Dicamba Damage Heats Up

Dicamba Damage Heats Up

crop protection Soybeans

Dicamba damage is the buzz in agriculture right now.  New formulations were haled as the answer to drift issues with dicamba.  Industry officials are blaming everything except that dicamba is a bad idea.  Prairie Farmer has published a Monsanto Response that seems to be weak in some ways.  Drift is only one problem.  The field below had damage across the whole field.  That is likely caused by inversion.  We have heard that even a heavy dew on recently sprayed fields can cause a problem.

Some commercial applicators have quit using dicamba because of the issues.  If you continue to use it, be sure to follow label and understand that conditions can change quickly.  You may start a field on label and finish off label.  Dicamba residues in the tank have been blamed in some cases.  I am not sure how often that happens.  This article on what is happening in Illinois seems to cover many of the issues very well.  Monsanto claims that used as directed there should be no problems.  I am not sure I would use it at all.

Cupping indicates dicamba damage. 

Good corn Harvest in Mato Grosso

Good corn Harvest in Mato Grosso

Brazilian Agriculture corn Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

The corn harvest has already started in northern Mato Grosso, and the productions are surprising, we are harvesting 20% to 30% more than we expected! The soybean harvest was over and great too!

Crop Condition Today

Crop Condition Today

corn Crop Condition Soybeans

In general crop condition this spring has been fair at best.  Today as we were getting caught up on soil sampling, we were still seeing fields that are too wet to plant.  Corn was still being replanted.  Patching in will probably continue for  2 weeks.  12 acres of corn planted in Mid-March was the best looking corn we have seen.  I am not advocating for planting that early because the risk is huge.  About half the corn is starting to get some dark color.  It is also getting tall enough that you can't see the areas that have poor stands for the most part.  Smaller corn has decent stands, but we are still seeing nitrogen and sulfur deficiency symptoms, probably somewhat as a result of weather. My overall rating of corn condition is just average.

Weather is improving for now.  Next week we will start hearing from some people that a rain would be nice.  The first rain in the forecast is June 17.

Soybeans are looking a little better than corn.  Stands are more even and some early planted beans are at V2 or V3 stage.  later planted soybeans are germinating and emerging fast.  My overall rating of soybeans is slightly above average.

Weed control is an issue in some places.  I have heard of disappointing results with Dicamba and I have seen disappointing results with Liberty.

Soybeans, Corn, Corruption

Soybeans, Corn, Corruption

Brazilian Agriculture corn Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

We have the soybean harvest finished in Brazil, it is certain that the production is record in all the states. With the accusations of corruption of the Brazilian government we had a sudden rise of the dollar and this caused the sale of soybean in large productions. Last Thursday of last week. High stocks on farms are still a concern for all farmers, today our prices depend on the Chicago Stock Exchange and corruption scandals that are always raising the dollar's prices in our country and causing better prices. We know that if the US produces a large crop of soybeans, prices must drop dramatically, that's what we expect for prices. The good thing is that we have a large soybean crop.

Let's start harvesting the corn in 20 or 30 days, the rains were perfect for corn, we will also have a large grain crop in Brazil. The prices are also small with the large production and with the largest cattle slaughterhouses in Brazil involved in the corruption scandals and the uncertainty will be paid to the cattle producers when they deliver their cattle for slaughter. We are living a year complicated with corruption, the strategy is to sell for price that does not harm as quickly as possible, because we do not know what will be the economic destination of the country.

Good Soybean Harvest in Brazil

Good Soybean Harvest in Brazil

Brazilian Agriculture Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

The soybean harvest was great in Brazil, most of the states have already closed the harvest, the states further north, Bahia, Maranhão, Piaui and Tocantis are beginning to harvest, and the crop will be good, too. We have good corn crops second crop. Corn and soybean yields are great here in Brazil. Argentina has yet to show its crop yields, many rains have flooded the crops at planting and now at the harvest new floods have occurred, it is still uncertain!

Muito Quente

Muito Quente

Brazil corn Cotton Soybeans

Mutio quente is a good description of today. Muito quente is Portuguese for "very hot." Today was in the mid 90's as we learned more about Brazilian agriculture. We started learning about cotton production. We were able to visit a cotton producer who works with Bayer Crop Science to produce cotton seed for future crops. He shared production practices, challenges, and some of the equipment used.

Soybean Harvest Almost Done in Brazil

Soybean Harvest Almost Done in Brazil

Brazilian Agriculture Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

Good Morning! Here in Mato Grosso we are closing the soybean crop, productivity will be a record! The climate is perfect for harvesting and production. Overall the average should be between 65 bags per hectare and 70 bags per hectare. The planting of the second crop corn is developing well, with good rains for the development of the plants.

Soybean Harvest started in Mato Grosso

Soybean Harvest started in Mato Grosso

Brazilian Agriculture Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

Here in Mato Grosso soybeans have already begun to be harvested, in the north of the state some farmers are complaining that it is raining a lot and this can damage the quality of the grain. The average production is excellent for these first crops that are being harvested, 60 bags per hectare. In general Mato Grosso already has 15% harvested. Here in the south the harvest has already begun and the production is excellent!

Rainfall can change the quality of crops and productivity, and we have heavy rainfall forecast to fall in February.

