August 21, 2012

Agronomists Notes

Hello Reader,

Pea harvest is now at the half way mark with yield averages hovering around 50-55 bu/ac. Malt barley harvest has just begun with yield averages around 90 to 100 bu/ac and high kernel plumpness. Canola swathing has just begun and pre-harvest glyphosate in wheat is ramping up this week. Harvest will be in full swing by the end of the week and the forecast looks excellent!

We’ll start with an update on precision lifter placement in peas. Next, we’ll look at the use of Folicur as a PGR in canola. I’ll provide you with some helpful grain bagging tips for those of you just starting this fall and some tips for spraying pre-harvest in hot temperatures. We’ll finish with technical grain market news.

Have a great week.

Crop Staging

(Calgary to Drumheller to Three Hills)

Seeded    Apr 24-30               May 1-7                  May 8-15
Wheat      hard dough           hard dough             medium dough
Canola     swathed                30% SC change      late pod
Barley      mature                   hard dough             hard dough
Peas        mature                   hard dough             hard dough

Steve's tips and tricks for the week

Follow me on Twitter for in-season updates @BeyondAgronomy

Watch wheat and barley fields as they mature and watch for stripping. Now is the time to easily diagnose an unlevel air drill or improper air delivery system.
Make note of wild oat escapes and look at alternative herbicide options this fall. (Avadex, Edge, Rival)
Keep an eye on the temperature and humidity when spraying pre-harvest glyphosate. See article.

Precision lifter placement boosts pea harvestability

One of the advantages to controlled traffic farming and inter-row seeding peas is the ability to place lifters with precision. After 65% hail damage and then 2 1/2 inches of rain, our peas were flattened but not completely on the ground. The 10-inch tall barley stubble held the peas up off the ground where we could use lifters to effectively pick it up and leave little behind.

To help harvest the crop we placed a lifter in between the pea stubble and last year’s barley stubble. Twenty-nine lifters spaced every 12-inches travelled inside the depression of the furrow and underneath the lodged crop. It worked like a dream, if harvesting peas could ever be dreamy. Unfortunately, 2011 harvest traffic, 3 spray applications and seeding traffic reduced stubble height on the headlands. Those peas were flat to the ground and yielded 37% less than the inside of the field. Even while scraping the ground the lifters slid overtop of the crop and left most behind.

After our first go with peas, I have a vision for the future. I see peas seeded inter-row into tall wheat stubble becoming common practice and virtually eliminating the need to roll after seeding. We need to solve the headland issue by possibly rolling only that area because they do make up roughly 10% of our acreage. CTF and inter-row seeding can create some serious harvest efficiencies in peas or any pulse crop and also increase yield. Think of it this way, we can pick up lodged peas like it’s magic and we’re using a 30-year-old Gleaner R7 with a 30ft rigid auger header and aluminum bat reel. What could the system do with a Claas 760 with a flex draper header? Try 6 mph in lodged peas? Now that’s dreamy. SL

Folicur as a PGR in canola

Folicur (tebuconazole) has been used as a plant growth regulator in winter canola throughout Europe and New Zealand for many years. Plant growth regulators are used to strengthen stems and reduce lodging but also encourage root growth. I looked into some research that found a strong correlation between rooting index and yield and so I decided to do some experimenting with Folicur with a client of mine.

The Folicur EW was applied at 200 ml/ac at bolting on 40 acres inside a 550 acre field on the variety InVigor 5440. As you can see in the photo, podding depth is similar at 24 inches but the plant height was noticeably different at 4 to 6 inches shorter on the Folicur side (right side). You might think they look the same height but what I noticed was only the main stems were the same height, the tillers/branches were shorter. This tells me an earlier application may be necessary to control height of the main stems. We applied Folicur EW at late bolting and what you see is a reduction in height of the branches.

The biggest difference in the trial was the difference in maturity between the Folicur EW and untreated check. The untreated check was roughly 7 to 10 days behind with seeds that were firm but green all the way up the plant. The Folicur treated side had 30% seed colour change up the main stem with a noticeable difference in pod colour compared to the check. The Folicur could have stressed the plants because it was applied prior to a two week spell of 30C+ weather. It’s only speculation at this point but PGR’s are notorious for reducing yields if applied prior to periods of stress.

