CMEG Crop Management Extension Group

Field Crop News

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

February 12, 2008    Vol. 08:02

IN THIS ISSUE:

Weather Outlook — Paul Knight, Pennsylvania State Climatologist

The winter of 2007–2008 is being scripted in large part by the effects of La Nina, a pool of abnormally cool water stretching across the tropical Pacific Ocean. The bookends of the season were heralded as being the cold, damp time (Nov and Mar) while the heart of winter from late Dec–early Feb would be relatively mild and dry. We are currently in transition to the other bookend of the winter. The next 30–35 days will bring the most snow for the majority of the state (not the northwest counties though). There will be several episodes of bitter cold interspersed with seasonable to mild conditions. Parts of the state may experience a major snowstorm or two.

Provided the La Nina continues to play a role in the state’s weather during the spring, there should be a growing drought in the Mid—Atlantic region that may influence southern and eastern parts of the Commonwealth during April and May. At the same time, summer rainfall is expected to be a bit below normal, though June and August are favored to be on the wet side for the majority of the state.

Professional Crop Producers Conference to be held at Penn State

The Pennsylvania Corn Growers, Forage Growers, Soybean Growers and No—till Alliance organizations are hosting a single conference called the Professional Crop Producers Conference on March 4–6. This conference has something for anyone growing crops and promises to be very exciting and informative.

In addition to outstanding speakers from across North America, there will also be Rolf Derpsch, a no—till specialist from Paraguay. Rolf has many years of experience with no—tilling and is considered the founding father of the no—till movement in South America. A new concept this year is the Producer’s Round Table Discussion that involves producers and speakers getting together and discussing some aspect of crop production. These discussion sessions will be about one hour in length and cover the “down and dirty”, “nuts and bolts” discussion among producers about how they have incorporated a crop production practice into their farming operation.

This conference should be very exciting and informative. If you can only attend one conference this year, this is the one! Make plans now to attend. Additional details plus registration can be completed at http://pcpc.psu.edu. For meal and handout planning, please pre—register as soon as possible!

Reducing Crop Input Costs — Dave Messersmith, Wayne County Extension and Greg Roth, PSU Grain Crops Specialist

With the increase in costs for nearly all crop inputs, many growers are looking for ways to reduce costs without sacrificing yield. Below are a few ideas on reducing your input costs:

  1. No—Till — reducing the amount of tillage can mean significant reductions in fuel, labor and machinery costs. Savings can vary from farm to farm but can be in the range of $20–$40 per acre.
  2. Calculate nitrogen contributions from manure history — you get a credit of 35 lbs of N in fields that have a history of continuous manure application.
  3. Calculate nitrogen contribution from fall 2007 and spring 2008 manure applications. Dairy manure will have about 10 lbs of N per ton, broiler manure can have more than 60 lbs of N per ton. Even if the manure is not incorporated, it will contribute a significant amount of N to the 2008 crop.
  4. Target manure applications to the highest priority fields—typically 2nd and 3rd year corn fields.
  5. Plan cropping programs well in advance and make crop input decisions early. This ensures input availability, good prices and in some cases, year—end tax savings.
  6. Eliminate your starter fertilizer in fields with high Phosphorus levels (well into the ‘above optimum’ level on a Penn State soil test). There is rarely a yield benefit to starter in these high testing fields, especially at mid to late planting dates.
  7. Work with your dealer or Extension Educator to design an effective weed control strategy that may be more affordable. Remember that single—pass programs mean less fuel and labor or reduced custom applicator fees.
  8. Use pre—sidedress nitrogen testing (either the soil PSNT or Chlorophyll meter) to determine sidedressing needs. In many cases we find fields with a history of manure need very little or no sidedress, even if our calculated N values from 2 & 3 above are less than what the crop needs.

