By WCM Staff on 5/21/2008 2:34 PM

Many of us, including myself, have planted under less than ideal soil conditions this spring. Often the ground was worked a little on the wet side leading to clods and variable seeding depths for our soybean crop. Early reports of variable and delayed emergence in conventional (more common) and no-till soybean is raising replant and seed viability questions in several areas across the Midwest.

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By WCM Staff on 5/15/2008 12:24 PM

Sales of standing forage require agreement on price and a method of determining yield whether forage is sold by the bale or ton. This factsheet describes a method to help buyer and seller determine an appropriate price range for short term sales.

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By WCM Staff on 5/8/2008 2:28 PM

As the 2008 planting season progresses, growers are becoming increasingly concerned about yield loss due to delays. Yield penalties start to become significant after May 10-15, but what growers really need to worry about is the increased drying costs that will likely happen in the harvest season if planting is delayed much longer.

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By WCM Staff on 5/8/2008 1:03 PM

A variety of conditions have increased the value of feed this year. To demonstrate the economic significance of reducing dry matter loss in forage production, an analysis was conducted assuming good and fair management practices for alfalfa and corn forage for a 100 cow herd.

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By WCM Staff on 5/1/2008 2:19 PM

Farmers are getting anxious about the delays occurring for corn planting this year. Little field work has taken place so far and planting will be further delayed not only in Wisconsin but throughout the U.S. Corn Belt. Research data indicates that the optimum date for corn planting in southern Wisconsin is May 1 and in the north it is May 5.

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By WCM Staff on 5/1/2008 1:25 PM

This article is another reminder to growers to check the percent germination of all of your soybean seed lots prior to planting and adjust your soybean seeding rates accordingly. In a normal year, we assume 90% of the live soybean seed we plant will emerge.

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By WCM Staff on 5/1/2008 1:12 PM

Planting date is one of the most important and least expensive cultural considerations that impacts soybean yield. As adverse weather delays corn and soybean planting, it is important to know the yield cost of these delays for both marketing and management considerations.

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By WCM Staff on 4/24/2008 12:03 PM

The alfalfa is finally greening up enough to do adequate stand assessments in most of the state. Here are links to two fact sheets on dealing with alfalfa winterkill for those who need it.

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By WCM Staff on 4/17/2008 2:31 PM

A simple means of obtaining the environmental risk analysis is to download the Wisconsin WIN-PST Quick Guides from the links listed below. These tables have been very popular with pest management plan writers because they are simple to follow and the data in these tables are consistent with the NRCS WIN-PST computer program. Four separate references tables are available for the following crops: field crops/potato/commercial vegetables; apples; cherries; and cranberries.

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By WCM Staff on 4/17/2008 2:16 PM

Propionic acid is probably the most commonly used hay preservative when baling wetter hay to prevent mold and spoilage. Being that propionic acid is a registered pesticide, the custom baler must be certified and licensed as a commercial applicator in the Field & Vegetable Crops category.

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By WCM Staff on 4/10/2008 4:12 PM

The UW-Madison Agronomy Department, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, is again offering free soybean cyst nematode (SCN) soil testing for Wisconsin growers.

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By WCM Staff on 4/10/2008 1:10 PM

Recently, Trilex 2000, from Bayer CropScience, was registered for use in Wisconsin. Restrictions include not using treated seed for food, feed, or oil processing and also on replant decisions. Please consult the label for further information regarding specific uses and restrictions.

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By WCM Staff on 3/25/2008 11:55 AM

In the past few weeks, there has been much discussion among Extension Specialists in the U.S. regarding recommendations for early and reduced rate applications of foliar fungicides for wheat. Based on results around the U.S., we recommend that growers actively scout their fields for the presence of wheat diseases before making a foliar fungicide decision.

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By WCM Staff on 3/20/2008 10:37 AM

Near record wheat commodity prices coupled with increasing input costs for corn and soybean prompted many Wisconsin growers to increase their wheat acres in 2007. As the ice and snow begins to dissipate over the next few weeks it is critical that we accurately assess the winter injury to the wheat crop and make the appropriate management decisions regarding the wheat stand, nitrogen timing, and yield potential.

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