Thus far the new year’s weather would have to be termed unusual and erratic. We had 50 F temps until Christmas and New Years. We wore lighter jackets and finished our outdoor tasks until New Years. I actually saw new gopher mounds, which are more a harbinger of spring. Then Old Man winter was not wanting to deliver any more of the warmth and sunlight to us poor souls in the Midwest. During the 4th to 8th time period it was apparent that snowy conditions were on their way with lots of moisture in the air. We just needed a pulse or two of cold air and conditions changed Jan 8th with a light to very heavy snow band across all the state with the heaviest across central Iowa. The same thing was repeated two to three days later across the same areas. In meteorological lingo the heaviest snow bands run 120 to 140 miles NW of the low-pressure center. Does it seem too coincidental that central parts of Iowa would get bombarded by 1.5 to 2 feet of snow at the exact time of a big political event? Just saying….
Winter Events
The big Iowa Power Show scheduled for Jan 31and Feb 1-2 is rapidly approaching. The number of exhibitors and booths expanded by opening up a few more space in the Events center. After a few weeks of battling deep snow and frigid cold quite a few producers will enjoy walking thru the expo to see what different companies are unwrapping new products and revealing the facts or stories to their prospective customers. In addition to the many booths and exhibitors there will be different educational topics discussed in conference rooms on one of the ground floor areas.
Our Central Iowa Agronomy Supply will have their booth as the bottom of the escalator. We expect lots of visitors. Too often we have more people stop by with a number of questions and it becomes difficult to spend time with all of them. The show is really a grass root event. We hope to talk about newer biologicals, the BeCrop and Haney soil tests, the newer products to be used for Tar Spot and other related diseases, fungicide use logic, a new glyphosate degrading compound which has just been released, new products for plant health and high yield soybean management. Stop by if you get a chance.
FIRST Plots and Drones
Most corn growers like having data and testing from the FIRST Plot. A new plot coordinator from NW Iowa is looking for a few new plot cooperators to place corn and bean plots on their farms. The plots will be planted by this FIRST employee and with observations and harvesting done by the same person. Since a increasing number of entries are non-traited they are asking for persons farming using conventional weed control products.
Another item that crop growers may want to know is that a young Webster City native who now lives in Ames and graduated from Iowa State is expanding into the drone application business and is offering services to interested growers who are interested in custom application or had other reasons where in-season applications via that equipment. We had guys who wanted small fields sprayed and for a multitude of reasons, drones fit the need better than aerial or high clearance rigs did. I can send you his card. His email contact is nutridrones@gmail.com
I did visit with another drone builder. He currently is a helicopter mechanic and repair person. His hopes to finalize his 40 to 50-gallon, engine powdered, electrostatic 13 ft boom which would cover a 40 ft swath aerial vehicle in the near years.
The Soil Craft Conference
There was one Ag conference I put on my calendar and planned to attend if things worked out. It was sponsored and organized by a consulting colleague who was coaching farmers into biologicals in order to increate nutrient efficiency and lessening the use of most of their hard chemistry. The retired top soil health advisor for the USDA spoke several times talking about their ability to reclaim desertertified land. He told how he had consulted in 50 other countries in 2023. He was headed to Estonia and Spain this morning. I told him the art museum in St Petersburg was something he and his wife would enjoy.
The top private entomologist told of how insects could be drawn in or repelled by crops to help with production or repelled if that was needed. He related how insects often had more than our five senses which allowed them to survive in tougher conditions. Knowing this allows an operator to keep insect presence to a minimum or figure out if one bug species was desirable, how to put out an invitation. The research information he had sleuthed out was mind blowing. He had been dissecting the organs instrumental to their sense of smell. The organs allow food passing thru the GI and air channels to run through multiple loop antennas with each of the loops being sensitive to specific frequencies.
There were a number of biological companies present with each extolling their wares. It pays to stay current with who has what microbes in their product mix and do they have trial information to validate their claims. Knowing the most microbial products currently sold are bacterial dominant, I was asking fellow attendees which ones they had used successfully. One I want to try yet is MetaGro from a farmer microbiologist who had been supplying a blend strong on fungal organisms which has been found to increase OM levels by 1% per season. That means 230,000 gals of winter or early summer rainfall can be stored in the soil for later summer use. It is currently being used in an area from CA to TX to MN where high pH levels render much of the contained P unavailable.
One of the chitosan companies has a super concentrated formulation that is extremely powerful and is applied on the seed at a rate of .1 oz per 100 lbs of seed. Besides providing protection from insects and fungal attacks recent research has discovered that it also acts by keeping the vascular systems open to keep minerals moving thru the plumbing system at full speed during the season. A grower north of Fremont, Nebraska had it applied to his winter wheat. In spite of drought conditions he said it was the best looking field of winter wheat he had ever seen. The Chitosan may be the product of choice for Gall Midge control, which have damaged SB fields in western IA. It should also help control Dectes Stem Borer larvae. Besides providing effective insect control it also effective in fighting fungi as their strands are composed of chitin.
One animal feed supplement company uses algae for dual purposes. The first is to boost the activity level and efficiency of all foliar applications while also increasing drought tolerance. It is also being used in animal feeds to switch the fat laid down from the non-desirable Omega 6 form to the diet friendly Omega 3 fat. In trials angus cattle which have algae in their diet are able to stay cool reducing their risk of heat stoke by 8% due to their cooling system stays operating. It will be used heavily in the feed yards who are finishing cattle for the newer beef processing plants being built in SW IA and in Nebraska. This will be one of their big talking points as these new plants are being touted as being supplied by cattle from the Better Fed Beef program, thus supplying the proper diet friendly fats.
Electrostatic Sprayer Anyone
In most of Successful Farm Magazines there are a few articles worth reading and saving. In the Oct 2023 issue there is a story starting on Pg 32 which gives details about a new design for an electrostatic sprayer designed and built by MagGrow Tec. The innovative sprayers were built in a Nordic country with hopes they could provide better coverage, reduce product use and lower spray water volume. Thus far those three qualifiers are being met. One advantage of their design is permanent magnets supply the power and charge, reducing maintenance and costs. We hope this is the electrostatic sprayer people have been searching for.
Bob Streit is an independent crop consultant and columnist for Farm News. He can be reached at (515) 709-0143 or www.CentralIowaAg.com.