Scouting Report - May 13, 2019
Crop scouting report from the Agronomists of Great Bend Co-op for May 13, 2019.
May 2019 Key Discussion Points
Key discussion points for May 2019 including: Fungicide Applications on Small Grains, Planter Setting and Planting Technical Issues, Stand Evaluation, Early Season Tissue Testing, Early Post Emerge Weed Control, and Fallow Weed Control.
Grid Sampling vs Zone Sampling
When looking into a precision ag program, there is often the question of "what’s the difference between grid sampling and zone management (or zone sampling)". The answer is not always as easy just one or the other. Both can be very useful and give tremendous insights into our field and what its limiting factors might be.
Wheat Topdress in Spring
Although winter seems to want to hang on, it will soon be time to get your topdressing done on your wheat. How do we know how much to apply to give your wheat enough food to prosper this spring and make the most possible bushels? Below are a few options to consider:
Secondary and Micronutrients in Cropping Systems �
Soil fertility is key in growing high yielding, high quality crops. The discussion of soil fertility normally starts with discussing the macronutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium. However, like staves on a barrel, the shortest nutrient will limit the yield potential even if all others are at sufficient levels and above.
Sulfur, Calcium, Zinc, Iron, and Boron are just a handful of the secondary and micronutrients found to be deficient at times in our cropping system..
Soil Moisture Probes
Long summer days offer up plenty of work for growers. There is no lack of decisions to be made during the growing months of spring planted crops. Pivot irrigation plays a crucial role with many of our growers and knowing when to start a pivot and when to shut it down can be a challenge.
On Farm Trials
The number of new products in the marketplace seem to be endless. An extremely valuable method of evaluating performance of these products is collecting local data through on-farm trials.
Utilizing Cover Crops
To get the maximum benefit from cover crops, you need to make them a part of your cropping system. Different cover crop species provide different benefits and there is not one cover crop that will meet all the possible objectives that fit your system.