News & Information for Your Farming Operation
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Just harvested cornfield
Corn Plot 
Yield Results

Yield results are in from Federated's corn plots. Be sure to check out this valuable information as you make 2016 plans. Click on the PDF links below to see the yield report from each of the plots. Talk to your Federated Agronomist with any questions.








Early Season Discovery Plot Results

Federated Senior Agronomist Kevin Carlson harvested Federated's Early Season Discovery plot last week, and reported the following results, from plots in a corn-on-corn environment.
  • Fortix applied at V-5 on corn added 9 bu./ac., 4 reps
  • Expedient insecticide in furrow added 10 bu./ac., 3 reps
  • Evito in furrow treatment added 5 bu./ac., 3 reps
  • 7-23-5 + USA 500 in furrow was 3.5 bu./ac. better than 7-23-5 plus Zn in furrow, 3 reps
Contact Carlson or your local Federated Agronomist with any questions.
November 10, 2015
Late-Season Corn Deterioration
Found in Multiple Hybrids 

lodging corn stalks Why did the corn plants deteriorate in the field so fast in September? The answer is likely related to disease, according to Kevin Carlson, Federated's senior agronomist.
 
Earlier in September, the corn plants seemed to go from green to brown faster and earlier than normal, Carlson observed. "It was also more widespread and in more hybrids than normal," he said, noting that leaf disease, such as Anthracnose Leaf Blight, was the biggest problem, as well as Northern Corn Leaf Blight. Anthracnose topdieback, crown rot, and stalk rot are also very prevalent in corn fields right now.
cutaway of rotting corn stalk

"Hybrids that were average or worse in susceptibility to these diseases lost all of their green color in just a couple of days," he said, "but other hybrids - those not traditionally affected by the disease(s) - were not much better this year."

The end result is that stand-ability will be affected, and the longer the corn is left in the field, the more stalk lodging will occur. "Check your corn fields as harvest progresses," said Carlson, and take the more susceptible fields first. Talk to your Federated Agronomist with questions or concerns.
deteriorating corn stalk
rotting corn stalk
New CEO at the Helm of Federated Co-ops

Federated Co-ops, Inc. welcomed Mike McMahon as CEO Oct. 1 as he stepped into the co-ops' leadership position following the retirement of General Manager Tim Kavanaugh. McMahon previously managed revenues and services to millions of U.S. customers with Schwan's Home Services, another Minnesota-based company.
 
Mike McMahon
Mike McMahon
"I like the concept of the co-op and working for patrons," said McMahon, adding, "I like the diversity of the co-op and finding out what we can do for patrons.
 
Selected by the Federated board of directors after an extensive search, McMahon believes he can leverage his diverse background and apply it to all aspects of Federated's business. His exposure to agriculture, work with convenience stores (with Frito Lay, Inc.), as well as time in the oil business, gives him a unique skill set to drive his leadership at Federated Co-ops.
 
McMahon's commitment to helping Federated further succeed is two-pronged: "Grow the core, and add more; the core of our business," he said, "is agronomy and energy. As a team we will evaluate all opportunities to grow the business, whether purchasing fertilizer plants or energy plants or additional c-stores." McMahon went on to say that whatever path Federated takes, "it is critical that it benefits our patrons and the financial health of the co-op."
 
He intends to "make sure things are strategically aligned" within the co-ops' core businesses to benefit patrons - and on the agriculture side, the patrons are the growers. "I work for them," he said.
 
In his brief time on the job at Federated, McMahon has already observed how dedicated the agronomy team is to growers. He understands that growers are the backbone of the economy, and he is committed to working with the ag team and growers alike to grow the business effectively.
 
"After 30 days on the job I'm excited to be part of a great team and a great community. Our future is extremely bright as a co-op," said McMahon.
 
Growers are welcome to connect with Mike at any time. His office is at Federated's Princeton location. Your Federated Agronomist will be happy to arrange an introduction over the next couple of months.

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