Silage Management

Corn Planting is Now Already Underway in 7 States

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 17:02:05 GMT

The second Crop Progress Report of the year from USDA shows farmers are already ahead in planting the 2024 crop. As of Sunday, USDA indicates planting the 2024 crop has started in seven states, and six of the seven states are already beating the five-year average.

Highlights of the weekly progress report include:

59% of Texas’ corn is in the ground, two percentage points ahead of the five-year average but one point behind a year ago.
7% of the corn crop in Tennessee is planted, two points above average and three points ahead of last year.
7 % of Missouri’s corn is planted, four points ahead of average and two points quicker than last year’s record pace.
5% is planted in Kentucky, two points ahead of the five-year average but one point behind last year.
4% of the corn in Kansas is planted, one point ahead of average and one point behind last year.
2% of Illinois’ corn crop is in the ground, one point quicker than average and last year.

Related News: Spring Planting Progress Off To A Good Start

The only state trailing the average pace is North Carolina where 8% of the crop is in the ground, one point behind average and last year.

A year ago, hints were starting to roll in about just how early the planting season could be for farmers in parts of the Corn Belt. After April and early March were dominated by cold temperatures, as well as rain and snow in 2023, drier conditions took hold, and forecasts for milder temperatures and dry weather opened a large window for planting.

As of April 9, 2023, USDA’s second planting progress report of the season showed 3% of the nation’s corn crop was planted, up one percentage point from the previous week, previous year and the five-year average.

Highlights of the state-by-state breakdown a year ago showed:

61% of Texas’ corn is in the ground, three percentage points ahead of the five-year average.
12% of North Carolina’s corn crop is planted, two points behind average.
7% of the corn crop is Missouri is planted, four points ahead of the five-year average.
6% of the crop in Kansas is in the ground, up two points from average.

Back to present day, and the weather looks prime for planting to continue this week. Growers across Illinois, Iowa and Missouri are talking about starting to plant this week if the forecast holds.

Photos of Planting Progress So Far

In Texas, farmers were planting under the solar eclipse. Ale Frick says they survived the eclipse, and soybean planting continues on their farm.

Well, we‘ve officially survived #eclipse24 #soybean #plant24 continues pic.twitter.com/cnn3BphUpC
— Ale Frick (@Engineer_Farmer) April 8, 2024

In northwest Iowa, at least one farmer took the opportunity to plant over the weekend.

Well, ok then. #plant24 #nwiowa pic.twitter.com/nVMWcaO9wH
— Punkin Lady 🎃🍿💥 (@AmySolsma) April 5, 2024

Also in Iowa, more reports of planters starting to roll this week, according to Dusty Rich.

Planters will roll this week in our area! Wishing everyone a safe and successful #plant24
— Dusty Rich 🇺🇸 (@drich82) April 8, 2024

We want to see how planting is progressing in your area. Make sure to keep AgWeb updated with Crop Comments throughout the season.

Drones Hone in on Silage Inventories

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 17:54:30 GMT

A high-tech inventory assessment program developed for the stone aggregate business is now being used to help dairies assess forage inventories.

Just like quarries, most large dairies have massive stockpiles of resources in inventory, but in the form of silage piles and bunkers versus sand and gravel. Harrison Hobart, On-Farm Specialist for Alltech, Inc., uses the same drone-driven computer model as quarries to serve his customers to accurately measure how much silage they have on hand.

Hobart has an animal science and nutrition background, but also is a licensed drone operator. He shared with the audience of a recent “ Technology Dairy Tuesday ” webinar from the Cornell PRO-DAIRY program that he has helped manage Alltech’s Aerial Inventory Program for about two years.

He said the inventory assessment program uses cloud-based software that can be accessed via cellphone or computer, and interfaced with his drone. A cellphone app is linked to the controller that runs the drone on the farm. The program uses “photogrammetry” – using images for measuring – to assess volume of inventory.

Viewing a silage pile from many different angles, combined with GPS data on each individual picture, allows him to “stitch” hundreds of pictures together to create a 3-D model.

“The software provider says system can perform volume calculations at an accuracy rate within 1-2% compared to ground-based laser measurements,” shared Hobart.

While the actual volume measurement is very precise, silage does not have consistent moisture content or packing density. That’s where potential for variation occurs, requiring additional data to ultimately calculate actual tonnage.

Hobart adopts a mantra of, “don’t guess – test,” when it comes to this step. He said book values for density and dry matter can vary significantly among individual farms and silage crops. That’s why he takes multiple core samples – whenever it is safe to do so – from at least 5-6 locations across a silage face to measure density and dry matter.

“I’ve measured average densities over the past two years in corn silage drive-over piles as low as 12 pounds of dry matter per cubic foot and as high as 24,” he stated. “If I had put an average density of 16 on either one of those piles, my tonnage estimate would have been off by quite a bit.”

He evaluates each core sample for weight and dry matter, noting the accuracy advantage of handling those samples individually. “I’ve especially noticed that in haylage piles where we have several cuttings piled on each other, those dry matters can vary considerably,” said Hobart. “I’ve seen a 15-foot-wide by 10-foot-tall pile with four cuttings all stacked together, and dry matters ranging from 25 to 55%.”

