More Flex-Lease Information

Iowa State Extension has (or at least seems to) been among the first to do in-depth work on Flexible Cash Leases. A blog reader sent this link to a webinar Steve Johnson from Iowa State did on this.

Iowa State Flexible Lease Webinar

Consider this a supplement to my first Flexible Lease post.

Clinton County Ag Newsletter

I've put together a Clinton County Ag Extension newsletter which is available as a pdf online. Most of the information in it has been posted to this blog already but there's some new material. You can access it by clinking the link below.

Clinton County Winter 2011-12 Ag Newsletter

Clinton County Farm Emergency Planning

For the past 8 months I have been working with Clinton County Central Dispatch and Fire Chiefs on developing a Farm Emergency Plan Program which would be usable by Emergency Responders on a real-time basis if they were called out to an emergency. We are looking at providing Central Dispatch with a GIS-based Farmstead map and some additional information which would be on the Central Dispatch computer system as well in every emergency vehicle in the county. With this program we believe we will be able to more quickly and effectively respond to farm emergencies and improve the safety for Responders.

I believe we are ready to roll this out over the winter. I have developed a web page with much more detail about this. The link to this is at the bottom of this post. Developing a detailed farm emergency plan is a good idea in and of itself and there may be some financial benefits as well. I encourage you to take a look at the web page and associated information, including a sample plan, and contact me if you have any questions or are interested in developing a plan.

Clinton County Farm Emergency Planning Page

It should be clear but just in case I'll add that I'll only be working on this for Clinton County, Indiana farms.

Outlook, PARP and Category 14 Test on Friday, December 16

I think it's time for me to provide more details about the December 16 programs which will be taking place at the Clinton County Fairgrounds, 1701 South Jackson Street, Frankfort, IN. Because there are three programs taking place that day, and because some require pre-registration and some do not, I'm dividing this post into three parts. You can click on the link below to get to whatever portion you're interested in without having to scroll through the entire post - the whole thing will be pretty long.

Ag Outlook Breakfast

Private Applicator Recertification Program
(includes CCH's and CCA's)


Category 14 Fertilizer Applicator Exam

Ag Outlook Breakfast

The annual Clinton County Ag Outlook Breakfast will be held on Friday, December 16, 7:30 a.m. at the Clinton County Fairgrounds 4-H Building. A free breakfast, sponsored by The Farmers Bank and Regions Bank, will be provided.

Purdue Ag Economis Chris Hurt will be on hand to provide his Outlook for 2012. The program is free to the public and is designed to help farmers, land owners, input suppliers, and those interested in agriculture make better business decisions in the coming year.

The volume of corn used for ethanol is expected to continue to be near record levels. In addition, China continues to excite the corn market with corn purchases for a second year with prospects for longer-term buying relationships. The program will review potential pricing strategies for corn and soybeans.

Increasing attention is being given to the growing fears of a double-dip recession. This program will outline why the economy is growing slowly and make predictions for future growth, interest rates, and inflation.

The livestock sector faces another year of high feed costs. Yet some animal product prices have also risen sharply over the past year. This means some animal species can afford these record feed prices. Regardless, consumers are experiencing the highest costs ever to feed their families.

Crop prices are up, but so are input costs for 2012. This program will outline which inputs are headed higher and how that may affect margins for 2012 and 2013. The battle for 2012 acres is already underway and the expected economic returns to various crops will be discussed.

Land values and cash rents are expected to move higher again in 2012, but by how much and what are the driving factors to watch? These and other topics will be covered.

Because we are serving a meal and need to know attendance numbers, pre-registration for the program is required. Please either call the office at 765-659-6380 or 765-296-3511 or e-mail me at cemanuel@purdue.edu if you are planning to attend. The registration deadline is 4:00 p.m. (Eastern) on Monday, December 12. Again, this program is free and open to the public.

This is always an interesting and informative program so I encourage you to attend. And thanks again to The Farmers Bank and Regions Bank for their sponsorship of this program.

Private Applicator Recertification

Following the Ag Outlook Breakfast we will be holding a Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program, or PARP. This program is scheduled to run from 9:30-Noon though I always caution people that if Chris is covering something very interesting at 9:25 I don't cut him off in the middle of it. I promise that it will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the latest.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Christian Krupke from Purdue Entomology will present an Insect Control Update and Glenn Nice from Purdue Botany and Plant Pathology will provide a Weed Control Update. Also, I know of a couple of people putting in some bulk fertilizer storage so the regulatory topic will be on bulk fertilizer and pesticide containment rules in case anyone else is thinking of going this route.

I have received CCH approval for commercial applicators and I am able to request CEU's for Certified Crop Advisors after the program so I always have the forms there in case any CCA's attend.

There is a cost of $10 for Private Applicators taking this part of the program. If you are paying by check, please make it out to, "PUCES." You must bring your current license with you as we need that to register you. If you don't have your license on hand we can register you with your social security number but it takes a separate form. Since we aren't feeding you, you don't need to pre-register for this program.

Also, this is not a program for people looking to get their pesticide license for the first time. The program is for people with an existing license who want to receive credit toward their renewal requirements.

There is no cost for Commercial Applicators or CCA's (unless you're also receiving PARP credit). However you will need to have their licenses with you to register.

Clinton County Private Applicators who need recertification credit will receive a letter about a week before the program. I do not send letters out to those of you who have already completed your recertification requirements or are unable to complete them - if you have taken no recertifications and your license expires at the end of this year. Hopefully everyone understands how tight budgets are and why we don't spend the $.44 on mailing letters out to those who don't need them.

If you need additional PARP credits, The Purdue Private Applicator Page keeps a calendar of all approved PARP's in the state. They also keep a page where you can check on your recertification status. As a reminder of the recertification rules, you must attend three PARP Programs before the expiration date on your license, with no more than two programs in the same calendar year. There is an online PARP you can take which will count as one program.

Finally, if you are interested in what Christian and Glenn have to say but don't have a pesticide license, feel free to attend. Much of what they discuss will be relevant to everyone, not just licensed applicators and as you know, not all products are restricted use pesticides.

