Be mindful of frozen ground

LEXINGTON – A local ag retailer is cautioning growers against applying fertilizer to frozen ground this winter.

“Applying fertilizer on frozen ground could lead to runoff, but not always,” said Jason McArdle of Brandt Consolidated. “That can get into the water sources and lead to high nitrate levels in the water supply.”

McArdle says farmers need to do their part to be aware of this. There has been a big push in the industry for growers to be good stewards of nutrients. Illinois has been a leader in trying to make those in the ag industry aware of best management practices to avoid over-regulation.

It is time to start thinking about herbicide programs for next year, according to McArdle. There will be both challenges and opportunities heading into 2017. Many questions still surround the Extend soybean platform.

“As we move forward into the coming months, a lot of that will be cleared up,” McArdle said.

McArdle believes the area harvest went well for the most part as farmers ran hard for almost two months. McArdle believes this fall’s good weather is something we should all be thankful for.