Blog Archives
Corn Planting Rate Research & Recs
Even with recent rain and snow events, the subsoil is still dry. You may be wondering,
“What should I do regarding corn planting rates in 2013?”
A few weeks ago, UNL Extension held our on-farm research meetings to share our 2012 Corn Planting Rate results for irrigated and dryland conditions. I always enjoy hearing our farmers share why they were interested in a certain trial and what they found out as a result.
Our farmers followed protocols of 28K, 32K, 36K, 40K (40,000 seeds/acre) or 30K, 34K, 38K, 42K/acre for irrigated production and 18K, 22K, 26K, and 30K for dryland production. 
The results since 2010 continue to show us that each individual hybrid varies in its response to increasing populations; however, there is a general trend with newer hybrids that increasing population results in increased yields. Dr. Tom Hoegemeyer, UNL Agronomy Professor of Practice spoke about how our hybrids have genetically come so far in combating various stresses while maintaining yields. We know that many seed companies have conducted research to determine the population calibration curve for each hybrid to determine best recommendations for you. Thus, we’d recommend that you check with your seed dealer to determine which hybrid may fit best at which population for your operation.
Even with this data, you may question if that’s truly the best population for your field; that’s where on-farm research comes in! We recommend testing the recommended population against a higher and lower population with at least 4000 seeds/acre difference in planted population-whether irrigated or dryland. With today’s technologies, it’s not very difficult to test seeding rates for different hybrids for yourself!
So what rate should you plant this year? In the majority of our irrigated studies, economically, many hybrids maximized yields and economic returns between 32,000-36,0o0 seeds/acre. Again, this is very hybrid dependent so ask your seed dealer what he/she would recommend and test for yourself!
Regarding limited irrigation, UNL research has actually shown a negative effect of lost yield by backing off population too far in a dry year. 
Tom’s recommendation was for dryland in Eastern Nebraska, most hybrids even with the low soil moisture profile should be ok with planting 24,000-28,000 seeds/acre. I realize we have essentially no moisture in our profile. But taking probabilities of rainfall events, March-May is usually pretty good and we don’t want to short-change ourselves in yield by planting too low of populations. For Central into Western, NE, I feel 20,000-22,000 seeds/acre will work for many hybrids. Our genetics have come so far since we finished the last drought in 2007 and were planting 18,000 seeds/acre in dryland. We will just keep praying for rain and hope for the best next year! Ultimately, test this and your other on-farm questions for yourself to know what will work for your farm!
If you’re interested in conducting some seeding rate trials, please let anyone on our UNL On-Farm Research Team know! All our studies are posted on the CropWatch on-farm research page.
What planting rates are you considering for 2013?
Youth Discover Crop Science
An excellent opportunity for youth to become detectives and have fun while learning about crops and science! Consider having a youth you know attend this Big Red Camp and learn more about agriculture careers! There are also scholarships available to attend!
Are you interested in science, agriculture, plants, crops, insects, or diseases? If so, join our team of detectives to solve crop-related problems in the Crop Science Investigation (CSI) Big Red Camp! Become a detective while participating in hands-on sessions to learn about and increase your knowledge of crops, science, and agricultural careers. Youth detectives will interact with agronomic professionals across Nebraska to solve experiments in: nutrient management; managing disease, insect and weed problems; water management; crop production, and much more! Do you have what it takes to become a CSI detective?
There are a variety of careers related to plant sciences such as:Agricultural Communicator; Agronomist; Crop Consultant; Crop Insurance Adjuster; Educator; Co-op Manager; Farmer or Rancher; Farm Credit Banker; Field or Lab Researcher; Plant Breeder; Soil or Water Conservationist; Seed, Fertilizer, or Chemical Sales; or Technical Representative.
Scholarships are available in the amount of $300 to participants who…
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Mobile Ag Apps from UNL
This week I saw an article from agriculture.com that had ranked UNL’s Market Journal app as the Number 1 agriculture app! I’ve also felt it was the 
best ag app from UNL providing markets, each week’s show segments via YouTube, weather, and all the CropWatch articles in a one-stop app.
So being snowed in right now, I thought it would be a good time to share some new apps developed by UNL. The newest ag apps are for livestock. Some of you are in calving season and UNL Extension just released the NUBeef-BCS (body condition scoring) and NUBeef-Anatomy apps that may be helpful. They are available on the Apple App Store and will be via Google Play shortly.