Category 14 Fertilizer Exam

Beginning at 1:00 PM we will be hosting a Category 14 Agricultural Fertilizer Applicator Testing Session, also at the Clinton County Fairgrounds. If you are wondering whether you need a Category 14 License, I briefly discussed this last spring on this blog and the State Chemist has much more detailed information on the program.

This is a test-only session - no training. This is the link to the online Category 14 Training Manual. This is a very large file so if your connection is slow it may take a few minutes to load. There are programs around the state which include trainings, which you can find at this link. If you're wondering if you need the training, I always tell people that if you go through the manual and you're pretty comfortable with your knowledge of the material, the test shouldn't give you much trouble but if parts of it leave you feeling lost you should probably try to find a training program.

You must register for this program in advance. We must have at least 50 registrants for the State Chemist to come out and administer the test. As I type this on November 16 we have about 35 signed up so I don't think that will be a problem. However our maximum number is 100 which I have a feeling we'll reach before the registration deadline. In any case, the deadline to register is Monday, December 12 or when we reach 100 registrants, whichever comes first. All we need is a name and contact information in case we need to reach you for some reason (for example, postponing due to weather that day).

Please register by either calling the office at 765-659-6380 or 765-296-3511 or e-mailing me at cemanuel@purdue.edu. The program is free but if you haven't pre-registered and just show up, we won't be able to let you take the test.

Rules for those attending the program are as follows:

• Anyone needing Category 14 private and commercial certification
  
• Registration required
  
• No walk-ins accepted
  
• Testing for Category 14 only
  
• Testing limited to 100 registered individuals
  
• Will need a hand-held calculator for the test, but cell phones not allowed
  
• Will need a government issued photo identification to take the test
  

They don't say it in the official rules but please bring something to write with too.

December 16 will be a busy day. If you have any questions about any of the programs, please let me know.

Fall Tillage Advice

Now that harvest is nearing completion folks will start thinking about preparing for next year. Every year I see a fair amount of what I would call "recreational tillage" going on. Sometimes fall tillage is desirable and even necessary, however I encourage you to consider the costs and benefits before firing up the tractor.

Tony Vyn from Purdue Agronomy has a very good article in Ag Answers on areas to consider in making tillage decisions. I encourage you to take a look at it.

Tony Vyn article from Ag Answers.

2012 Central Indiana Pork Conference Date Set

This is mainly a "hold the date" post to inform you that the 2012 Central Indiana Pork Conference (CIPC) has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at Rossville High School in Rossville. This happens to be the same date as the Ohio Pork Conference but I don't expect too many of our regular attendees will be heading over there.

I do not have a full agenda yet though I expect the general 9 a.m. to 3 or 3:30 p.m. times will hold again. I have confirmed most of the Commodity representatives and state agency people to provide updates, Indiana Packers will have someone there and Dr. Monty Moss will be giving a presentation on the filtration system he implemented at his operation to counteract PRRS. I heard him give this (or something very similar) at the Indiana Swine Health Advisory Committee Meeting a few weeks ago and he is excellent, both in the quality of his presentation and in the information he provided.

I will be filling out the agenda over the next few weeks. You can keep track of things either through this blog or by checking the Central Indiana Pork Conference Web Page. You can find past agendas and past speaker presentations at that site as well.

Flexible Cash Rents

I am not a farm rental contract guru by any means. However over the past couple of weeks I've received several calls requesting what is an appropriate cash rent level in Clinton County. Obviously this depends on several factors which I'm not going to cover here. Instead, I want to talk a little bit about, or at least offer some resources on, flexible cash rents.

Among the calls I've been getting has been one which generally asks, "How do I put a rent together which lets both me and the farmer take advantage of really good years?" My response has been to take a look at a flexible contract. Flexible contracts set a floor or base rent for cropland with the landowner capturing a certain amount of income above a set level.

As an example, a landowner and farmer may set a base rent of $200/acre based on 200 bushels of $5 corn (I'm using these figures because it makes the math easy) or a gross revenue of $1000/acre.

If corn price is $6 and yield is 200 bushels, then the gross is $1200 and in a flexible rent system the landowner would receive a certain percentage of the $200 overage. The same type of overage might apply with a very good yield - say, 220 bushels at $5.

These systems are pretty simple in concept but because of the uncertainties they can be pretty complicated in practice. A key point is, How do you set the price? Is it a)local cash price twice a year b)averaged on a certain day of each month through the year, or c)some other way? From a farmer's perspective this type of rental agreement fails to take input costs into account. Crop prices may look very good but input costs have this pesky habit of rising when prices are good so this isn't the entire story. Also, if you want to share in the potential upward benefit, you should be prepared to share in some of the downward risk as well.

I'll also caution landowners that a 50-50 split of the overage isn't appropriate (at least that I can see). Keep in mind that for every additional bushel of grain harvested, the farmer has some costs associated with it. That bushel must run through the combine and be hauled to the elevator. For corn it will usually need to be dried and, in theory at least, each additional bushel will require additional fertilizer.

Rather than summarize what people more experienced and informed than I have to say about this, I'm going to refer you to an online resource (initially I was going to include links to Ohio State, Illinois and Iowa State but those are on this page).

Purdue's Farmland Leasing Page - This page has a variety of land rental resources including a link to the cash rent and land values survey. Toward the bottom of the first section are a couple of Purdue resources including a flex rent calculator. If you move further down the page under "Flexible Cash Rent Leases" you'll find information from other Universities.

Flexible rents can be a useful way of allowing landowners and farmers to share in profitable years. I do caution people to remember that to date, these agreements do not typically account for variations in input costs, something which will have a tremendous impact on profitability. Hopefully in the future this type of adjustment may also start being factored into agreements.

Pesticide Applicator Training Date Set

We'll be holding a Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program (PARP) on Friday, December 16, from 9:30 a.m. to Noon at the Clinton County Fairgrounds 4-H Building. Clinton County Private Applicators will receive additional information in a mailing closer to the event.

