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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CROP QUEST AGRONOMIC SERVICES, INC
C r o p Q u e s t P e r s p e c t i v e s
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The table is set for good prices for 2010-2011 wheat, butseed shortages worldwide and an unusual wet late sum-mer in eastern parts of the High Plains point to the need formore intense planning and crop management for farmers tobenet from the current demand for winter wheat.
The biggest impetus for adding wheat acres may comefrom the recent announcement by Russia, the worlds third
largest wheat exporting country, that their ban on wheatexports (set to expire on December 31) will likely be ex-tended.
Wheat often trades on the coattails of other grain crops andcorn, in particular, got a boost from a recent announcementby China to buy 800 million tons of corn in 2011. In addition,soybean prices continue to look strong, putting wheat in acontest for acreage in some cases and in demand for doublecrop opportunities in other cases.
The down side is a worldwide shortage of quality wheatseed. Though not as severe a problem across the High Plainsas in the Southeast and Delta, nding enough high qualityseed, especially in a preferred variety, has been a challengefor farmers who waited to buy seed for the 2011 planting.
The key to cashing in on the 2010-2011 wheat crop is goingto be good management of both the crop and of the inputs that
go into producing the crop. From across the wheat-producingbelt, Crop Quest agronomists contend planning and knowl-edge are the keys to success with wheat this year.
Crop Quest Agronomist Tim Reh in Oklahoma says toomany farmers want to plant their wheat too early. A lot
of our farmers plant wheat with a dual purpose forgrain and for grazing cattle, so they tend to want toplant in early September, Reh says.
For wheat going strictly for grain, Reh says headvises his growers to wait until mid-October to lateNovember before planting. For dual purpose wheat
that will be grazed by cattle, late September to early Octoberplanting will give growers a better stand and more options for
management, Reh explains.Tim Warden, who works the Eastern Panhandle of Texas,
echoes Rehs advice for dual-purpose wheat.Knowing when to get cattle on wheat elds and off before theydo too much damage to the crop is critical. Getting wheat upquickly and available to cattle to help growers avoid having tofeed hay in the winter is also a consideration.
Fertility and planting date are critical factorsin putting together a wheat program. Nitrogenis obviously going to be a critical factor ingetting the wheat up quickly, but watching theinputs is also important to growers.
With seed supplies very short in someareas and expensive across the board,
knowing theideal seeding rateis important towheat growers.Warden says on dry-land wheat most of hisgrowers get by with 40-45
pounds of seed per acre.On irrigated land it variesfrom 60 pounds per acre onlimited irrigation land. Onfull-blown, full season irriga-tion land, some growers maygo up to 100 pounds or even upto 120 pounds on some soils,Warden says.
Shannon Evans, who works inSouthwest Kansas, says many of hisgrowers also plant wheat for a dualpurpose. If we know they are going tograze cattle on the wheat, I usually havemy growers put on a top-dress of nitrogento make up for what the cattle take off thecrop.
In the spring, many of our growers putout the extra nitrogen when they are sprayingfor other things. Unless we have sandy ground,on wheat that is not going to be grazed, ourgrowers put all their nitrogen out in thefall, Evans says.
Prices for wheat usually determine howmuch wheat is grazed and how much iscarried on through to spring to harvestfor grain. This year, prices lookgood, so it becomes more importantto wait until the end of September or
more ideally on into October whenweather is usually better for plant-ing, Reh concludes.
Typically dry weather, augmented by irrigation, is thenorm across the High Plains during the summer grow-ing season. However, El Nio, followed by La Nia hasbrought atypical rainfall, even ooding across some of theareas.
While the unusual weather pattern brought some sav-ings in irrigation costs, it may have a negative effect onfertilizer costs. In dry years, residual nitrogen is avail-
able in the soilin some dry years there is enoughleftover from crops to make up a sizeable portionof the following wheat crops needs.
NEEDS CAREFUL PLANNINGWHEAT OUTLOOK IS GOOD
Tim Warden
Tim Reh
Shannon Evans
Volume 20 Issue 5 September 201
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This year, most wheat growers will have to use more fertilizer. The
key, however, is to know how much is left in the soil.Crop Quest Agronomist Johan Marquardt says the timingof soil sampling is critical for his wheat growers in NorthwestKansas and Eastern Colorado.
