Each year we track where the crops are to give the farmers some idea if they should panic and stop planting corn to do haylage, or to keep planting. This year is no exception other than we, with our short term memory, are comparing it to the record early season of 2012. Yes, it is snowing in the mid-west. We had a major snow on Mother’s day in the 1980’s. The bottom line is that the weather has moved back to a near normal condition, something we are not used to having.
Tom
April 2013 changing weather
Last year we had several heat waves and the season was running record early. This year the season is running right on the 30 year average – something it hasn’t done in a while. Skipping the political science and going to the real science, the Pacific Ocean has a multi-decade swing between warmer than average and cooler than average.
March 2013 N & S
Now is the time to apply nitrogen. In research and on-farm results, nitrogen TRIPLED the total yearly yields on perennial grasses where it was applied.
February 2013 Sorghum
the sorghum species has tremendous potential under dry conditions. With the development of shorter season varieties (83 day), this potential has moved north. As long as the summer is warm, it will continue to move north.
January 2013 Speciality Forages
An option that is getting more attention from dairy farms is to produce forage specifically for young stock or dry cows. Late milk or early soft dough is a forage that can be directly mowed and immediately chopped as it does not need to be dried down.
December 2012, Winter Forage Rotations
For a number of these newsletters I have been bringing the results of our many research projects at the Cornell Valatie Research Farm in Eastern NY. The focus has been on high yielding, very high quality forage that can support dairy rations encompassing greater than 70% forage in the diet and high milk production with high components, critical to leveraging profit back into dairying. NONE are silver bullets. All have to operate within the farm system, soils, and labor/equipment resources you have
October 2012, Wet forage
With the nearly every day shower for the past couple of weeks, fall harvest of forage is ever more challenging. The biggest limit on the use of oats in the fall is weather like we have had where it mists or rains nearly every day. This, coupled with the cool temperatures, shorter day length, and less intense sunshine as it is lower on the horizon, add a dollop of high yielding (6 to 10 ton) silage, makes a perfect storm for not drying to 35%.
Sept. 2012, Fall Kill, Short Season Corn
Move NOW to fall kill your sods. Spraying sods in the fall catches most tough perennials when they are trans-locating into their root systems for winter storage. This brings the herbicide to the deep root systems, where it does the most good. We have consistently gotten excellent results with ammonium sulfate, 0.75 quart of glyphosate or its equivalent, and a quart of 2,4,D.
August 2012 / Nitrates a Real Possibility This Year
Most of the crops this year were fertilized for a normal or slightly above normal yield. Most of the corn and energy crops are yielding at best ½ of their normal yield (except for lucky pockets that got the showers – they are doing fine). This is a classic set-up for nitrate accumulation.
July 2012 / Plagues, Heat, Drought, What is Next?
Ok we had record high temperature, followed a day or two later by record low temperature; army worm, black cut worm, drought, and now potato leafhopper. What is next? You know the end is near when an outbreak of retired agronomists appear in your field.