay for itself but will increase your ROI in short order. The days of whole field applications is winding down. It is so easy to treat 15-20 acres out of an 80 now that it is almost ridiculous not too. The next layer I would really like to explore is NDVI imagery. I think that there is value there, hopefully I'll be able to report on that this year.

St Louis

2012-01-07T09:58:00.002-05:00

Just returned from the Farm Futures buiness summit last night and I must tell you, what a great conference! Farm Futures gears this meeting toward farmers and farming, not agronomics per say. In fact there was not a single session with regards to "NPK". This conference is about the "BUSINESS" of farming. Market updates and strategies, breaking down the global economy to your level, planning for success for your farm, why its is necessary to create and maintain a PR plan for your farm, forming advisory groups, risk management and why you need to bullet proof your balance sheet for the inevitable downturn that is coming because there will be opportunites by the bushel for those who are properly positioned. Two of my colleagues, Kelly Roberston (http://www.krfarm.net/) and John McGuire from STS gave outstanding presentations on the use of technology and clearly pointed out why you need to value independent research from plots that are replicated and randomized. If you are looking at yield maps from combines that you know are not calibrated properly... be wary.

Two growers that I work with attended this meeting and I am fairly confident that they will be returning next year. This meeting helps me to (for lack of a better cliche) think outside the box. I do not wish to become either complacent or stagnet in my relationship with customers. It is important to always improve if I can, myself, and my service to the growers I work with. Think about this meeting next year, it is a winner.

Keep your edge

2011-11-22T09:23:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to give you some thinking material for this winter as harvest is winding down. Whether you are well into the realm of precision technologies or just thinking about it one thing is becoming clear, it pays! The cost of the equipment is stable to decreasing somewhat and did I mention it pays. From fuel, to seed, fertilizer, chemicals and efficiency using precision technology is going to keep you in the game when things turn ugly again. This up cycle has been great but we know after up, down usually follows and we have to be in a position to be profitable even in the down cycles. What you as growers need is information. The data for example that yield monitors put out provides you information. So in a simple situation for example we find that one variety out performed another consistently across the farm by 10 bushel. That information can be used to make decisions for next year. Just saw a great video clip on fuel savings by having row sensors on corn head in down corn as compared to no sensors. $8.00 per acre savings in fuel not too mention faster harvest. Shut offs on planters and sprayers can add to your bottom line . So just be thinking and reading this winter for ways to utilize precision equipment in your operation in the future. I can help with some of the data processing with current software packages already in use. If you want to come in and go over different scenarios where this technology pays you are welcome anytime. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Harvest thoughts

2011-11-03T10:29:00.001-04:00

Excuse me for the lack of updates lately, I hope to post more things as we get into the winter months. So far harvest has been a nice surprise. Considering the conditions that we were dealing with this spring, the yields are quite good. Beets of course still under way but those hurt early are down a little and those not hurt too bad are yielding pretty well if rainfall was decent. Dry Beans were for the most part phenominal. Quite a few reports of 30+ bag beans. Corn is very nice if you were in the few rain belts that came thru however there were definite pollination/kernal abortion issues resulting in 10 bushel minimum loss in some areas. As we are later than the past few years it seems down corn is a problem this year with certain varieties but we did experience some windy days that hurt alot. Please be careful as you continue this harvest season. More on nitrogen and some sugar beet thoughts later.