We want to get our soil sample results back mid-July, andwe start putting together a plan for phosphorus. Next, we want
to keep our nitrogen levels optimum for each individualfarm, he says. Knowing the amount of nitrogencarryover prior to planting wheat is a lot better thanguessing what that level is, he adds.
Crop Quest agronomists have extended theboundaries of soil sampling by bringingsophisticated grid and zone sampling tech-
niques and the use of high tech Veris and Greenseekertechnology to help growers more precisely understand thecrop and soil needs for different fertilizers.
In Eastern Kansas, Crop Quest AgronomistJason Reichart says only a few of his farmers growwheat, which may change with prices being good thiscoming year. All of the growers I know in this areagrow no-till wheat and keeping them up to date on fertility require-ments can be especially important, because they dont grow wheatall the time, he notes.
Seeding rates may be a more critical factor than usual as wetweather put soybean planting behind schedule and will likely back upsome wheat planting. Late planted wheat can be a challenge accord -ing to Crop Quest Agronomist Jay Smith in Central Kansas.
If planting is delayed, seeding rates should be increased to 100 to120 pounds per acre. Later planting may also make it necessary for
growers to take a second look at their fertility schedule. In Cent
Kansas, he says an extra 15 to 20 pounds of phosphorus fertilizdirectly with the seed may be needed.Smith says most of his growers in South Central Kansas now
dry fertilizer rather than liquid. However, it is important to knowhow the grower is set up in terms of operator efciency. If they dry fertilizer on with air seeders in the same pass as seed, they csave some money, and saving money is usually the nal determfactor, the Crop Quest agronomist says.
To make all the fertilizer, seeding rates and timing work, thegrower must rst choose the optimum variety for his elds. A
the many roles Crop Quest agronomists play is to keep trackwheat variety trials and put together a plan for using the rigvarieties for their soil types and growing conditions.
In my area, we like for our growers to try new varieties to grow more than one variety over many acres, says Reic
Keeping track of variety tests conducted by universitiesa big enough challenge, but many Crop Quest agronomalso conduct their own variety trials with growers. Seethe different varieties side by side on a farm in yourarea can sometimes give growers a little better knowle
of what will work best on their farm, the Crop Questagronomists agree.
With the weather, economic and managementstrategy cards all stacked in wheat growers favor,2010-2011 looks to be a good year for wheat.Management knowledge from Crop Questagronomists is a good way to insure those cardsare played correctly.
han Marquardt
Jason Re
Wheat Outlook ... Continued from Page 1
Jay Smith
After battling triple-digit heat for several weeks, a group of CropQuest managers were reminded by two Australian farmers of justhow exciting production agriculture in America really is.
Australians Hugh Price and Tom Bailey decided to tour theAmerican Midwest to observe agricultural practices and techniques.
After Googling agronomists in the states they wanted to visit, theycontacted Crop Quest to assist them in seeing rst-hand what makesAmerican agriculture successful.
Crop Quests John Hecht, Rob Meyer & Ron OHanlon happilyobliged the farmers while they were in Kansas by scheduling tourswith farmers, the Arkalon Energy plant (ethanol plant), Ford CountyFeedyard and Dodge City Cooperative.
After traveling over 3,400 miles through seven states within atwo-week timeframe, Price and Bailey stated they were extremelyimpressed with the number of acres of land that is fertile and in
production. They were also amazed at the technology adopted bytodays American farmers including genetically modied crops aprecision agriculture equipment. They envy the rainfall found he(even in Western Kansas) as the area they farm in Australia receiless than 16 inches per year. As a result, they felt Australian farm
were more obsessed with water usage although theystated that overall American farmers are on the forefront of prodtion agriculture and several years ahead of them.
In Australia, Price farms dryland sorghum, wheat, irrigatedlucerne (alfalfa) and runs cattle. Baileys three farms produce cosunowers, sorghum, cotton, wheat, barley, chick peas and lucer
Seeing everyday things that are often taken for granted througthe perspective of the Australians was enlightening and refreshinOccasionally a reminder is needed on why we do what we do.
Exploring
Americas
Heartland
From Left: Tom Bailey, John Hecht, Ron OHan
Rob Meyer, Hugh Price
Greenseeker is a registered trademark of NTech Industries Inc.
Veris is a registered trademark of Veris Technologies
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OPTIONS AVAILABLE TOSTOP YIELD-ROBBING
NEMATODESNematodes are the silent killer of crop yields and protability. The
damage these microscopic insects do to crops is often mistaken for nu-rient deciency or other production problems. Without proper diagno-is and treatment, the damage to the bottom line can be severe.