Christian Krupke from Purdue Entomology will present an Insect Control Update and Glenn Nice from Purdue Botany and Plant Pathology will provide a Weed Control Update. We'll also have a review of the bulk fertilizer and pesticide containment regulations. The cost will be $10 for private applicators. I'll request CCH's for commercial applicators and will have signup sheets for CCA's as well.

This will be part of a full day of programming. At 7:30 that day we'll host our annual Ag Outlook Breakfast, sponsored by The Farmers Bank and Regions Bank. Purdue Ag Economist Chris Hurt will be on hand to deliver the Outlook for 2012. At 1:00 p.m., following the PARP, we'll hold a Category 14 Ag Fertilizer Applicator testing program. This will be a test only session. No training. There will be no fee for either the Category 14 or Outlook breakfast though we will ask people to register in advance so we have an idea on numbers.

UPDATE: I've provided some additional information on the programs we'll be having on December 16 which you can access by clicking on this link.

Corn Harvest Issue I: Aflatoxin

We're a little while yet from harvest but getting there, particularly with much of Clinton County corn suffering from a lack of rain. The good news is that many of the fields look better than they appear from roadside "windshield Surveys." Once you get into many (not all, unfortunately) fields, grain fill is better than along field borders.

One of the risks impacting drought-stressed corn is aflatoxin. We've had recent experience with that here so this is mainly a reminder. One tip is if you think this may be a problem, harvest at-risk fields early and make sure corn gets dried down quickly. Aflatoxin multiplies quite rapidly at higher moistures and temperatures but will not when corn is dried down to 13-14% and cooled. Avoid air-drying.

Another implication is insurance. Aflatoxin is a covered loss under many insurance policies, but not after corn is placed in storage. If you suspect you may have aflatoxin, you should contact your insurance agent as soon as possible.

Gary Schnitkey from the University of Illinois has additional information on crop insurance and aflatoxin.

For more information on grain storage issues, see Purdue's page on Managing Moldy Corn, developed in 2009.

Ag Outlook 2012 Webinar

The Purdue Ag Economics Department has scheduled a webinar, "Ag Outlook 2012" for Tuesday, September 13 beginning at 8:30 a.m. I will be showing this at the Extension Office so if you have a slow internet connection, or would just prefer viewing it here, feel free to stop by. But do me a favor and call or e-mail me first to let me know you're coming. The room I've scheduled has about 20 chairs in it so if I'd like to know in advance if I need to move furniture.

They didn't put an end time on it but I'd think it would be finished by 10:30 or so. We will be having our Ag Outlook Breakfast this fall. This is not 100% confirmed but I expect it will be Friday, December 16 at the Clinton County Fairgrounds.

The complete program announcement from Purdue follows:

"Purdue Extension Service will present a program titled “Agricultural Outlook 2012” at 8:30 am ET/ 7:30 am CT on Tuesday September 13. For those interested, the link is: https://gomeet.itap.purdue.edu/tuesdays/ The program is free to the public and is designed to help farmers, land owners, input suppliers, and those interested in agriculture make better business decisions in the coming year. The program will be presented by Corinne Alexander an Agricultural Economist.

U.S. farmers are facing disappointing corn and soybean yields this fall as late planting was followed by extreme July heat and dryness. Demand remains strong for grains, soybeans, and food around the world with limited supplies. This means prices will be high. The program will help answer “How high?”

The volume of corn used for ethanol is expected to set new records in 2012, however, some believe there won’t be enough corn this fall to meet all the demands and that EPA should consider reducing government ethanol mandates. In addition, China continues to excite the corn market with purchases for a second year with prospects for longer-term buying relationships with the U.S.

Increasing attention is being given to the general economy with growing fears of a double-dip recession. This program will outline the reasons why the economy is growing slowly and make predictions for future growth, interest rates, and inflation. A short discussion of the Federal government debt situation will also be featured.

The livestock sector faces another year of extremely high feed costs. Yet some animal product prices have also risen sharply over the past year. Some of the animal species can afford these record feed prices, others may face losses in 2012. Regardless, consumers are experiencing the highest costs ever to feed their families.

Crop prices are up, but so are input costs for 2012. This program will outline which inputs are headed higher and how that may affect margins for 2012 and 2013. The battle for acres is underway this fall as producers consider seeding winter wheat. The program will demonstrate the economic implications of that battle by showing which crops are currently bidding most aggressively for the limited acres.

Land values and rents are expected to move higher again in 2012, but by how much and how high can land values and rents rise before they are too high? What are the driving factors to be watching? These and other topics will be covered."

Indiana Farmland Values and Cash Rents on the Rise

The 2011 Purdue Farmland Values and Cash Rent Survey results are in. Land values and rents are both up significantly over 2010 survey numbers. You can read the survey results in the August, 2011 Purdue Agricultural Economics Report. You will need Adobe Reader for this document.

Keep in mind that Clinton County is considered part of the Central District in Indiana. Tables 1 and 2 are what people are generally most interested in but there's a fair amount of information if you have a chance to read the entire report.

Viptera Corn Issue

If you haven't already heard, there's a potentially significant issue with Syngenta's Agrisure Viptera corn. Primarily, China has indicated that they will not accept Viptera corn with the MIR162 insecticidal trait. This creates obvious problems with the possibility of buyers rejecting corn.

There are some sdditional details in this article by Rich Keller which Bob Nielsen posted on his Chat 'n Chew Cafe.

The National Corn Growers Association has put up a Viptera page discussing this issue. Syngenta has also put up a Viptera export information page.

At this point, producers should mainly stay current on this issue and aware of developments. If you've planted this corn you may want to contact your buyer and make sure you won't run into any problems. Hopefully additional information will be forthcoming soon.

Weather Impacts on Corn

Everybody who grows corn knows that the recent hot, dry weather during pollination isn't ideal. The question then becomes how to assess what the impact has been.

The most accurate way is to simply go out and do yield checks by counting ears and kernels. Rather than spell this out here, I'll refer people to Bob Nielsen's article from last October, Estimating Corn Grain Yield Prior to Harvest. In talking to people who've done this already, the general response I'm getting is, "It's not as bad as I was afraid it might be." I know that's not terribly specific but it appears that the corn has been weathering this surprisingly well.