Innundation

2011-07-20T21:48:00.001-04:00

Well, out of every corner and crevice I've been told the "specialty" products are being offered, sold, given, presented and the promises of gold and silver are soon to follow. Let me preface the following remarks with this, any product out there, applied at the exact right time and place may give a yield response that may have you selling the stuff the very next day. And that is just fine. Some people seem to want that quick fix to all problems and issues that were "created" for example by unfavorable planting conditions, including planting DATE!
It seems there are quite a few "interns" running around taking tissue samples and reports being issued of various "problems" out there and I have heard we could be short of every nutrient known to make plants grow. Frankly I don't know how to begin to answer this. So I won't. What I will say is that plant nutrition is a very complex system that includes so many other variables along with fertility it really boggles the mind. The current weather conditions, meaning the hot and dry, before the little bit rain we had was very hard on crops especially sugar beets. Lets try to remember for example that a beet crop that went in basically a month later than normal, now has a root system that is expected to withstand the typical heat and lack of moisture we "normally" get at this time. Lets also remember that plants under stress will probably not respond to added nutrition until the stress is removed and may in fact be detrimental.
I"d like to remind you to you remember your basic agronomy when considering nutrient applications. Things like compaction/drainage issues especially when that leads to disease are not going to be corrected by nutrient applications per say. Remember how the corn looked in some of last years beet fields earlier this year especially compared to corn following beans? As the soils warmed and adequate moisture was received it began to look a lot better. It had to fight through some adverse conditions but now most of it looks reasonable considering late planting and less than ideal planting conditions. The chemical "fertility" is no different following beans than after beets... I wonder why, in a wet year in particular, why do we always have corn that looks like that after beets and not beans hmmmm....
I see it as my responsibility, as a consulting agronomist, to help you find the "cure" not apply the band aid. So, if the underlying problem is compaction, all the foliar 6-20-0 with all the minors at 1 gallon per acre is not, I think, really going to really help much. Lets do the math on that. 1 gallon = 10 lbs roughly. 10 x .06 = .6 lbs of N/ac, and 10 x .2 = 2#/ac half of which may hit tissue. Lets use common sense out there. If specific nutrient deficiencies are determined, then foliar feeds targeted to that nutrient will help in the right form at the right rate and proper time.

Todays thoughts

2011-05-19T12:24:00.001-04:00

As it continues to rain the catch up on reading, learning software and getting your field files ready for sampling continues. First a few thoughts on Nitrogen. At this point we all wonder how much if any N that was applied early has been lost. If you used stabilizers chances are you are fairly safe. In sandy soils the problem is leaching and in heavy soils it is more about denitrification. In any case the speed of conversion from ammonia to nitrate is one factor. The cooler temps have helped in that respect slowing down that conversion. Nitrate tests at this point would be inconclusive due to lower soil temperatures. Our new N test called PNA for potential nitrogen assessment has shown on wheat that maybe an additional 20 to 30 lbs might be warranted. However that test is still in the "testing" phase and we are using it only for research and calibration purposes right now. I would consider foliar applications of N with fungicide sprays on wheat. Helena has CoRon and CPS has N-Pact, Freeland carries Nitamin 30, all products would be a good source of N for foliar.

Fertilizer prices are poised to move up a little bit more than some of the publications I have been following had predicted in the last few weeks. While working on this today I did a little math on P sources and came to the conclusion that those of you using liquid starter may have an opportunity to save some serious dollars by mixing things up a bit. This all has to do with the price spread between 10-34-0 and MAP. If you want more details give me a shout.

Sampling is underway as weather and field conditions permit. It is going to be a challenge getting this done as early as I would like just like you would rather have been planted earlier.

As I continue to process planting data and yield data the more convinced I am that this technology is going to make us money. From fine tuning zones to exact placement of proper nutrients to the future methods of sending spreading files directly to your tractors via wireless signals... its very exciting stuff.

Monitor sugar is recommending liming ahead of sugar beets and they are doing so vigorously. I do not have a problem with this practice in general. I have read and continue to read the research out of the valley. I have not found much plot data yet that gives me any type of starting point with regards to balance and pH. Some yes but not enough. The bottom line is that anphanomyces is still a DRAINAGE problem. The last 2 years we have had warm and wet and that is not a good combination for resisting infection. There is plot data out there that suggests success with liming, some with no difference. Another area where some success is being seen is having adequate P close to the seed especially in low P soils. If you want to lime ahead of beet fields as a matter of disease management again I don't have a problem with it just make sure you understand the effect this will have on magnesium and potassium levels and availability in particular on soils with TEC's of less than 10. Get me a list of Beet fields for 2012 and if you want I will include this application in the recommendations so you will have maps and accurate tonnage calculations. Custom spread files are easily made for this also.

Other random thoughts include fertilizer storage, co-ownership of equipment, vertical tillage.

