Less read posts

As much as I like to brag about the posts that everyone liked and read, there are always some that I think were well done that did not get a lot of looks.  I hope you will take a look at the ones below that you might have missed.  They still seem relevant to me. 

Ford Motor Company is using Kenaf for door bolsters.  The good news is that this is a crop that may have found a market.  I also like that one of our industrial giants is going for an intellegent "green" alternative.

This blog contains insights from Danny Klinefelter on the Future of Farming.

Dissolved phosphorous is a topic that most farmers are going to become familiar with in the future.  I hope you know something about it. 

I wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year.  I plan to start posting new material again on January 2.   I am headed to the Farm Futures summit in St. Louis on January 3 and 4.  I hope to pass along that information. 

Illinois Farmstead

I spotted this farmstead near Clifton, IL in Iroquois County.  It has both a barn and corncrib, but both are abandoned. 

Popular Guest Blogs

It can be a chore to write this blog some days.  My son Zach and Randy Darr made it easier with a couple of guest blogs, but the best guest blogger has been Eduardo Paim.  Eduardo is keeping us up to date with what is going on in Brazil.  While none of his blogs have hit top numbers, what he has to say draws a lot of viewers.  I also update him on our crop progress.  Eduardo's Blog has lots of information about what is going in in Brasil.  It is written Portuguese.  

My pick of my Top 7 Photos of 2012

National Farm Machinery Show

Black Raspberry Season

Cabbage Harvest

Southern Illinois Peaches were outstanding this year

Fairy Ring was one that I Liked

Black Baldy Lunch Got Lots of Site visits.  The animals were wonderful to let me get this shot.

This old barn foundation in Brown Co is very scenic.

Top 3 posts in 2012

At this time of year, I like to reflect on what I have posted in the past year.  It gives readers a chance to look at somethings they may have missed and it gives me a small Christmas vacation.   Today I am looking at my top 3 posts of the year.  It is hard to predict what will get a lot of views when it is written although the drought blog appeared to be a winner when it was sent to me.  I wish everyone a relaxing holiday. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Composting Manure.  This blog was something I wrote because of writer's block.  It appears to have been a well chosen topic.

Parallels and Differences-Between 1988 Drought and the 2012 Drought (Thus Far…) was written by my son Zachary, meteorology grad from NIU.  It continues to have interested viewers.  Keep in mind that it was written during the drought so some things are just estimates to that date.

Red Tractor must be a popular Google search.

These are really diverse, but that is the way of my blog, so maybe it offers a good cross-section. 

Terraces

 I have seen this shot a number of times, but today I stopped and took the picture.  You can see the benches of the terraces and at the top of the hill, silouettes of tombstones in the cemetary.  This is on Route 16 west of Pana.  Merry Christmas.  The rest of this week will be a year in review. 

How much Nitrogen is left?

A big question this fall is, how much nitrogen is left in our corn fields.  University of Illinois did a study sampling around 130 sites.  How much nitrogen is left now is not really important.  The real question is, "How much will be left during the growing season in 2013?" On the up side, it is good to see U of I using real data instead of just guessing as they often do when it comes to nitrogen management.

Do you think we will have a drought of 2013?

I am making no prediction as to what kind of weather we will have in 2013 crop year, but some experts are predicting more dry weather.  How will you handle that?   The first thing I would do is to look at hybrid selection.  Some producers eliminated certain varieties because of 2012 performance.  That is not a bad idea.  Also ask your seedsman if there are any new varieties that perform better under drought stress.

Conserving soil moisture is also a good bet.  If you use tillage, use it sparingly.  If your ground is fairly smooth because of what you did this fall, consider a stale seedbed planting.  If you have not tilled, you may want to consider no-till.  In general soils that I have sampled have been in good condition for the most part.  This article posted by No-till Farmer has some interesting observations about no-till performance in 2012.   One of my tweeps in Scott County had good sucess with no-till this year. 

GPS Field Equipment

Since starting to work as a consultant it has become imperative that we have GPS equipment to keep track of where we are and to map sampling zones or in rare cases points.  The equipment has gotten better over the years. I will attempt to provide a brief review of each.  All of the equipment uses a Rammount setup for mounting tot he ATV. 

