As we discussed last week, this time of year the growing season can feel similar to reading a book, each chapter building more excitement and
As we turn the calendar into the heart of summer, the growing season can feel similar to reading a book, each chapter building more excitement
Traditionally, Nitrogen fertilizer (N) rates have been linked primarily to expected yield goals. However, with recent high N fertilizer costs, above average commodity prices, and
Advanced Agrilytics is proud to announce its partnership with Leading Harvest as a Program Supporter, further demonstrating its commitment to the scalable implementation of sustainability
In 2021, Illinois farmers saw an early uptick in tar spot outbreaks in corn across the state, says Erika Parker, precision agronomist at Advanced Agrilytics. In fact, she spotted the disease on July 22 in northern Illinois — one month earlier than typically experienced.
Why? A susceptible host, favorable environment and the pathogen occurred at the same time, and it just so happened to be one month ahead of previous years, which resulted in more people experiencing significant damage. The “disease pyramid” worked against crops and farmers last year.
Starter fertilizer application and critical inputs like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are always common topics of conversation this time of year. Kent Klingbeil, a lead agronomist with Advanced Agrilytics, would also include another nutrient on that list: sulfur.
Pull the planter out of the shed, fill the planter boxes and start putting seed in the ground. That’s all there is to it, right? No, and especially not this year with so many variables at play, says Aaron Gault, lead agronomist for Advanced Agrilytics.
Not only has a wet, cool spring presented challenging field conditions, but also input availability, cost, and wild swings in commodity prices have given growers a lot more to think about.
“Even before we dive into the prescriptive side of managing the crop it’s going to be about the planter and planter maintenance that we need to focus on,” Gault says. “A key part of that is making sure we have even emergence. And when you think of everything that affects that emerging seedling it goes back to how it is set into the trench. Are all the seeds planted at a consistent depth and are they all planted into moisture?”
For most growers, the success of a season is determined with the combine passes that tell us final yield. While this measurement has the most direct and tangible impact to a operation’s bottom line, how does each grower decide throughout the growing season if they are “on track” for their yield expectation or whether other measures should be taken? Most of us have important times during the growing season to assess the crop which most often occur at emergence where we assess stand establishment signifying a strong start and during or immediately after pollination to determine yield potential for the remainder of the year. These are key milestones, but another that seems to garner less attention is crop canopy.
Brownfield’s Meghan Grebner talks with Sean Arians and AJ Woodyard about the innovation taking place at Advanced Agrilytics.
The questions are flowing through your head as you plan your fungicide program for the new crop year. What worked in 2021? Will fungicide fit in the budget against other input costs? Seth Logan, Advanced Agrilytics precision agronomist in southern Illinois, reminds farmers of the importance of fungicide in 2022.
Changing weather conditions and plant disease challenges were just a small part of the impacts felt by many Midwestern corn and soybean growers throughout the 2021 growing season.
Wet year? Dry year? What’s coming in 2022? We know you can’t control or predict the weather, but we can mitigate its impact.