EPA is out of Control

2011-04-26T14:46:00.000-04:00

This article seems to reflect the normal "attitude" coming out of EPA now a days

http://www.farmfutures.com/story.aspx/farmers/would/be/hit/hard/by/expanded/epa/jurisdiction/17/48817

Starter Fertlizer article

2011-04-14T09:45:00.000-04:00

I ran across this paper (probably for the 3rd time) and thought it might be of interest to most of you. It is a study on pop up for sugar beets. Bottom line. 3 gallons of 10-34-0 on seed was as good as any other product out there. No significant differences in yield or recoverable sugar were consistently noted in this study.
http://www.sbreb.org/research/soil/soil08/PhosphorusStarter.pdf

Believe it or not spring approaching.

2011-03-24T09:17:00.001-04:00

As of today we have a new coat of snow somewhere around 8-9 inches. But it is March 23 and in some years we'd be planting beets now. It also means we are preparing for fall 2011 and spring 2012. Sampling will be starting shortly after you guys begin planting. Our goal is always to be done before the corn is too high to get over with the 4 wheelers. If we can accomplish that, then information essential for you to make purchases of inputs when prices are historically low can happen. If possible a 2012 crop plan will alow me to put all the pieces in place for you in July-August.

The process is much more complicated than you may imagine not just for pulling samples but the process of analyzing the data and combining that with fertilizer economics, market prices and fuel prices, in order to put out recommendations that are designed to give you the best chance for optimum return on investment for inputs purchased and applied.

Watch for poor spots in the field as you spray and make sure you let me know so they can be checked out. If you are using RTK auto steer for planting, make sure you have a data card in whatever monitor you are using for planting operations. The data you are collecting is very valuable.

As you know better than I, soil conditions at planting are crucial to the final outcome of your crop. The number one problem I encounter every year is DRAINAGE! Yes there are other issues that are important but I see more dealing with excess water at the wrong time than anything else. If water is allowed to percolate thru the profile it draws air in behind it and that will help keep young roots healthy. If we get water after a period of warming Nitrogen loss is a possibility. Surface applied urea and 28% should be protected with products such as Agrotain or Guardian, ESN or Nutrisphere N are also good nitrogen products.

For those of you interested in foliar feeding, I would never suggest not to foliar feed especially when needed for minor elements. I would not plan on decreasing any of my other nutrients because you are foliar feeding. Use it as a suppliment or rescue if needed. If you are clairvoyent and can see a prolonged dry weather period, a broad spectrum foliar including K might be interesting.

Good luck and be safe out there.

Thoughts for the week

2011-03-02T16:44:00.005-05:00

A few things running across the desk this week. First, the pressure is on out there with regards to specialty products as most of you know as well as I. There is no reason not to try some of these things on a limited basis and see if you can get some benefit out of them. That being said stay focused on one or two products only, invariably you will find it hard to yield check at the end of the year any more than that. Ideally they should be replicated plots but that is unrealistic at the farm level also. So split a small field and try a product, you never know.
When I look at these things the first thing I ask is did it make me any money? If yes, try again next year and watch for consistency.

Humic acid products are in the area but they have been around for years. I think a big reason they don't show consistent results is that the organic matter complex in your soils contain these compounds in amounts that a few ounces of a "product" will in no way influence yield in the end. If you try humic acid products start on light, low organic matter fields and see if you can accomplish something there.

Phosphite materials may bear a look at from the aspect of tank mixing with glyphosate. Now the sugar beet research book that just came out has some plot data using Sysstem Ready I believe from Agro K that didn't show advantage over other forms of micro's but it may still need further evaluation. There may be some fungicidal effectiveness from phosphites. More later!!

Recovery Data

2011-02-21T13:34:00.007-05:00

To follow up on the article below, consider the following information gleaned from last years corn yield contest. I looked at the NPK rates for the plots in the contests and decided to analyze those a little. These figures were all in the non-irrigated class. If you look at the table you can see the lbs of N per bushel in last column. .74 to 1.7. A 200 lbs application and 269 bu in relation to a 420 lb application for 237 bu.

