Wade Barnes, with Farmers Edge Precision Consulting, cuts to the quick: “Your first job is to make sure weeds don’t take fertility out of the ground.” Farmers Edge is a land management company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
If weeds steal moisture and nutrients, Barnes says you count on reduced yield. “If weed flushes take off, it doesn’t matter how much fertilizer you put down. We get guys who complain, ‘I did VRT, but I didn’t get my 55-bushel wheat! What happened?’ ”
Barnes says if they didn’t plan early weed control then even a great fertility program won’t guarantee the extra yield they’re after. “We’ve had to go out in the field to tell the farmer, ‘Sir, your field is full of weeds!’ He could have put 500 pounds of fertilizer on there and it wouldn’t have made a difference.”
When it comes to flush control, Barnes says keep an eye on crop stages. “If the crop is too big, by the time you do your weed control you’re just doing it for cosmetic reasons because the yield damage is already done.”
When the crop is at six or seven leaves, the number of spikelets and head size have been determined. “If your fertility has been robbed a little, it might be okay to go back and compensate,” Barnes says, “but how do you know how much nitrogen is gone? Generally, farmers don’t know.”
Some producers spray only once – when they think the crop is at the perfect stage, but this isn’t the best plan. “They’ll get rain or something else happens. By the time they get out there, the yield damage is already done."
Suck it up
“It’s amazing,” Barnes says. “Something like 40 percent of the nitrogen is already used in the first 30 days of crop development. That’s big.”
But he cautions: “Don’t under fertilize your wheat. When the crop runs out of nitrogen and goes into stress, you may not notice until it’s too late. At this point, don’t bother adding more nitrogen.”
Another pointer: Don’t skimp on soil testing. Treat every field separately and soil test every field. “There’s no one blanket approach,” says Barnes.
Whether nutrients in the soil can make up for a fertilizer shortfall depends on the geographical area and the field. Barnes says, in his experience, if a farm has 20 fields, four or five of those will already have more-than-ample fertility as a result of a previous legume crop or another event such as a hailstorm. He says he also sees fields that are extremely deficient.
“Growers often want to set their nitrogen applicator for 70 pounds, for example, but there’s probably only one field out of the 20 that 70 pounds works for. But it’s what they’ve always done. We’re working with better wheat varieties now that are raising yield potential, but farmers are forgetting to increase their fertility program to accommodate that.”
Farmers Edge agronomists believe the most yield-limiting factor is most always nitrogen. “The biggest return on investment is nitrogen, hands down, no questions asked. I’ll stand in the ring and punch it out with anybody on this one,” says Barnes. “Nitrogen is absolutely,positively, number one. Number two is fungicide and number three is quality seed. You’ve got to get those right.”
Bank soil fertility?
Producers can bank fertility for their wheat, but they’ll need to work out a soil-banking strategy. Producers who have lots of manure in their history generally have lots of fertility. “If you’re a very high-yield grower, it’s usually hard to bank up nutrients because you’re starting behind the gun each season. Manure is, by far, the best way to feed a soil that’s got a low tank. It’s a powerful tool,” Barnes says.
If you have an old history of legumes or forage crops, your field could already be in pretty good shape. “We’re seeing value from a forage crop that was in the rotation 15 or 20 years ago. That area always produces more grain compared to the rest of the field, even today. It’s amazing.”
Barnes thinks farmers sometimes limit their own yield potential. “They fertilize for 40 bushels per acre and get 40. They could probably get 65 but that won’t happen if the crop is only fertilized for 40. But if you fertilize for 65 and only have weather to grow 40, you’re only going to get 40. Fertilizer just does not trump weather.”
In dry areas, if you over fertilize and soil test the following year, Barnes says you’ll find you have extra fertilizer left over. “We’ve learned we don’t lose as much fertilizer as we’ve been told we do. That’s been pretty amazing to me. There’s a lot of talk about leaching and nitrification, but it’s not as common as people think.”
Crop fertility is top of mind, but what about weed fertility? Understanding how weeds react to fertilizer and how much fertility is required by your wheat crop are two good ways to boost yield.
Write a comment
- Required fields are marked with *.
