Search results for 'Banded Fertility'

How Cover Crops Affect Your Fertilizer Strategy

By Laura Barrera

Published 1 years, 4 weeks ago

When it comes to cover crops and nutrient management, a lot of the focus is on what cover crops can do for soil fertility... But how should farmers adjust their fertilizer practices for their cash crops following cover crops? John Pike, a contract researcher and cover crop specialist for the Zea Maize Foundation and IL Sustainable Agriculture Partnership, and a former Research Agronomist at the University of Illinois at Dixon Springs Research station, says that while there are some nuances that need to be planned for, the basic principles of soil fertility and crop management are much the same... “We’re talking about soil fertility and growing corn and beans and wheat or whatever the crop is, so approach it from a logical standpoint, one step at a time, to figure out the best system for the crops, soils and equipment you’re dealing with... In most cases, an injected or banded form of nitrogen is going to be better than a broadcast application... ” Check soil fertility for P and KAs for phosphorus and potassium, Pike says they’re not as critical of an issue as nitrogen in terms of timing and placement, but are certainly key considerations in the overall soil fertility program...

Soil Health Vs. Soil Fertility

By Accidental Agronomist

Published 1 years, 4 months ago

soil fertility. To read the article and get caught up on the rest of the series follow along at News | The Accidental Agronomist I spoke at a conference in front of 200 farmers and used the term, custom soil fertility programs... Someone in line commented “As soon as you said the word fertility everyone woke up and started looking at you... I was to use the term soil health, not fertility... Soil health and soil fertility are two separate topics and I have found can get overused, used in the wrong context, miss-used, and obviously misunderstood...

A New Era of Farm Employees: Farm Technicians vs. Farm Hands?

By Gregory Heilers

Published 1 years, 2 months ago

Traditional agricultural skills that made civilization possible are still alive and in use today. At the same time, hundreds of farm technician job listings across the US, and the rise of precision agriculture and software, clearly evidence the need for technologically-savvy farm technicians in the 21st century agricultural industry. It’s no surprise that tech-friendly millennials interested in farming are encouraged by these developments, which may make farming less labor intensive than in generations past. Technology may even be the antidote to a number of ills plaguing modern agriculture, which have led to a drastic decrease in the number of farms across the United States... Ecological Farming: the Science Behind Farming Isn’t ChangingIn Joel’s mind, while an individual farmer’s understanding of agriculture may change, the science behind soil health and fertility hasn’t and won’t...

How Yield Champions Use Cover Crops for Growing Higher Bushels

By Laura Barrera

Published 1 years, 2 months ago

There are many factors that can influence corn yield. In fact, Fred Below, a plant physiologist at the University of Illinois, identified seven of them, which he dubbed the “Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World. ”The seven wonders, ranked in order of most influence on yield, are:WeatherNitrogenHybridPrevious cropPlant populationTillageGrowth regulatorsWhile Below was referring to the cash crop rotation in the fourth wonder, some farmers are taking it one step further by seeding cover crops. The benefit of added crop diversity along with improvements to soil health is paying off, as some of these farmers are achieving the highest yields in the country... ”Next step in higher yieldsMore’s advice to other farmers is that covers are the next step in increasing and maintaining soil fertility, which in turn improves yield...

Ten Ways to Increase Your Farm's Profits in 2019

By AgFuse Exclusive Content

Published 10 months ago

Part 1: Know Your True Cost of Production Why Your TCOP Matters How to Calculate Your TCOP Part 2: Take the Emotions Out of Your Marketing Plan Why You Need a Plan How to Create a Marketing Matrix How to Determine Your Marketable Inventory How to Use a Marketing Matrix Why You Need an Accountability Partner Part 3: Replace Dead Assets What Are Dead Assets? What Are Productive Assets? Part 4: Manage Your Cash Flow Conversion Cycle What a Cash Flow Conversion Cycle Is How to Speed Up Incoming Flows How to Postpone Outgoing Flows How to Minimize Paying Interest Part 5: Start Using Cover Crops . . . And Get Paid To Do It Why Cover Crops Make Sense How to Obtain Funding Part 6: Take Your Own Soil Samples Why You Should Get Your Own Sampler Who Else You Can Get Consultations From How This Approach Helps You Save Part 7: Bid Out Inputs Why You Should Be In Contact With Multiple Dealers What the Ground Rules Are For Getting Multiple Bids Part 8: Manage Your Fields By Zone How to Create Productivity Zones How to Use Productivity Zones How the Management System Affects Profits Part 9: Focus on Efficiency Over Growth Why Efficiency Matters More Than Size How to Increase Revenue How to Reduce Costs How Increased Efficiency Can Lead to Scaling Part 10: Know Your Optimal Scale ... Sometimes, despite there being plenty of macro fertility on a zone, the limiting factor is that of a micronutrient or an abundance of some other nutrient...

