Just when we were thinking that Mother Nature was going to let us slip thru the winter without much below zero weather, we are now entering the coldest stretch we have seen to far. The temps across much of the state will drop into the minus 10 to 12 F range. A friend from central Wisconsin told me this morning that his area saw -20 over the weekend. Let’s see how cold it gets up near International Falls where one of our kids traveled this past weekend. To me it’s the wrong time of year to head up there, unless they plan to take the polar bear plunge. Just remember that the official start of spring is only about six weeks away and spring training should commence later this week.
We had the Iowa Power Farming Show in DM this past weekend and the overall results and attendance was definitely on the light side. Considering that any official announcement that it was going to be held only happened two to three weeks early and not much publicity was generated for it, smaller than normal crowds were forecast. Days 1 and 2 were the days to attend as the normal blizzard arrived on Day 3 and the trip down to DM from Ames was a 45 to 50 mph 4WD trip. The people that went enjoyed the conversations and visits they had at the booths and displays. The quality was still there. Many of the larger exhibitors that involved different companies bowed out as they typically require a longer lead time plus due to liability are not allowing their employees to interact in person around large crowds.
On a personal level I find myself on Feb 8th one exact month from having rotator cuff surgery, where the terrific surgeon drilled and inserted seven anchors made of apatite (Ca and P) into my shoulder bone to anchor my tendons, ligaments, and bicep. My pain the first night was at about a 9 out of 10 until about 3 am and then chemistry and electronics took the pain down to a 1 or 2 by daybreak. The next day I quit the former. I did ask an MD if there were any mineral based products I should take to speed healing. The answer was no. A knowledgeable fertilizer friend and a few biochemistry friends referred me to a few products that have worked like a charm (silica, amino acids, vitamins, collagen, copper infused energy inducing salve). 32 days later I am typing this using both hands and performing the exercises the PT is recommending. It was surprising how many visitors to our booth said that one or more of the relatives or themselves have had such surgery or needed to do so, but dreaded the bad pain they have heard about. Many farmers and construction people fall into that category. The number of 12 to 30 year young and normal sized people blowing out their joints in recent years is reaching epidemic portions. The question is why. A well-known biochemist postulated the cause, that thus far seems reasonable and several years worth of tissue surveys seems to verify. Several people will be working to verify this theory and develop treatment for the problem. I may be able to fill you in or send you the info via email.
On a bad note, I mentioned a few months ago that Jack Robert, our 7-month old grandson, was being treated for an immune system disease and had been in the hospital undergoing treatment for the last four months. Chemo, bone marrow transplant, dialysis, narcotics, picc lines, and multiple operations over the last months have created a horrible life for his parents as they commute from St Louis to Cincinnati. We keep hoping and praying for the best.
The Dog Days of Winter
Even though society has opened up a lot, it still hasn’t returned to normal. Typically, there have been a lot of grower and product meetings to attend, socialize during, and gather new ideas. Even though different groups have hosted their virtual and zoon meetings, people keep commenting that listening and watching a live presentation produces a much more lasting impression than does one on a screen.
But virtual meetings remain the reality yet. Be aware that the SDSU extension still has several good cropping classes coming up until mid-March. There appears to be a god one coming up for those who wish to learn about raising oats as a cash or relay crop.
There was a 3-class seminar sponsored by the U of MN with entomologists from NE, IA, SD and MN presenting their finding from their first two years of concentrated observations and studies on the SB gall midge. That nasty fly that lays eggs and has larvae that tunnel into soybean plants, causing them to fall over or break off, has the potential to cause extensive and costly damage if it continues to march east across the four state area and moves into the interior of the fields.
So far they have been placing conical mesh traps in infested fields to determine the timing and duration of their life stages, which are important to know. They are also checking to see if any sort of field edge tillage, mowing or burning may hinder their movement or spread. So far they have only tried a few different hard insecticides and none really looked superior. The input I had been trying to get into the UNL supervisor was to look at the work that two older ISU entomologists, Bill Showers and Les Lewis, did involving the vascular dwelling (endophytic) fungus known as Beauveria bassiana that has been controlling insect pests where the control needs to be season long.
An Important Quest
One major product we keep looking for in corn country is a nitrogen stabilizer that lasts most of the season, is safe to the applicators, is not caustic or corrosive, is affordable and easy to work with, plus safe to the beneficial microbes in the soil. Due to the dedicated work of a 20 year veteran navy jet pilot from Florida, who spent years raising citrus in that state on sandy ground with a low CEC level, and in a state with heavy rainfall. In his quest to build his knowledge about humates and soil chemistry he traveled to a number of states with a heavy concentration of specialty crops where exact nitrogen management was mandated. In that time George Sims has built a clientele of many of the largest specialty crop growers across the western states plus began working with growers in central and southern MN. This past year he connected with several individuals in Iowa including a few who introduced him to our group. We invited him to set up shot in our booth at the Power Show so he could visit with show attendees. They all liked what they saw and heard plus saw proof that looked very promising. Many of the current N stabilizers have serious flaws. Either they don’t last long enough or they work against different living organisms in the soil. His products focus on humates (carbon), which N loves to attach to. But instead of having a high pH and a low O2 content his have a low pH and a very high O2 content.
So far in his Midwest trials which have included several years in the Beck’s seed test plot work they have seen a 10+ Bu/A yield increase. We will try to put his personal trials on our website to you can view them. There will be several retailers offering his products this year.
Redox Chemical
The only U.S. based ISO 9000 certified plant nutrition firm is this firm out in Burley, ID. We have used their silica based products since 2018 and have seen corn yields boosted by as much as 30 Bu/A. It offers many benefits such as strengthening the stalk enough to greatly reduce greensnap and harvestability problems, reducing water use by 33% by creating a more intact vascular system, and minimizes fungal infections. When applied to plants their leaves get thicker and lose their ability to cause paper cuts. By becoming thicker the layer of cells that catch the energy from the sun get in depth to produce more sugar. In essence the plant’s RUE, or radiation use efficiency, is increased beyond what crop modeling scientists are used to.
One of their reps attended the show and visited with attendees to gain their perspective. Next to our booth were the Beck’s Seed Company. In their 2020 field trial books were the results of applying the Mainstay Si testing to both soybeans and corn. Their figures showed a 4 to 7 Bu/A increase and a very nice ROI when applied to those crops. So that product plus a few other energized mineral and amino acid products can induce the plants to produce a much deeper and more expansive root system than their normally would. They are going to continue doing plot work to generate the plant benefits that will keep farmers interesting in using their products. What we have learned from several years of use is that a sprayer needs to be clean when beginning to spray and product and not left standing overnight with spray in the tank. When growers observe that rule the product handles nicely and should be tried.
Final Decisions
The strength of the grain markets remains and the chance to lock in profit margins still exists. The largest variable remains 2021 rainfall to fill the profile before we get into the hot summer months. There is one 80% accurate indicator that will become apparent in two to three weeks. Working to develop crops with deep and a biologically active rhizosphere is likely the best tactic to use in the coming season. Until them remember that we are over half way thru the winter. Stay warm.
Bob Streit is an independent crop consultant and columnist for Farm News. He can be reached at (515) 709-0143 or www.CentralIowaAg.com.