From "drive-by windshielding" there has been remarkably little visible signs of stress in corn, in particular leaf rolling. This has recently started to change a bit in areas of the county which have not received much rain. If you're wondering how leaf rolling equates to yield loss, I'll refer you to an article from July 15 by Roger Elmore and Elwynn Taylor from Iowa State, Corn and “a Big Long Heat Wave on the Way”. In particular, these passages in the final section are interesting:

"By rule-of-thumb, the yield is diminished by 1 percent for every 12 hours of leaf rolling - except during the week of silking when the yield is cut 1 percent per 4 hours of leaf rolling."

and

"The second impact is less obvious initially. When soil moisture is sufficient, as it is for the most part this July, the crop does not have a measurable yield response to one day of temperatures between 93F to 98 F. However, the fourth consecutive day with a maximum temperature of 93 F or above results in a 1 percent yield loss in addition to that computed from the leaf rolling. The fifth day there is an additional 2 percent loss; the sixth day an additional 4 percent loss. Data are not sufficient to make generalizations for a heat wave of more than six days, however firing of leaves then becomes likely and very large yield losses are incurred."

Unfortunately, just in the past few days there has been some lower-leaf firing in corn. As a caution, this goes back to my "drive-by windshielding" sampling method which tends to include quite a bit of end-rows which are generally more compacted and will show more of this.

Assistance Available for Livestock Losses Due to Heat

I haven't heard of any major livestock deaths in Clinton County due to heat however if this happens, there is a USDA program which will provide assistance in the case of livestock or poultry loss.

The Livestock Indemnity Program, or LIP, will reimburse producers for approximately 75% of the market value of livestock lost to extreme weather, which includes heat. To apply for the program, go to the Clinton County Farm Service Agency Office. The program is for commercial livestock. Pets and recreational animals are not covered.

FSA has additional information on LIP online.

New Herbicide Selection Tool Available

Purdue Weed Scientists Bill Johnson and Glenn Nice have developed an online tool to help producers make herbicide decisions. The tool is called Indiana Select-a-Herb.

In the online program you will select your crop and weeds you want to control. The program will then find herbicides labeled for use with that crop and against those weeds and rated by the manufacturer with 70% or better control rating.

A non-crop option is also available for side ditches, fencerows, CRP, permanent pasture, etc.

This will be a very useful tool. I've played with it a little bit and I think it will be helpful. Keep in mind though, The Label is The Law. Use this as a starting point but always check the label for additional information. The site doesn't include everything so issues such as residual pesticide interactions or tank mixes, etc., aren't addressed.

PQA Plus Training

I've scheduled a PQA Plus and PQA Site Self Assessment Training for Tuesday, August 16, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Extension Office. Details are as follows:

PQA Plus and PQA Site Self-Assessment Training

Tuesday, August 16

6:30-9:00 PM

Clinton County Extension Office

1111 South Jackson St

Frankfort, IN 46041

Cost: Free

Schedule

6:30-7:30 - PQA Plus Training

7:30-9:00 – Site Self-Assessment Training and Exam

Please call 765-659-6380 or 765-296-3511 or e-mail cemanuel@purdue.edu by August 15 to register.

Purdue University is an equal access/equal opportunity institution

Clean Sweep Pesticide Project

Had a few spare minutes during the fair and decided to open my mail. In it was a letter from the Indiana State Chemist about this year's Pesticide Clean Sweep Program.

This program has been in place for several years and is a very useful tool for farmers. If you have old, unwanted, excess pesticides which you've been wondering how to get rid of, here's your chance.

The Clean Sweep Project is designed to collect and dispose of suspended, canceled, banned, unusable, opened, unopened or just unwanted pesticides. This disposal service is free of charge up to 250 lbs per participant. Over 250 lbs there will be a $2.00/lb charge (still a lot cheaper than other disposal routes).

This program is available to all public and private schools, golf courses, nurseries, farmers, ag dealers, cities, towns, municipalities and county units of government. It is not designed for homeowners.*

Program dates and locations are:

August 9, Marshall County Fairgrounds, Argos, IN
August 11, Huntington County Fairgrounds, Huntington, IN
August 16, Hendricks County Fairgrounds, Danville, IN
August 18, Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Madison, IN

You should complete a Pesticide Clean Sweep Planning form and submit it no later than Tuesday, August 2, 2011. You can find the form and where to send it in on the Clean Sweep Web Page.

*For Clinton County homeowners, contact the Wildcat Creek Solid Waste District at 765-296-4166 for information on disposing of unwanted products.

Cover Crops

Fair is coming up and I haven't had time to post much on this blog over the last couple of weeks, and likely won't have much time until after the fair ends.

I haven't heard of a lot of prevented planting acres in Clinton County but I'm sure there are some. An option which has some benefits for helping your productivity is to plant a cover crop. Eileen Kladivko of Purdue's Agronomy Department and Barry Fisher from NRCS have an article on this in the latest issue of Purdue's Pest and Crop Newsletter.

Keep in mind you can't hay, graze, etc., cover crops on prevented planting acres.

Late-Season N Applications in Corn

Eric Miller, R.L. (Bob) Nielsen, and Jim Camberato of Purdue Extension have recently offered an article about late season Nitrogen applications when weather or other factors keep you out of the field beyond when is optimum. In brief, the article compares corn with N applied at V7 (7 visible leaf collars) or V15 (a week or two from silking) and a control with only starter N applied. While corn with the V7 sidedress outperformed that with the V15 application, it wasn't by much and both applications far outperformed corn receiving no sidedress.

It's a good article and you should read it through but in essence, even if you're late and have to get creative with equipment, Nitrogen application still pays off.

More Category 14, Ag Fertilizer Application Information

Consider this a follow-up to my earlier category 14 post and something of a "save the date" message.

In addition to the training and exam sessions offered, the Indiana State Chemist will be offering exam-only sessions for producers and commercial applicators needing to get their category 14 certification.