Categories: Agribusiness, Marketing, Cover Crops

Amending vs. Fertilizing

By Accidental Agronomist

Published 1 years, 1 month ago

Is a soil test the end all be all to a fertility program – no. However, it is the foundation for building a plan to manage the health and fertility of your soil and crops. Getting testing done before fall gives you the time needed to make critical decisions regarding amending and fertilizing, ultimately helping you to get the most financially and environmentally from your fertility program... Some amendments, as in the case of Biochar, have long-term fertility consequences that need to be considered. Understanding the why, how, and where you are using an amendment and basing it on your soil conditions and type, before using it in a fertility program will ensure you get the most benefit from it...

What’s the function of Mycorrhiza?

By Darren Chan

Published 7 months ago

Introduction of MycorrhizaExcessive dependence on chemical fertilizers can result in the destruction of a large number of beneficial microbial communities in the soil and a decrease in soil activity. To improve the current soil ecosystem with serious damage and improve soil fertility, it is imperative to supplement soil beneficial microorganisms. The application of microbial fertilizer is the most direct and effective method. Symbiotic bacteria are fungi that need to grow with plants, but do not harm plants and they are beneficial to plant growth. The symbiotic bacteria can grow together with the roots of some plants to form a special symbiont-exogenous mycorrhiza, which exchanges substances with each other through the mycorrhiza...

Categories: Agribusiness, Beef Cattle, Corn

Can You Use Legume Cover Crops in Your Peanut Rotation?

By Laura Barrera

Published 11 months ago

It’s common knowledge among peanut farmers that the farther out you space your peanut crops in your rotation, the better off the peanuts will be. Research backs this up. Jason Sarver, Extension Peanut Specialist for Mississippi State University, shared some trial work published by Dr. Scott Tubbs of the University of Georgia in 2015, that looked at peanut yield when grown in multiple rotation lengths, from continuous peanut to every 4 years... Year 1Fall: Adjust fertility and pH...

Categories: Cover Crops, Peanuts

5 reasons to choose chitosan oligosaccharide in organic agriculture

By Darren Chan

Published 6 months ago

In the application of agricultural production, chitosan oligosaccharides not only make crops grow better and robust, but also has obvious effects in stress resistance and pest resistance. Numerous studies have shown that chitosan oligosaccharides can induce broad-spectrum resistance, enhance the plant’s own defense ability, inhibit the growth of a variety of plant pathogenic microorganisms, and it is non-toxic and can be microbial degradation, and will not pollute the environment. This makes it an important role in agricultural production as a new type of green production. 1... Soil conditionerUsing chitosan oligosaccharide as an additive, soil beneficial bacteria such as actinomycetes can be increased by 1,000 times, harmful bacteria such as Fusarium and nematodes can be significantly reduced, soil fertility can be enhanced, soil can be fundamentally improved, root knot can be cured, and soil can be improved...

Categories: Agribusiness, Irrigation, Organic

So Good They Can't Ignore You: How to get attention as a young farmer

By Farmers Under Forty

Published 1 years, 2 months ago

For aspiring young farmers, often times the only thing standing in the way of them and their dreams of farming on their own is a chance. Starting a farm is tough. It’s tough if you are starting with help from your family and it’s even tougher to start from scratch on your own. Farming is a game of scale which means that your best chance of surviving and thriving is to accumulare a large enough land base to realize machinery, labor and overhead efficiencies... Offer to create variable rate seeding and fertility zones from yield maps and make him money...

Categories: Agribusiness