CMEG Crop Management Extension Group

Field Crop News

Website Address: http://fcn.agronomy.psu.edu/

August 28, 2007    Vol. 07:26

IN THIS ISSUE:

Weather Outlook — Paul Knight, Pennsylvania State Climatologist

After the wettest period of the growing season, there are clear indications that a drier regime is returning to the region. Alternating cool and very warm conditions will mark the next two weeks with below average rainfall and in some places, well below normal precipitation.

The Tropics, which have turned unusually quiet, will likely spring to life within the next week. There is a possibility of a very active period during the middle of September. Early indications point to a very warm to hot spell after Sept 8–12.

Week One (Aug 29 – Sept 4): Expect a very warm and humid day on Wednesday. A sluggish cold front will cross the state on Thursday and the first half of Friday with a thundershower likely in most sections, but rainfall should be about a quarter of an inch. A flow of seasonably cool and rather dry air will return for the start of the Labor Day weekend. Much warmer weather will return by Monday and continue into Tuesday.

Week Two (Sept 5 – Sept. 12): A cool front should reach the region later Tuesday or Wednesday with scattered thundershowers. A brief cool down should be followed by a quick warming trend that may last through the following weekend and into early the next week. Despite the expected warmth, rainfall should continue below average — barring any influence from the Tropics.

Check out the predicted Growing Degree Days (base 55) for Pennsylvania for the next two weeks at: http://climate.met.psu.edu/data/regional_gdd.php

Grain Marketing Outlook — John Berry, Lehigh County Extension

What will all that rain do for our soybeans? The plants may have been large enough, but there wasn’t much pod fill a week or so ago in my area. There were plenty of pods formed and still green, but there were few bean seeds. What seed was there was tiny.

When was the last time you saw $6.00 wheat? Is the bin empty? What are your thoughts on forward pricing some of the expected 2008 crop with your local elevator? Knowing a piece of the revenue puzzle before the crop is planted can mitigate some risk associated with price deterioration.

Basis, the difference between commodity prices at the Chicago Board of Trade and local cash bids, is often considered a strong indicator of buyer interest. When local basis is weaker than history would suggest is normal — local buyers are telling us that they would rather not take our grain at this time. Perhaps their storage is full, or they have already priced enough grain for their short—term needs, or there is plenty of grain arriving by rail and truck already. When local basis is stronger than expected, local buyers are telling us to market some grain, now. Perhaps they have a specific need for additional grain, or their bins are low, or rail and truck arrivals are not keeping pace with their short—term needs.

Basis is a significant concept to not only understand, but to track. It has been found that there can be a real difference in bids between individuals. This makes it fairly important for each of us to become familiar with how our local basis moves weekly and seasonally. This way we will be better prepared to identify those opportunities that may help us accomplish effective marketing.

Western Pennsylvania
Grain Range Avg
Corn No. 2 3.60-4.00 3.76
Wheat No. 2 5.75-6.00 5.87
Soybeans No. 2 7.23-7.75 7.49
Ear Corn 115.00 115.00
Eastern and Central Pennsylvania
Grain Range Avg
Corn No. 2 3.80-4.25 4.07
Wheat No. 2 5.20-6.45 6.19
Soybeans No. 2 7.50-7.80 8.00
Ear Corn 108.00 118.76

Stretching Forage Supplies with Stockpiled Forage Grasses — Marvin Hall, PSU Forage Specialist

Some areas of the state didn’t have rain for extended periods this summer causing forage supplies to be in short supply. One technique for stretching those stored forages is to stockpile (allowing a forage to grow during the fall and then grazing it after frost) areas of cool—season forage grasses for late—fall grazing. Of the cool—season grasses, tall fescue is the best suited for stockpiling because it retains its leaves and quality while other grasses loose leaves and quality after frost. Tall fescue isn’t the most palatable grass during the “dog days of summer” but fall growth is much more palatable. Consider utilizing this change in palatability to stretch forage supplies. Stockpiled fescue provides high quality pasture for late fall and winter grazing with twice the sugar (energy) content of spring and summer pasture, high digestibility and high protein.

Follow these simple steps to produce high quality stockpiled forage grasses.

  1. Graze or mow the grass down to 2 to 3 inches during August. This is essential to allow high quality regrowth.
  2. Topdress with 30 to 50 lbs nitrogen per acre during August. Apply phosphorus, potassium and lime as recommended.
  3. Keep livestock off this pasture until late fall for maximum stockpile production.
  4. Where possible, stockpiled fields should be strip grazed to minimize trampling and wastage.

