December 16, 2005

10-20 program: Attention to detail can boost profits

Ten Easy Ways to Boost Profit $20/Acre is a UNL Extension program that pieces several concepts together, adding real profit to grain production. Ten to Twenty, as we call it, looks at proven concepts that have a solid research base and have been shown to work in the field. These are the little pieces that are overlooked. In fact, many people think they are doing these things, but we find that isn’t true.

It includes simple things like using the proper credit for soil nitrogen and legumes. NRD data shows that many people fail to properly credit soybeans in a rotation, typically costing them $5 to $10 per acre. Are you using the UNL formula which credits organic matter? If not, you could be overlooking something that might save you another $8 to $12 per acre. How about leaky gates and gaskets on irrigation systems. Those little dribbler leaks that may seem insignificant may be costing you a set, every time you irrigate. These are just a few of the items that you will learn about at Ten to Twenty workshops. We will show you the research that supports these concepts and the on-farm research that proves it in the field.

Ten Easy Ways to Boost Profit $20/Acre workshops scheduled for 2006 are:

January 19 - Laurel

January 26 - Blair

January 31 - North Platte

February 1 - Lexington

February 9 - Blue Hill

February 14 - Grand Island

February 15 - Lincoln

February 16 - Seward

February 21 - Fremont

February 22 - Henderson

February 23 - Milligan

February 24 - Nebraska City

February 27 - Elwood

March 2 - David City

Andrew Christiansen
Extension Educator

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension will be hosting 37 grain marketing programs, each including one or both of the workshops: Winning the Game and Marketing Stored Grain.

In Winning the Game: Profitable Strategies for Marketing Grain (WTG), producers play a one-year interactive marketing simulation game and then compare their results to an actual case farm to see how they would have done in the market. Discussion will include: seasonal price patterns in cash grain marketing decisions; using crop revenue insurance and loan deficiency payments (LDPs) as part of a grain marketing plan, and a “real life” test of participant skills using actual historical grain prices.

After learning about forward pricing and the role of crop insurance in the Winning the Game session, participants can attend the Marketing Stored Grain (MSG) session. This program takes a practical approach to post harvest marketing by monitoring the current environment and adapting to market signals and incentives through a market simulation. Discussion will cover post harvest seasonality of grain prices, carrying charges and selling the carry, and evaluating the cost of stored grain.

Because water in the soil between widely spaced rows cannot be reached by the plants until later in the season, water is available to the plants in July and August. Corn is very sensitive to drought in the silking to blister stage of development.

What spurred my interest in skip-row corn? In 2002 North Platte received less precipitation than in any year since 1907. (1907 was the first year precipitation information was gathered at the UNL dryland farm there.) An ecofallow corn and grain sorghum plot in Hayes County in 2002 showed the potential benefits of skip-row. This was created when a sorghum breeder asked me to plant some experimental grain sorghum hybrids. I told him that I would include them in my Hayes County plot. The only grain produced in the plot that year was where sorghum rows were missing. The missing rows were a result of some of the experimental hybrids not producing viable stands.

Advances in weed control technology also are a factor. Weeds could be a major problem in skip-row, but with Roundup Ready corn it would be possible to control weeds in a skip-row corn system economically. In 2003 we started the first research with skip-row corn. In this trial, all rows of corn were planted and then plants were removed to reduce population, or one or two rows were removed on July 2. Corn by this time will have used 6 inches of soil water. Yields were:

1. Control - (19,500 population) 41 bu/ac.;
2. Approximately every third plant removed, (14,700 population) 41 bu/ac.
3. Every other plant removed, (11,200 population) 45 bu/ac.
4. Series of two rows of corn followed by one row removed, (equivalent to 13,800 population) 48 bu/ac (17% above the control); and
5. Series of two rows of corn with the next two rows removed (equivalent to 9,500 population) 54 bu/ac (32% above the control).

The results of the 2004 skip-row plots at North Platte are shown in Figure 1. These are with very favorable precipitation during the growing season. June precipitation was 35% more than average, July 88% more than average, and August was average. Even with this very favorable precipitation the plant two skip one out-yielded the solid planting at all population levels. Figure 2 shows the 2004 results from Akron, Colorado during a very dry year.

Figure 3 shows the results from the 2005 skip-row trials. In North Platte, which had 65% more precipitation than average in June, 66% below average in July, and 79% above average in August, the plant one skip one yields were almost equal to solid planting.