This is what was being used in 2005 when I started.
Hardware - IPAC
Receiver - NAVMAN sleeve or external plug in
Software - Farmworks Mobile
Reliability -  Fair
Durability - Fair
Ease of use - OK
Outdoor visibility - Fair
Accuracy - WAAS
Battery Life - 6 hours
Map Capacity - We had room for all maps on this.
Data Conversion required - None - Records Proprietary data but can be set to exported to shape files.
Comments:  This got us started, but it lost maps when recording.  It would would blink a lot.  I will never use this again. Cost was around $1200.  Plus Mount

I bought this in 2007 in search of less expensive equipment.
Hardware - Garmin 76
Receiver - Built in
Software - DNR Garmin to transfer and convert files to shape files.
Reliability -  Excellent
Durability - Not ruggedized but seems to be built to handle vibration. 
Ease of use - Good for what it is, but limited versatility. 
Outdoor visibility  - Excellent
Accuracy - WAAS
Battery life - 8 to 10 hours.  Uses AA rechargeables or alkaline. 
Map Capacity - Can load about 3000 acres of zone maps.  Has a memory card, but only uses Garmin Maps on the card.
Data Conversion required - DNR Garmin works well within capacity limits.
Comments:  I am still using this as a sampling tool.  I also like it for recording point data in septic tank evaluations.  It will record tracks, but if you start off with tracks already loaded you need to know that everything downloads back to desktop, so I do not use it for sampling and data collection at the same time.  Cost was around $350.   

I bought this in 2008 to replace IPAC
Hardware - Archer Juniper
Receiver - Have used Wintec G-Rays 1  Wintec G-Rays- 2 and Garmin 10
Software - Farmworks Mobile
Reliability - OK
Durability - Fair -- Ruggedized and handles vibration well.  We have had touchscreen issues related to dust and dirt. 
Ease of use - Good for mapping and Sampling
Outdoor visibility  - Fair
Accuracy - WAAS
Battery life - 6 hours. 
Map Capacity - Can load all of our maps and has a memory card.
Data Conversion required -None - Records Proprietary data but can be set to exported to shape files.
Comments:  I am still using this as a mapping tool.  It records polygons, lines, and points.  I don't want to tax this unit so seldom use for sampling.   Cost was around $1700 Plus Mount

I bought this in 2012. 
Hardware - Droid 2 smartphone
Receiver - Built in
Software - Locus Free App
Reliability - OK
Durability - Seems OK.
Ease of use - OK for sampling
Outdoor visibility  - Fair
Accuracy - Seems OK.
Battery life - 2 hours with GPS on.
Map Capacity - Can load all of our maps and has a memory card.
Data Conversion required - Required GPX format.  Need to convert polygons to lines and then export to GPX.  When you turn on a customer's file, you need to check box for each line or remember to use the check all box. 
Comments:  This a backup system for sampling only.  Won't use it unless nothing else works.  It is supposed to have mapping capabilities, but I have not tested it. $50 Plus mount

I bought this in November in order to assist customers who want to use one.
Hardware - IPAD2 WiFi
Receiver - Garmin GLO for IOS
Software - GISRoam - Also want to try iCMTgis ii. 
Reliability - Not tested enough
Durability - Good Otterbox Defender seems very tough
Ease of use - Seems OK for Sampling.  Not tested for mapping
Outdoor visibility  - Excellent
Accuracy - Seems to be WAAS equivalent.
Battery life -  8 to 10 hours. 
Map Capacity - Can load all of our maps.
Data Conversion required - Need to download Data Connect to transfer and convert files with GIS Roam.
Comments:Will use as a sampling tool for sure.  It is supposed to be good for mapping, but have not tested.  I would recommended getting a better IPAD than I got.  Need one with a cell card to insure internal GPS works.  I think the idea of using an off the shelf tablet is excellent and cost is reasonable compared to some of this stuff.    Under $600 including Mount. 

This was bought used.
Hardware - Panasonic Toughbook
Receiver - Have used Wintec G-Rays 1  Wintec G-Rays- 2 and Garmin 10
Software - Global Mapper (Windows NT) 
Reliability - Good
Durability - Ruggedized and handles vibration well. 
Ease of use - Good for mapping and Sampling
Outdoor visibility  - Good when set to black lines with white background
Accuracy - WAAS
Battery life - 3.5 hours, but it can be set to go to standby after 3 to 5 minutes.  If left off a couple of minutes when on standby, I can make the battery last 6 or 7 hours.  
Map Capacity - Can load all of our maps.
Data Conversion required -None - It records polygons, lines, and points.  I can finish maps in the field.   Finish works best when sitting in the truck.  I like this setup, but it is heavy.  I also have reports and Aerials loaded so it is pretty much anything I might need.  Cost about $2000 used.  Over $4000 new plus software. 

Soil Moisture Report

Today I did a septic tank investigation south of New Douglas.  The site was all in Tall Fescue, some mowed and some not mowed.  Soil was moist to a depth of 34 inches or so.  It was pretty uniform across the 3 borings.  This is good news as it shows that over time, each rain continues to penetrate a little deeper.  I am still hopeful that at least in Illinois we will go into the growing season with 12 to 20 inches of water stored in the soil.  It would be nice if we can get tile flowing and ponds filled by spring.  I am not sure what it will take to get wells recharging too. 

