Volume 16 Issue 4 July 2006

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CROP QUEST AGRONOMIC SERVICES, INC.

If the recent dry fall and winter are any indication of what to expect this summer, corn producers should be aware of the potential for spider mite infestations and the harm these pests can cause their crop. Outbreaks of spider mites are most common in hot, dry, windy years and in drought-stressed corn, even in irrigated fields, Crop Quest agronomist Mark Hatley states. Although spider mites can be a problem in wet years, hot and dry conditions tend to exacerbate the problem, especially if growers get behind on watering their crop. We started seeing them come into early corn because of the drought conditions in wheat, but for the most part, beneficial insects have come in and kept them under control. However, the Dumas, TX, agronomist warns, We have also seen where producers will drive by and think that the thresholds are high and spray too early. These producers will most likely pay for that later when there are not enough beneficial insects in the corn to keep mite populations under control in more mature corn, so Mark Hatley we will have to keep an eye on these populations and spray only when they reach economic thresholds. I would suspect that we will see quite a bit of miticides used two to three weeks prior to tassel in this part of the country. Over in Southwest Kansas, Crop Quest agronomist Mickey Huddleston, Ulysses, Kan., says that mites are in a holding pattern. We had a lot of thrips migrate into the area. That is good news for corn growers and bad news for cotton growers. They have eaten many eggs and slowed the mite progress significantly. It has also helped that the corn is being cultivated and water is being turned on. Corn is also growing aggressively right now which spreads the mite population out more and causes less damage. Huddleston is quick to add, We are still spraying quite a few borders, especially if they are adjacent to wheat. With wheat harvest almost over, we are going to have to keep a close eye on mite populations leaving the wheat crop. Unless our weather pattern changes, I expect a big blowup of mites, especially at tassel time when the corn starts to drop pollen. Within a two-week pattern, an entire circle can be destroyed if not managed. We are on top of the mite problem everyday until they are no longer a threat. Its going to be a long summer fighting mites I fear. West Central Kansas Crop Quest agronomist Johan Marquardt agrees

Continued Dry Weather May Lead To Spider Mite Problems In Corn

with Huddlestons mite assessment and adds, We are seeing quite a bit of pressure coming into the first 100 feet of corn, especially where the field butts against milo or wheat. However, we have been very successful in knocking the populations down with inexpensive contact miticides and have not seen major reinfestation in those fields. We have sprayed borders on about 15% of our corn fields. Unless we see some rain, we will be treating a lot more fields. According to Mark Marsalis, extension agronomist at New Mexico State University, spider mites pierce leaf cells and extract plant juices, causing yellow (or chlorotic) spotting or stippling on the upper surface of leaves. This discoloration is usually the first evidence of infestation. Ultimately, mite damage can kill leaves and reduce overall productivity of the corn plant, whether grown for grain or silage. Populations of mites can also be recognized by the presence of mites, eggs and webbing on the underside of leaves, The NMSU agronomist adds. Webbing is common and will have a grayish appearance if mites are present. Infestations usually begin on lower leaves and progress to the uppermost parts of the Mickey Huddleston plant gradually. In general, spider mites can cause up to 40% of commercial yield losses in corn grown for silage. High populations can severely inhibit ear development and will reduce quality of the whole plant by desiccating and killing leaves. Growers should be cognizant of mite populations early in the growing season (just after corn comes up); and early, frequent scouting of fields is recommended, particularly on the edges of fields where mites enter and where irrigation deficits are more likely to occur, Hatley advises. Other plants can serve as hosts for mites, and corn fields located in close proximity to ripening wheat, grass or alfalfa should be monitored closely as populations can spread from these host plants by wind. The Crop Quest agronomist advises that maintaining beneficial insects is essential to the prevention of higher spider mite populations. However, in a rapidly escalating population of spider mites, beneficials alone will not be able to keep up with the mite increase, Hatley concludes.