Bob Klein
Extension Crops Specialist

The one-day conference will be held at two locations: Feb. 7 at the Ag Center in Holdrege and Feb. 8 at UNL’s Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the program ends at 4 p.m.

Producers will learn the benefits of no-till and how it can work for them, said Keith Glewen, UNL Extension educator.

“Some crop producers believe no-till won’t work on their farm,” Glewen said. “Some have failed with their no-till attempts. Yet, others have successfully implemented this process and increased their profits. This conference will help producers be successful.”

Speakers include no-till farmers, university specialists and industry representatives and may vary by site.

Featured guest speaker at both sites will be Jill Clapperton of Alberta, Canada’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Lethbridge Research Centre. She will speak on research findings and discuss how soil biology and ecology interact with cropping and soil management systems to facilitate long-term soil quality and productivity. Clapperton is an internationally respected lecturer.

Other topics and presenters include:

• No-till – Making it Work in Southwest Iowa with David Dukes, grain and livestock producer, Bedford Iowa (ARDC only);
• Water Infiltration Study in No-till and Tilled Nebraska Fields with Paul Hay, UNL Extension Educator (both locations);
• Residue Management, Paul Jasa, UNL Extension Engineer (Holdrege only); Payments for Sequestering Carbon in Nebraska, Randy Pryor, UNL Extension Educator (ARDC only);
• Ten Years Experience No-tilling in Irrigated Crop Production, Mark Watson, grain producer, Alliance, NE (Holdrege only); and
• Grower Commentary, discussion moderated by Chuck Burr, UNL Extension Engineer, (Holdrege) and Keith Glewen, UNL Extension Educator, (ARDC).

It includes the results from a number of crop trials conducted across the state this year. In addition to sections on corn, soybean and grain sorghum, there will be sections devoted to alfalfa variety tests, grass forage tests, proso and foxtail millet, spring wheat, and oats. A section of the seed guide also contains variety descriptions and availability of certified seed being grown by members of the Nebraska Crop Improvement Association.

Trial results in the guide reflect another good year with excellent yields of both irrigated and dryland crops. Several areas of the state had some relief from several years of drought. In looking toward 2006, farmers are challenged to choose the best hybrid or variety for their farm. Identifying which ones will perform best under most conditions can be a challenge though. The top performer from one year is not always the top performer the next year. Only accumulated information from many locations, years, and sources will reveal truly superior varieties, and by then, the industry has moved on to new and improved types.

Several NebGuides are available to guide your use of the variety test information to select varieties and hybrids which can increase the profitability of raising crops.

Kyle Jackson, a UNL sophomore from Basset, is currently working as an intern in the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office in the Agriculture and Natural Resources Section. His concentrated course work in environmental studies has been a benefit as he learns about the state’s environmental laws and regulations through his work. He also has had the opportunity to work on Initiative 300 and learn how attorneys are acting to protect the amendment. When asked about his internship experience, Kyle states, “It is fascinating to me that I can witness and take part in how natural resource and agricultural laws are litigated through our court system.”

Kyle’s internship experience with the Attorney General’s Office has helped him realize how to connect classroom concepts with real world experience while preparing for his future. “This internship has given me experience and knowledge that I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten in the classroom. It has reinforced my positive perception of the environmental legal field and has given me the experience I will need for later in life.”

Kyle certainly understands that experiential learning comes through internships as well as involvement on campus. During his time at UNL, Kyle has been involved in several organizations, including Ecology Now Club, Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, the UNL Publications Board and the CASNR Week Planning Committee, where he served as public relations chair. When asked about the unique activities at UNL that have helped him find his place on campus, Kyle cited the Dean’s Scholars in Experiential Learning (DSEL) program.

“This experience was rewarding and comforting to me as a freshman because it gave me an opportunity to learn about UNL and to learn how to become a successful student on campus,” he said.

Check out UNL and CASNR

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about UNL’’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, this would be a great time to schedule a campus visit and start making plans for next year. To get started, contact one of the offices listed.

UNL Admissions

Land Application Training

Description: This class will help a permitted operation meet the certification requirements in Title 130. The class will introduce producers to Title 130 regulations, software available to assist in manure nutrient planning and record keeping expectations. Best management practices related to land application also will be discussed.