Brazilian Soybean Crop

Eduardo Paime:

I'm sending you pictures of farms that I visited on 12.15.2012 in a city with the name of Primavera do Leste in Mato Grosso, is 110km in the city where I live.

The rains are normal for now here for our region and the crops are growing well!

Herbicide Modes of Action

Bryan Young of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale had one of the most useful presentations of the program last Thursday at the CCA Convention.  He talked about how to manage herbicide resistance by knowing herbicide modes of action and active ingredients.  He present a chart that divides herbicides into groups that represent the modes of action and active ingredients.  Knowing how to attack your herbicide resistance in the past has involved a lot of research sometimes because of similarities in naming products and because of the almost endless number of brand names and combinations.  Here is the chart that Dr. Young presented.  Agweb has this chart which is similar.  You need to pick from at least 2 products from two different groups that are effective against the weeds you want to kill.  For example, do not use a group 9 product if you have glyphosate resistant weeds.  Here is a good explanation of what the mode of action terms mean.  This article from Iowa State University talks about where to find herbicide group and how to use it. The screen shot below shows where to find group numbers on the label. 

Technology to Watch for.

My blog today focuses on new technologies that bear watching.  This is not an endorsement, just a suggestion to keep an eye on these things because they have potential to help with making crop production decisions.

Advanced Ag Solutions is offering an App Optimizer that appears to monitor moisture, rainfall, growing degree days and other factors to help make field by field decisions about in season nitrogen application, applying crop protection products and possibly where field work is possible in a given day.  I am not sure of cost.  The reliability of the model depends on the amount of data input.


Another such technology is Solum soil testing.  Solum obviously hits a chord with some producers. They call into question the value of current testing methods, but I am not sure what else they can measure against.  None the less, this company appears to be trying to change how we make soil fertility decisions.  This evaluation of their nitrogen methods adds credibility to Solum.   Again I am not sure of costs.   

RESTORATION OF RIPARIAN BUFFER FUNCTION IN RECLAIMED SURFACE MINE SOILS IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

 My son recently completed the work require for his Master's Degree in Forest Hydrology and Soils.  I hope you will forgive a proud father for posting his son's Master's Thesis.  The abstract sums it up pretty well if you do not want to wade through the whole thing.  Nathan is currently working for Natural Resources Conservation Service in Arcola, IL.

Ag Equipment

Todd Taylor of John Deere spoke to us yesterday about Nutrient Management from the Ag Equipment Perspective.  He discussion was actually quite generic when it came to "Big Iron".  He did discuss the positive effects of tillage regarding seedbed preparation and nutrient cycling.  His discussion went on to talk about 4R nutrient stewardship and the equipment that might help with getting nutrients to the right place at the right time.  He also talked a little about water management.

His discussion about electrical conductivity and using the Veris machine to make zone maps for soil sampling and nutrient application.  He also talked about soil pH manager and how it does a better job of mapping for lime than grid sampling does.  Both tools really point out that the grid a sampling that has been accepted as state of the art has weaknesses when we try to use the results in precision farming.  I have previously expressed my reservations about grid sampling as well.  The thing that the Veris and the Soil pH manager help people to do is to better define where the soil boundaries might be that affect crop production.

We overcome the weakness of grid sampling by trying to base our soil zones on the five factors of soil formation.  Many people who soil sample have not had the training to apply the five soil forming factors.  That is the reason for using some of the other tools mentioned.  One of those tools has been grid sampling.  Another tool that some mention is using soil survey maps.  The soil survey maps have weaknesses that I have previously discussed as well.  Those weakness are related to the scale of the original maps, the time allocated to do the work, and the quality of base maps especially aerial photos.   Perhaps I am biased because of my training, but I think I can make a good zone map that adequately characterizes the soil for precision applications by visually using the five factors and by using GPS to define the boundaries.  With any other method, in order to get the best maps, they should be evaluated by a trained professional and not just used as they come out of the "Machine". 

Illinois CCA Convention 2012

I attend the Illinois CCA convention in Springfield today.  It was a pleasant experience to visit with friends, both from the  past and from the present.  A number of social media friends were in attendance.  Networking is one good reason to attend such events.  As you know by now I share the experience from a knowledge gained standpoint as well.

Two presentations, both well done, and both on different subjects had a an interesting tie in.  Mike Gray made a presentation on Western Corn Rootworm beetle that was very interesting on its own merits.  He spent a lot of time telling us about the evolution of the Western Corn Rootworm beetle and the expansion of its range.  While his information was fascinating, he spent little time telling us what to do about it.  Fortunately his handout contained the information on Western Corn Rootworm management. 

