Cropline Show Notes – February 13th, 2015

In this week’s episode we talk with Greg Stewart once again, but this time about changes to the pre-side dress nitrogen test as a tool for evaluating whether to add more nitrogen at later stages of corn development. The background document for our discussion can be found here. Time: 50 seconds to 16 minutes and 25 seconds.

Comments on last weeks episode around P& K management

“Just a suggestion if people are grappling with managing phosphorus in corn production.  We place a 2×2 band(10 gal/ac) of liquid 10-34-0 on our 1000 ac of low test soil.  Its cheap and manageable.  Maintaining good placement is the biggest challenge.  Last year we paid 85 cent per litre for 10-34-0.  6-24-6 will cost $1.30/L with a third less content of phosphorus.  Spreading potash removal is a good K solution. “

On the crop removal front, remember that there is a brand new smartphone app called “cashcropper” that provides you with a breakdown of crop nutrient removal. The app can be downloaded at cashcropper.ca

Questions:

1) 19 minutes and 22 seconds – What if you had a farm with fairly predicable variability. For example, when you plant wheat, the yields range from 65 bu/ac all the way up to 125 bu/ac and those low yielding and high yielding areas are consistent from year to year. Your normal program is a blanket application of 150 lbs of N/ac and 12 lbs/ac of sulphur. If you could identify and manage those zones, how would you do it?

Related articles to the answer to this question:

Sulphur on wheat
Sensor technology for variable rate nitrogen management on wheat
Profitability of conventional versus variable rate nitrogen applications
2) Would you set up a sprayer on the front of back of the planter?

Answer: Begins at 22 minutes and 16 seconds

3) Value of wood shaving for bedding?

There was some discussion about the difference in nutrient value between corn stock bedding and soybean straw bedding.  The question had come up … what about wood shaving?

Answer: From Christine Brown at 25 minutes and 10 seconds

Below are a few analysis I have from wood shaving bedding and straw bedding.  There are not enough samples to be conclusive, but it does give a ball park idea.  I don’t have the corn stalks or soybean straw nutrient values, but if anyone does and wants to share them, please do.

Table 1. Nutrient values of different bedding materials (from Christine Brown, OMAFRA)

4) Question: What should the chop length be on a new forage harvester with a processor?

Related article: Theoretical length of cutting – theory and practice

Answer at: 26 minutes and 40 seconds

5) Question: Can you recommend some pollinator friendly plants to seed?

Answer: 28 minute mark

Tracey Baute suggests taking a look at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation who have published a list of preferred species. In general they recommend a mixture of species so that there are flowering plants available throughout the season. If you think of many common plants found on farm, they would include early flowering shrubs like wild brambles (wild raspberry), mid-flowering plants like milkweed and late flowering plants like goldenrod.

The Canadian pollination initiative recommends a number of crops. Species like alfalfa and clovers are also good options and might be preferred if you’re trying to square off a field, they would keep the weeds down and not interfere as much with  neighbouring crop. A list of pollinator crop species that they have published can be found here.

Source: Fieldcropnews