Why such a varience. Well obviously location and weather play a role but I think a bigger role is played by soil quality and the ability of the crop in any particular soil/field to recover applied N (and other nutrients) and utilize N that is supplied by the "life" in that soil as relayed by Mr. Nester in arcticle linked too in previous post. It is desirable to have our fields in good physical condition so we get the maximum performance from the biology that is there. Of course this is very easily said but we still have to strive for it.

Now in further exploration of the contest info were total rates of NPK.

Bu N P K

273 300 250 235

269 200 10 70

262 200 0 180

282 310 150 50

In dollars from top to bottom

$437

$130

$169

$259

A $307 spread of NPK input costs. Now of course this is a yield contest but my point I guess is that there are alot of materials out there, and rates of such, that may have very little bearing on outcome especially if our soils are not in good condition to begin with. So be careful when preping fields for planting.

Follow Link

2011-02-20T17:54:00.003-05:00

I have a colleague who is much more eloquent than I in writing this type of information so follow the link to a good article on "Recoverability" of nutrients. Joe Nester is a colleague of mine consulting in Bryan Ohio.

http://www.no-tillfarmer.com/ntf-blog/289/nutrient-recovery-and-efficiency/

Notes for week

2011-02-09T09:45:00.002-05:00

I cautiously say congrats on being able to plant RR sugar beets. This has really been a source of stress for those of you who grow them. I say cautiously because it is not over. This group has not stopped their objections and wont for the foreseeable future.

In the fertilizer markets things had been quiet until the Egypt situation came about. People who watch this stuff carefully say it is not a major concern yet but any deterioration of the conditions over there may impact Urea and 32 UAN prices. Other than that things are stable for the moment for most materials with not much movement expected at this point.

Push the pencil a little when figuring spring applications. For example if you just compare the price of P in liquid and dry its about a 15 cent per unit difference right now. Sometimes the little things can add up. So if you want to get in touch with me to go over price comparisons and options I welcome that.

I will be out of state from the 11th to the 15th. 2 things at this conference I am interested in learning more about is the OPTRx sensor system from Ag Leader and a session on vertical tillage. We are also going to be discussing (believe it or not) Social Media. I have to confess that I am picking up more valuable information via Twitter than I had imagined. If you follow the right people its almost like having a research team reporting findings on a fairly regular basis. If nothing else it is sending me to sites that hold some good articles and information. I have joined the twitter crown to pass on pertinent information only and I think it is working well. You can get things sent right to your mobile phone which is a plus as I don't sit in front of the computer with the twitter site pulled up most of the time.

Send me your crop plans or call when you have them ready!!

Skipping Applications?

2011-02-03T09:16:00.004-05:00

There seems to be a few articles out there recently and some discussions in conferences that pose the question, can I skip applying P and K this year? Many of you should remember that back in 2009 when fertilizer prices skyrocketed, I made recommendations as I normally would with one caveat, "this is what you need but I would not apply potash at $900-$1000 per ton". And for most of the growers that work with me, I could still make that claim. Rather than use the term "Skip" lets use "Postpone"

I say this just as a reminder to growers that we work for, that we not only look at the current levels but also at trends. Once we get you to proper "balance" for the soils you have, and at "optimum levels" we want to maintain or trend slightly upward. We know that high fertility gives us best chance for best yield in any one year. But note I said "best chance". There are so many other factors that will determine final outcome that the best we can do is put you in the position to not "worry" about the fertility factor. Last year I made a lot of replacement recommendations for P and K because in felt prices were about as low as we were going to be for awhile and most of you locked in pretty good prices. We do need to replace, but our tests will help up determine how much and how often. The other factor we have to pay attention to now is the price of input factor. And lets face it, years past we didn't pay that too much attention. Well, times have changed. Not only does price influence us, but so do other soil conditions (pH), commodity prices, environmental regulations, logistics, rental agreements and so on.

It is also a very exciting time because of all the technology out there that can help us do a better job of applying correct inputs at the right time, place, and rate. Outlook for agriculture is very good but its a different game now isn't it.