Grain Market Outlook — Tom Murphy, Lycoming County Extension

What a wild ride in the market place at the moment! If you’re watching stocks, you’re likely crying but if you still have grain in the bin to sell, wow what a trend up. Don’t forget the adage about pigs being fed and hogs being slaughtered. As we are all aware, grain prices never trend upward forever so look for places in the trend to capture some profit. And it is likely you are looking at that right now. Even with inputs being higher in 2007, you’re still at a place where you can extract some profit out of the market. If you have a grain marketing plan, have you reached some of the trigger points you put in place? If you have and you are still nervous about selling into a rising bull market, consider the use of trailing stops. A trailing stop is a way to set a price trigger point under the upward trending line where you will sell some of your stored crop if the trend reverses down through the “stop line”. If you are a conservative person, the stop should be narrower, say 25 or 30 cents under the CBOT price and adjusted for local basis. If you are willing to accept more price risk and potentially greater price rewards, consider a wider training stop, say 40 to 50 cents. But for them to work, you still have to be dedicated enough to sell when the downward trend crosses that price point. It is a way to follow the market up without losing all profit if it trends down hard.

I read some market research Doane’s had done last week looking at market conditions over the last 32 years with similar characteristics as this year. They charted six years in that timeframe that could be compared to what we have going into the 2008/09 marketing year, tight old crop supplies and new crop production driving the market. They also used a stocks to use percent under 15% (currently it is 11%). Their analysis illustrated potential high and low target prices based on that historical perspective. Look at the article on their website, it gives a easy to read understanding. But keep in mind, past results can’t predict future outcomes, although there are often some good matches made.

And don’t forget to sign up for the Jerry Gulke meeting on Feb 19th in Lewisburg, PA and Feb 20th in Leesport. If you have never seen Jerry do one of his presentations, you’ve missed out. He is a great presenter and gives a cartload of information you will use. Program information is attached below. Sign up quickly since the deadline is upon us. If you are planning to attend, please call the Berks County Extension Office at (610) 378–1327 as soon as possible (for meal count purposes). See you there!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
at the Country Cupboard Restaurant, Route 15S and Hafer Road, Lewisburg, PA 17837
and
Wednesday, February 20, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
at the Berks County Ag Center, 1238 County Welfare Road, Suite 110, Leesport, PA 19533

9:30 a.m. Registration and refreshments
10:00 a.m. Program starts with Gene Gantz, USDA, Risk Management Agency, with a crop insurance update
10:30 a.m. Jerry Gulke
12:00 noon Catered lunch
1:00 p.m. Questions and discussion

This activity is sponsored by the Central Susquehanna and Lehigh Valley Grain Marketing Clubs, the Pennsylvania Corn Growers Association, and Penn State Cooperative Extension. Deadline for registration is February 12th. If you are planning to attend, please call the Berks County Extension Office at (610) 378–1327 as soon as possible (for meal count purposes). Contact John Berry, (610) 391–9840, johnberry@psu.edu or Tom Murphy, (570) 433–3040, tbm1@psu.edu for additional information.

Registration Form for Marketing Meeting on February 19 and 20, 2008

Name(s) ________________________________________________________________________
Address________________________________________________________________________
City_________________________________ Zip____________________
Telephone____________________
We will attend at: ___Lewisburg ___Leesport
# of reservations ______ x $40/person = $___________

Make check payable to: Berks Co. Ext. Program Account

Mail check and registration form to:
Marketing Meeting — Penn State Coop. Ext., 1238 County Welfare Road, Suite 110,
Leesport, PA 19533–9709

Is Your Planter Ready? — Sjoerd Duiker, PSU Soil Management Specialist

The quality of your corn stand will largely depend on planter performance. An irregular stand can easily cost you 10% of your yield. Planter performance is especially critical in no—till because of high penetration resistance, crop residue at the soil surface, and a rough soil surface. Inadequate planting will result in uneven seed depth and plant spacing. Hairpinning is common if coulters and row cleaners don’t work properly. Here are some tips to prepare your planter for the new season:

