Agronomist Notes

We finally had some warm weather last week to help crops progress and put an end to a long cold spring. I’d say 98% of seeding is now complete with in-crop herbicide spraying just around the corner. I completed the last of the frost damaged canola assessments and recommended only 350 acres of re-seeding out of 7,000. 

With little to no rain this spring coupled with cold weather pastures are non-existent. At least the 1.5 to 3 feet of soil moisture will carry our crops for another few weeks. I saw a sign on the highway that for weeks said “Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain”. I sense desperation in the latest plea as you’ll notice in the photo.

In this week’s issue of Beyond Agronomy News, we’ll begin with water quality and herbicide efficacy to give us a handle on potential issues as we begin in-crop spraying. Also, I’ll provide this year’s updated graminicides tank mixing chart so you can slip it into the tractor for quick referencing. Next, Agrium has just come out with some exciting new data on ESN (environmentally smart nitrogen) that you may be very interested in! Bruce Love of Preferred Carbon will give an update on a covered hog lagoon project and GHG policy watch. We’ll finish up with market news.    

The photo above was taken May 31st, 2009 near Rumsey, AB, 40 minutes north of Drumheller.

Agronomy

Crop Staging Area (Calgary to Drumheller to Three Hills)

Seeded	April 23-31	May 1-7	May 8-15
Wheat	4 leaf, 1 tiller	3 leaf, 1 tiller	2 leaf
Canola	3 leaf	2 leaf	1 leaf
Barley	4 leaf, 1 tiller	3 leaf	2 leaf
Peas	5th node	3rd node	2nd node

This Week in Scouting

• Have herbicide water quality checked.
• Timing should be right for spraying late April seeded wheat, barley and peas.
• Be cautious with your herbicide applications. Watch for cool overnight temperatures and try to avoid spraying late in the evening to reduce plant stress.
• Try tank mixing C3 by Omex with Odyssey to reduce plant stress in peas and canola. Research results from the Three Hills area in 2008 show positive yield results from the addition of C3 with Odyssey in peas.
• Try to avoid high rates of 2,4-D and MCPA when plants are stressed.  
• Count and document plant stand densities to calculate seedling mortality rates. Keep records.
• Check seeding depth across width of air drill. This is much easier to do when you can dig plants up and measure.  

Water quality and herbicide efficacy

As we quickly move into spray season, we must pay close attention (as always) to our water sources. I suspect if this cool weather with low humidity levels continues, our weed control programs will be challenged. I could hardly believe my weather station at the farm measured 9% humidity on Sunday afternoon! Where do we live, Phoenix?  Whether you’re using dugout or well water, it’s best to be assured that your water quality is not impacting your herbicide efficacy.

The common issues that effect herbicide efficacy are:

Turbidity

Cleanliness or turbidity simply refers to the amount of dirt, silt and organic sediment in the water sample. Dirty water or turbid water can reduce the control of diquat (Reglone), paraquat (Gramaxone) and glyphosate herbicides (Roundup WeatherMax, Touchdown Total, Vantage Plus Max, etc.). Unfortunately, there is no additive to clean up dirty water. The simple solution is to find a new source of clean water.

Total dissolved solids (TDS)

TDS refers to the sum of all minerals dissolved in a sample of water. TDS levels are important because they are an indicator of water hardness or high calcium and magnesium content. High mineral content or TDS is also representative of electrical conductivity.

Electrical conductivity (EC)

Electrical conductivity is often used to provide a quick, economical estimate of the total dissolved solids in water. If the EC is less than 500 microsiemens/cm, water quality problems for herbicides are very unlikely. The typical range of EC in well water in Alberta is 1,000 to 2,500.

Hardness

The level of water hardness is expressed as calcium carbonate equivalent. Hardness is caused by high calcium and magnesium mineral content. Hard water primarily affects the performance of glyphosate and 2,4-D amine. Here are some rules of thumb to follow to ensure optimum herbicide performance:

Where hard water is a concern with glyphosate, use the maximum recommended rate of herbicide. Reducing the water volume to the minimum required for good coverage will help ensure maximum effectiveness of glyphosate products. Using less than the recommended rate of herbicide will aggravate the efficacy problems. Water should not be harder than 700 mg/L when using 20 litre/acre water volume, or 350 mg/L when using 40 litre/acre water volumes.
The effect of hard water can be reduced by:

• adding 2 to 3 kg ammonium sulfate fertilizer (21-0-0-24) per 100 litres of water.
• using the spray mix immediately after mixing.
• using higher rates of glyphosate.

