Trials provide useful data

Planting trials done this season are providing quite a bit of information for those in the ag industry.

A trial at the Brandt Consolidated research farm at Pleasant Plains includes soybeans planted March 15. They were untreated and had pretty much a plant stand of zero. Meanwhile, March 15 planted beans with seed treatment had a stand of around 120,000. They were planted at 140,000.

“This is going to be a year that our seed treatments definitely paid off,” said Yale Young, a field advisor for Brandt Consolidated.

Young believes seed treatment paid for itself this year even though some growers wanted to cut back from a cost perspective.

Weather questions remain:

This season’s weather is resulting in numerous questions. Some places have not received much rain in recent weeks which raises doubts about how effective pre-planting herbicides were. Jason McArdle, Brandt plant manager for the Lexington location, says those herbicides need around a half inch of rain to become activated.

“I would be really diligent about going out in your fields and seeing what’s going on because the time is here that we need to make decisions on those post herbicides,” McArdle said.

McArdle recommends scouting your fields and being on the lookout for yellow corn. Factors could include nitrogen applications, compaction, disease or nutrient deficiencies. An agronomist should be consulted to diagnose a pattern.

“Sometimes, patterns can help lead to further questions and sometimes there’s no pattern. That in itself can give you another set of questions to ask," McArdle adds.

Most of the crops look good so far, but McArdle cautions that every year is different. Soybean products will be sprayed soon, such as Liberty and dicamba. Growers should make an effort to know what their neighbors have planted.

“I can’t reiterate that enough because it’s going to be up to us.”