Dr. Aaron Hagar made a presentation on Palmer Amaranth that was also well done.  Since I have a couple of blogs on the subject, I do not feel compelled to share a lot of detail.  What these two presentations had in common was how long these species have been on the radar screen for pest management specialists.  Expanding range and and observed adaptability of these species to resist control measures predate GMO crops and "big bad" Monsanto by many decades.   Both Gray and Hagar presented information about these pests expanding their range and adapting to new conditions that dated back to the 1950's.  So why did agronomists not "nip it in the bud" as Barney Fife would say?  It looks to me like both of these pests are so adaptable that management will continue to be a challenge.   I do think that we are learning the importance of postponing resistance to certain products whether they be GMO products or other crop protection products. 

Living soil

I recently read an article by someone who investigated the ecosystem of a corn field.  The author visited acorn field in Iowa and said that the only living thing he found was the corn.  He implied that herbicides, insecticides, GMO crops and other crop protectants had turned the soil into a sterile environment.  The first fact is that yes, farmers are trying to eliminate competition from other species in terms of water, nutrients, and organisms that may attack the corn plant and reduce its efficiency to convert sunlight into energy. We seem to have done that very efficiently. 

On the other hand, the soil is still full of life despite all that we have done.  The soil is full of organisms.  Bacteria, nematodes, Protozoa, algae, insects, worms, and fungi all inhabit the soil below the surface.  The fact is that if the soil is sterile, crop growth would be nearly impossible.  Bacteria convert nitrogen fertilizer into forms available to the plant, whether the source is soil organic matter, fertilizer or manure.  All of the above also mention organism are essential in the breakdown of organic crop residues that are left in and on the soil.  This breakdown is essential for nutrient cycling.  Mycorrhyzae are are special fungi that are found in the soil.  They have filaments throughout the soil that help feed nutrients and water to the plant roots.  We all know about the value of nitrogen fixing bacteria to legumes.  Yes there are also some organisms that can be harmful to crop production as well.  One of the ways that we minimize their effect is to balance plant nutrients.  Another way is by using varieties that are resistant to the harmful organisms.  This does not mean that we eliminate the harmful organism. it means that we just reduce its harmful effects.  Sterile soil in a corn field?  Impossible!  To learn more read this from Colorado State University. 

Conservation or Preservation

This is a blog I have been meaning to write for a long time.  We often hear people say they believe in conservation when they really believe in preservation.  When I was educated on the subject, conservation was defined as the wise use of our natural resources. Preservation on the other hand was viewed as a more radical effort to save a resource by not using it.  Merriman-Webster online adds to the confusion with this definition "a careful preservation and protection of something; especially : planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect"  that includes preservation. 

When we practice soil conservation, most of the time it means that we are using farming methods that do not degrade the soil resource.  When we conserve energy resources, it means we do what we can to keep energy use to a minimum.  In our homes, we use insulation, weather stripping, good windows, appropriate thermostat settings, and etc. so that our energy resources will last longer.  When we conserve forest resources, we replace trees that we use.  We might also practice things like thinning and pruning to improve forest production.  

When we decide we should not allow old growth timber to be cut, then we are practicing preservation.  We are not using the forest for consumptive use.  When we set aside wildlife preserves, we are practicing preservation.  When we change land use from cropland to permanent vegetative cover, then we are technically preserving the soil.

Both methods of resource management are appropriate under certain conditions.  I agree that we need to preserve something of our natural history for both aesthetic reasons and because we may find future utility in  some part of the ecosystem we choose to preserve,  Energy Conservation and Soil Conservation have immediate economic benefits.  Preservation may have an associated cost.  Sometimes preservationist and conservationist find common ground to work together.  At other times someone may consider himself a conservationist when he is making wise use of a resource, but a preservationist may think that conservation measures are not enough. 

Whatever side we are on, some flexibility in philosophies is in order in so that we can meet common goals. 

Winter Traffic on the Mississippi RIver

The Corps of Engineers is taking a lot of heat right now because of their decision to stick with their river management plan and reduce the flow of water in the Mississippi River.  The plan is in place because environmental groups have pressured the Corps to re-create river flows that reflect a more natural flow pattern in the river.  Like many plans that get set in stone by government agencies, it looks like a severe drought was not considered in developing the plan. 