Corn nematodes, for example, are known to cause 10% to 20% yieldoss in elds with light to moderate populations. In elds with highevels of multiple species of nematodes that attack corn, yield lossesan be much more dramatic. The number of corn nematodes thought toause yield loss vary by species and range from one worm per half-up soil (for needle and sting nematodes) to up to 1,000 (for spiral andesion nematodes). Two corn nematode species, the sting nematode andhe needle nematode, only occur in soils with greater than 70% sand.
Nematodes that attack corn most likely didnt come here whenarmers rst started planting corn. They were more likely in Midwest -rn soils, feeding on native grasses, long before the rst corn crop was
planted. Though there are some species that attack one crop or another,many species of nematodes that feed on corn can also feed and maintainheir numbers on soybeans.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Plant Pathologist Dr. Tamra Jacksonays misdiagnosis is widespread with predictable results. Growers
notice the yield loss but they often dont attribute it to nematodes.Growers wont know for sure whether they have nematode
damage unless they send plant and soil samples to a qualied
ab for analysis. Most Land-Grant universities have such labs,usually as part of their nematology program, Jackson says.
Finding a lab may be the easy part of the analysis. Whengrower suspects they have a problem with nematodes, it is
ritical they send samples of both soil and infected plants.Sending only nematodes from the soil doesnt tell thewhole story, Jackson stresses.
Some of the most damaging nematodes that feed onorn and other grain crops in the Plains States are actu-lly endoparasites. These insects spend most, if not all,
of their life cycle inside the plant, she explains.In Nebraska, we recommend sampling for nematodes
4 to 6 weeks, maybe 8 weeks after planting. The reason we do is many ofhe nematodes that damage grain crops can travel several feet deep in theoil. Using a normal soil collection probe that goes down 8 to 10 inches,
you wont catch some of these insects later in the season, she explains.It is true, she adds, that waiting until later in the season to sample will
produce more nematodes. However, sting and needle nematodes thatoutinely cause yield loss to Midwest grain crops can travel deeper in theoil and late season sampling will often miss high levels of these pests.
Jackson says she encourages growers to take a careful look at yieldmonitors and to sample areas of a eld where yields are down. This canbe especially helpful in cases where the overall production of a eld isgood, yet some areas are signicantly lower yielding than others.
If they cant explain yield loss as a nitrogen deciency, ooding orome other natural cause, nematodes become a prime suspect.
Once the suspect is identied, the next problem is how to managehe infestation.
Crop Quest Agronomist JohnReh says growers do havesome options. We have hadsome good results using acouple of new seed treatmentswhich eliminates the need forcostly and time-consumingapplicator boxes, Reh says.
Growers have two newseed treatment nematicides Avicta, containing ivermec-tin and Votivo, a biologicaltreatment. Avicta was labeledfor use on corn last year,and Votivo was just labeledthis year.
Because of the recentlabeling for Votivo, there is little on-farm feedback available. This treatment is unique because of its inclusion of a specic bacteria stthat colonizes crop plant roots upon germination and creates a biolocal barrier of protection that nematodes cant break through.
Bayer, manufacturer of Votivo, claims that three years of researchas shown average yield advantages of 7.1 bushels per acre in co
1.3 bushels per acre in soybeans and 62 pounds per acre of cottowhen Votivo is added to current leading seed treatment package
Avicta Complete Corn includes an increased rate of Cruiserseed treatment insecticide plus three different fungicides. Th
combination of pesticides contained in the Avicta seedtreatment package works together to protect the corn pfrom early-season pests and helps growers push corn tmaximum yield potential.
Growers still have Counter for use on corn, and itworks well, Reh says. Unfortunately many growers inour area no longer have insecticide boxes on their corplanters. Unless they invest in one of the new delivery
systems, they are not able to use Counter very effectively, he adds.In severe cases of sting or needle nematodes, some growers may
one of the seed treatments in addition to Counter or one of the carbmate or organophosphate materials. Because of cost and time, mosgrowers want to stay away from that option if possible, Reh notes.
Crop rotation is a good cultural practice on many levels. In areaswith high nematode populations that feed on primarily one crop spcies, rotating away from that crop may be the only real cost effectivsolution a grower has to manage nematodes.