At the moment, no definite guidelines can be given for problem levels of water hardness for 2,4-D amine, but a hardness of 600 mg/L can almost totally deactivate this product. Where hard water problems are suspected, the following approaches should be considered, in order of priority:

• use an alternative water source.
• use an ester formulation, if practical.
• use the maximum recommended rate of amine formulation.
• use a non-ionic surfactant (1 L per 1,000 L of water), if the amine formulation is used.

Bicarbonate

Bicarbonates, usually found as sodium bicarbonate, is very common in Alberta waters. Bicarbonate levels of 500 to 1,000 mg/L are typical in soft water wells. Bicarbonate content can affect the performance of some herbicides, particularly those in the tralkoxydim, sethoxydim, and clethodim group of grass killers like Achieve Liquid, Achieve Liquid Gold, Poast Ultra, Select/Centurion, FlaxMax Ultra, Pursuit Ultra and 2,4-D amine.

The major effects seem to be from water with elevated bicarbonate levels but low levels of other anions such as chloride and sulfate. Bicarbonate concentrations as low as 500 mg/L have reduced the activity of the above herbicides under some circumstances. Reduced herbicide rate, late application, tolerant weeds, and poor growing conditions combined with high bicarbonate levels have led to problems.
Where bicarbonate occurs in water, the following precautions are suggested:

• avoid using water with more than 500 mg/L bicarbonate when applying Achieve Liquid, Select/Centurion or Poast Ultra or  low rates (<340 ml/ac) of 2,4-D amine. 
• use an 2,4-D LV Ester formulation if practical since the LV esters are not affected by bicarbonate.
• use an alternative source of water if available.

Research has demonstrated that the use of liquid ammonium sulfate fertilizer at 1.6 L/ac (0.8 kg 21-0-0-24 dry ammonium sulfate fertilizer/ac) or 0.2 L/ac of 28-0-0 liquid nitrogen fertilizer as an adjuvant will overcome the antagonistic effect of bicarbonate in spray mixing water.

Alkalinity and pH

High pH and high alkalinity can affect the solubility of Assert. If the pH of the Assert and water solution is too high, the chemical will form a porridge-like sludge in the bottom of the spray tank. A pH reducing acidulate is included with the product. Be sure to add the acidulate before adding Assert to the water.

Iron

The major problem with iron is that it oxidizes to form rust particles that can settle to the bottom of the spray tank and clog nozzles and screens. For this reason, it is best to avoid water with significant levels of iron for all spray applications. High levels of iron can also reduce the activity of glyphosate.

Sources:
Alberta Agriculture: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex7573
“Impact of water quality on herbicide efficacy” by Curtis Rainbolt

Quick Reference – Step by step mixing instructions for graminicides

Achieve Liquid                                          

1. Add ammonium sulphate (hard water)
2. Add Liquid Achieve
3. Add broadleaf herbicide
4. Add Turbocharge

Adrenalin

1. Add Adrenalin SC
2. Add surfactant (not included in package)

Altitude FX

1. Add AC 299, 263
2. Add Starane and MCPA Ester 600
3. Add surfactant (not included in package)

Assert 300 – mixing with Refine Extra, Express pack or Unity 75 WG

1. Add Refine Extra, Express Pack, Unity 75WG
2. Add spray water pH adjuster
3. Add Assert

Assert 300 – mixing Attain, MCPA Ester, 2,4-D Ester, Estaprop, Curtail M, Prestige, Puma Super, Trophy, Turboprop 600 or Unity 280EC