Target audience: producers and their employees who land apply manure; crop consultants, permitted operations required to complete a land application certification program. Attendance of 10 to 25 is preferred.

Locations 1) Norfolk, Lifelong Learning Center; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Feb. 22; cost is $35 Contact: John Hay, jhay2@unl.edu, (402) 329-4821 or Larry Howard at lhoward1@unl.edu, (402) 372-6006.

Manure Merchandising

Description: This class will help feeding operations better understand the value of manure, and cover marketing strategies for selling manure and stories from other producers who have done it successfully. Locations:

1) Albion, Knights of Columbus Hall, 1-4 p.m. March 2 Contact: Steve Pritchard, spritchard1@unl.edu, or call (402) 395-2158 (Boone County office) or (308) 536-2691 (Nance County office); cost is $10

2) Wayne, Activities Center, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Feb. 23 Contact: John Hay, jhay2@unl.edu, (402) 329-4821; free

3) Atkinson, Rhonda’s Café at the Road Runner, 9:30 a.m. to noon March 1, free Contact: Ralph Kulm, rkulm1@unl.edu, (402) 336-2760 or Denny Bauer, dbauer1@unl.edu, (402) 387-2213

Manure and Fertilizer Use in Crop Production

Description: Covers the advantages and disadvantages to manure application, how to integrate manure use into your total fertilizer strategy, planning tools for insuring adequate nutrient availability from manure, and fertilizer use for high yield corn. The program is free and should last for two to three hours.

Locations:

1) Deweese, Community Building, 9 a.m. Feb. 27 Contact: Jenny Rees, jrees2@unl.edu, (402) 762-3644

2) Clarkson, City Hall, 9 a.m., Feb. 21, Contact: Aaron Nygren, anygren2@unl.edu, (402) 352-3821

3) Atkinson, Rhonda’s Café at the Road Runner, 1-4 p.m. March 1 Contact: Ralph Kulm, rkulm1@ unl.edu, (402) 336-2760 or Denny Bauer, dbauer1@unl.edu, (402) 387-2213

Phosphorus Index Training Workshop

Description: As of Jan. 1, 2007, all fields designated for manure application by a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) will need to be assessed for the potential for P runoff to surface waters. The assessments are to be done using a P index. Producers will learn basic principles of P runoff from agricultural land and delivery to surface waters. They will learn to use and conduct practical exercises with two phosphorus indices. Computers will be used in conducting the exercises. The program is free and will last two to three hours.

Locations:

1) Aurora, Technology Center, 1 p.m. March 17 Contact: Gary Zoubek, gzoubek1@unl.edu, (402) 362-5508, free

2) Beemer, Legion Hall, 7 p.m. February 15, Contact: Larry Howard, lhoward1@unl.edu, (402) 372-6006, free

Manure Use Planning Software Workshop

Description: This workshop will introduce you to several free software tools for manure use planning, including Manure Management Planner of Purdue University & NRCS together with document generators that meet NDEQ planning and record keeping requirements; the Nebraska Manure Value Calculator; the 1998 and 2005 Nebraska P indexes; and RUSLE2 for estimation of erosion losses. Participants should already be familiar with the basics of manure use planning and regulations and should bring a laptop computer if possible. The target audience for this workshop will be crop consultants and advisors, but others also are welcome. Continuing education units are being applied for.

Location:

1) Columbus, Wunderlichs Catering, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 27; Registration cost is $70 before Jan. 14 or $85 afterward; lunch is provided. Contact: Charlie Wortmann, cwortmann2@unl.edu, (402) 472-2909

Information about the course, lodging and registration is available on-line at: www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/cnmp/home.html. If you have additional questions about the training, please contact Lara Moody with Iowa State University (lmoody@iastate.edu or 515-294-7355). The national curriculum has been jointly developed by the national team listed below. The Kansas City presentation of this curriculum is sponsored by the Heartland Regional Water Quality Coordination Initiative which includes Iowa State University, Kansas State University, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska and EPA Region 7.

UNL researchers look to biomass for tomorrow’s fuels

Ken Vogel, aUSDA Agricultural Research Service geneticist at UNL, is a leader in studying how best to produce biomass crops from native switchgrass. He was one of several agronomy and horticulture faculty members who spoke at the program featuring the department’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources extension, research and teaching activities.

Vogel discussed the status of biomass energy crops and biomass industry developments as well as current cooperative USDA-IANR research on developing the native prairie grass into a viable renewable fuel source.