However, the new seed treatments have worked well in some caand Counter is still a good option to manage nematodes, Reh says
The only seed treatment Ive seen in the real world is Avicta, aits done ok. Votivo has gotten good reviews in research trials, but havent seen any in-eld results yet. I have a grower who has massnematode problems on one of his elds, and we are conducting a telook at the different nematode management options it will be inteing to see how that works out, Reh adds.
John Reh
Avicta and Crusier is a registered trademark of SygentaVotivo is a trademark of Bayer
Counter is a registered trademark of Amvac
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Mission StatementCrop Quest is an employee-owned company dedicated to providing the highest quality agricultural services for each customer. The quest of our network
professionals is to practice integrity and innovation to ensure our services are economically and environmentally sound.
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Employee-Owned & Customer DrivenCrop Quest Agronomic Services, Inc.
Main Ofce: Phone 620.225.2233
Fax 620.225.3199
Internet: www.cropquest.com
Crop Quest Board of Directors President: Ron OHanlon
Director: Jim Gleason
Director: Dwight Koops
Director: Cort Minor
Director: Chris McInteer
Director: Rob Benyshek
At this time of year, we have an opportunity toevaluate hybrid quality. Crop Quest agronomistshave watched the progression of crops through-out the summer and have collected informationrelated to hybrid/variety performance. In addi-tion, as the end of the season nears, there aremany opportunities to attend plot tours
to see side-by-side comparisons of varieties.These side-by-side evaluations often allow
producers and consultants alike to conrm what theyare seeing in their own elds.
It is very important that both producers and consultants take goodnotes of how certain varieties perform under local conditions. This
nformation is benecial as we start choosing seeds for the next growingeason. Choosing the proper hybrid may be the single most important
decision a producer will make. Matching conditions of each eld witha hybrid can be the determining factor between having a great yield orpotentially having a disastrous yield.
Crop Quest agronomists have information regarding each eld to
help producers make the best seed selection decisions. CQ agronomwill also help choose the proper biotech traits. Producers need to brethe habit of just purchasing hybrids. Producers need to be purchasspecic SEEDS with traits that may or may not be needed dependinthe situation.
Producers are encouraged to put their heads together with their agmist to select the right seed choices for the next growing season. It iimportant that this process begins while this years information is stifresh on everyones mind. Keep in mind that each year is different, amany factors go into this decision process.
Evaluation
Hybrid
Standability Stay Green and Dry Down Soil Texture Herbicide Tolerance Tillage Practice
YIELD!! Emergence in cold soils Drought Tolerance Greensnap Canopy Disease Tolerance
As a new employee coming out of a University agronomy program, Ifelt like I had a reasonably good idea of what being an agronomist withCrop Quest would entail. I knew that a majority of my time would be spentscouting elds looking for problems (insects, diseases, or otherwise) thatwould need to be addressed in order to maximize a producers prots. I hadaken courses in entomology and pesticides (among others), and I felt ashough I was prepared to start my career.
As it turns out, the basic education that I received in college only helped
prepare me for a portion of the overall job. What a person does not learn incollege is that in order to be a good agronomist, you have to be able to domore than just react to problems as they occur. The best agronomists areproactive, planning ahead and thinking about the potential impact that cur-rent decisions may have for the future.
Of the many things that I am learning, a few examples stand out that Ihad not considered being among the most vital parts of my job description.A simple example is choosing herbicides that wont leave a producer, whos unsure about their future crop rotation, without options. That may soundike a relatively obvious aspect to consider, but coming into this position
I did not realize how great of an impact futureplans would have on the daily decisions andrecommendations that I would make. Anotherexample is the selection of hybrids/varietiesthat t a producers goal. A producer may wanta wheat variety that will hold up well undergrazing, while a corn producer may have totaltonnage as the ultimate goal rather than dry grain yield.
I have learned that every producer is different, having different neepreferences, and constraints. There are many ways to achieve the samgoal, and a good agronomist nds the way that will best t a particulaproducer. An extremely aggressive herbicide program may work wellsome producers, but may be unrealistic for producers with time constrfrom managing large acreages.
Whatever the situation, it has become clear to me that in order to suas an agronomist, it takes exibility and the ability to adapt to differenations and personal preferences. Those are skills that a person cant sipick up during a typical course in plant physiology.
Chris Shepp
Ulysses, Kan.
By: Dwight KoopsRegional Vice President
What It Takes To Be A Crop Quest Agronomist
A New Employees Perspective
Factors To Consider When Making Your Hybrid Selection
