Certified Livestock Manager

We completed Certified Livestock Manger training in Springfield yesterday and took the test for Large CAFO work.  This certification is needed in order to take manure samples in Illinois.  It also brings us up to date o n rules so that we can give our livestock owning  clients the best possible advice on how to manage their manure applications and stay in compliance with the Livestock Facilities Management Act.

If you are a livestock owner in Illinois, this is excellent training whether it is required or not.   Even if the training is not required, you  are still required to comply with the rules.  This means manurermuch be stored and applied in such a way as to prevent pollution and preserve water quality.  Classes are being offered throughout the rest of the winter in many locations.  Extension Service and Illinois Department of Agriculture teach appropriate sections.  Be warned that if you are taking the test, you will need more than the 3.5 hours on the schedule. 

Farm Futures Summit

 I attended the Farm Futures Business Summit for the first time in several years.  As always there were many interesting speakers.  The top presentation was in the even by Kevin Van Trump. 

He spent  a lot of time discussing the demographics of Millennial.  Millennial have now surpassed Baby Boomers in population.  We Boomers no longer rule the roost in terms of consumer preferences.  He suggested that the future of farming is likely to include various groups of producers catering to various consumer preferences.  He suggests that large producers can continue to supply Industrial needs such as ethanol and bio-diesel.  The next tier may be producing for feed. 

No GMO, organic and specialty products are preferred by our biggest demographic, so maybe we should be catering to them.  There is also a desire in the consumer market for products to be produced in an environmentally sensitive way.  There are a number of certifying organizations available that do the certifications. 

I first heard similar sentiments expressed by Danny Klinefelter  a few years back.  Maybe there is something to it. 

2018 - The year the Sulfur Ran Out

I have written posts on Sulfur in the past, but the past year bears mentioning more than any time date concerning Sulfur.  we saw many fields that were low in sulfur this spring.  It was easy to spot fields needing sulfur even at 55 MPH.  At 55 MPH sulfur deficiency looks a lot like nitrogen deficiency.  If you stop and walk into the field, you will find interveinal chlorosis.  Sulfur is found in all living things and in plants, it is a key to photosynthesis. Sulfur is also needed for the formation of some amino acids and in turn proteins. Sulfur is one of the key nutrients for drought resistance.   

As our air has become cleaner and easier to breathe, less sulfur is deposited from the air for our crops to utilize. We have found that when available sulfur gets down to less than 10 ppm, we are most likely going to have sulfur issues.  On one of our larger clients, I have data as far back as 2007.  Soil test levels have gone from an average of 24 ppm to an average of 6 ppm with no sulfur added. Sulfur is available in the sulfate form.  Sulfate is a negative ion, so it is more mobile in the soil than positive ions.

Because of mobility, sulfur buildup is not necessary. Sulfur fertilizers include, elemental sulfur, gypsum, ammonium sulfate, and ammonium thiosulfate.  Elemental sulfur needs to be converted microbially to the sulfate form, so I recommend higher rates of that material. A 200 bushel corn crop will take up 30 pounds per acre of sulfur.  60 bushel soybeans will remove 20 pounds of sulfur.  Recent research has found response to sulfur in both corn and soybeans, 

Pioneer has a thorough article on sulfur if you want to know more.  

Securing the Nation's Infrastructure

 I have written several times over the years about the importance of our inland navigation system to  agriculture. Much of the Midwest's agricultural products for export move on the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio River systems, which are all connected.  My friend Ken Olson and his co-author Lois Wright Morton take a look at "Securing the Nation's Infrastructure" in a new Soil and Water Conservation Society paper on the Ohio River.  They do an excellent job of discussing history so that threader can understand why the lock and dam system is necessary and then bring us up to date to the newest structures in place.  Click on the link to learn more.