October 2010 Archives

By David Nicolai

The 3-day program starts Tuesday, December 7th with the TSP recertification program 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM, AFREC Soil Fertility Research Reports 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Pesticide Applicator Recertification: Category H -- Seed Treatment Session 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM. The CPM Short Course Educational Sessions will begin on Wednesday, December 8th from 8:10 AM - 5:00 PM and continue on Thursday, December 9th from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM.

By Jeffrey L. Gunsolus, Extension Agronomist-Weed Science

An early corn and soybean harvest and good weather conditions are keeping the window of opportunity open for fall dandelion control this year.  Fall is an excellent time to target several herbaceous perennials including: alfalfa, Canada thistle and dandelion.  A fall application is more effective than a spring application because systemic herbicides such as glyphosate, 2,4-D, Express, Basis and Synchrony tend to accumulate in greater amounts in a perennial plant's roots or rhizomes after a fall application.  Movement to the below ground roots and rhizome buds increases herbicide effectiveness and possibly decreases winter hardiness of the plant. 

by Dan Martens, Extension Educator, Stearns-Benton-Morrison Counties
A small number of loads sold at the October 7 Auction. Click on SC Hay Auction 10 07 2010.pdf to see a report on hay lots sold based on groups sorted by hay type, bale package and 25 RFV points. There was 1 load of large round straw bales.

You can check more hay market information by going to
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/LSMNpubs.
Select "hay" in the middle of the page. I like the East River South Dakota Market as another close by "dairy" market perspective.

You can also go to http://www.haylist.umn.edu to post "hay for sale" or "wanted to buy" and to find links to other hay exchanges.

By David MacDonald

Different plant stresses above and beyond those of soil fertility, moisture holding capacity, and drainage that are usually emphasized at harvest can also restrict the productivity of crops. One of those stresses that has the potential to be present in every farm field is created by the feeding and other activities of plant nematodes. Autumn is the preferred time to collect soil samples for plant nematode analysis. Justification for the previous statement and additional information about plant nematodes are provided in the following paragraphs.

By Daniel Kaiser
Extension Soil Fertility Specialist

With the recent flooding or late season hail there may be questions on whether a credit can be taken from soybeans not harvested for the next year's crop. Soybeans are a high protein crop which means they can contain a large amount of nitrogen. Average vaules of nitrogen removed in soybean grain are reported at around 3.8 lbs of N per bushel (Source IPNI) for a total of 190 lbs of N in a 50 bu/ac soybean crop. In comparison corn grain would remove about 0.90 lbs of N per bushel and a total of 180 lbs of N in a 200 bu/ac crop.  Can all of this nitrogen be counted on if the soybeans cannot be harvested and are plowed under if they cannot be harvested?  

By Gyles Randall
Southern Research and Outreach Center, University of Minnesota

Nitrogen management practices for corn have become a popular discussion topic lately among growers, dealers, and crop advisors. Record June-July rainfall (16.25" at Waseca) placed intense pressure on N availability for corn, resulting in considerable acreage of lighter green to yellowish green corn in southern Minnesota. This appearance indicates a shortage of N; likely due to denitrification losses of N from the saturated soils during June and July. Scenarios where N losses and N-deficient corn were most apparent include: 1) corn following corn, 2) fall-applied N, and 3) poorly to very poorly drained soils. Based on previous research, applying an additional 50 to 60 lb N/A, especially in the fall, under these "high N loss" conditions would not have been sufficient to meet the N demand of this year's corn.