Crop Quest Perspectives

Benefits of the Internship Program

Crop Quest, Inc. promotes and provides for an internship program to meet the needs of college students, Crop Quest agronomists and farmer clients. However, it is much easier to understand how the program is meeting the needs of the students. We encourage agricultural students from colleges and universities to apply for a summer internship program that will allow them exposure to a career they are thinking about entering. Many young people have a difficult time making up their mind about what they want to do when they graduate from college. Our program is designed to give them exposure to the crop consultant profession while enhancing their agricultural education. They get valuable training in identifying insects, weeds, diseases and understanding economic threshold levels and the risks and rewards of farming. They get to see first hand the challenges farmers face everyday in making decisions to follow recommendations while hoping to maintain some level of profitability in growing their crops. The Crop Quest agronomists benefit from the internship program as it provides them the critical help they need to scout the number of fields they have to cover to remain profitable. It also forces them to stay current in their own agronomic knowledge, since the intern students are full of questions and have such inquiring minds. Hopefully, the farmer is benefiting the most from this program, even though it may not be By: Ron OHanlon, President as noticeable. By having students (who have fresh Member, National Alliance of Independent Crop inquiring minds and a sense Consultants, CPCC-I of curiosity) scouting their Certified fields, the students are less likely to miss those things that sometimes we all have a tendency to take for granted after several years of service. This forces the agronomists to constantly rethink the problem or situation and determine if there is a solution. It provides that second set of eyes to observe and look for problems or solutions that might have an impact on the crop. It also brings new ideas to the field from students who are studying the latest in fertility, weed management, plant pathology and genetics, even though Crop Quest strives to stay up-to-date on the latest in agronomic production and technology. Those involved in our internship program this summer are: Reid Abbott, Hannah Bartel, Sarah Bartel, Jon French, Heath Hacker, Adam Hampel, Damian Helms, Brett Jennison, Rawly Kaufman, Brian Mapel, Allen Miller, Jared Miller, Justin Neusch, Clint Patry, Lance Richardson, Josh Sauer, Justin Stauffer, Alan Vogel, Cory Weathered and Trevor Witt. By: Jim Gleason Regional Vice President St. John, Kan. Planting a blend of varieties is becoming more popular in some areas. Picking varieties that compliment each others strengths and weaknesses is very important. Mixing two or more wheat varieties can improve your chances against winter injury or disease outbreaks. Matching the maturity of the components of the blend is very important, especially if one of them is prone to shattering easily. Dry weather had the biggest influence on last years wheat crop and the drought may not be over yet. We may be planting the crop in less than ideal conditions this fall. Take some time to look over your seeding equipment. Pay special attention to the openers. You may have to plant deeper than you normally do to get the stand you want. Can your openers consistently place the seed at the desired depth? If the openers are worn more than 5%, it will be worth replacing them. Getting a good stand is critical for the success of your wheat crop. Talk to your Crop Quest agronomist today and get the whole picture prior to planting. Paying attention to little details will pay big dividends for the upcoming wheat crop.
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Summer interns studying for a weed ID quiz.

Prepare Now For A Successful Wheat Crop

With the winter wheat crop in the bin, it is time to make plans for next years crop. The steps you take now will directly influence next years success. The first step is to have your fields soil sampled to find out how much fertilizer youll need to reach your yield goal. Last years crop may not have used up all of the fertilizer that was applied, and a soil sample is a cheap way to find out. If you take a guess and are wrong, you could either short the crop or buy some unnecessary fertilizer. The second step is to select what varieties you want to plant and where to plant them. It is always a good idea to look at several years of results when selecting a variety. Some criteria to base this evaluation are emergence, grazing ability or fall growth, disease resistance and yield. No two years are the same, so by looking at a varietys performance over a period of time, you can select one that will do a good job for you.

Crop Quest Perspectives

Stay The Course

Veteran Agronomist States,

only cutting eight to 10 bushels dryland wheat. In our irrigated areas where we have been working with our customers to make sure they invest the inputs needed to make a good crop, we are seeing yields ranging from 60 to 100 bushels per acre. The growers that did not water their fields early and often are feeling the effects with greatly reduced yields and poorquality wheat. This year I had a lot of growers graze their cattle a little longer than usual, Aljoe explains. The reason we did was there was quite a bit of foliage on the fields that was sucking all the moisture out of the ground. Where we had producers graze a bit longer, they are having good yields. However, Kyle Aljoe those same people came back in and top-dressed the fields and maintained a good watering schedule. Aljoe adds, Every year is different and this year was no exception. If you want to make yields, you need to put some money into it. We want to be economical about it; however, we needed to start the process with the cotton/corn crop regarding herbicides, fertility, water tables, etc. It all fits together. Aljoe says the one thing his customers learned the hard way was to make sure and plow up all their volunteer wheat. Last August, we were really wet. Consequently, there was a great deal of volunteer wheat in the area and Wheat Streak Mosaic ruined many fields. Many growers now know why plowing under the volunteer wheat makes good sense.

