Field Crop News and Notes Mike
Rankin Keys
to Successful Frost Seeding
Frost seeding is more risky than conventional seeding methods but
attention to several management considerations will more often than not
insure success. These are: Maximize
seed - soil contact: Graze
pastures close in the fall or winter to open stands and expose soil.
Sod-type grasses like bluegrass are the most difficult to make
successful frost seedings into, especially if there is a thick layer of
thatch on top of the soil surface. In
these situations, short duration animal hoof action is sometimes needed to
help "plant" the seed. Reduce
plant competition with new seedlings:
Reducing competition can be done in several ways.
First, grazing pastures down to 2 inches in the fall will help to
slow regrowth in the spring. Frost-seeded pastures need to be grazed regularly in
the spring and summer to allow for light penetration into the plant canopy.
Species
selection and seeding rates: Frost
seedings are often made to introduce or increase forage legume species into
a grass stand. Research and
farmer experience have shown good results with red clover and birdsfoot
trefoil. Alfalfa, alsike
clover, and white or ladino clover have also been frost-seeded with varying
degrees of success. Many
producers routinely frost seed red clover every 2-3 years to sustain legume
production. Most cool season
grasses are more difficult to establish with frost seeding.
Good success has been achieved with the ryegrasses (both annual and
perennial) but these species will typically not be productive for more than
one or two years. Other
possibilities, listed from highest to lowest risk, are orchardgrass, smooth
bromegrass, timothy, and reed canarygrass.
Seeding rates need to be adjusted based on species and conditions.
Seeding
Time and Method: The
fundamental principle behind frost seeding is that alternating freezing and
thawing, along with spring rains, will help to incorporate the broadcast
seed into the soil surface. Seeding
on top of snow is acceptable if the depth is not too great.
The best time to seed is from mid-March to early-April. Brazilian
Soybean Acres Skyrocketing
Over the last six years, soybean acres in Brazil have increased 64
percent to nearly 45 million. This
occurred even though the farm gate price for soybeans was below $4.00 per
bushel in the country. Variable
cost of production in Brazil is about the same as in the U.S., but land and
machinery costs are considerably lower.
For example, land rental rates are from $3.00 to $12.00 per acre. What does all this mean?
Simply that lower production in the U.S. has much less of an impact
on world supply and grain prices than was the case just a few short years
ago. Bt
Effectiveness Impacted by Nitrogen Fertility
Researchers in Mississippi recently reported a relationship between
soil nitrogen fertility and the amount of Bt endotoxin produced by the corn
plant. Several field treatments
of 0 to 300 pounds of nitrogen per acre were applied to corn.
The amount of Bt toxin produced was 35 percent less for the 0
nitrogen treatment compared to where nitrogen was not limiting.
In several situations last year, low levels of European corn borer
feeding were reported in fields planted to Bt corn.
This research offers one possible explanation of why this might have
occurred. Net-Wrap
Beats Twine for Large Round Bales
Kevin Shinners, UW Ag Engineer, cites some pretty good reasons to
consider net-wrap instead of twine for large round bales.
First, bales can be wrapped much more quickly. Instead of 20 to 30 bale turns for twine, you simply need 1.5
to 3 turns for net-wrap. Because
more turns are needed for twine, there is also considerably higher harvest
loss. In his experiments,
Shinners shows virtually no loss during the wrapping process with the
net-wrap compared to 1 percent or more with the twine.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, net-wrap preserves the bales
much more effectively. Losses
during outdoor storage averaged just over 7 percent for net wrapping
compared to 19 percent for twine. The
net-wrapped bales shed water better. However,
because water runs off these bales, it's important to place them on a
surface that is well drained. Net-wrap cost more than twine but those costs
are quickly recovered with savings in dry matters losses.
Virtually any round baler can be equipped to net-wrap bales. Watch Those Vegetable Acres Under the 2002 Farm Bill The 2002 Farm Bill allows for the production of vegetable crops on participating farms, but NOT on base contract acres of grain crops. Further, either the producer or farm must have a history of planting vegetable crops. In the case of producer history, the farm can only plant the specific crop for which the producer has a history AND the farm is limited to the number of historical acres for which the producer planted the crop. If a producer wants to increase vegetable acres, the 2002 Farm Bill allows for an acre-for-acre reduction in base acres that will be paid on in that year. This is not a penalty, but merely a loss of government payment on the number of vegetable acres that cut into the farm's grain and oilseed acre base. It does not entail a permanent loss of base because government contracts are on a one-year basis. Be sure your vegetable crop planting intentions are clear to the FSA BEFORE the planting season. Severe penalties exist for "after the fact" violations.
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