The harvest of the Midwest corn and bean crop continues and so far, there have been no rain delays. In some ways that may be a blessing as rotted stalks become as strong as wet noodles. There are corn fields where 95% of the stalks fail the push test a few weeks ago. In other ways, after an April with no moisture received and an incredible dry summer for the western half of the state, the size of the 2023 crops will rely on rain delivered during the last half of this month which would add to the moisture profile. November and December are not known as a time when much liquid moisture arrives. So, cross your fingers and say a few prayers for rain after the harvest is complete and after much of any fall tillage is completed.
The main event making the most news was the hurricane Ian hitting Florida. Among the hurricane I remember, it had one of the strangest formations and paths taken. From being an unorganized storm to becoming a Cat 5 making a direct hit on a major city along the west coast of Florida where no direct his had occurred, it strangely amplified very quickly. Then normal storms don’t normally stop, reverse course and then make a hard-right hand turn. Tampa was mostly spared, but FT Meyers was not. How this will affect Ag production could be in major areas. The first category is that most Citrus crops are still on the trees as green fruit which will ripen in December thru February. Prices for fresh fruit and juice are expected to increase by at least 30%. Then for row crop famers in the Midwest, Cargill owned Mosaic operates their large Phosphate mines and processing facilities in the area. They are said to supply around 50% of the granulate P fertilizer used in the Midwest. At a time when fertilizer supplies are either in short supply or have doubled or quadrupled in price, having this supplier lose production just adds to the rest of the jumbled supply puzzle for 2023. Our problem may be weather modification a rather than climate change. It has always change due to the sun’s output and volcanic activity.
Harvest Comments
In the last week I got to see the crops as far north as Duluth and as far south as St Louis. The youngest son got hitched up in Duluth and daughters #1 and #3 had 2 and 4-month-old grandsons that we had to visit down in St Louis. The corn crop in S Minnesota was surprisingly green three weeks ago on my way back from Wisconsin, but had been frozen by the 28 degree and colder temps of two weeks ago. Rainfall during the summer was plentiful as most of our ran had been diverted either into MN or into the central Missouri regions. The dryland crops in Missouri that we drove thru and received reports on had to endure a two-month dry spell and intense heat. Yields to this point were down in most fields.
Rainfall in the NE portion of the state was generous thru most of the growing season. Then in the final weeks tar spot showed up in much of the region. Many farmers told of how their fields went from dark green to brown within a week. I had the chance to visit a bunch of those fields and had to analyze what had happened. The tar spot spots were very heavy on the leaves in the upper 60% of the canopy but was not what killed them. In most cases the tannish/graying lesions were present on the lower half of the plant and the second ear that tried to form were brown, slimy and smell bad. This was the same thing that killed a high % of the corn crop between 2010 and 2017 south of Hwy 20 that no crop official acknowledged or explained.
I got the chance to look at 1200 acres of corn in southern Wisconsin that had received a three-way mix of product that kept the plants very green thru the fall in an area with lots of tar spot. Those three products focused on maintain plant health and immune system response. The ratings would have been 98% or better control of TS and offering safety to nontarget organisms, microbes and people, plus curative and systemic activity. The caveat for next year’s product supply is that the formulation chemist needs to know market needs by the end of January.
My purpose in gathering more TS samples across several states is to get more fields analyzed for specific micronutrients being borderline or extremely deficient. The application of any long residual OP pesticide can be responsible for turning a slight deficiency into a severe deficiency state that only the use of synchrotron could distinguish. Fields with high levels of OP carryover may also be at a consistently high risk of TS until the pesticide can be degraded. A new candidate may be available to fill that role. More on that later.
Otherwise, the corn yields this fall have been as variable as rainfall coverage amount that fell varied. That can be explained by the fact that in irrigation country each inch of water will add 12 to 14 bushels of corn to the final tally. If two of your fields were in a narrow strip that caught a 2” rain that missed your other fields, they could yield 24 to 28 bushels more.
I am hearing of more corn yielding in the 160 to 180 Bu/A range. Second year corn was penalized by lack of moisture and/or rootworm feeding. A host of other variables exists that in retrospect influenced yields. In client meetings last winter each of those variables were discussed with the curative action proposed. Such an approach will be likely in planning for 2023.
Soybean Yields
I am running into more SB growers who have been reading and studying what high yield bean farmers have been doing and implementing to increase their yields. There were four growth stages that we focused on and what products recommended to be applied. We like a good seed treatment that acknowledged minerals and biology. Then we like to influence hormonal levels to increase branch numbers dramatically. Varieties very in that ability with most companies being oblivious to this trait. I would always bet on a high branch numbered variety that only forms one stem. At R1 foliar applied products utilizing energized minerals will be applied to help form flowers and retain them as fertilized pods. Then again, the energized minerals plus chelated Ca to add strength to those branches as well as minerals to keep pathogens in check at R3. At and after V4 late foliars can be used to deliver nutrition to the leaves that exceed the xylem and phloem deliver ability. These can also be limited when dry soils are common.
In 2021 many growers saw yields that were 10 to 15 Bu/A better than expected. This year the opposite may be realized. On the bottom end of the reports are yields in the 40 to 44Bu/A range. On the high end where foliars were applied from R1 thru R4 or 5.5 I am hearing of 88, low 90s and 106 Bu/A even where moisture levels were short. It would have been great to get a bit more rain in the early R stages thru late R stages. Plumping up the bean size can be the easiest means to higher yields as all of the other steps have been done.
Prep for 2023
After harvest there are a number of tasks that need doing. Soil sampling is normally recommended using a 4-year program if you are using a maintenance program and 2 year if you are trying to build deficient levels. If you have never or rarely ever tested for micronutrients before, it would be a good time start measuring Zinc, MN, S, B and Cu. Knowing these can start you to minimizing the costs to controlling plant diseases. Applying ounces to low lb. rates of these can boost the efficiency of lower priced minerals applied at much higher rates.
If you have never tested for hardpans in the soil, do so now using a penetrometer. Spectrum Technologies carries several of these. If and when you find these, use an in-line, straight shank ripper to fracture those packed layers at possible 7-9 and likely 15-17 depth levels.
December Conferences
Two Conferences that you may want to put on your calendar for December are ones scheduled for Dec 5th & 6th in Cedar Falls. Mitchell Hora is in charge of that one. Then Central IA Agronomy & Supply and Agronomy Rx are holding “The Power of Biology” understanding our water, soil, crops, and health at Briggs Woods Conference Center just south of the Webster City Golf Course on December 7th & 8th. Look for the signup on our website www.CentralIowaAg.com shortly. We have a number of good speakers and health professionals invited and scheduled.
Bob Streit is an independent crop consultant and columnist for Farm News. He can be reached at (515) 709-0143 or www.CentralIowaAg.com.