NUBeef-BCS allows producers to visually assess their cow herd using a number system that objectively describes the amount of condition or fat reserve of the animal. Body condition score describes the relative fatness of a cow based on a nine point scale. When using the NUBeef-BCS app, producers can simply take photos of their beef cows and then score cows at important times throughout the year, such as at weaning and before the start of calving and breeding season. Taking pictures of the same cow multiple times throughout the year allows producers to better manage the herd according to Rick Rasby, UNL Beef Specialist. He said one of the challenges during winter is producers want to score body conditions, but cows have their winter hair coats. The app includes drawings of cows in different body condition scores that also can help with that. An added component to the app is an education component and is designed for instructors to use at all levels-from high 
school, junior college, and four-year colleges. The app has a group of cows that have already been body condition scored that can be pulled up and used to practice scoring.
The NUBeef-Anatomy app provides visual and text information about the muscles and bones of the beef carcass. The user can navigate through the carcass by displaying cross-sections and then touch any muscle or bone to display the respective physical and chemical properties. Check out the NUBeef YouTube channel for more info. or watch Feb. 1’s segment of “Market Journal”.
A listing of all mobile apps from UNL Extension can be found here.
Wordless Wednesday: Technology in Ag
Captured pics of slides at last week’s Nebraska Ag Technology Association Conference. What comments do you have about them?
On-farm Research
Wow, I’m sorry I haven’t published much the past two months! Much has happened though as we’re in the middle of winter Extension ag programming season! I love this time of year seeing farmers and ag industry reps-and just chatting about what happened last year and speculating about the upcoming season.
Many of you are also attending numerous meetings. You’re gathering information regarding products and production practices. You may be wondering “Will this work on my farm?” Why not go a step further and see for yourself? On-farm research is a great way to test these questions for yourself using your own equipment in your own fields!
UNL Extension has partnered with the Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Corn Growers to form the Nebraska On-farm Research Network. There are three main studies we are conducting state-wide: corn population, corn nutrient, and corn irrigation studies…but we are open to helping you design a valid research experiment for your field to test what you would like-and it can be for a crop other than corn.
We have some upcoming opportunities for you to learn more. On February 11 and February 12 from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at UNL’s Ag Research and Development Center near Mead and the York Co. Fairgrounds in York respectively, growers who conducted on-farm research in 2012 will be sharing their results; you can also learn more about conducting on-farm research in your own field. There is no charge for the meetings courtesy of the Farm Credit Services of America but we do need an RSVP for meal count and handouts. Please RSVP by calling (402)624-8030 for ARDC or (402)362-5508 for the program in York. I hope to see you at these meetings as well!
Updated Cash Lease Considerations
Landlord/tenant workshops have occurred throughout the State and I hope you had the opportunity to attend one of them. Survey numbers from
UNL and USDA (click on 2012 County Level Cash Rents) are available for starting points even though basing lease arrangements off the productivity of the land may be fairer. A 50/50 share lease is still the fairest lease arrangement yet I realize for a number of reasons many landlords are switching to cash rent. I also realize we continue to see situations of very high cash rent numbers. These numbers aren’t the norm and they don’t pencil out when cost of production is factored in.
In this post I wrote about considering cash rent based on the productivity of the land and provided a formula for it. Essentially take a 5 year Olympic average yield for the field. Multiply by an agreed price such as fall harvest price or whatever both parties agree upon. Then multiply by 1/3 and it gives you an idea of where to start. The price can be adjusted from there depending on if the tenant provides additional services, etc. Granted this formula isn’t perfect because a high average yield with a very high price can result in the high cash rents we’re hearing. It’s another formula to consider.
A flexible cash lease is another way to arrive at a cash rent price. These leases can be as simple or complicated as you would like to make them. Flexes can be made for yield alone but we wouldn’t recommend flexing on price alone. If you consider flexing on price, you should consider a combination with price and yield.
Communication is Key!
For both landlords and tenants: communication is key. I’m always amazed how many landlords tell me they don’t know the yields their tenants are receiving. If you don’t think your tenant will provide that every year by just asking for it, then build it into the written lease. Landlords, if there are things you want tenants to do like keeping the sprayer boom away from your plum bushes that you like to pick for jam or mow your ditches a certain way, you need to communicate those things to your tenant and/or build those things into the lease as well. Building all these unmentioned things into a written lease also greatly helps family members understand why things are done a certain way when the family member who is the landlord is no longer able to take care of these things.
Landlords: while you hear high crop prices, many of your tenants did not sell $8 corn; most sold at some price along the way.
Tenants: it is important to be fair with your landlords. In good years consider giving them a share of the profit-that’s another reason to consider flexible cash leases because these things can be built in to be fair to the landlord in good years and to the tenant in bad years.
