Agronomist Notes
Last week saw the beginning of spring wheat harvest, which is about 3% complete. I’ve heard yields coming off anywhere from 55 to 75 bushels so far. Proteins have been around the 12% range and are lower than expected. Canola yields are highly variable and I suspect that will continue, depending on variety and seeding date. For example, I’ve seen InVigor 5108 yield 25 bushels on wet clay and InVigor 5020 yield 50 bushels on manured ground just two miles away. Barley looks to be anywhere from 70 to 90+ bushels for feed and malt varieties. The malt quality seems to be good with low proteins and very few chitted kernels, though plumpness is on the low side.
There were reports of frost last Monday night with the north Drumheller country reaching -10C. The rest of my territory went unscathed with frost showing up on the roof tops but not on the ground. With this in mind, I have included information on what to do after frost hits your canola.
In light of the humid and slow drying weather, this week’s newsletter includes natural air drying tips along with frequently asked questions. I have also included information on preventing stored grain insects. You’ll find a cost sheet to begin tracking your harvest efficiencies as well. Compiling all your harvest data is quite daunting, so I think we can simplify things by taking a few fields and recording the things we can measure easily.
Agronomy
Benchmarking Harvest Costs & Efficiencies
At the Beyond Agronomy meeting last December, we discussed harvest costs and efficiencies. What a great conversation to have with nine diverse and progressive farmers. Combine leasing company, Machinery Link, (www.MachineryLink.com) was at hand to examine harvest equipment options. That turned into a five hour discussion with a lot of food for thought.
Benchmarking is a useful tool for assessing your farm operation and determining its strengths, weaknesses and areas where improvement is possible. Comparing your harvest performance against industry peers and competitors will reveal what areas need fine tuning and set the bar for you in terms of where you need to get to.
With harvest just underway, I encourage you to take a field scale snapshot of your harvest efficiencies. Please print out this sheet and take three average fields, a wheat, canola and barley and log the info into the sheet. You can fax, e-mail or phone in your results. I will compile the information in a future newsletter.
| Wheat | Barley | Canola | |
| Field size (acres) | |||
| Total separating hours per combine | |||
| Total Running hours per combine | |||
| Labour (# of men X hrs/field) |
Natural Air Drying Tips
When can I begin to harvest?
Under warm, low relative humidity conditions you should see 0.75 - 1% of drying taking place per day. This allows a 7-10 day advance on harvest time as well as more harvesting hours per day. Note: Natural air drying should be used as a management tool and not as a late harvest emergency drying system. Late harvest conditions are cool and damp and will result in slow natural air drying.
At what temperature does natural air drying begin?
Grain drying begins above100C (500F). Anything less than 100C means the air is too cold and can only hold a small amount of moisture, therefore moisture movement from grain will be very slow.
When should I start my fan?
In order to create a uniform drying front, you must have the height of at least half of the bin's diameter above the aeration system. (Example: 14' diameter bin needs to have a minimum of 7' of grain above the aeration system). The best uniform drying front can be produced by filling your bin and then turning on the fan. Turning your fan on too soon can cause uneven drying and negative results.
Should I shut off my fan at night or when it rains?
No! High moisture grain drying (16% - 20%), requires continuous air flow to prevent the drying front from crusting over and restricting the airflow.
Does fan operation at night or in high humidity conditions reverse the drying process?
Some tend to think that a fan will force moisture back into a bin in high humidity conditions. However, it is much more difficult to put moisture back into the grain than it is to take it out. In fact, grain in the bottom of the bin which may be a little over dried would benefit from taking on a little moisture. At 19% moisture, grain that hasn't been dried will remain constant as the 86% relative humidity moisture level in the air equals the moisture in the grain.
Approximate drying under different conditions
Ideal warm days & dry conditions: 1% per day
Warm days & cool nights: 0.5% per day
Cool days & damp nights: 0.25% per day
Cold days & cold nights: 0% per day
Do not count the first day in the drying process as it takes 14 - 16 hours for the bin to equalize its temperature.
For the full article on grain drying tips click on: http://www.edwardsgroup.ca/edwards/tips.cfm
Stored Grain Insects Prevention
The first step in preventing bug infestations is to ensure bins are thoroughly cleaned before filling with grain. A typical hiding place for insects is in the space between the edge of the bin wall and the floor. These areas can be treated with a product like Malathion (not for canola storage) or diatomaceous earth before the bin is filled.
Since insect infestations usually begin at the top of the bin, some producers add diatomaceous earth to the last few loads that go into the bin. Diatomaceous earth kills insects by scraping away their protective waxy outer layer and causing them to dehydrate. The product does not deteriorate with time and will remain effective. Remember that diatomaceous earth is a preventative measure and not a curative.