60% of the grain for export in the United States is moved by barge on the Mississippi River system.  This article highlights the advantages of shipping grain in high capacity barges.  The ground transportation system cannot be a substitute at the level needed to meet the needs of our foreign customers.   Those customers may go elsewhere for their grain if they cannot get it from the United States.  The State Journal-Register also had a great article today on the importance of the Mississippi River to commerce.  The River Industry and Agriculture leaders have appealed to President Obama to overrule the Corps of Engineers.  It is withing his power to do so.  This crisis just seems to be another thing that leads toward that fiscal cliff. 

Morning Sparkle

I tried to capture the sun reflecting off the frosty tree branches.  I did not get what I wanted, but still got a cool looking photo. 

South American Soybean Report

By Eduardo Paim:

Here in Brazil everything is normal with the weather, it's raining good and farmers are happy with the development of the plant (at the moment).

In Argentina it is not well! Early planting of soybeans, failed rains (as in Brazil) and now it's raining a lot and they are not able to plant!

Passing of the seasons

This is my final passing of the season photo for 2012.  Harvest is finally over.  Yes the guy who was slow is notorious.  Every County has one guy like that. 

Butler T

Cellulosic Ethanol Plant.

I ran across the news that DuPont is opening a cellulosic ethanol plant in Iowa.    This is a big deal in the world of agriculture.   DuPont is planning to use corn stover as the cellulose source, but if they can make it work with corn, it can work with any cellulose source.  The real potential in cellulosic ethanol is the fact that perennial crops such as Prairie Cordgrass and Switchgrass can be used as the cellulose source.  This gives farmers the chance to produce a crop on marginal cropland without contributing to erosion related problems.

Cattle on stalks

I sampled a field today where cows were grazing stalks.  In the top photo they are all walking toward me to see what I am doing.  The cow in the bottom picture was not moving because she found an ear of corn as was eating it.  The cows get food value from the stalks.  For the cows, the ear of corn is like if you found a fresh donut in a bag of stale bread. 

Cows on stalks

Cows on stalks

Squirrel Food

My squirrels preferred burr oak acorns to salted and shelled peanuts.  Tonight I added pecans to the mix too. 

Cleanup Day

We had our annual cleanup day at the Farm today.  We still have trees in the fields unlike many farmers.  Annual maintenance is necessary.  My Brother made a small video.  My two brothers and my son worked.  My Dad is also in part of the video, but he just hung out with us for a while. 

Burning Brush

Drainage Water Control.

Drainage water control is a hot topic right now.  Field tiling to remove subsurface water has been a common practice for hundreds of years.  The practice was brought to the United States in the 1850's.  After John Deere perfected the steel plow and a made it practical to farm the prairie, it soon became clear that yields could be improved with drain tile.  Tile plows and smaller narrow spaced tile have made tile drainage possible even on Southern Illinois Claypan soils. 

Environmental concerns have lead to the practice of drainage water control to reduce the pollutants entering surface waters.  This article in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation fills in details.  Expect more incentives to install such practices.  The two most common ways to clean up drainage water is to control the water table depth when no crop is growing and use of biofilters.  Wetlands have also been used, but they tend to be less popular because they tend to remove cropland from production.   

Pond Construction

I took the photo below to show a good example of pond construction.  I first designed a pond in class in college.  I probably did not learn how to design ponds really well until I was A District Conservationist for NRCS.  The pond below is actually a rebuild of an old pond.  The old pond had silted in because of upstream soil erosion.  You can see the dredged material on the left.  In the center I circled the principal spillway which is an eight inch dual wall conduit.  It looks similar to plastic field tile but it is much thicker.  The end is cut at and angle and has an endcap on it so that it will fully charge.  It is important to charge a pipe because it can vibrate so badly it will wash out if it does not flow full.  The other good thing about the pipe is that it is 3 to 4 feet below the top of the dam.  That will also help it to flow properly.  The emergency spillway is on the right.  IT is kind of rough looking, but it will do the job.  The bottom of the emergency spillway is lower than the top of the dam.  It is built mainly by excavation so that there is no fill material that will settle and cause it to fail.  This pond is not perfect, but it has all the elements that will make it work right.  Sediment entering the pond will be greatly reduced because the producer is now using conservation tillage and he has some nice grassed waterways that carry the water into the pond.  There is a small sediment basin at the upper end.  The one improvement I would recommend is that a dry dam should constructed on the upper end to catch sediment.  Click on the phonograph to enlarge.