Wade Barnes, with Farmers Edge Precision Consulting, cuts to the quick: “Your first job is to make sure weeds don’t take fertility out of the ground.” Farmers Edge is a land management company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
If weeds steal moisture and nutrients, Barnes says you count on reduced yield. “If weed flushes take off, it doesn’t matter how much fertilizer you put down. We get guys who complain, ‘I did VRT, but I didn’t get my 55-bushel wheat! What happened?’ ”
Barnes says if they didn’t plan early weed control then even a great fertility program won’t guarantee the extra yield they’re after. “We’ve had to go out in the field to tell the farmer, ‘Sir, your field is full of weeds!’ He could have put 500 pounds of fertilizer on there and it wouldn’t have made a difference.”
When it comes to flush control, Barnes says keep an eye on crop stages. “If the crop is too big, by the time you do your weed control you’re just doing it for cosmetic reasons because the yield damage is already done.”
When the crop is at six or seven leaves, the number of spikelets and head size have been determined. “If your fertility has been robbed a little, it might be okay to go back and compensate,” Barnes says, “but how do you know how much nitrogen is gone? Generally, farmers don’t know.”
Some producers spray only once – when they think the crop is at the perfect stage, but this isn’t the best plan. “They’ll get rain or something else happens. By the time they get out there, the yield damage is already done."
Suck it up
“It’s amazing,” Barnes says. “Something like 40 percent of the nitrogen is already used in the first 30 days of crop development. That’s big.”
But he cautions: “Don’t under fertilize your wheat. When the crop runs out of nitrogen and goes into stress, you may not notice until it’s too late. At this point, don’t bother adding more nitrogen.”
Another pointer: Don’t skimp on soil testing. Treat every field separately and soil test every field. “There’s no one blanket approach,” says Barnes.
Whether nutrients in the soil can make up for a fertilizer shortfall depends on the geographical area and the field. Barnes says, in his experience, if a farm has 20 fields, four or five of those will already have more-than-ample fertility as a result of a previous legume crop or another event such as a hailstorm. He says he also sees fields that are extremely deficient.
“Growers often want to set their nitrogen applicator for 70 pounds, for example, but there’s probably only one field out of the 20 that 70 pounds works for. But it’s what they’ve always done. We’re working with better wheat varieties now that are raising yield potential, but farmers are forgetting to increase their fertility program to accommodate that.”
Farmers Edge agronomists believe the most yield-limiting factor is most always nitrogen. “The biggest return on investment is nitrogen, hands down, no questions asked. I’ll stand in the ring and punch it out with anybody on this one,” says Barnes. “Nitrogen is absolutely,positively, number one. Number two is fungicide and number three is quality seed. You’ve got to get those right.”
Bank soil fertility?
Producers can bank fertility for their wheat, but they’ll need to work out a soil-banking strategy. Producers who have lots of manure in their history generally have lots of fertility. “If you’re a very high-yield grower, it’s usually hard to bank up nutrients because you’re starting behind the gun each season. Manure is, by far, the best way to feed a soil that’s got a low tank. It’s a powerful tool,” Barnes says.
If you have an old history of legumes or forage crops, your field could already be in pretty good shape. “We’re seeing value from a forage crop that was in the rotation 15 or 20 years ago. That area always produces more grain compared to the rest of the field, even today. It’s amazing.”
Barnes thinks farmers sometimes limit their own yield potential. “They fertilize for 40 bushels per acre and get 40. They could probably get 65 but that won’t happen if the crop is only fertilized for 40. But if you fertilize for 65 and only have weather to grow 40, you’re only going to get 40. Fertilizer just does not trump weather.”
In dry areas, if you over fertilize and soil test the following year, Barnes says you’ll find you have extra fertilizer left over. “We’ve learned we don’t lose as much fertilizer as we’ve been told we do. That’s been pretty amazing to me. There’s a lot of talk about leaching and nitrification, but it’s not as common as people think.”
Crop fertility is top of mind, but what about weed fertility? Understanding how weeds react to fertilizer and how much fertility is required by your wheat crop are two good ways to boost yield.
Write a comment
- Required fields are marked with *.