Volume 15 Issue 5 September 2005

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CROP QUEST AGRONOMIC SERVICES, INC.

Using A Stale Seedbed For Fall Alfalfa Establishment

One of the biggest concerns in alfalfa establishment is battling weed pressure that competes with the young hay. Many fields have a tremendous amount of weed seeds that continually come up every time the field is worked. Too often, fall-seeded alfalfa fields end up with heavy weed pressure. Pigweeds are especially bad about completely shading out the hay until a killing frost. Good growing conditions after a freeze are often limited and the hay goes into winter in poor condition, with a thin stand in areas, and a higher probability of winter kill. Stale seedbed planting is a method Crop Quest agronomists have been using to greatly reduce fall weed pressure. It consists of the following steps:

Step 1 Prepare your seedbed early. Have your field ready

to plant at least four to five weeks prior to the date that you desire to drill the alfalfa.

Step 2 Allow the weeds to emerge. If it is hot and dry,

weed emergence can be slow and may take two to three weeks. If rains are not timely, irrigation may be needed on irrigated ground. Wheat stubble fields, if volunteer wheat is heavy, may require a tillage operation, thus allowing volunteer to emerge and then prepare the seedbed. The key to success is allowing enough time to get a weed crop started. Timing of control and proper application for coverage is important for successful weed control. A Crop Quest agronomist can help monitor this situation prior to planting.

Step 3 Spray the weeds and drill. At planting, you should

have a field of heavy weeds (4 to 12 tall) that are ready to be treated with a glyphosate-type product. Treat the field and drill or seed directly into the seedbed with a minimal amount of disturbance. Another advantage to this method is that you will have some groundcover of dead weeds to prevent blowing while the alfalfa is small. Since the field has not been worked prior to planting, the alfalfa is able to emerge without competition from emerging weed seedlings.
Although Roundup Ready hay is now on the market, it is still in short supply. It is also a better fit for spring alfalfa establishment. If youre planting some alfalfa this fall, give this method a try. You will find weed pressure is greatly reduced and your new hay will go into winter with more growth and a better stand. Talk to your Crop Quest agronomist for more details.
Roundup Ready and Roundup are registered trademarks of Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo.

By: Cort Minor, Division Manager Garden City, Kan.

Crop Quest Perspectives

Glyphosate Control Is Disconcerting

Crop Quest agronomists across our entire service area, especially throughout the state of Kansas, are reporting numerous cases of the lack of total weed control using glyphosate-type products including Roundup, Touchdown and the many generics on the market. No state west of Missouri has officially reported the presence of glyphosate-resistant weeds, but all of the failures cannot be attributed to insufficient product rates, application errors and weather conditions. In the image (right), this patch of weeds was treated twice (three Weeds not controlled with up weeks apart) with 32-oz.-per-acre to 64 oz. of glyphosate. rate of a 4-lb.-per-gallon product. These weeds had a total of 64 ozs. applied along with the proper additives, yet they are still quite alive and growing, as can be seen in the image (above). This happens to be mares tail weed, which is the #1 reported glyphosateresistant weed in the eastern United States.

By: Ron OHanlon,

President
Member, National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants, CPCC-I Certified

Other weeds reported by the Crop Quest agronomists as not being completely controlled include water hemp, pigweed and kochia. We dont know whether these are resistant weeds or not, but we do know that the current rates of product that we have been using are no longer doing the job of good weed control. As we move into more no-till farming practices, weed control is essential for making this system work. Your Crop Quest agronomists will be exploring for tankmix partners and visiting with herbicide product reps to see if we can once again get the upper hand on weed control management.
Roundup is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company Touchdown is a registered trademark of Syngenta Company

Is Severe Tropical Weather Affecting Soybean Rust Risk?

Scott Beguelin, Crop Quest Agronomist in Silver Lake, Kan., has tracked the spread of soybean rust (Phakospora pachyrhizi) during the growing season, while closely following the sporadic appearance of soybean aphids. be concerned about the disease for the 2006 growing season? Currently, there is no evidence that soybean rust can overwinter this far north.