To date, two of these sessions are available:

• Sept. 15, 2-4 p.m. Eastern, Wells County Community Center, 1240 4-H Park Road, Bluffton. To register, call 260-824-6412 or by email at horan@purdue.edu.
  
• Dec. 16, 1-3 p.m. Eastern, Clinton County Fairgrounds, Fairground Street, Frankfort. To register, call 765-659-6380 or 765-296-3511 or email cemanuel@purdue.edu by Dec. 12.

You'll notice the second session will be here in Clinton County and you sign up by contacting me. That day, December 16 will also be an Ag Outlook Breakfast and a Private Applicator Recertification Program (CCH's will also be avilable) in the morning. These haven't been "officially" scheduled but I have speakers lined up (we're looking at a weed control and insect update) so I'm pretty confident it'll happen. For additional information you can take a look at the Purdue Pesticide Programs Website.

Twisted Whorls in Corn

Bob Nielsen has provided an updated article on the appearance of twisted whorls in corn. While this can be a sign of plant injury, the growing conditions we've seen the past few weeks can also be a cause.

Note: I'll be gone the rest of this week and all next week and tied up with a GIS program I'm helping teach the following week (this gets us to June 24). I'm not certain how often I'll be able to update this blog during that period, though I'll try.

Cutworm Problems

Cutworms Chewing Through Technology by Christian Krupke and John Obermeyer

• Cutworms are abundant, especially where weeds were plentiful before planting

• As predicted, seed insecticides and/or Bt corn are NOT controlling severe infestations

Numerous reports have been received of emerging corn being damaged by cutworms. As mentioned in previous Pest&Crop issues (#4, 5, 6, 8) the seed-applied insecticides and/or Bt traited corn will only provide suppression of cutworms. With the severe damage some fields are reportedly receiving, it is obvious that some producers did not scout fields after emergence to determine the need for rescue foliar insecticides.

Black cutworm is not the only species of cutworm present and damaging fields. Many reports of claybacked cutworm have been received as well. This species overwinters as a partially grown larva, so it is larger when the corn is emerging, compared with black cutworms, which begin their annual Indiana cycle as eggs in the spring. What’s important is that larger larvae, ≥ 0.5 inch, are not controlled by Bt proteins expressed in Herculex and SmartStax. Producers are unhappily finding out that black cutworm is the only species labeled for control with these traited-seeds, and rescue treatments are on their tab. And As we’ve learned in the past and hearing again this spring, the seed-applied insecticides (e.g., Cruiser, Poncho) provide only suppression of cutworms. They likely do a fine job of suppressing light to moderate infestations, but severe infestations are NOT controlled, even by the higher rate.

Cutworm control may be needed if 3-5% of the seedlings have obvious foliar feeding and/or plant cutting and live larvae can be found while digging around damaged plants. Higher label rates of insecticides should be considered if the soil surface is crusty and most cutworm activity is below ground. For a listing of foliar insecticides for rescue control, refer to “Corn Insect Control Recommendations – 2011,” which can be viewed by clicking this link.

If you have questions or for more information, please contact Christian Krupke or John Obermeyer in the Department of Entomology.

Crop Insurance and Underwater Corn

I'm hoping this blog helps some folks out there. I know it's helping me keep up on things.

There are a couple of articles in the latest edition of Ag Answers which may interest people. George Patrick, Purdue Ag Economist and Crop Insurance Guru has some advice for people considering using the June 5 corn Prevented Planting Provision.

And we're pretty familiar with this after the past few years (I'd just switched from Youth to Ag when we had the June, 2003 rains that transformed Clinton County into a marshland of rotting crops) but Bob Nielsen has an article about the response of the corn plant to ponding and saturated soils.

And it may be too wet to plant or do any fieldwork, at least in the northern part of the county, but it's not too early to do some scouting. The Purdue Pest & Crop Newsletter has some advice about things to look for. In particular, black cutworm could be a problem this year.

Also, a friend of mine in Tippecanoe County said she saw her first firefly last night. We all know this means corn rootworm won't be far behind (unless they all drowned?). I know Purdue is interested in how refuge-in-the-bag will work so if you planted some and you see something interesting (funky?) give me a call. I'm not sure if we can get a specialist to come out and look, though we have better luck than some people since we're close to campus, but I can at least take some pictures and send them in. And don't worry, the Purdue people (and I) are pretty good about confidentiality.

Delayed Planting Webinar

Last Friday, May 28 Purdue held a Webinar on Delayed Planting Issues. That program has been archived. You can view it at this link.

If you don't have a fast internet internet connection, give us a call and we can set you up with a computer to watch it from here.

Late Planting Issues Post 2

With the rain last night some issues you may have thought about, such as switching from corn to soybeans, are starting to become a reality. Over the last week numerous articles have been written, coming from various sources which I'll link to below.

Assessing Available Nitrogen from Fall- and Spring-Applied Nitrogen Applications - Article posted May 26, 2011. By Purdue Agronomists Jim Camberato, R.L. (Bob) Nielsen, and Brad Joern. We haven't had as many of the gulley-washers Southern Indiana has had but we've still had a fair amount of rain. This article provides information on how to determine if the Nitrogen you've already applied is still available.

Do as I Say, Not as I do - Article posted May 24, 2011. Chad Lee, Grain Crops Extension Agronomist from the University of Kentucky relates his own struggles with the late planting season.

What do We do About the Yellow Fields? - Article posted May 23, 2011. Over the past few years those pretty yellow flowers have come to cover fields in the spring. Bill Johnson and Glenn Nice discuss how to control Cressleaf Groundsel, more commonly known as butterweed. The above link is to a PDF document. For the same information, but not as pretty, this article is also available in the current issue of the Purdue Pest and Crop Newsletter.

Switching to Soybeans? Some Points to Consider - Article posted May 23, 2011. Anne Dorrance and Robert Mullen of The Ohio State University offer some issues to consider if you're thinking of switching crops.