Rehabbed Pond

Cold weather soil sampling

Today I soil sampled what I think is my last regular customer of the year.  We have heard a lot this fall in the ag media about how the dry weather might affect potassium soil test levels.  At this time of year, we start to think about how cold temperature might affect potassium soil test levels.  Soil Temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit can cause reduced levels in the potassium soil test.  The reason we are worried about this is that results can be erratic because of environmental factors.  This is the reason experts say to test the same time of year each time you test.  This customer is usually one of the last of the year.  I have sampled him when it was so cold that I wore my Carhartt insulated coveralls.  I sampled him 11/27/2010, 11/16/2011 and today.  By sampling very close to the same time each year, we should be getting consistent results because we should be dealing with similar soil temperatures.  From looking at the results it looks as if there was some pretty serious potassium applied after the 2010 tests. 

Rental Agreements

Most farmers at least in the Midwest farm more land that they rent than land that they own.  Share rents were the norm in the past, but cash rents are becoming more common all the time.  Gary Schnitkey talks about cash rents in this recent Prairie Farmer article.  Concerns that Schnitkey discusses specifially include yield and fertilizer application.  We know we have customers who like our annual soil testing program specifically because it keeps their landlords in touch with what is going on with their land. 

Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl of the 1930's is probably the biggest natural disaster in the history of the United States in terms of land area and length of time.  It brought huge changes to the business of farming.  Dee Ann Littefield of NRCS wrote an article that appears in No-Till Farmer.  It is a first hand account of what it was  like living in the southern great plains in the 1930's.  As the generation who lived in that time passes on, it is important that we keep the memory of the Dust Bowl alive.  Many younger farmers look at their erosive land with no memory of what it looked like when erosion was not under control.  With bigger machinery there is a temptation to take out conservation practices without replacing them.  We need to keep in mind what could happen to the land if we return to past abuses. 

Ken Burns gave the Dust Bowl serious treatment in his latest film on PBS.   I missed all but one hour of it which was very well done as we have come to expect from Burns.  I am going to need to watch it online or download to Itunes sometime.

Hugh Hammond Bennett, a soil scientist and the founder of Soil Conservation Service is called the Father of Soil Conservation.  Dr. Bennett's life story is very interesting.  His biography is also given in the form of a PBS Special. 

Hybrid Selection Number 1 Yield Factor?

Researchers at Minnesota have been looking at factors that determine corn yield.  In this article they suggest that hybrid selection is the biggest determining factor in determining corn yield.  I agree that it is very high ranking.  Many customers this year said that hybrid made a huge difference in some cases.
Dr. Fred Below of the University of Illinois has been widely quoted on the production of  300 bushel corn.  His opinion is that water and Nitrogen are number one and 2.  I tend to agree with Dr. Below.  He ranks hybrid third.  I have seen yields fall short in the recent past because of denitrification caused by too much rain, and this year because of too little rain causing drought stress.
That said, I encourage a look at both links because the both contain good advice on producing top corn yields.  It is interesting that both assume fertility is high.  I agree that high fertility is needed to produce high yields.  I don't find high fertility to be a given among new customers.  Producers cannot make the assumption that because they use fertilizer that they have the proper nutrient levels for all nutrients.

Rainfall Past 90 Days

The map below shows rainfall departure from average for the past 90 days.  Most of Illinois has had above average rainfall since the end of August.  Northern Illinois has been average or a bit drier than average.  This is according to the Illinois State Climatologist. 

New Equipment

Last night I purchased an IPAD2 that was a door buster at Walmart.  I am trying to get it set up for mapping and sampling in the field.  I will keep you up to date as I go. 

Preparing for Turkey Day

Work on Wednesday included smoking Thanksgiving turkeys at the office.

Crop Progress in Brazil

By Eduardo Paim:

The dry days and no rain here have ended (for the moment).  W are getting a lot of rain and the plants are soybean and corn are doing well. Here we have little corn planted for the summer harvest and after harvesting soybeans we plant the second crop of corn. I'm sending you some photos soy Saturday (17.11.12).  For the moment everything is fine here with lavoras soy, concern about the lack of rain is over, hopefully not again.

We have planted a total 95% of the soybeans grown in Brazil. By the end of this week it will be 100%.

Good holiday of Thanksgiving there for you.