Hobart said drive-over piles are ideal for the drone-based volume estimation, while closed-end bunkers, overhangs, sloping dirt walls, and overlapping piles require him to make manual adjustments in the program to improve volume accuracy. Then, armed with volume, density, and dry-matter data, he is able to generate customer reports on dry matter and as-fed tons for each pile or bunker.

As a rule, Hobart advises customers the reports should be accurate within about two weeks of feed out. Again, assessment of piles typically will be more precise than bunkers. In some cases, his pile estimates have been dialed in as close as within a day of feed out.

In addition to helping customers know how much feed they have available and how long it should last, Hobart is able to help farms determine feed loss due to fermentation and shrink by taking a baseline reading of the fresh pile or bunker, measuring it again after it has been fed out for several weeks, and comparing the difference to the farm’s feed-out records.

Hobart said the data is also valuable from a farm accounting perspective. Customers routinely share the information with their bankers to assess the value of feed on hand as part of their net worth statements, and some have used it for forage sales and farm ownership transitions.

One thing Hobart has not done with the technology – but would like to – is to evaluate a fresh pile or bunker at harvest and again several weeks later, before any of it is fed. Industry estimates indicate that up to 10% of silage volume is lost strictly to fermentation. “It would be interesting to evaluate the loss purely from fermentation, and it would be very easy to do,” said Hobart.

For more on dairy technology, read:

AgSource Gains Agronomy Lab and Brand Update

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 15:41:15 GMT

Just announced, a broad-based agricultural service cooperative specializing in laboratory testing, AgSource Cooperative Services, recently acquired Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. Agronomy Services Division in Stratford, Wisconsin. Effective on March 23, all soil, plant tissues and manure analyses, as well as nutrient management services will be provided by AgSource.

Dave Smercina, vice president of laboratory operations for AgSource, says, “We look forward to enhancing our network while maintaining the same quality service you’ve come to trust from Dairyland.”

Another change for the AgSource brand was recently announced by URUS, the parent company of the AgSource and VAS brands. On March 1, both companies began operating as independent brands under the URUS umbrella.

“Founded on cooperative principles, AgSource’s commitment to the agricultural community is unwavering,” Smercina says. “We look forward to providing exceptional service and value through cutting-edge laboratory analysis and high-value consultative services, as we have for the past 60 years.”

Kevin Muxlow, chief operating officer for URUS, states, “In a world of evolving technology and data analysis, we wanted to provide clarity for the AgSource and VAS brands. This allows us to focus on the services that make each brand superior in the market, allowing our teams’ pride, passion and value to shine for our members and customers.”

AgSource is one of the only full-service DHI providers in the country.

6 Things To Check Before You Switch Corn Maturity

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 03:05:50 GMT

While the 2019 planting season is in the rearview mirror, many farmers still feel its impact as they prepare for 2020. No one wants to face another tough season like 2019, but the truth is it’s good to be prepared for weather challenges before planting gets underway—just in case.

One of the biggest challenges last year was deciding when to switch to planting shorter-season corn hybrids and then locating them for purchase. You don’t need to preemptively order shorter season corn hybrids; however, now is a good time to put together a planting order for each field based on the maturity best suited to it.

Here are six tips to help you be prepared for any potential late planting, according to Doug Becher, commercial agronomist at Corteva - Mycogen Seeds, University of Wisconsin Extension and Penn State Extension:

Watch the calendar: “In most areas, switching to a shorter than adapted hybrid maturity should not be considered until at least the last week of May, according to Penn State Extension. Don’t jump the gun too early,” he says.
Know how to correct for date: After May 25 and through the end of May, try to back down your fullest season hybrids five to seven days. From June 1 to June 10, back down about 10 days. But, talk to your seed advisor for the best advice for your geography, Becher says. “That’s a general rule.”
Consider harvest drying capacity: If you have on-farm dryers you might have more ability to keep the higher-yielding, full-season hybrids. Know what your farm can handle and make adjustments throughout planting to maximize efficiency.
Understand agronomics: “Make sure you have the right mix for pest problems,” Becher says. “Insect pests, leaf-type diseases, pay attention to those and overall agronomics, make sure you get the right agronomics.” Talk with seed suppliers if you’re not familiar with the characteristics of hybrids in a shorter-season maturity range to ensure your key pests will be manageable.
Account for seed availability: If a lot of people in your area are making the switch to shorter-season hybrids seed might not be as available in the hybrid fitted to your field, according to University of Wisconsin. Consider if the risk of more drying or delayed harvest from sticking with longer season hybrids is worth it
Think about the end use: When it’s harvested for grain, a shorter-season maturity makes sense because of dry down; however, with silage or other high-moisture corn you might benefit from keeping a longer season hybrid, according to University of Wisconsin.

“As we get into the later portion of the [planting] decision making process, with all of the impacts insurance or other payment programs can have on it, I encourage growers to reach out to insurance agents to make sure you know if you should be planting at all,” Becher says. “Keep in tune with what’s going on with the ever-changing programs and know how that impacts your final planting decisions.”

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