Research Fertilizer Options for Your Farm
November 1 is just around the corner-the beginning of when fall fertilizing occurs in this area of the State. Hopefully many of you have taken soil samples as excess nitrate is to be expected after this drought year. This is an excellent time to consider evaluating your nitrogen program by starting an on-farm research trial!
On-farm research is using your own equipment, in your own fields, over single or multiple growing seasons allowing you to determine the most economical, efficient, and sustainable practice for the production of irrigated and/or dryland crops on your own farm.
What are the soil fertility questions you have for your farm?
Right now, with fertilizing on producers’ minds, we’re hoping you will consider a soil fertility study. We have several example nutrient protocols
including the UNL N fertility rate compared to +/- 30 lbs, and considerations for nitrogen timing studies such as pre-plant, sidedress, or fertigation. You can view all these plot designs by clicking on 2012 protocols. If you are planning on applying anhydrous this fall, be sure that the anhydrous strips are the correct width, as the corn must be harvested and weight determined in a correct manner next fall.
When designing a nitrogen comparison you need to remember nitrogen is a mobile nutrient and corn roots will spread laterally. Therefore, the width of the treatments must take this into account and compensate for it. If you have a 16 row nitrogen applicator and an 8 row corn head, you will need 32 rows of each nitrogen rate. Each 32 row strip must be repeated 4 times. At harvest, in each 32 row block, you must record and weigh the center 16 rows with two separate weights i.e. 8+8 . This is done for statistical analysis purposes. Without statistics, you cannot determine if differences between treatments is the result of the nitrogen rate or because of soil variability.
What’s in It for You?
On-farm research in your own fields allows you to find answers to the questions you may have. We all read articles or hear presentations about various practices and products. The question is “Will it work on my farm?“. That’s what on-farm research allows you to find out!
UNL Extension Educators and Specialists are here to help you design your on-farm research trials, help you with data collection, and will statistically analyze the data for you at the end of the season. Correct plot setup is critical to reduce any error in favoring one treatment over another (because we know fields are variable and some portions of the field will yield better than others). The statistical analysis is another tool which helps us determine how much any yield differences between treatments are due to the treatments themselves or to chance.
So if you have an idea you’d like to try, please contact any of the UNL Extension Educators or Specialists working with on-farm research! The Nebraska On-farm Research Effort is a partnership between the Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Corn Growers Association, and UNL Extension.
On-farm research may sound daunting, but today’s equipment makes it easier than ever. It does take a little extra time, but our farmers conducting on-farm research feel the value of knowing the results of a study on their own piece of ground make the effort worthwhile.
What are some on-farm research studies you would like to conduct this year or that you would like our group to consider?
Fall Fertilizing Considerations
With the early harvest and potential product discounts, producers may be considering fall fertilization soon. I can appreciate the reasons for it such as the product discounts, covering acres, and the fact that we don’t know what spring weather will bring in order to fertilize before planting.
At the same time applying nitrogen when a growing crop is not present allows for nutrient loss and we continue to see nitrates in groundwater increase in some areas. Check out the following Webcasts regarding research from UNL Soil Fertility Specialists as you consider nutrient application and the addition of nitrogen inhibitors.
Guidelines for Fall Fertilizing
If you do apply fertilizer in the fall, the Natural Resources District (NRD’s) have provided guidelines so please check specifically with them. Both UBBNRD and LBNRD have said no fall fertilization before November 1st and recommend no fall fertilization when soil temperatures are above 50°F. This is because the conversion of anhydrous ammonia is much slower once soil temperatures are consistently below 50°F. Please see the CropWatch Soil Temperature page for a map of current soil temperatures.
LBNRD also recommends but doesn’t require a nitrogen inhibitor placed with the anhydrous in the fall. No liquid or dry nitrogen fertilizer can be applied between November 1st and March 1st without receiving a fertilizer permit. With the fertilizer permit, producers will be required to put a nitrogen inhibitor in with their dry or liquid fertilizer.
Two exemptions are provided in the spreading of manure, sewage, and other by-products conducted in compliance with state laws and regulations, and the applications of pre-plant starter nitrogen to fall seeded crops, such as wheat.
A few other considerations from UNL Soil Fertility Specialists:
- Take soil samples as soil nitrates may be higher than normal this fall-particularly in dryland fields.
- Dry soils are difficult to sample and may affect results. Soil organic matter and soil nitrate results should be fine, but some soil pH and potassium may be affected by the dry conditions.
- Knife applications, including sealing of anhydrous ammonia injection tracks, also may be more difficult in dry soil conditions.
- Monitor rain and snow infiltration between now and the next growing season and make fertilizer adjustments next spring if excessive rain may have caused leaching.
JenResources 