Pecans from Illinois

 Today I am picking the nutmeats out of cracked pecans so I thought that would be a good blog topic. 
Carya Illinoiensis or Pecan is native to the Mississippi River Valley and other habitats habitats in the south and midwest. Click on the link for more information.   My home farm in the Mississippi River Valley in Monroe County Illinois has over 50 pecan trees.  Some of them are native and some are cultivated varieties.  My grandfather enjoyed working with pecan trees and grafted around 40 of them with various cultivars.  Our favorite is Posey.  We have one high yielding tree, probably one of the first ones Grandpa grafted that yields a huge number of pecans. We do have several other Posey's on the farm as well as other varieties.   Posey has a relatively thin shell and a large nutmeat.  Texas is one of the leading producers of pecans and they have this list of varieties.  This Link contains advice from Missouri on suitable varieties.  Kanza and Pawnee are two varieties  that I know are grown in our area.  On our farm, because the operation is small it has been mostly a hand operation.  Pecans usually start dropping in early October and continue to drop until well after Thanksgiving.  We have to share with the squirrels and crows, and it seems we have higher yields every other year.  One year my Dad picked up over 900 pounds.  This year he has picked up well over 200 pounds and others have gotten a share as well.  Our take so far was 51 pounds.  It is a lot of work to hand crack them,  but some commercial growers provide custom cracking for 30 to 40 cents per pound.  My wife took our pecans to  Voss Pecans near Carlyle for cracking.  Grandpa hand cracked the pecans when he was living, using a cracker similar to the one below.  We had mostly smaller native varieties in our collection this year.  The natives do not yield quite as much nutmeat, but hey are very tasty. 
.

Some of the pecans we picked up

A hand nutcracker.

Cracked pecans that I am picking out.

I like to use the stainless steel bowl because when the pecan its it, some of the pithy stuff in the creases of the nut pops loose. For more expert information, check out this blog. 

What is Going on with the Market?

As I have said previously, I do not give marketing advice.  In the past few years however I have become a follower of commodity markets.  I also find the explanations of the market interesting.  Darrel Goode of the University of Illinois wrote a good article on in No-Till Farmer explaining why prices are soft right now. 

Soil Moisture

I took the time this weekend to probe a little deeper than my usual 7 inches.  I found soil moist to about 24 inches, then very dry.  We still need more rain to recover from the drought. WE still have potential to get that rain.  It could even come early in the growing season. This year a lot of us made it through the drought with reserves.  We need a good bit of rain to have those reserves built up again.  I am not in panic mode at this time, we usually do not have two such extreme years in a row, but then again we were certainly above average in rainfall from 2008 to about May of 2011.

Crops still Growing

I sampled on of our vegetable growers today.  Late Fall vegetables still in the field were broccoli, cabbage, horseradish, kohlrabi, spinach and turnips.  Most will freeze out when we have really cold weather, but the horseradish might not be harvested untill spring depending on weather and processor needs.

Broccoli

Horseradish

Kohlrabi

Spinach

Fungicide Resistance

During the past 3 growing seasons frogeye leaf spot in soybeans has been found to be resistant to Strobilurin.  Fungicide resistance is fairly common in fruit and vegetable crops.  This is why I worry aout blanket applications of fungicide when it is not needed.  We need to know if we have varieties that are fungi resistant.  Alternating modes of action and formulations can help over come reistand fungi as well.  This article from the University of Illinois has lots of good infor mation. 

Tillage Radishes

The area I was working in today had several fields of tillage radishes.  The one below seemed to have  lot of root sticking up above the ground, but there was still root below the ground too. 

Tillage Radish

Are your soil test levels off because of the drought?

I have seen several articles concerning the possibility of soil test levels being off because of the drought.  How can you know?  We have had a lot of results back and do not seem to have an issue with potassium (K) levels seeming to drop drastically.  How do I know?  We encourage annual soil testing.  The old idea of testing every 4 years leaves too much to chance for too long.  If you can compare last year's test with this year's  then you have  better chance to make good decisions.  I agree that I have seen instances where soil moisture appears to have affected potassium levels.  Last year our fall sampling season started off very dry.  We had some very low levels of K in the early fall.  It took relatively little rain to bring those test levels back up.  This also illustrates why we want high potassium levels in the soil to start with.  If the available levels drop in dry conditions we want the nutrients to be high enough to overcome that availability issue in dry weather during the growing season.   

Air Pollution and Crop Production

In the agricultural world one of the things that we think makes it wholesome is clean country air.  We all want less regulation and sometimes are the concerns about clean air can seem silly.  What if air pollution is causing my crops to have lower yields?  Prairie Farmer has posted this link about the effects of ozone on soybean yields.  The approach suggesting the article is to use genetics to overcome the pollution.  While agriculture may contribute a small share of the excess ozone, it comes from many sources and atmospheric conditions.

Side Hill Seep

I found this newly installed tile on a side hill seep in Madison County.  Tiling seeps can make farming easier, but it can be tricky getting the tile into the correct layer.  I am not sure if this one will work right or not.  This tile looks like it could not possibly be in a wet spot, but I am sure that it is.

Silent Saturday

The blackbirds in this tree make it look like it has leaves. 