A A

Q Have the tropical storms and hurricane winds this A

Q Is there a correlation between occurrence of soybean

summer increased the risk of soybean rust spreading into the Midwest? So far, soybean rust has not been documented any further north than Alabama, though some reports indicate the disease may have been found in Tennessee. Even if soybean rust is occurring in Tennessee, that is over 700 miles from Kansas and the disease-carrying spores are not likely to reach this far north. Furthermore, only late-planted beans would be susceptible to soybean rust at this time. Though there is always some risk, it doesnt seem to be significant this year.

rust and soybean aphids? No. Storm systems can spread both, but there is no real correlation. Soybean aphids have been a sporadic problem in eastern Kansas, but as of early August, not at levels to merit spraying.

Q What weather conditions are most conducive to aphid A

Q Should growers be concerned if new storms occur in A

the Gulf of Mexico? If infections are reported in Texas, that would create much more concern and we would be at a higher risk from storms that occur along the Louisiana-Texas coast. At this time, the heaviest concentrations of soybean rust have been in Florida, Alabama and Georgia, so storms that come ashore in those areas are more likely to cause spread of the disease in the Southeast, but not in our area.

feeding and damage on soybeans? Aphid numbers decline in temperatures over 90F. If we get week-long periods of below normal temperatures, soybean growers need to look for aphids. If that happens, we could get into situations in which they would have to spray to control rapidly feeding infestations. Do soybean aphids over-winter in the Midwest?

Q A In Kansas, we do get some over-wintering of the soybean

aphids. The primary over-wintering areas are along creek beds and generally in uncultivated areas adjacent to soybean fields. The most common over-wintering host is buckthorn. Farmers can reduce the risk of over-wintering aphids by removing buckthorn. Information concerning identification and control of buckthorn can be obtained by contacting any Crop Quest consultant.

Q If late-season storms in the Gulf Coast do bring

2
Crop Quest Perspectives

soybean rust spores to the Midwest, should growers

www.cropquest.com

Ethanol

A Boon or Bust : For Corn Farmers?

raise commodity prices somewhat. It is highly unlikely that commodity prices will increase significantly. If the grain gets too expensive, then ethanol production will drop in relation to the cost of producing crude oil. Some balance will evolve. Increasing ethanol production adds to the competition of the overall energy industry, and that is healthy for our economy and our farmers. There are currently 88 ethanol plants in the United States, producing nearly 3.9 billion gallons per year. In construction or expansion are 16 additional plants with a capacity to produce over one billion gallons annually. Included in this expansion are recently opened plants in Garnett, Kan., and Fairbank, Iowa. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ethanol production utilized 11% of the 2004 corn crop, adding over $5 billion to the value of the entire U.S. corn crop. A modern dry-mill ethanol plant produces 2.8 gallons of ethanol and 17 lbs. of feed from one bushel of corn. The RFA recently announced that Americas race, the Indy 500, will be powered by ethanol in the future. In 2006, Indy cars will be powered by a 10% blend of ethanol and gasoline. By 2007, Indy cars will be powered totally by ethanol, according to the RFA. RFA President, Bob Dinneen says, The science is clear ethanol blended fuel does reduce total smog-forming emissions, it is cleaner and safer than gasoline, it is currently less expensive than gasoline and it does benefit farmers and rural communities. According to the RFA, the outlook is bright Dwight Koops for soybean farmers as well. Though only a fraction of the demand expected for ethanol, the demand for biodiesel, primarily from soybeans, is projected to reach a half billion gallons by 2012. Whether ethanol provides Corn Belt growers an alternative buying source or not is still in question. But one item is clear any positive growth means additional opportunity.
Crop Quest Perspectives

Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from plants. In the United States in 2004, in excess of 1.26 billion bushels of corn were used to produce 3.9 billion gallons of ethanol and 7.3 million metric tons of distillers grain, used primarily for cattle feed. At a time when gasoline prices have risen to an all-time high of over $2.20 per gallon nationally for regular unleaded fuel, ethanol prices have decreased by more than 20% to less than $2.00 per gallon in some states. The obvious question is, Why isnt more ethanol used? The short answer is, More is being used. The long answer can be explained by looking at the profit level of Americas largest petroleum company Mobil-Exxon. Fourth-quarter profits for the petroleum giant reached a staggering $3.8 million per hour and other U.S. petroleum companies showed similar profits. Though ethanol is cheaper, cleaner and provides more benefits for the domestic workforce, it is not economically feasible for U.S. oil companies. In New York, Connecticut and California, petroleum companies are required by law to blend ethanol (8.5% in California and 10% in New York and Connecticut). Simply blending up to 10% of all gasoline sold in the United States would save American motorists an average of 8 cents per gallon and would triple the domestic market for corn. Though ethanol prices have fallen by 40 to 50 cents per gallon nationwide, there has been no obvious movement by petroleum companies to reduce the cost of fuel by blending cheaper ethanol. What does all this mean to U.S. corn growers? Crop Quest Agronomist and West Region Vice President Dwight Koops (right) says there is a potential benefit to farmers from at least two perspectives. The obvious advantage of increased ethanol production from corn or grain sorghum is that it could provide a more stable market and more stable prices for our crops over time. The benefit would come mainly from a higher demand on corn. I believe we have the land base and the technology needed to produce enough corn to meet the projected market needs, Koops says. According to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), demand for ethanol by 2012 will exceed eight billion gallons, requiring 2.8 billion bushels of corn to sustain production. Farmers are concerned about price insecurity of commodities and energy costs, Koops notes. It is feasible that increased ethanol production could at the very least stabilize, and possibly lower energy costs, and may even

Take Advantage Of Crop Quests Economical Grid Sample Program!

If you have been reading the recent editions of Crop Quests newsletter, you have noticed articles featuring the benefits of grid sampling and variable rate fertilizer applications. A number of customers have taken advantage of this service, and have been very pleased with the results. In fact, they have had overwhelming satisfaction. Variable Rate Technology (VRT) has proven to be one of the most efficient means of applying fertilizer and utilizing their fertilizer dollar. Crop Quest has featured how their customers have not only saved money on fertilizer, but have also improved the overall production from their fields. The program is tailored to meet the goals of each field. This service does a great job of revealing the nutritional variability that is not always obvious. In situations where low pH is a problem and lime applications are needed, VRT has paid for itself the first year almost every time. At Crop Quest we believe that variably applying fertilizers is an underused practice and should become a more mainstream application method. Farmers are faced with everincreasing energy and fertilizer prices. VRT can be part of the solution to these higher costs. If you think this service is not for you, or is too expensive, Crop Quest would encourage you to visit with your agronomist about how to improve your bottom line by utilizing variable rate technology on your farm. This can be done with virtually no equipment investment on the part of the farmer. Crop Quest takes care of collecting the georeferenced boundary, pulling the site-specific samples, customizing the recommendations with your help, creating the VRT maps and delivering the necessary information to the applicators. Many local fertilizer providers have the capability to variably apply the fertilizers once the recommendations are made. We will even help line up these services. Crop Quest has strived to keep up with the most recent technology to offer these services to our customers at very economical prices. This fall, Crop Quest would like to encourage farmers to give our grid-sampling program a try and let us show you how you can benefit from VRT. A good starting point would be for you and your agronomist to identify a field or two that has not performed as well as expected over the last few years. We are very confident your return on investment will be well worth your time and effort. Your Crop Quest agronomist is fully capable of integrating this practice into your operation. A great time to get started on your grid-sample program is right after harvest, so please visit with your agronomist today. This will give them ample time to customize the recommendations to meet your goals and get your fertilizer applied in a timely manner. At the same time, ask us about all our Precision Ag services. Our Precision Ag Staff has all the GIS tools and abilities to meet your precision farming needs.

Crop Quest is an employee-owned company dedicated to providing the highest quality agricultural services for each customer. The quest of our network of professionals is to practice integrity and innovation to ensure our services are economically and environmentally sound.

Mission Statement

Crop Quest Agronomic Services, Inc. Main Office: Phone 620.225.2233 Fax 620.225.3199 Internet: www.cropquest.com cqoffice@cropquest.com

Employee-Owned & Customer Driven

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Crop Quest Board of Directors

President: Director: Director: Director: Director: Director: Ron OHanlon Jim Gleason Dwight Koops Cort Minor Chris McInteer Rob Meyer