Tillers start today’s debate

Jun 302010
 

Look at all those tillers. If I had a dollar for every tiller in the Blank Slate, by my estimates I’d over a million dollars. 30,000 plants times 60 acres times a tiller or two per plant.

So the question is “what kind of yield impact do tillers have?”

Some argue that tillers take away nutrients and water from the main stem. While that is certainly true to some degree, if the field doesn’t have an abundance of nutrients and likely water, tillers don’t form to start with.

Others say that the tillers give up the nutrients later in the season as the main ear develops. For me, I see how seed companies pick which genetics to advance. They choose them primarily on yield, so if a particular hybrid puts on tillers more commonly than another it doesn’t really bother me.

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Corn growing FAST!!!

Jun 292010
 

Rob makes the blog this week. Rob and I were out in the Blank Slate yesterday and both of us came away very impressed. The corn was green from head to toe and growing as fast as corn can grow. Rob’s about 6’3″ if that gives you an idea of the size of the corn.

We looked at the fertility trials in the field, and all rates appear to be working well. I’m anxious to see the harvest numbers so we can begin the process of fine-tuning the rates for future years. We applied a 50/50 blend of Pro-Germinator and Sure-K in the furrow at rates from 10 to 20 gallons per acre in 30 inch rows.

Lots of cool things starting to show around the country as the crop progresses. Just have to brave the mosquitoes, the heat, and of course the humidity to see them. That’s easier said than done lately.

A neighbor a few miles north of the Blank Slate said they’ve received nearly 15 inches of rain in June. I don’t have a gauge up on this field, but by the looks of things we’ve had similar amounts.

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Side dressing finally completed

Jun 262010
 

With the Blank Slate corn knee high up to waist high in some spots, it finally dried out enough to get the side-dress application done yesterday afternoon. We used 5 gallons of Pro-Germinator with 5 gallons of Sure-K and a half a gallon of micros.

At the rate this corn is growing, you can almost stand there and watch it grow. The early fertility program we used in furrow (the same program we just side-dressed with) has worked great! The corn is very healthy and darker green than the fields around it. The only problem I’m having is a few spots where water sat too long. I can’t wait to get some drainage tile in this field.

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Firing? Already?

Jun 222010
 

So why the big focus on fertility? That’s one of the questions that my friends and neighbors keep asking me. Here’s why. Look at the picture above. It’s the classic symptom of Potassium deficiency. The lower leaves of the plant show yellowing and eventually necrosis from the outer edges of the leaves working its way in.

I put some highly available Potassium right in the furrow at planting time to overcome the Potassium issues on my farm. In fact, we applied rates as high as 10 gallons of Sure K safely in the furrow with 10 gallons of Pro Germinator (Phosphorus).

Overall, the Blank Slate looks great.

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Weed of the week? On my ground?

Jun 182010
 

Look at these pretty flowers. Wait . . . that’s a nasty weed! It’s my old nemesis, Leafy Spurge. I can’t believe it, but there’s some right around my field. It’s my first year with this field, and there are certainly a lot of other things to fix up. Weed control can be added to the list. So how would you deal with this weed?

Leafy Spurge is a primary noxious weed (and the state flower of North Dakota – sorry Matt). With a vast underground system of roots called rhizomes, this is a fast spreading weed. It can severely decrease the value of your soil, the production of your grassland, and your reputation with your neighbors. There is one answer right now: Tordon. A straight shot of Tordon (in non-crop and non-aquatic areas) at about 1 quart per acre is the best answer for Leafy Spurge control. We’ll hit this patch with some Tordon and may not see it come back again. If a few spurge plants make it back next year, we’ll hit them again and the problem will be gone.

The reason I bring this up is because of where the spurge popped up. It’s in the grass along the side of the field.


Right now, this really isn’t causing me any problems. However, left unchecked this weed can spread into my crops and it may turn out to be a bad deal.

With the weed of the week under control the focus can shift back to the corn. We’re finally getting some heat to go along with the moisture. The Blank Slate field is taking off!

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