Switchgrass, a high-yielding prairie grass, can be fermented to produce ethanol similar to corn. Farmers would plant the perennial grass and then harvest growth annually, making it an environmentally friendly and renewable fuel source.

“With rising gas prices, the cost of fuel has gotten everyone’s attention,” Vogel said. “By 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy hopes to have the technology available and affordable” to convert biomass into ethanol.

Right now, a gallon of ethanol produced from biomass costs about $1.35 per gallon. Vogel continues to develop switchgrass cultivars with improved yields and altered composition for biomass fuel production and improved establishment practices including weed control and improved seed quality.

“Our goal is for farmers be able to get switchgrass established and have full production in the second year,” he said. “If we can do that, we can be very successful.”

In 2000, field trials were established in Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. Trials in Nebraska continued from 2001 to 2004. Trials in North Dakota and South Dakota began in 2001 and will finish in 2005. Results of these trials should provide more specific information on biomass switchgrass production for farmers in the northern Great Plains. Vogel said the DOE ultimately wants to produce a billion tons of biomass per year. This would supply 30% to 40% of the nation’s liquid fuel needs using domestically grown biomass.

By 2010, the DOE also hopes to have 300 million tons of sustainably grown biomass available and aims to build three biorefineries in the U.S. with an annual capacity to produce 5 million gallons of ethanol made from biomass.

“This means three new ethanol plants,” Vogel said.

Growing switchgrass for biomass production is a natural for Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. Switchgrass most likely would be produced on marginally productive land, such as that in the Conservation Reserve Program. Research shows switchgrass production is economically feasible in the region so biomass production could boost farmer’s net farm income.

In opening remarks, department head Mark Lagrimini highlighted news about the agronomy and horticulture department. He said that although enrollment in agronomy has declined since 1999, it took a slight jump in 2005. The number of students majoring in horticulture has steadily increased since 1990.

In a discussion about the department’s future, Lagrimini told the crop consultants, industry professionals, farmers, UNL Extension educators and alumni at the meeting what the department is doing to better promote what it has to offer students. That includes doing a better job of communicating about available jobs for people with majors in agronomy and horticulture, adjusting curriculum, talking to employers, attracting students from urban areas and teaching more real-word skills.

Sandi Alswager Karstens
IANR News Service

Topics and presenters include Simple Sire Selection — Interpreting EPDs, Dan Moser, KSU genetic specialist; Marker-Assisted Selection — Tenderness and Marbling, Bob Weaber, MU beef cattle genetics specialist; Calf Health — Minimizing Losses, Gerald Stokka, DVM, MS Pfizer Animal Health; and Summer Feed Alternatives for the Cowherd by Rasby.

The same conference will be held in each of the sponsoring states: 4 p.m. Jan. 11 in Holton, Kan.; 10 a.m. Jan. 12 in Savannah, Mo.; and at 4 p.m. Jan. 12 in Lewis, Iowa.

ARS plant pathologist Glen Hartman and University of Illinois (UI) collaborators at Urbana have worked to find cheaper, longer-term alternatives. In early 2004, their efforts paid off with the discovery of Rag1, a single gene conferring resistance to the exotic aphid in two southern cultivars that are no longer grown.

Normally, the sap-sucking pest causes harm in the form of stunted growth, disfigured leaves, poor pod formation, and the plant’s eventual death. But in tests, neither wingless female aphids nor their nymph offspring survived for long when confined to the resistant beans’ leaves. Typically, 94-100% of female aphids died within 10 days — compared to 17% on “Pana,” a nonresistant variety — reports Hartman, at ARS’ Soybean/Maize Germplasm, Pathology, and Genetics Research Unit in Urbana. Nymphs suffered a similar fate, he adds.

Hartman and UI collaborators Curtis Hill, Shawn Carlson, Brian Diers and Yan Li identified the aphid resistance after screening 800 commercial soybean cultivars and 3,000 germplasm accessions managed by ARS in Urbana. Since publishing their finding in Crop Science, the team has mapped Rag1’s genetic whereabouts on the resistant beans’ DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). They’ve also identified marker regions and devised technology to detect them so that soybean breeders can rapidly identify resistant plants. New, high-yielding cultivars bred to express Rag1 could be available by 2008. Meanwhile, the team’s search for other resistance genes continues.