This field is a few weeks away from harvest where yield data will be collected but it was incredible to pick it out the difference in plant height and maturity. If there is no yield penalty perhaps we should look a little further into the use of PGR’s, especially under irrigation or heavily manured land. Folicur is not registered in Western Canada for use on canola so this remains on a trial basis and must be used with caution. I will add that Caramba (metconazole) is also used as a PGR in winter canola outside of Canada. I will be looking into the use of both in my trial work for 2013. SL

Grain bag storage tips

10 things you won't read in the manual

The use of grain bags for temporary storage has grown dramatically over the last few years. Producers have chosen grain bags for the simple benefits of loading B-train's (45T) in under 20 minutes, no bin bottoms to clean up, virtually no shoveling, few insect problems and the ability to store tough grain for long periods of time compared to upright storage. All these benefits can be realized for a $40,000 investment to purchase a bagger and an additional $50,000 to own an un-loader. After that, storage costs run roughly six to seven cents a bushel depending on the volume put through. All this sounds wonderful but what grain bags don't come with is a "what not to do" manual to help avoid the mishaps you often hear about. Oh, deer!

I had a chat with a seasoned grain bag veteran who's lived through long storage periods and tough harvests. He's paid his tuition to learn the little nuances of grain bag storage and is now better for it. With that, here are the top ten things you should know before you cover a single kernel of grain with a plastic bag:

Do not load grain bags down slope; a slight incline to flat is best to fill bags properly. Also, be sure to keep them straight!
Do not place grain bags on grass or pastures because mice and other rodents tend to hang out in undisturbed sites and will tear open bags. Same applies for coulee banks or areas where wildlife likes to congregate during the winter. A grain bag should not be a winter playground for deer.
Do not place grain bags side by side. Place them one in front of the other down the field to speed up unloading and alleviate snow drifts.
You can store tough grain but not wet grain. If you store grain higher than 20% moisture over winter you will turn that wet grain into a 10 x 250-foot frozen sausage that's impossible to unload or sell at the local farmer's market.
Do not plow snow around the bags until you're ready to unload them, unless you've got wildlife running on top of them. Plowed snow sets up like concrete around the grain bag making it impossible to clear snow a second time without tearing the sides of the bag.
Clean up grain spills around the bag to avoid attracting deer and rodents. A little bit of spilled grain can turn a grain bag into a feed bunk for Bambi and his pals.
Some producers have found success spreading bone meal around the entire bag when deer have broken into the bags. Wooden pallets placed at the ends of the bag work like a cattle guard and discourage feeding.
Make sure the tractor is in neutral when loading a bag to avoid overfilling and splitting. Let the bag push the tractor.
Try to get the bags unloaded before the end of winter. There could be holes in the bottom of the bag from stubble or rodents and while this isn't a big deal when the snow is frozen, once it starts to melt there will be a river running through the inside of the bag.
Place bags in a north/south direction but understand that snow drifts are just something you have to manage.

The best way to discover the ins and outs of grain bags is to talk to the local rep who sells them and talk to farmers who've used them for a few years. Grain bags are a great storage alternative but they're not without risk and many a farmer has learned how not to store grain in bags the hard way. Don't be that guy and make a few phone calls first. SL

Thanks to Jason James, of Drumheller, AB, for passing along his insider secrets on grain bag storage.

Pre-harvest spraying in hot temperatures

Each year we are typically faced with hot temperatures in August when we’re trying to apply pre-harvest glyphosate. The current rule of thumb when spraying under hot temperatures is to shut down around 26-28C. The main reason for shutting down under hot temperatures is because of the possible reduction in herbicide efficacy from evaporation. If herbicides like glyphosate evaporate too quickly they will turn into a solid and require rewetting to come back into solution. Plants can only absorb herbicide in solution. Secondary is the possibility of plants shutting down under high temps and no longer taking up herbicides.

The key to spraying in higher temperatures is to consider both tempearture and humidity. High temperatures coupled with high humidity levels allows liquids to stay in solution longer and penetrate leaf surfaces compared to low humidity.

The rule of thumb I use to spray in warm temperatures is this:
1) Spray at 26C if humidity levels are above 40%.
2) Spray at 28C if humidity levels are above 45%.
3) Spray at 30C if humidity levels are above 50%.
4) Spray at 32C if humidity levels are above 55%.

The information I use for spraying in high temperatures is based on the Delta T method developed in Australia for spraying in high temperatures. High humidity keeps droplets in solution longer even though air temperatures may be high. So, when you’re out there this August and the weather is hot, remember to check your humidity levels to see how long you can spray. Maybe you don’t need to be shutting down so soon and can actually get some spraying done. SL