Soybeans in Brazil Looking Mixed

Soybeans in Brazil Looking Mixed

Brazilian Agriculture Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

Good morning mate! I've been away for a while. Here in Mato Grosso we are looking at a very good soybean crop, I believe it will be a record of this production. In the states of Bahia, Piauí, Maranhão and Tocantins there was a lack of rainfall and some crops were replanted. In the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná and Santa Catarina there was an excess of rainfall, which affected the crops. In Brazil in general I believe that on average we will have a good harvest! Argentina It has great problems with excess of chucas in part of the country and drought in another part of the country, I believe that this year will have great damages in soybean and corn, now it is left to plant wheat to recover part.

Wayne County Visit

Wayne County Visit

Soybeans

We visited Wayne County today to do aseptic tank evaluation.  Lots of soybeans still have leaves, and soybean fields seemed to outnumber corn 2:1.  I suppose some of them are double crop.   2007 Census of Agriculture says they are in the top 20 counties in soybean production.

Soil was fairly moist considering were were in a soybean field.

Soybean Harvest

Soybean Harvest

#harvest16 Soybeans

I went to Pike County to do a septic evaluation.  On my way home I had to stop in Springfield.  The photo below is south of Springfield with the city clearly in the background.  Several fields of soybeans were harvested or being harvested yesterday.

Soybean Harvest.

Weedy Soybeans

Weedy Soybeans

Soybeans weed control

Lots of soybeans are getting weedy.  I am not sure of herbicide program in these fields, but the bottom two fields missed the mark.  The top photo shows fairly clean beans.  Only a few stalks of corn are poking through.  The beans in the middle photo look pretty good over all , but there was a conspicuous gap in spray coverage.  The bottom photo shows a field where late season weed control is not good.  Last week on the way to Kentucky, I noticed weeds especially bad in the middles of 30 inch rows.  I could not find that today. Probably 80 to 90% of the weeds are waterhemp.

Fairly clean

Sprayer Gap in  the Middle

Weedy

Manganese Deficiency in Soybeans

Manganese Deficiency in Soybeans

Soybeans

Soybeans in this field are chlorotic, likely because of manganese deficiency.  One possible cause it glyphosate.  The Pioneer Seeds article suggests that the solution may be as simple as how chemicals are mixed.  Some people say this is not a yield problem, but it looks pretty bad to me at least inthis field.  Any easy solution is to not use glyphosate every year.

Soybean Planting Almost Done

Soybean Planting Almost Done

Soybeans

I shot this video last week as soybean planting is winding up in our area.  There may be just a few wet fields to plant.  Rain has been spotty with 3 to 4 inches in isolated areas.

Soybean Progress

Soybean Progress

Soybeans

Working in St. Charles County today.  We saw lots of planters in the field.  Alsok tillage equipment and sprayers were going.  Be careful out there.  We lucked out on the rain.  It stayed to the south.

Soybeans: To Accept or Not

Soybeans: To Accept or Not

China European Union Soybeans

Featured below is an article from Ag Web that discusses the possibility of some elevators not accepting Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans in the United States due to policies in place around the world with different countries. We encourage you to explore the linked article and startup conversations around the world in your classrooms and communities utilizing the provided discussion questions.

Thinking of Applying Sugar?

Thinking of Applying Sugar?

corn soil fertility Soybeans

A practice that has been getting some discussion in th past few years is applying sugar to the crop.  The idea is that sugar will stimulate microbes and speed up release of nutrients from soil minerals.  Producers may be looking at this practice as a way to cut back on fertilizer costs.  Ohio researchers have looked at the practice along with others around the Midwest.  According to an article in No-Till Farmer, they found no yield increase from sugar applications.

Soybean Harvest in Brazil

Soybean Harvest in Brazil

Brazilian Agriculture Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

i'm trying to understand how soybean production in Mato Grossowill be; with this reason I am slow to send news. The producers of the North are harvesting soybeans and averages are varying a lot, some farm harvesting soybean30 bags per ha farm and another has harvested 60 bags per hectare. The harvest in the South and the rest of Mato Grosso started and is starting very well. Here in the South we are averaging so far of 64 bags per hectare. The weather is very hot and little rain. We need rain for plants that are still developing, but overall, I would say today that we still need to wait to see the end of the harvest is going to have a great reduction or not.

Soybean Harvest in Brazil

Soybean Harvest in Brazil

Brazilian Agriculture Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

The soybean harvest is beginning in northern Mato Grosso; rainfall is damaging the harvest in the last 12 days. It has rained every day and the sun does not appear!

The first farms that are early harvesting of soy shortest cycle and having 50% to 60% in production.

Soybean Harvest in Mato Grosso

Soybean Harvest in Mato Grosso

Brazilian Agriculture Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

Here in Mato Grosso harvest began in the fields of soybeans that were irrigated with pivot; the farms that suffered from the dry soy is not ready to be harvested. The month of December 2015 was dry in northern Mato Groso, the states of Bahia, Maranhão and Tocantins. We are returning to have good rains near the beginning of 2016. Now the concern of northern soybean producers in Mato Grosso is whether the rains will be intense and prevent making a good harvest. Yet one can not say that there is a reduction in productivity. In the city of Canarana-MT, today I heard that producers still have finishing planting of soybeans, it is already too late for that!