Treatments
- Detailed information about treatments for grain can be found in the Guide to Crop Protection on the Saskatchewan Agriculture website at: http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/docs/production/CropProtGuide2007_insect.pdf
- You can also find information on preventing, monitoring and controlling stored grain insects at the Canadian Grain Commission site at:
- http://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/entomology/control01-e.htm
- DO NOT use malathion to treat bins destined to store canola as pesticide residues threaten marketing options. Refer to the following link for more information: http://www.canola-council.org/pesticide_link2.html
Assessing Frost Damage in Canola
The condition of the frost affected areas will likely fall into one of three main categories, with appropriate swathing strategies for each category. Carefully assess each field and note which scenario the majority of the plants fall into.
- Little evidence of frost damage. The pods remain mostly green or tan-green, with few, if any, white spots on the outside of the pods. The seeds inside are mostly intact. Check the colour of the inside of the seeds as well. If the outside of the seeds are starting to turn, the insides should be yellow or a light lime-green. If seeds are still green on the outside and the inside of the seeds are still watery, the outside seed coats should remain intact and turgid. In these cases, leave the crop to mature until enough seed colour change occurs.
- A few white specks on the outside of the pods, or only a few seeds in immature pods that are not intact, or only a few seeds in the upper plant parts are prematurely browning. Premature browning occurs when the outside of the seed has been damaged by the frost and the inside of the seed remains dark green. In these cases, the fields should be left and monitored on a daily basis to evaluate further crop changes. If no further damage is evident, the remaining crop may continue to fill and mature. If the seeds continue to deteriorate and/or pod integrity declines, begin swathing to conserve seed volume.
- Considerable whitening of the outside of the pods for a majority of the plants. In this case, the pods will begin to shrink and desiccate rapidly, and swathing should begin immediately using the dew to reduce pod shelling and pod drop to conserve any seeds in those pods. In all cases, monitoring should be done daily or every other day to evaluate further crop development and conditions, especially if warmer temperatures and sunshine return.
Photo of moderate crop damage, including premature browning of seed vs. normal seed: http://www.canola-council.org/production/Frost/frost.html
For more information on assessing frost damaged canola refer to the following link:
http://www.canola-council.org/PDF/sept20_canola_fact_sheet_r3.pdf
Source: Canola Council of Canada
Market News
Who will win the Race in 2008? Corn, Beans or Wheat?
The results of a farm based survey done in early August determined that US producers will plant 10% less corn and 11% more soybeans in 2008. The reason was the high input costs of growing corn and favourable soybean prices. However, corn cannot afford to lose the acres it just bought this year so prices should remain firm. After the market failed to entice Brazilian farmers to plant more soybeans, the race will be on this winter to attract soybean acres in the US. The seeding intentions for wheat are to remain the same as last year barring any further price increases. So who will win the race? It doesn’t matter at this point, but what does matter is that all three commodities are in need of replenishment. The end result will be strong prices for our commodities and crop input prices will follow suit. SL
China Autumn Grain Output Faces Severe Situation
China’s government is concerned about reduced autumn grain output due to continuing drought and floods, as rising food prices have already pushed inflation above China’s target. The country’s autumn harvest faces a “severe situation” as a result of many factors including worst-ever droughts in some regions. As of mid-August, 11.5 million hectares of ploughing areas were affected by drought, up 2.1 million hectares from multi-year average.
Source: CBOT News
Ag Canada Cereal & Oilseed Outlook
Dry Peas - The main factor affecting Canadian prices is world supply, of which Canadian supply is a major component. The average price, over all types, grades, and food and feed markets, is expected to increase from 2006-07 due to the lower world supply.
Feed Barley - The average off-Board feed barley price (No.1 CW I/S Lethbridge) is forecast to remain at a historically high level, but slightly lower than in 2006-07, as the increased supply and the strong Canadian dollar more than offsets the support of slightly higher US corn prices.
Canola - Supply is expected to increase marginally as the higher output is partly offset by lower carry-in stocks. Exports are estimated to increase to a record high as a result of ample supplies, tighter supplies in competing exporting countries and strong world demand. Prices are expected to rise on support from high world veg-oil prices.
Wheat - Canadian wheat production is expected to decline by 21%, to 15.1 MMT. Domestic consumption is expected to rise slightly due to increased industrial use as new ethanol plants begin operation in western Canada. Exports are forecast to fall by 30%.The average wheat price is predicted to be around $248.00/tonne.
Source: Ag Canada
World Fertilizer Prices to Rise
Urea - Both granular and prilled urea values continue to firm worldwide as traders look to cover short positions. The US market is particularly firm with limited availability forcing prices up another $20/tonne this week.
Phosphate - Phosphate remains firm, aided by continued reports of strong demand for the winter months from the US and Canada. India and Pakistan, having shaped the International Phosphate market to date, are in discussions for further DAP purchases in the coming weeks.
Potash - Potash suppliers are expected to end this year with very low stocks, as indeed could their buyers.
Sulphur - Once again new price highs have been seen in the Sulphur market this week, the question remains whether prices have much room to move higher?
A continuing firm market suggests that any fertiliser is best bought today and financed.