Can Soil-Residual Corn Herbicides Be Applied After Corn Emergence? - Article posted May 20, 2011. In a spring like this one, sometimes things get a little out of order. This is particularly true when so many producers are using commercial pesticide applications. Aaron Hager from the University of Illinois provides some excellent information on which residual herbicides may still be applied postermergence. As always, since this article is written for Illinois, always check to make sure the product(s) are registered for use in Indiana.

Late corn planting won't necessarily mean lower yields Article posted May 20, 2011. Peter Thomison from The Ohio State University discusses how planting date is only one part of the yield equation and summarizes his research into planting date and corn yields.

Prevented and Late Planting Provisions in Crop Insurance - Article Posted May 19, 2011. Gary Schnitkey from the University of Illinois Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics provides some prevented planting crop insurance information. Keep in mind that the specific information provided here is for Illinois. Always check with your own crop insurance representative about your policy provisions.

Planting Delays and Switching to Soybeans: A New FAST Spreadsheet - Article originally posted April 27, 2011. This is a new Fast Tool from the University of Illinois. As I've previously mentioned, these are downloadable spreadsheets which you input your own information into and use to make decisions. As a caution, the default values you can enter are only for Illinois locations so I'd echo Bob Nielsen's recommendation to completely input your own values and not rely on those already in the spreadsheet.

ACRE Deadline Approaching

Most of you have probably had other things on your mind than whether to sign up for the Average Crop Revenue Election or ACRE program this year but if you've held off the past couple of years and are considering it this year, the deadline to sign up is June 1. If you're not familiar with them, I want to encourage you to look at the FAST Tools available through the University of Illinois. These are downloadable spreadsheets covering a wide range of topics where you load the Excel template to your computer and enter your data. They have a couple of ACRE Tools on the site. Texas A&M also has information and a calculator at their site. You can find additional information at the National FSA ACRE/DCP site.

Cory Walters and Greg Halich, University of Kentucky Ag Economists, have posted an ACRE article. This is for Kentucky so some of the specifics will be different but it makes a nice review of the program.

Lots of Late Planting Information

If you get the chance I'd encourage you to take a look at Purdue Extension Corn Specialist Bob Nielsen's Chat 'n Chew Cafe. Yesterday (May 23) included a bunch of articles from several states related to this planting season.

First Soybean Aphid Update of the Season

The Purdue Pest and Crop Newsletter includes the first Soybean Aphid update of the season. Based on this article, the chance of high early-season aphid levels is low with the usual pattern of problems more likely to show up in August. The article also cautions not to rely on seed treatments to suppress aphids as by the time they become an issue, insecticide levels in the plants are low.

CIPC Presentations Available

I've finally loaded the presentations from this year's Central Indiana Pork Conference. I haven't received an updated program from Brian Richert and I didn't even bother asking the person from Boehringer-Ingelheim for hers. There had to be a ton of proprietary information on it. Just click on the presentation link at the bottom of the page to access them.

Category 14 Fertilizer Applicator Training and Exam Dates

This is a followup to my post on the new Ag Fertilizer Applicator Certification.

I know some of you may not have Adobe so I'm copying the free Category 14 training and exam dates below. I'd encourage you to go to and print the online document if you can. It's a lot prettier.

Training and Exam For Category 14 Agricultural Fertilizer Applicator
Certification

Hosted by Purdue Cooperative Extension and Indiana Farm Bureau
• Free on-line training manual available at http://www.ppp.purdue.edu/
• Anyone needing Category 14 private and commercial certification
• Registration required
• No walk-ins accepted for training and exam
• Training and testing for Category 14 only
• Testing and training limited to 100 registered individuals
• Will need a single function calculator for the test, cell phones not allowed
• Will need a government issued photo identification to take the test

July 26, 2011
Location— Beck Center, West Lafayette
Host: Jeff Phillips, Tippecanoe CES
Registration: 765-474-0793
Cost: free
Training Time: 9-12 (eastern)
Exam Time: 12-1:30 (eastern)
Trainers: Jim Camberato, Jeff Phillips, Fred Whitford
Test Administration: Leo Reed, Office of Indiana State Chemist
Space Limitations: Limited to 60 registered individuals

July 26, 2011
Location—Jasper County Fairgrounds, 2671 West Clark Street (State Road 114),
Rensselaer
Host: Bryan Overstreet, Jasper CES
Registration: 219-866-5741
Cost: free
Training Time: 1-4 (central)
Exam Time: 4-5:30 (central)
Trainers: Jim Camberato, Bryan Overstreet, Fred Whitford
Test Administration: Leo Reed, Office of Indiana State Chemist
Space Limitations: Limited to 100 registered individuals

August 5, 2011
Location—Wabash County REMC Building, 350 Wedcor Wabash
Host: Curt Campbell, Wabash CES
Registration: 260-563-0061, extension 246
Cost: free
Training Time: 9-12 (eastern)
Exam Time: 12-1:30 (eastern)
Trainers: Jim Camberato, Curtis Campbell, Fred Whitford
Test Administration: Kevin Gibson, Office of Indiana State Chemist
Space Limitations: Limited to 100 registered individuals

August 5, 2011
Location—Randolph County Fairgrounds, 1885 South US Highway 27,
Winchester
Host: Dan Kirtley, Randolph CES
Registration: 765-584-2271
Cost: free
Training Time: 2-5 (eastern)
Exam Time: 5-6:30 (eastern)
Trainers: Jim Camberato, Dan Kirtley, Fred Whitford
Test Administration: Beth Carter and Jay Kelley, Office of Indiana State Chemist
Space Limitations: Limited to 100 registered individuals

August 15, 2011
Location— Decatur County Fairgrounds, 1645 North Park Road,
Greensburg
Host: Dan Wilson, Dave Osborne, Purdue Extension
Registration: 812-663-8388
Cost: free
Training Time: 9-12 (eastern)
Exam Time: 12-1:30 (eastern)
Trainers: Jim Camberato, Dan Wilson or Dave Osborne, Fred Whitford
Test Administration: Leo Reed, Office of Indiana State Chemist
Space Limitations: Limited to 100 registered individuals