Searching for Hay — Marvin Hall, PSU Forage Specialist

If you or your clients are searching for hay sources it is best to maintain contact with local hay suppliers. Since they are local you can visit the supplier and see the hay before it is purchased. Plus that face—to—face negotiation of price can build a sense of trust in each other. However, if you can’t find the quantity or quality of hay you need locally, then here are some internet sites which advertise hay for sale.

USDA-FAS: Hay Net (a national database of hay sources) http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=online&subject=landing&topic=hay

PSU Ag—Map (a Pennsylvania database of hay sources) http://agmap.psu.edu/

You can find other sites on the internet that market hay by Googling “hay for sale”.

Apply Nitrogen NOW for Increased Late—Season Production of Forage Grasses — Marvin Hall, PSU Forage Specialist

Applying 45–50 pounds of nitrogen now, for every expected ton of late—season yield of forage grasses, can maximize Fall production. This is especially true if no nitrogen has been applied since green—up. In addition, if good growing conditions persist into October there will be more time to capitalize on this nitrogen investment. Nitrogen applied just before the dry conditions this summer may not benefit as much from applying more nitrogen now because some of the applied nitrogen is still in the soil to support late—season grass growth.

Late Season Weed Control in Corn and Soybeans — Bill Curran, PSU Weed Specialist

As we move into silage harvest season, producers may notice some problem weed situations. Also, as soybean leaves start to turn yellow, problem weeds may become more noticeable. At this point in the season, it is difficult to do much with the exception of a harvest aid prior to corn or soybean grain production. In corn, this type of application requires high clearance equipment or aerial application, so hopefully these fields are the exception and not the norm. Below is a brief list of products available for late season application or harvest aid for corn and soybeans.

Corn
Basagran — no restrictions

Impact — Can be applied up to 45 days prior to harvest.

Glyphosate — up to 0.75 lb ae/acre (32 fl oz of a 3 lb ae/gal formulation) to corn a week or more prior to harvest. Must be applied to grain when moisture is 35% or less and after maximum kernel fill.

Gramoxone Max — Apply 1.3 to 1.5 pt/acre after black layer and at least 7 days before harvest. Be sure to include a nonionic surfactant.

2,4–D LV4 — Apply 1 to 2 pt/acre after the hard dough or dent stage. Do not forage or feed corn fodder for 7 days after application.

Soybeans
Clarity — Apply up to 2 lb ai/acre (2 quarts) after soybean pods have reached a mature brown color and at least 75% leaf drop has occurred. Wait at least 14 days before harvest.

Glyphosate — Apply up to 0.75 lb ae/acre (32 fl oz of a 3 lb ae/gal formulation) to soybeans after pods have set and lost all green color (80 to 90% leaf drop). Allow a minimum of 7 days between application and harvest. Do not graze or harvest hay within 25 days of application.

Gramoxone Max — Apply 12.8 fl. oz plus nonionic surfactant to soybean plants that are mature (65% or more of the seed pods have reached mature brown color or seed moisture is 30% or less. Do not pasture livestock within 15 days.

Emergency Forage Weed Control — Bill Curran, PSU Weed Specialist

For producers that have planted small grains such as oats, wheat, or barley for emergency late summer forage, a few herbicides can be used for weed control if necessary. Broadleaf herbicides labeled small grains allowing grazing or hay/silage include 2,4–D, Aim, Buctril, Clarity or Banvel, MCPA, Peak, and Stinger. Be sure to check a current label for use restrictions. Some more common herbicide options are provided below. 2,4–D amine or ester (LV4)— Apply after full tillering. Wait 14 days between application and grazing and 30 days for hay production for lactating dairy. Products vary, so check product labels for specific restrictions. Clarity/Banvel — For most small grains, should be applied prior to jointing. For lactating dairy, do not graze for at least 7 days for less than 1 pt/acre and wait 37 days for haying Restrictions are longer for higher application rates.

Grain Storage Meeting Planned — John Berry, Lehigh County Extension

The next meeting of the Lehigh Valley Grain Marketing Club is Tuesday, September 4, 2007, 7:00 a.m. at the Hawthorn Suites Hotel. The Hawthorn is in a strip mall on the north west corner at the intersection of I–78 and route 100 in Fogelsville (behind the Cracker Barrel Restaurant). Everyone is invited and welcome

Our guest speaker is John T Gnadke, of AGS, Inc., a Harvest Management Consultant. John’s career & expertise spans 41 years of experience working with grain drying, storage, & harvest management and has co—authored a manual titled, Quality Grain Care, A Grower’s Quick Reference Guide. John clients include: John Deere, Pioneer Hi—Bred, Frito Lay, Cargill, Coors, Life Line Foods, ConAgra Snack Foods, and Pioneer Soybean Production Plants.