Freeburg Town Square

I left home early as usual this morning.  I had some soil samples with me to mail.  When I got to my destination town of Freeburg, I started looking for the post office.  I did not find in the main drag (IL Rt 15) through town.  I did not find it on Main St.  I looked it up on my Droid and could easily see how to navigate to it.  I was surprised to find that it was located on the east side of the town square.  I never knew Freeburg had a town square.  I have been through town dozens of times and did not know there was a square.  It is a pretty little park with a flag and a World War I doughboy statue in the middle.  There were a few businesses and two churches on the square along with the post office and some residences.  Not exactly the center of commerce, but there was no trouble finding parking at the post office. Be sure and click to enlarge so you can see the statue. 

Report from the field

I worked today in the American Bottoms south of Columbia, Illinois.  Harvest progress there is much  like everywhere else.  Their is still some corn and soybeans to harvest.  People who had crops to harvest were working on it today.  Lots of fall tillage is done and being done.  I was too far south for fall nitrogen application.  Wheat is looking good.  The area I worked had plenty of moisture, but some of the excess they had 2 weeks ago seems to have soaked in. 

Soybean Cyst Nematode Resistance

Soybean Cyst nematodes are silent robbers of yield in soybeans.  Soybean farmers who want or need to grow soybeans for more than one year in a row need to have resistant varieties in order to minimize damage.  Researchers in Illinois, Wisconsin and Nebraska have mapped the soybean genome and found the genes that are tied to resistance.  Check out the story. 

Brazilian Soybean planting resumes.

By Eduardo Paim

 

Here in Brazil, Mato Grosso (Midwest) this week started with good rains and the producers returned to plant, we have 60% of soybeans planted. Last year was 70% planted. We have 10% less soybeans planted this year due to lack of rains.

Weather and Crop Report

Weather and Crop Report is showing just what I have seen with harvest.  It is just not finishing up even though almost done.  I was interested to see that 78% of wheat is good or excellent.  I have not seen any bad wheat thus far. 

Passing of the seasons - November

Time for the monthly passing of the seasons photo.  All the corn in view is harvested.  There are still some soybeans to harvest.  Most freeze sensitive stuff is dead.  Tall Fescue and maybe some other cool season grasses are still green. 

One Room Brick School

This one room brick schoolhouse is located in Brown County on Highway 107 about a mile north of the Pike County line.  A lot of farm kids including my Dad and Grandpa were educated in one room schools.  Most of them I have seen pictures of were white clapboard frame buildings. 

One Room Brick Schoolhouse

Wheat Condition

We raise a good bit of soft red winter wheat in our area.  It is not nearly the acreage of corn and soybeans, but it is solidly in third place.  One reason it is regaining some popularity is the ability to plant soybeans after harvest adds to the production of that land.  More wheat is grown to the south of Illinois Route 16 than to the north.  The crop is looking very good this year.  It was planted in a timely manner and in good topsoil moisture.  We are seeing more wheat planted in corn stalks this year because of the early corn harvest.  There is very little difference in yield either after corn or soybeans. 

Corn to Harvest

You can drive many miles and not see anything left to harvest, but there are still crops standing in the field in places.  I found several hundred acres in the Shoal Creek bottoms between Panama and Sorento. 

Corn To Harvest

Corn Tunnel

Stone Foundation for a barn

I ran across this barn foundation in Brown County today.

Barn Foundation

Anhydrous Ammonia Being Applied.

The nurse tanks below were filled and ready for Monday morning when I drove through Atwater on Saturday.  They really got rolling today.  While I understand workload concerns for suppliers as well as farmers, it may be a little early for this.  Soil temperature is below 50 right now, but will it stay there?  Keep in mind that harvest finished extra early.  How warm and early  will our spring be?  How wet?  There are more questions than answers right now.  People ask if they should use nitrification inhibitors.  I give an unequivocal yes.  The days of just adding a little extra are past.  Fertilizer is too expensive and the environmental hazard is significant. 

Soybeans in Brazil

 By Eduardo Paim

Here in Brazil, mainly in the Midwest farmers are having to replant soybean areas due to lack of rain. We are having low rainfall and are taking between 10 and 15 days between rains falling.  This has producers that are having a replanting about 10% of the total area.

It is very hot and soybeans planted are dying first.

Arches Rail Trail

I am on the board of directors of the Montgomery County Natural Area Guardians.  We are a committee of the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District.  For a number of years, we have been pursuing opening a trail between Montgomery County Fairgrounds and Audubon Society's Bremer Sanctuary near Hillsboro.  The trail was recently opened to the public as a hiking trail.  Many people deserve recognition for making this happen but no one took the bull by the horns like Ray Luebert shown below.  Our project today was to install mile markers to give hikers some idea of where they are.  The top photo shows hikers enjoying the fall day.  It is gratifying to see people using the trail.