August 18, 2011
Location—Washington County Cornerstone Hall, 170 N. Jim Day Road, Salem
Host Brad Shelton, Washington CES
Registration: 812-883-4601
Cost: free
Training Time: 9-12 (eastern)
Exam Time: 12-1:30 (eastern)
Trainers: Jim Camberato, Brad Shelton, Fred Whitford
Test Administration: Leo Reed, Office of Indiana State Chemist
Space Limitations: Limited to 100 registered individuals

August 18, 2011
Location—Dubois County Fairground, 4157 South State Road 162, Huntingburg
Host: Kenneth Eck, Dubois CES
Registration: 812-482-1782
Cost: free
Training Time: 3-6 (eastern)
Exam Time: 6-7:30 (eastern)
Trainers: Jim Camberato, Kenneth Eck, Fred Whitford
Test Administration: Leo Reed, Office of Indiana State Chemist
Space Limitations: Limited to 100 registered individuals

September 9, 2011
Location—Olive Township Public Library, 408 S. Bray Street, New Carlisle
Host: Phil Sutton, St. Joseph CES
Registration: 574-235-9604
Cost: free
Training Time: 9-12 (eastern)
Exam Time: 12-1:30 (eastern)
Trainers: Jim Camberato, Phil Sutton, Fred Whitford
Test Administration: Leo Reed, Office of Indiana State Chemist
Space Limitations: Limited to 40 registered individuals

September 9, 2011
Location—Elkhart County Fairgrounds, Ag Hall Building, 17746 County Road
34, Goshen
Host: Jeff Burbrink, Elkhart CES
Registration: 574-533-0554
Cost: free
Training Time: 2-5 (eastern)
Exam Time: 5-6:30 (eastern)
Trainers: Jim Camberato, Jeff Burbrink, Fred Whitford
Test Administration: Leo Reed, Office of Indiana State Chemist
Space Limitations: Limited to 100 registered individuals

Category 14 Ag Fertilizer Program

Producers who apply significant quantities of manure as fertilizer and those who apply fertilizer for hire on someone else's property will be required to get a Category 14 Pesticide License, also known as an Agricultural Fertilizer Applicator Certification.

Category 14 will be administered as part of the Private Pesticide Applicator System. If you already have a license, Cat 14 will be added to your license. The rules for the Category 14 are very similar to those for the current Private Applicator Recertification Program (PARP). Basically, you need to take an initial exam to receive your license, which is good for five years. If you attend three approved training sessions within the next 5 years you will be eligible for renewal. The Cat 14 training sessions will be rolled into the current PARP sessions so you can be recertified for Cat 14 by attending three pesticide trainings, even if none of those have any fertilizer subject matter. Conversely, someone with a Private pesticide license can attend sessions on fertilizer application (as long as these are approved programs) and receive their renewal credit.

The question is; Who needs a Category 14 License? There are two distinct categories.

1) Those transporting or applying manure from a CFO unless they apply less than 10 cubic yards or 4,000 gallons of manure in a year.

2) Those transporting or applying commercial fertilizer for hire.

You do not need a Category 14 license if you apply commercial fertilizer to your own acres.

This link has the Category 14 training manual. This is a very large file so if you have a slow internet connection, it may take a while. If you bring a flash drive to the Extension Office I can load it for you. Please call before you come - I can't load it if I'm not here. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. The Adobe Reader is a free download (can't give that one to you though).

This link has the schedule of the free Category 14 training and exam sessions.

Also, you will be able to take a test-only exam with no training at Purdue.

You must register for all of the above trainings and exams.

The Category 14 requirements go into effect on January 1, 2012. There's still some time but we all know how quickly it goes and I expect that the free trainings will fill up fairly quickly.

If you are a Commercial Applicator, your rules are different. See the Indiana State Chemist Fertilizer Page for additional information.

Late Planting Issues Post 1

Since this blog is just starting I want to include links to a variety of articles and resources related to late planting. Following this initial post, I'll add a new post whenever I receive new information. These posts will be summarized on my current issues page.

Update: "Safe" Hybrid Maturities for Delayed Corn Planting in Indiana - Article posted May 17, 2011. This is an updated article by Purdue Extension Corn Specialist Bob Nielsen discussing corn hybrid maturities appropriate for later planted corn.

Black Cutworm Development May Coincide With Emerging Corn - Article from the May 13, 2011 issue of the Purdue Pest & Crop Newsletter. Purdue Extension Entomologists Christian Krupke and John Obermeyer talk about issues related to Black Cutworm in corn.

Late Planting's Impact on Corn and Soybean Insects - Article posted May 13, 2011. Mike Gray from the University of Illinois talks about how the late planting this spring may impact the development of, and risks from, insect pests in corn.

Replanting Corn: How to Control Plants from the Initial Planting - Article posted May 6, 2011. If you do find yourself needing to replant a field, this article from Aaron Hage of the University of Illinois discusses how to control corn plants from the initial planting. NOTE: This article is for Illinois. Make sure any products mentioned are labeled for use in Indiana.

Profitability Analysis of Late Planted Corn Compared to Soybeans - Article posted May 2, 2011. In this article Greg Halich from the University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics discusses some ways you can check to evaluate whether it makes financial sense to switch from corn to soybeans - obviously, issues such as residual herbicides, conservation crop program, etc., will also play into it.

Farmers should adjust soybean seeding rates in cool, wet spring" - Article posted April 28, 2011. Purdue Extension Soybean Specialist Shaun Casteel discusses issues related to the wet spring and Soybean seeding rates in this Ag Answers article.

Wet Conditions Create Weed Management Challenges in Corn" - Article posted April 27, 2011. This article from University of Kentucky Weed Specialists Jim Martin and JD Green talks about weed management issues resulting from late planting and wet fields.

Estimating Nitrogen Losses from Wet Soils, 2011 - Article posted April 26, 2011. Lloyd Murdock, University of Kentucky Extension Soils Specialist, discusses Nitrogen loss issues.