Please, join us for an informational experience on grain storage! Breakfast is being provided by our regional Pioneer representative, Dennis Manbeck. Call John Berry at 610.391.9840 if you have any questions or need directions.

High Nitrate Potential in Corn Silage — Greg Roth, Grain Production Specialist and Doug Beegle, Soil Fertility Specialist

Crop conditions have turned from dry to wet in many areas and our corn silage harvest in continuing. This has raised some concerns about the potential for nitrates in corn silage. Nitrates are a possibility under these conditions and are often hard to predict when then will appear. Frequently, nitrates are most severe on drought stunted, heavily manured fields for 3–4 days following a drought ending rain event. We will likely have some fields that fall in that category. Higher nitrate silage can also pose a higher risk for the development of silo gas.

To reduce nitrate levels in drought—stressed plants, harvest crops in the afternoon on a warm sunny day; be sure to wait 3 to 5 days after an appreciable rain or long cloudy spell. Since nitrates accumulate in the stalks, consider a higher cut height. If high nitrate levels are suspected, use forage as silage rather than green—chop. Ensiling reduces nitrates by 50 to 60 percent. Ideally, allow the forage to ferment for 3 to 4 weeks before feeding to allow the fermentation process to complete.

Any suspect feed should be tested for nitrate levels before feeding. The silage can also be tested at harvest to determine if nitrates are a cause for concern. Because nitrate levels decline during ensiling, regular forage tests for formulating rations, taken as the silage is fed, should also include a nitrate analysis. The Ag Analytical Services Lab (AASL) at Penn State will run nitrate analysis on corn silage samples taken at harvest. A representative chopped sample (~1 pint) of silage should be collected, frozen and then sent to the lab in a sealed plastic bag as quickly as possible (Overnight). If the sample begins to ferment the results will not be reliable. The cost for this test is $10. An information sheet is available on the AASL web site at: http://www.aasl.psu.edu/. If you have questions about submitting a sample you can call the lab at: (814) 863-0841. Many other feed labs in the state can also provide this analysis. Often as agronomists we get questions about this problem but rarely do we get any feedback because once the crop is harvested then it becomes a feed issue. Testing silage at harvest for nitrate is a way you can get some feedback on how the crop nitrate level responds to the farmer’s management and the specific conditions of the growing season.

The most critical factor influencing possible toxicity is rate of nitrogen intake, which is affected by forage dry matter intake over a given time period. Feeding practices that regulate dry matter intake can be used to manage high nitrate forages. When stored forages contain more than 1,000 ppm NO3–N, intakes generally must be managed to avoid elevated methemoglobin levels in the blood and other toxic effects.

More details on feeding forages with high nitrates can be found in our on—line publication From Harvest to Feed: Understanding Silage Management http://www.das.psu.edu/dairynutrition/documents/silage2004.pdf

Contributors: Dept. Crop & Soil Science: Greg Roth, Marvin Hall, Dwight Lingenfelter, Bill Curran, Ron Hoover, Doug Beegle. Extension Educators: Kevin Fry (Armstrong County), Craig Williams (Tioga County), Dave Messersmith (Wayne County), Mena Hautau (Berks County), Tom Murphy (Lycoming County), Susan Alexander (Jefferson County), Andrew Frankenfield (Montgomery County), John Berry (Lehigh County)

Editor: Dave Messersmith, Wayne County

Upcoming Events

Real time pest and heat unit activity: http://psu.zedxinc.com/cgi-bin/site.cgi?location=2&user=psu#

Calendar of Events: http://www.events.psu.edu/cgi-bin/cal/webevent.cgi?cmd=opencal&cal=cal209&

Readers can subscribe electronically to this newsletter at the Field Crop News Web site.

If you have problems subscribing or wish to cancel your subscription, please contact Lisa Crytser by e-mail at lac8@psu.edu or by phone at 814-865-2543.

Information presented above and where trade names are used, they are supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Penn State Extension is implied.

This publication is available in alternative media upon request.

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. It is the policy of the University to maintain an academic and work environment free of discrimination, including harassment. The Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Discrimination or harassment against faculty, staff, or students will not be tolerated at The Pennsylvania State University. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Director, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802-5901, Tel 814-865-4700/V, 814-863-1150/TTY.