When Committing To A Wheat Crop

The winter wheat harvest is in full swing across the Plains. The early forecast is for 1.26 billion bushels of winter wheat, down 16% from last years crop. Production forecasts dropped 4% from May, while price estimates improved 10 cents over May, to $3.60 to $4.20 per bushel, up from an average of $3.42 last year. Those producers who planted and properly managed their winter wheat crop are now seeing the monetary benefits. Because of the smaller crop in 2006, the price is favorable for those who did everything right in 2005/2006. The best advice Crop Quest agronomist Kyle Aljoe, Dimmit, Tex., gave to his farmers in 2005 is paying big dividends in 2006 Stay the course. If you are going to plant wheat after cotton or corn, plant it and manage it as if it was a major crop. If youre not going to commit the resources to the wheat crop, dont plant it. That advice made in the fall of 2005 is bringing his customers excellent returns especially with the sudden increase in wheat prices. Too many farmers will commit to a wheat crop, but try and cut every corner to save a dime, Aljoe notes. That usually means theyll cut herbicide costs, not water enough, etc. Even in years where wheat prices are not that great, a good crop of wheat that is managed well will pay for itself and make the grower money. This year is an excellent example where staying the course can be especially profitable. Some dryland farmers in Aljoes area around Dimmit are

Crop Quest Perspectives

Being Successful With Chem-Fallow

By: Dwight Koops Regional Vice President Ulysses, Kan. It is interesting to watch the different successes and failures producers have with their chem-fallow programs. The first observation is that no one is successful with their program every time. There are way too many variables that come into play to allow 100% success, so it is important that producers remain very flexible when implementing their herbicide treatments and cultural practices of chem-fallow. Weather is an obvious variable that cannot be overlooked it is too hot, too windy, too wet, too dry or too something. We need to keep in mind what we are trying to accomplish with our chem-fallow programs.

Trap and save as much soil moisture as possible. Prepare a seedbed for the subsequent crop which will Save money and time in labor and equipment expenses.
There will, however, be more time spent on managing and monitoring the program instead of the physical labor involved in conventional tillage. A good chem-fallow program starts with the growing crop. Maintain good weed control; utilizing certain residual herbicides helps with controlling weeds during the fallow period. Proper harvest techniques benefit a good chem-fallow allow ease of planting.

program. It is important that crop residue is spread evenly over a field. The height at which the crop is cut is important. If a crop is cut too low, there wont be adequate residue to trap snows and rains. If a crop is cut too high, it makes it a challenge to plant the subsequent crop. If residue is chopped or shredded after harvest, or closer to planting, it is important that the amount and length of the residue that remains will flow through planters and drills. Too often we see producers allowing their fields to green-up with weeds before making the initial herbicide application. It is imperative that weeds are treated when they are small, when they are easier to kill, and more soil moisture will be saved. A good chem-fallow program utilizes residual herbicides. The amount of residual control, and which chemistry to use, is determined by knowing what the intended crop will be and the planting date. There also needs to be a commitment from the farmer to make this program work. It is easy to go back to our comfort zone and pull out the tandem disk. You get immediate results, and it looks like youve done something. It also appears cheaper. Its tough to get a mindset that you are trading equipment time and costs for herbicides. Those equipment costs include ownership costs, as well as operating costs. Conventional tillage typically costs more in labor expenses as well. If a producer can resolve those issues, then there will be greater motivation to commit to an herbicide program and follow through with it. There will always be pitfalls along the way. Producers that are successful with these programs have adopted a philosophy of being proactive and ready to adjust to the constantly changing conditions. Your Crop Quest agronomist realizes the intricacies and variables involved in a successful chem-fallow program. We encourage you to utilize our services to help you make good management decisions on your fallow acres this year.

Crop Quest is an employee-owned company dedicated to providing the highest quality agricultural services for each customer. The quest of our network of professionals is to practice integrity and innovation to ensure our services are economically and environmentally sound.

Mission Statement

Crop Quest Agronomic Services, Inc. Main Office: Phone 620.225.2233 Fax 620.225.3199 Internet: www.cropquest.com cqoffice@cropquest.com

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Crop Quest Board of Directors

President: Director: Director: Director: Director: Director: Ron OHanlon Jim Gleason Dwight Koops Cort Minor Chris McInteer Rob Meyer