  1. Meters. Metering units have to work well or you’ll get frequent skips, doubles and triples. To guarantee optimal performance, take metering units apart every winter. Remove dirt and clean the hood with soapy water (no kerosene, diesel or oil should ever be used in metering units!). Replace cracked plastic covers. Replace broken fingers in a finger—pickup meter. Seed brushes need to be replaced when worn. If a groove has formed in the chromium house of the metering unit it is time to replace it. The belt (in finger pick—up meters) should be flexible, not have cracks in it, and should be clean. Clean with soapy water and let it dry before putting it back in. Put the metering unit back together. The rubber belt should be placed back in the right direction, or your meter will malfunction. You can lubricate with graphite (NO OIL or WD–40). It is recommended to take your finger pick—up metering unit to a dealer to have it calibrated every year or every 300–400 acres. Take a bag of your own seed with you, and give him the correct speed at which you’ll be driving. If you have a vacuum or air meter, check for leaks and appropriate vacuum or air pressure.
  2. Planter unit. Accurate depth placement can be compromised if planter units are loose or wobbly. You should not be able to easily lift up your unit or move it sideways. Look across your planter units from the side. Are they all at the same height? If one unit is either up or down compared to the others, it needs work. A common problem is that some bolts are loose or additional bushings are needed. You also need to replace cracked or broken seed hoppers.
  3. Seed opener disks. Seed opener disks need to have a minimum diameter (check operator manual) or they will not place the seed at the appropriate depth. Seed opener disks also need to come together in the front (they should usually touch for 3”, but this may vary depending on planter). Stick two business cards between the openers and move them as close together as possible. If opener disks are worn too much you will get a “W” shaped seed slot instead of the desired “V” slot.
  4. Seed tubes. The end of seed tubes may wear to the extent that they curl inwards, catching seeds. There is often a hook halfway up that can easily break off. Seedtube guards need to have their minimum width and be fastened correctly or damage to the seed tube is likely.
  5. Seed firmers. These help to press the seed down in the furrow, guaranteeing more accurate depth placement of the seeds. The tension can be adjusted with a bolt. If the seed firmers are worn too much they need to be replaced.
  6. Depth wheels. Depth wheels should run tight against disks. Change washers from in— to outside (or vice versa) of depth wheel if necessary. If this doesn’t resolve the problem, the depth wheel arm needs to be replaced.
  7. Coulters. Check the diameter of the coulters, and replace them if needed. You should adjust the depth of worn coulters that are still usable.
  8. Closing wheels. Closing wheels need to have an intact spring, and need to be checked for damage or wear. Bearings cannot be wobbly or too tight. The bottoms of rubber or cast iron closing wheels need to be 1.5”-2” apart. The closing wheel arm cannot have too much play or bushings or the entire arm may need replaced.
  9. Alignment of coulters, opener disks, and closing wheels. Take a rope and pull it straight from the front coulter to the closing wheels. The firming wheels, seed openers, and coulters should all be in line. Closing wheels should not run on top of the seed furrow.
  10. Insecticide boxes. The insecticide boxes should have no holes or cracks. Tubes should be blown out with air as well as the slot on bottom of meter.
  11. Fertilizer unit. Fertilizer opener disks should have a minimum diameter (check manual). The bearings should not be wobbly or too tight. Hang a bucket below the tube of the unit, and do a test run of 175 feet in the field. Weigh the fertilizer in the bucket, multiply by 100, and you have the fertilizer you’ll put on in pounds per acre (at 30” row spacing). Adjust as needed.
  12. Chains and sprockets. Check all chains and their sprockets. If they are worn too much they need to be replaced. They need to have the appropriate tension and should be greased regularly.

Next scheduled publication date: March 11, 2008.

Contributors: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences: Sjoerd Duiker, Greg Roth. County Extension Educators: Andrew Frankenfield (Montgomery), Mena Hautau (Berks), Dave Messersmith (Wayne), Dwane Miller (Schuylkill), and Tom Murphy (Lycoming).

Editor: Dwane Miller, Schuylkill County Cooperative Extension

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