News & Information for Your Farming Operation

In This Issue

Soil Samples are Important

Late-Season Checks

Fall Ag Lime Benefits

Quick Links

Federated Co-ops Website

Federated Locations

Federated Agronomists

Discovery Plots:

Thank You to All

The 2015 Federated Discovery Plot Tours are history, but the season wouldn't be complete without sending out a big

Thank You to the tour hosts who made these events possible. We appreciate all the hard work you put into preparing for the tours.

Craig, Janet, & Neil Gustafson, Osceola

Paul & Janet Bostrom, Isanti

Steffen Farms, Ogilvie

Nathan Nelson, Rush City

Cramaur Farms, Rush City

Lenneman Farm, Albertville

Larry & Sharon Wilhelm, Ogilvie

This year's tours highlighted Syngenta's new herbicides, Acuron™ and Acuron Flexi� as well as Monsanto's new Extend™ soybean herbicide system, and discussed the challenges of glyphosate-resistant weeds (the worst of which is giant water hemp - see photo). Federated also introduced its new dry fertilizer micronutrient mix.

Federated Senior Agronomist Kevin Carlson discusses the challenge of giant waterhemp with a giant sample, at the Isanti Discovery Plot tour.

Another Thank You also goes to the growers who attended - on either the coolest or hottest days of this summer! And be sure to contact your Federated Agronomist with any questions about the topics covered at the tours.

September 8, 2015

Soil Sampling is Important. Yes, Really.

"With harvest on our doorstep it's a good time to review the age of soil samples taken on your farm," said Craig Peterson, Federated agronomist at the Ogilvie location. Old samples are not the best samples; soil fertility changes with every input and harvest.

"With samples no more than

four years old we are able to make informed decisions to apply fall P and K, and ag lime if needed," Peterson said (see article below). Soil samples give the agronomist the ability to make a better recommendation, rather than doing a "maintenance" fertilizer application, and hoping for the best.

There are two ways to effectively collect soil samples: composite sampling, or grid sampling.

Composite sampling is the old standard that takes cores from average parts of the field - "avoiding the low areas or knobs," said Peterson - to get the best representation of the field. A 20-acre sampling is recommended, with a 40-acre maximum.

Grid sampling is the precision soil sampling method that Federated highly recommends. And why is it preferred? Because soil fertility varies a great deal even within a single field.

With the use of yield mapping, growers are seeing first hand the variability in their fields. Small fields being combined into one big field, cow lots and pastures being added to fields, and the natural changes that occur year after year all contribute to soil variability.

"We can sample about any grid size, but we typically we use 2.5-acre grids," said Peterson. "These seem to be the most practical for the economics of sampling and for determining variable fertilizer and lime application rates," he added, noting that the sampling pays off quickly.

Grid sampling has shown enough variance in pH that ag lime application adjustments alone can pay for the sampling. High yielding areas of a field often test low because of the tremendous levels of nutrients used by the crop. Variable rate fertilizer applications will restore nutrients in those depleted areas meeting (and thus keep high yield potential) as well as keep other areas from being over fertilized.

"Growers are seeing very positive results proven by their yield maps with variable rate applications," said Peterson, reminding growers to "sit down soon with your Federated Agronomist to plan fall soil sampling, ag lime, and fertilizer applications."

Federated can take soil samples as soon as the combine is finished in the field.

CROP MANAGEMENT

Late-Season Checks Benefit Now and Later

White mold (pictured at left) has turned up in soybean fields across the

Federated service area, according to

Kevin Carlson, senior Federated agronomist. Although it is too late to prevent the spread of the disease, it's important to check soybeans now for two key reasons: 1) to better understand how yields can be affected by the disease, and 2) to plan for potential fungicide needs next growing season.

Corn maturation is nearing its completion. The corn is dented one-fourth to one-third of the way to the milk line (see photo). "We need another 15 days or so to get to black layer corn - full dent with the milk line at about one-third," said Carlson. Click here to see chart showing the relationship between growth stage and kernel development.

"The early beans are turning and the full season beans look to be right on time," said Carlson. The photo below shows both in a Federated plot. The Croplan plot is early season beans; the NK plot is full season beans.

A good growing season is drawing to a close as harvest approaches. Plan now to be safe on the combine, in the bins, everywhere on the farm! Contact your Federated Agronomist with any concerns. early vs. full season beans

Fall Ag Lime Application Saves Time Come Spring

When the harvest is done, and the soils are relatively dry, fall ag lime application sets the stage for higher pH and a bigger planting window in the spring.

Lime makes the nutrients more available to the soil as it improves pH levels. A 6-6.5 pH level is preferred for most crops in the Federated service area, according to Rod Gustafson, Federated's Albertville agronomy center manager." And since pre-emerge (soil-applied) herbicides work better in neutral soils (as opposed to acid-type soils), there's even more reason to apply lime in the fall so the soil is ready in the spring.

For those farmers growing alfalfa, Gustafson said, "Alfalfa responds the most to lime [as compared to corn and soybeans], so it is even more critical to apply lime now." Alfalfa needs a pH level of 6.5-7. For new alfalfa, ideally, lime should be applied one year before planting.

Ag lime provides "a nice even spread," said Gustafson. "With ag lime, you always know how much you are getting, and if you are using precision ag [variable rate application], ag lime can be applied based on soil sample results," he said. Alternatively, waste treatment lime can be applied, but there is no precision option.

Fall ag lime application saves time in the spring - and avoids the challenges of road restrictions and wet, compacted fields.

Get soil samples to determine nutrient levels, talk to your Federated Agronomist about application rates, and apply ag lime this fall.

Federated Co-ops | 763-389-2582 | federated@federatedcoops.com | http://federatedcoops.com
502 S 2nd St
Princeton, MN 55371-1941

People who care. Products you trust. Value for life.