By WCM Staff on 8/27/2009 6:26 AM

Corn must be ensiled at the proper moisture to get fermentation for preservation. But, determining when to harvest corn at the right whole plant moisture is difficult. Each storage structure properly ensiles at slightly different moisture optimums. Harvesting corn too wet for the storage structure will result in reduced yield, souring and seepage of the ensilage, and low intake by dairy cows. Harvesting too dry reduces yield, can cause mold to develop, and lowers digestibility, protein and vitamins A and E. The objective of this paper is to review field sampling procedures for accurately timing corn silage harvest.

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By WCM Staff on 8/20/2009 6:32 AM

Wisconsin saw a 10% decline in winter wheat acres planted (300,000) in the 2008-2009 growing season. The estimated yield for the 2009 crop is 63 bu per acre, down 7 percent from last year. The decline in winter wheat acres was caused by two factors: delayed corn and soybean harvest due to delayed crop maturity and high nitrogen input prices. 

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By WCM Staff on 8/13/2009 6:59 AM

Record cool temperatures have occurred this July and farmers are getting concerned about whether the corn crop will mature.

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By WCM Staff on 8/6/2009 6:31 AM

Hail in late July severely damaged much corn in Wisconsin. Some fields will be assessed as total losses. Corn that was broken off at the ear will not continue to grow. What options remain for those planning on silage?

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By WCM Staff on 7/30/2009 8:36 AM

Monsanto and DowAgroSciences, in a cross-licensing agreement, announced on July 20 that they have received registration approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a regulatory authorization from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to commercialize SmartStax^TM corn hybrids in 2010. The hybrids will express the following insecticidal proteins: Cry3Bb1 (event MON88017), Cry34/35Ab1 (event DAS-59122-7), Cry1F (event TC 1507), and Cry1A.105+Cry2Ab2 (event MON89034).

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By WCM Staff on 7/23/2009 8:20 AM

Today’s article addresses the topic of tank mixing insecticide for soybean aphid with fungicides at R3 soybean growth stage, or a bit earlier this season the same conversation was circulating regarding insecticide with 2^nd pass Roundup (glyphosate) herbicide application in soybeans.

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By WCM Staff on 7/23/2009 8:10 AM

As the soybean crop moves into the R3, or early pod development, growth stage, we have received numerous calls regarding the use of foliar fungicides and insecticide tank-mix partners (a.k.a. plant health programs). 

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By WCM Staff on 7/16/2009 10:30 AM

Just a quick reminder that the HPPD-inhibiting herbicides (Callisto, Impact, and Laudis) have postemergence activity on soybeans.

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By WCM Staff on 7/16/2009 10:26 AM

As some of the second applications of glyphosate that are being made, it might be time to review a couple maximums with glyphosate.

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By WCM Staff on 7/2/2009 8:10 AM

The Healthy Grown eco-label program has added a natural community standard to restore non-agricultural lands and privately owned farmlands. In 2007, the new ecosystem conservation section to the standards called the Natural Community Standard was unveiled.

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By WCM Staff on 6/25/2009 9:57 AM

 We continue to receive questions regarding the cost-effective use of foliar fungicides in corn. Continuing with the previous two articles in the Wisconsin Crop Manager that focused on results from on-farm foliar fungicide trials for corn grain and corn silage, in this article, we would like to address some of the questions that have been raised over the past winter meeting season regarding the use of foliar fungicides for corn.

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By WCM Staff on 6/8/2009 10:17 AM

Winter wheat is rapidly advancing around the state, based both on our observations as well as from various reports from across the state.  We have received some questions and comments that growers are considering the application of foliar fungicides but that the plants are at flowering. It is very important that you closely examine the growth stage if considering the application of a foliar fungicide.

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By WCM Staff on 6/4/2009 12:14 PM

In driving through the state this last week, most corn fields look like they have a preemergence program that has controlled early season weeds well. However, there are some corn fields with modest densities of weeds emerging. These fields will soon reach the time when postemergence herbicides need to be applied to protect corn yields.

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By WCM Staff on 6/4/2009 11:36 AM

Differing weather patterns across the state of Wisconsin this spring have left some growers extremely pleased with their soybean stands while others find themselves at various degrees of displeasure or disgust.

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