Early Corn Growth May be Slow, but Don't Throw in the Towel Just Yet - Article posted April 26, 2011. This article from Greg Kruger and Mark Reed Hinze of the University of Nebraska Extension Service discusses the status of corn that's been planted but hasn't emerged yet. You'll need to be careful of applying some specifics to Indiana but it has some good information on why you should be cautious when deciding that a field just isn't going to come up.

Cold Wet Weather and Postemergence, Spike Stage Herbicide Applications in Corn - Article posted April 25, 2011. This article by Bill Johnson and Glenn Nice of Purdue University's Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and Mark Loux from The Ohio State University discusses some issues with early post herbicide applications in corn.

Corn Planting Date is Important, But.... - Article posted, April 21, 2010. This article by Purdue Extension Corn Specialist Bob Nielsen discusses how, while planting date often has an impact on final yield, late planting must be taken in context while considering many other factors.

2011 Purdue Farm Management Tour

The 2011 Indiana Farm Management Tour will be held on June 28 and 29 in Southern Indiana, in Daviess, Knox and Sullivan Counties.

You can find additional program information including a link to registration at: http://www.agecon.purdue.edu/commercialag/progevents/tour.html

The complete program is listed below:

Purdue Farm Management Tour

The public is invited. All times are (EDT). Pre-registration is required to participate in either or both sponsored lunches at the Unger and Villwock Farms. There is no fee for the tour. Pre-register at: http://www.agecon.purdue.edu/extension/programs/farm_tour.asp, or call 765-482-0750 or 1-888-EXT-INFO by Tuesday June 14. Separate registration is required for the Indiana Prairie Farmer Master Farmer Banquet described in item 3 below. A fee of $20 will apply to the banquet

1) Del Unger Farms – Sponsored Lunch at Noon – Family Interview at 1:00 p.m. – Mini-tours at 1:30 p.m. on maximizing planter performance, fine-tuning nutrients with plant tissue testing and foliar fertilization, and enhancing land owner/tenant relationships through leasing options.

Del Unger Farms grows corn, wheat, double-crop corn, double-crop soybeans, seed soybeans, sweet corn, and green beans with a high-output production approach that includes site-specific management with variable rate applications, foliar nutrient and fungicide applications, and irrigation scheduling. By maximizing output, they aim to minimize costs on a unit-of-production basis. They also operate a cow-calf operation on some of their rolling land. Del and Tammi began farming together not long after they met at Purdue. As the operation has expanded in size and complexity, they have organized into several functional units that involve various combinations of owners, equipment, and land to manage risk and pave the way for the farm’s passage to their two children.

2) Melon Acres – Interview at 3:00 p.m. – Mini-tours at 3:30 p.m. on packing shed management and management of a large seasonal workforce.

Southwest Indiana is home to many melon growers, but few have achieved the scale of production that Melon Acres has. In their highly diversified operation, the Horralls grow hand-picked produce on 1,000 acres and cash grains and green beans for processing on 1,500 acres. A first-mover in technological investments such as forced air cooling and their asparagus, cantaloupe, and watermelon packing lines, Melon Acres has invested heavily in produce-packing technologies. Moreover, because all of the produce is hand-picked, they need 250 seasonal workers for whom Melon Acres provides housing and meals. The Horrall family’s long-term succession planning efforts have made it possible to welcome back third generation family members.

3) Indiana Prairie Farmer Master Farmer Banquet –

The reception starts at 5:00 p.m. in Vincennes University’s John Deere Building at the Southwest Purdue Ag Center followed by dinner program. E-mail debby@purdue.edu at the Purdue Ag Alumni Association, or call 765-494-8593 to register.

Wednesday June 29, 2011

4) T. S. Boyd Grain – Interview at 8:00 a.m. – Mini-tours at 8:30 a.m. on high yield continuous corn technologies and machinery trading strategies.

T. S. Boyd Grain is a 7,500 acre farm operated by Tom and Marsha Boyd, their son Trent and his wife Kim. The farm produces continuous corn, popcorn, wheat, double-crop soybeans, single-crop soybeans, and earlage. They have 4,700 acres in continuous corn with yields of 200+ bushels per acre. They have over 20 years of experience with continuous corn. You will learn about the high-yield technology they use. Popcorn and earlage are two specialized crops. Their relationships with employees, lenders, landlords, and technical advisors are a key to their success. You will learn how they have successfully grown the farm while also building a 100+ truck freight and warehousing business and operating two grain elevators. Finally, you will see how they manage such a large and diverse set of businesses.

5) Carnahan & Sons – Interview at 10:00 a.m. – Mini-tours on the farm’s quarter horse venture and prescription farming practices at 10:30 a.m.

Change is a key management feature of Carnahan & Sons, Inc. Some of the changes can be easily spotted. Other changes (probably the more important changes) are less visible. Our visit to this farm offers a chance to learn about changes they have made, changes they are planning, and reasons behind the changes. This stop provides a study in shared management, a management organization focused on helping members of the management team succeed and empowering them to make decisions while enjoying their work. For horse lovers, this will be an opportunity to learn more about breeding and training.

6) Villwock Farms – Sponsored Lunch at Noon –Agricultural Outlook Update by Dr. Chris Hurt at 12:45 p.m. – Villwock Farms interview at 1:30 p.m. –Mini-tours of Villwock Farms at 2:15 p.m.

The opportunity to start over to design your farmstead from scratch doesn’t come along very often. Having lost their Hoosier Homestead (1907-2007) farm to the threat of eminent domain in 2007-2008, the Villwocks have experienced the ups and downs of designing a new farmstead. Learn about their strategies for navigating the process and designing a facility from scratch and their efforts to ensure that key management practices prevail regardless of geography. In addition, the long-term viability of Villwock Farms appears tied to a future succession plan involving their current farm manager, a process they are already working to address. You will have the opportunity to tour the antique tractor barn, shop, and other features of the new farmstead. Or you may choose to participate in an optional mini-tour of the grain handling and chemical storage facilities, which are located on a nearby farm. You will also learn about grain drying energy audits on this optional mini-tour.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Purdue University Agriculture and Natural Resources Blog. This blog is currently under construction but I will start posting to it soon.