At the NAICC

2011-01-20T17:54:00.002-05:00

Now most of you guys that I work for probably don't know about or care about the NAICC. This is a national organization of guys who do what I do. There was a speaker today by the name of Bruce Vincent. His family "was" in the logging business. He and basically all of his kind was run out of the business by the environmental movement in their area of Montanta. People moving to rural areas and falling in love with the lifestyle and then putting up a big stink when they see something they think is harmful take place (enter Meryl Streep, Woody Harelson etc.). He mentioned specifically the sugar beet issue and said they are coming after agriculture and if they win with sugar beets guess whats next!! People who are involved in this suit against the sugar beet people have lawyers who are being bank rolled by the tax payer. They are using a law put in place that allowed veterans to sue the V.A. I know I am being vague here but I can't take notes that fast. Agriculture is being systematically attacked by the likes of Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, EarthWatch, Earth First,ELA, ELF, The Big Green Bus, HSUS, how far should I go.

Agriculture can no longer be silent, and must educate, lest we lose our livelyhood and a way of life that once gone will never come back. When given the opportunity to educate don't pass it up. Organizations like the the NAICC are behind the U. S. Agriculture industry with every fiber of their being, bank on it.

Farm Futures Summit

2011-01-06T09:49:00.002-05:00

Just returned from St Louis after attending the Farm Futures magazine "Business Summit". Guys this is an outstanding show and you should seriously consider going at least once to see for yourself. The speakers are outstanding and give great insight as to where the Ag industry is and is going. Dr. Mike Boehlje and Dr. David Kohl are both very good speakers on economics. Arlan Suderman and Bryce Knorr give market information and trends to look at.

A few of the things that struck me;

If you are only reading farm publications you are missing the boat. Agriculture and trade are affected by many outside forces. Add the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Economist and others like them to get an idea of what might be coming down the road that will influence markets

60 percent of the worlds fertilizer production takes place in militarily or politically sensitive areas of the world. Any hiccup in these areas could have ramifications down the line for us directly. China is buying as much rare earth minerals as it can. You may remember the supposed sale of potash reserves in Canada, guess who stopped that one?

Fertilizer prices are still going to follow commodity prices for the most part. Locking in margins is going to be critical. No you may not get the highs but you will make a profit. Speaking of highs, charts indicate we may be close to them.

Another item stressed by the speakers was the growth rate in China and India. Monitor that figure. If they maintain 8-10 percent growth rates, commodity prices will remain bullish. The coastal areas of those two countries will drive the mid west economy.

We are at 15 year lows for grain stocks. And as agriculture continues consolidate weather will have greater impact.

The next meeting is MABA in Lansing and the week after is NAICC conference in Ft. Worth TX. And yes I am twittering (god I hate that term) pertinent information only from these things. You can get these on your cell phones as text messages. You do have to go to twitter.com and sign up to follow JMackson and click cell phone option.

Using grower generated data

2010-12-09T10:03:00.007-05:00

I have been focusing on different ways to fine tune our management zones for soil sampling and wanted to show an example of RTK elevation maps from planting operations and yield data. This I think has some real possibilities.

The image on the top is yield and the bottom is elevation. I think there are corresponding patterns here that I can use to improve the way this is sampled. Those of you moving to RTK auto steer will have the capability to produce elevation data that should be fairly accurate. I would take that information and produce a map with 6 inch height differential and then fine tune my zone lines. This is pretty neat stuff and I plan to keep looking at this type of data and see where it takes us.

Auto steer is amazing.

2010-11-17T08:28:00.002-05:00

Just viewed a good you tube video from farm in Sandusky harvesting beets utilizing RTK auto-steer for harvester and dump carts. Very nice.

http://www.agweb.com/blog/Crop_Comments_137/

Fertilizer on the watch list now?

2010-05-11T07:48:00.003-04:00

Fertilizer on the cancer watch list;

http://www.agprofessional.com/show_story_nl1.php?id=1068623

I wonder what could possibly be behind this addition??

2010-03-15T15:59:00.000-04:00

Article regarding the western lake Erie basin and what is being looked at.

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100313/NEWS01/703139975