Hodgepodge of Information Updates
There are several articles on this website that present information about processes and/or programs that are available to producers to help them make decisions about myriad aspects of crop production and associated activities. The following narrative will provide links to those previous articles where available, with updates that pertain to the subject matter in those articles. Also provided are descriptions of or links to information about new developments and/or technologies that should be of interest to Midsouth soybean producers.
This update pertains to two articles on this website, which are “Carbon Credits, Carbon Farming, and Carbon Programs” [Apr. 2023] and “Carbon Credits and Contracts” [Mar. 2023]. In an Aug. 2023 article titled “Checklist: Evaluating, understanding carbon contracts”, Tiffany Dowell Lashmet of Texas A&M Univ. AgriLife Extension provides a link to a fact sheet that gives a checklist of terms and their meanings that producers should be aware of before entering into a carbon contract. Dr. Lashmet states “It is critical for landowners to understand that every contract is different, and the devil is in the details. Before signing a contract, landowners should carefully read the entire document, and I recommend contacting an attorney well-versed in carbon contracts to assist with negotiation and evaluation”. She also provides links to podcasts that she conducted with other experts in the field.
A Sept. 2022 article titled “Technologies to Potentially Enhance Soybean Production” that was posted on this website provides information about Precision Planting’s introduction of their Radicle Agronomics soil sampling system, a new technology that is used for collecting and processing soil samples for nutrient testing. Radicle Lab, the cornerstone of this technology, is a fully automated soil laboratory that removes human touches from the sampling and testing process. Used with Geopress, the system eliminates the need for manual record keeping and bag handling in the sampling process. According to information in an article titled “Precision Planting’s Radicle Lab after one year” by Tom Bechman, an updated system is capable of analyzing soil samples for Mg, Ca, and CEC in addition to the original capabilities of P, K, and pH measurements. The company will continue to follow the now-used lease model with the system.
Cover crops are considered a cornerstone of conservation agriculture systems. A White Paper on this website provides details about CC use in crop production systems. Also, click here [filter by sustainability, then search cover crops] to access numerous articles on this website that deal with various aspects of CC use. The following narrative presents recent developments that pertain to CC use and conservation agriculture.
In a July 2023 FarmProgress article titled “Balancing act: Fall-planting cover crops for weed suppression” by Curt Arens, results from work with CC’s used in soybean production systems by Dr. Chris Proctor, Nebraska Extension weed management educator, are highlighted. Major points presented in the article follow.
• In general, the more CC biomass, the greater the benefits from CC’s.
• The earlier a CC was planted in the fall, the more biomass was produced. Conversely, later fall planting of a CC resulted in a dramatic reduction in CC biomass.
• In the case of either rye or wheat CC’s, waiting to terminate the CC to just before planting soybeans on May 8 to May 17 resulted in a doubling of biomass production.
• A banded CC planting approach that left an unplanted area for the next season’s soybean rows with CC termination not occurring until a post-emergence herbicide application to the soybeans resulted in almost complete suppression of Palmer amaranth.
• A balanced approach that included early CC planting and late CC termination gave the best opportunity for achieving the greatest biomass production that in turn provided the greatest weed suppression.
A Progressive Farmer magazine article titled “Whiskey and Rye Make Cover Crops Pay” by Matthew Wilde provides an interesting take on generating income from CC acreage that will help offset the extra cost associated with CC use on other acres. Major points from the article follow.
• Gaesser Farms in Iowa plants cereal rye as a cover crop on about 3500 acres [65%] of their farming operation.
• A small percentage [100 acres in 2022 (~3%), 400 acres planned for 2023 (~11.5%)] of this 3500 acres is harvested for grain. Average yield was 63 bu/acre in 2022.
• At a price of $12/bu received for rye grain that was sold for seed and to a nearby distillery in 2022, this amounted to a return of over $750/acre. According to Chris Gaesser, profits from the harvested cereal rye acreage are estimated to be about $200/acre.
• The bottom line message gleaned from the above-linked article follows. 1) There are creative ways to offset some of the costs associated with planting CC’s. 2) CC acres that are harvested for grain such as those highlighted in the above article will likely have the harvest residue returned to the soil surface. 3) Date of harvest of CC acres for grain such as in the above-cited case [mid-July] will preclude the timely planting of a summer cash crop such as corn or soybeans. 4) Acres that are planted to a CC that is harvested for grain or seed can be rotated within the total CC acres of a farming operation so that no one site is continually deprived of the benefits of a CC that precedes a timely planted summer cash crop.
Not all farmer-owned or -operated land is suitable for optimum crop production. Thus, producers must be creative to ensure that these marginal acres are used to derive some income in lieu of producing a high-yielding cash crop. This is the subject of an article titled “Addressing Profitability with Conservation Programs” by Denice Rackley that appears in the May-June 2023 issue of Crops & Soils Magazine. Highlights from that article follow.
• Every farm has areas that, even with amendments, are marginal for producing a high-yielding cash crop. However, these areas can be repurposed to increase that farm’s overall profitability. Such areas can be transitioned into conservation areas that will utilize farm bill programs–e.g. CRP–and/or can be partnered with organizations that can/will provide a guaranteed income from these marginal areas.
• Many of the repurposing programs involve planting trees, establishing wildlife habitats, increasing pollinator habitats, sequestering carbon, and/or addressing water infiltration and erosion issues.
• A software program designed by Drs. Wes Burger and Mark McConnell at Miss. State Univ. is a recently-developed tool that can be used to identify locations where economic loss occurs in farm fields. The software uses producer-inputted data to produce a map that shows where profit and loss areas are located within a field. Click here for an article titled “MSU’s targeted conservation tool aims to improve profitability for farmers” that provides details about this software and how to get it.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Aug. 2023, larryh91746@gmail.com