1. Add pH adjuster
2. Add Assert
3. Add broadleaf herbicide component

Assert 300 – mixing Frontline, Frontline 2,4-D or Spectrum

1. Add “A” Component of broadleaf product
2. Add pH adjuster
3. Add Assert
4. Add “B” component of broadleaf product

Axial

1. Add broadleaf herbicide
2. Add Axial 100EC
3. Add Adigor surfactant

Avenge

1. Add broadleaf herbicide
2. Add Avenge 200-C

Baseline

1. Add Achieve Liquid
2. Add MCPA Ester or 2,4-D Ester
3. Add Turbocharge

Broadband

1. Add broadleaf herbicide
2. Add Broadband
3. Add Adigor surfactant

Everest

1. Add Everest 70 WDG
2. Add broadleaf herbicide
3. Add surfactant if necessary with tank mix

Harmony K

1. Add Refine Extra
2. Add Banvell II
3. Add Horizon
4. Add Score

Harmony Total/ Harmony SG

1. Add Refine Extra
2. Add Horizon
3. Add Score

Horizon NG

1. Add broadleaf herbicide
2. Add Horizon
3. Add Score

Horizon BTM

1. Add Mextrol 450
2. Add Horizon 240EC
3. Add Score

Puma Super

1. Add broadleaf herbicide
2. Add Puma Super

Simplicity

1. Add Simplicity
2. Add broadleaf herbicide
3. Add surfactant if necessary with tank mix

Sundance

1. Add pH balancer
2. Add Sundance granules
3. Add broadleaf herbicide
4. Add Merge

Velocity m3

1. Add Velocity
2. Add Velocity 2

Agrium’s Environmentally Smart Nitrogen (ESN) raises some eyebrows

I’ve discovered some interesting data supporting the yield and protein benefits of ESN in cereals and canola. This data comes from eight Ag Canada sites over four years with increases in yield on both wheat and canola with additional increases in protein on wheat by 0.5 to 1 percent. To top it off, Agrium is now supporting the use of two to three times the safe rate of seed placed nitrogen using ESN after years of data supporting the products safety.

To quickly review how ESN works in the soil, here’s a great visual:

The following comments by Ray Dowbenko, Agrium researcher, are a preview of the wheat and canola trials from the last few years:

“Wheat: ESN holds a 6 to 8% yield advantage over urea when applied at the same time and method, but excluding any seed row applications (we really do well there) as that is a separate issue.”

“Urea attains 96% of maximum yield with 70 units of N; the same yield is achieved with 50 units of N when using ESN.”

“ESN attains 104% of maximum yield with about 75 units of N. ESN attains same yield as urea with 25 units less N.”

“Wheat is a determinate crop, so N management from ESN has an impact on yield and later on protein.”

“Canola is indeterminate and makes use of later season N to build more yield relative to a cereal.”

“Canola: ESN holds a 7 to 9% yield advantage over urea when applied at the same time and method.”

“Urea attains 94% of maximum yield with 120 units of N; ESN attains 100% of maximum yield with 90 units of N. That’s a 6% yield increase with 30 less units of N.”

After reading Dowbenko’s comments, I could definitely see a fit for ESN in our fertility programs. My next move was to do some number crunching.

Steve’s quick math:

You need 75 units of nitrogen using ESN to obtain 104% of maximum yield in canola at $.59/lb versus 100 lbs of N using urea at a cost of $0.50/lb.

ESN: 90 lbs N × $0.59 = $53.10/acre
Urea: 120 lbs N × $0.50 = $60.00/acre

Therefore, you can achieve a 6% yield increase in canola using ESN and save $6.90/acre in nitrogen costs over urea. I suspect the price of ESN may climb after they publish these results! SL

For more on ESN, go to http://www.agriumat.com/us/esn_agriculture.html

Carbon Market News

Preferred Carbon covers its first hog manure lagoon in Manitoba for carbon credits

Preferred Carbon expanded its covered hog lagoon program to Manitoba at Starlite Hutterite Colony just outside of Winnipeg. Construction is almost complete after many months of planning and permitting. Manitoba is the only Province in western Canada that requires a detailed permitting process for the installation of a cover on existing manure storage.

Placing weights on the lagoon cover, with about 20 feet of hog manure under foot.

Covering a hog manure lagoon to capture methane gas and burn it to create a greenhouse gas (GHG) offset is not a new idea. What is a new idea, is doing it in Manitoba.

The GHG offset is created by capturing the methane gas that would normally be emitted from the lagoon over the warm summer months. With methane being about 21 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, burning it results in a net reduction of GHGs since it turns into mostly carbon dioxide and water. Other benefits of covering the lagoon include dramatically reduced odor and a potential green energy source.

The Starlite site adds to the other sites Preferred Carbon has in Alberta. Apart from its location, what is unique about this site is its relationship to the University of Manitoba’s BioSystems Engineering Department. They have agreed to independently study the lagoon for the impact of the cover on available crop nutrients and methane creation.

GHG Policy Watch

Its official, Federal Environment minister Jim Prentice declared last week in a phone call with the Globe and Mail newspaper that Canada has abandoned its plans for a made in Canada policy to reduce GHGs. In its place, Canada will follow in the foot steps of the US as it develops its GHG reduction policy. Prentice cited the need to not place Canada’s industry and economy at a disadvantage to the US by taking on more rigorous GHG reductions. I guess not taking any action what so ever and waiting to be forced into action is not risking outdoing the US on GHG reductions. However, I hope we aren’t too disappointed with what the US does since it’s now our policy too.

With the start of June, the first draft of the global treaty to reduce GHGs will be debated in Bonn, Germany. This is the formal beginning of the discussions, deal making, and drafting of the international treaty to replace Kyoto, which expires at the end of 2012. Some 180 nations from around the world will present and defend their positions on the ways and means to reduce GHGs and come up with a basis for negotiation going forward. It is widely expected that the US will need to show strong leadership if there is any hope of getting the final agreement done this December in Copenhagen. 

Reference: Bruce Love, Preferred Carbon
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author only and are not intended to represent financial advice.

Market News

Fundamental Analysis

Updated May 12, 2009 USDA

Technical Indicators

I have set up these weekly updates to include market entry indicators to help you improve the timing of your grain marketing. Also, I added market trend indicators to give you a sense of the short and long term market trends.

Canola – November Futures
Insert chart
Wheat – December Futures
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Barley – Oct Futures
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Canadian Dollar – June futures
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International Crop Weather News

United States: On the Plains, chilly weather across the northern half of the region remains a concern with respect to summer crop emergence and growth. Meanwhile, scattered showers and thunderstorms across portions of the central and southern Plains are boosting soil moisture for summer crops. In the Corn Belt, a band of showers stretching from Michigan to Nebraska is causing renewed fieldwork delays. In addition, cool weather across the northern Corn Belt is slowing the emergence and development of recently planted corn and soybeans. In the South, warm, dry weather is promoting fieldwork, including late-season rice, soybean, and cotton planting. In the Mid-South, crop disease remains a concern in the soft red winter wheat belt due to excessive May wetness.

Europe: Widespread, locally heavy showers over central and Eastern Europe boost soil moisture for reproductive winter crops but hamper planting of corn, sunflowers, and sugar beets. Sunny, hot weather in Spain and Italy maintains high irrigation demands for filling winter wheat and barley.

Former Soviet Union: Light to moderate showers favor winter grains and spring-sown crops in northern Ukraine and Belarus but slow spring grain sowing across northern Russia. Showery weather in Kazakhstan and the Urals and Siberia Districts in Russia slows spring grain planting but boosts topsoil moisture for crop emergence.

Southeast Asia: Monsoon showers benefit rice and corn in Indochina and the Philippines.

East Asia: Periods of dry weather benefit winter wheat harvesting on the North China Plain. Soil moisture is limited in western Heilongjiang for establishment of corn and soybeans.

South Asia: Tropical Cyclone Aila brings heavy rain and gusty winds to northeastern India and Bangladesh. Unseasonable showers across central and southern India provide early moisture for rice and cotton.

Middle East: Wet weather in Turkey hampers cotton planting and wheat harvesting but provides moisture for summer crop planting and establishment.

North Africa: Sunny skies accelerate winter grain maturation and harvesting.

Australia: Widespread, soaking rains in southern Queensland, northern New South Wales, and Western Australia boost moisture supplies for winter grain planting but cause local flooding. Mostly dry weather persists in southeastern Australia, further discouraging winter grain planting.

South America: In southern Brazil, warm, dry weather aids growth of emerging winter wheat and immature corn after last week’s beneficial rain. In Argentina, dry, unseasonably mild weather promotes rapid harvesting of summer grains, oilseeds and cotton while hastening emergence of winter grains.

Western Canada: Overall seeding progress across the Prairies is 92 per cent complete. Warmer-than-normal temperatures in Alberta and western Saskatchewan have boosted seeding progress to near-completion in both provinces. Scattered showers in parts of southern Saskatchewan and central Alberta did little to improve overall soil moisture in dry areas. Rainfall is urgently needed in west-central Saskatchewan and eastern Alberta. In southern Manitoba, cooler-than-normal temperatures and moderate rainfall continued to delay seeding. Across the Prairies, warm weather is now needed to boost germination and emergence of crops.

Mexico: Showers benefit reproductive winter sorghum in rain-fed farming areas of the northeast.