5 minute read
How Sweet the Ground
The French proverb, “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” comes to mind when we think about the agronomy landscape while planning for 2023. We experienced turbulent changes in the 2022 season with the cost of inputs, but also an increase in the value of commodities. In the end things stayed the same; sound agronomic decisions in conjunction with a good growing season and increased grain values led to continued profitability in a turbulent landscape.
MRGAs approach to 2023 is to
where it can help return a profit. Our goal is to give the best agronomic advice by combining years of experience and the latest data available in the fertilizer, seed, crop protection, and biologicals space.
MRGA has done a tremendous job buying fertilizer when the opportunity has presented itself from last summer up through the last couple of weeks. Although these prices are still elevated, they have decreased significantly from one year ago. The one thing elevated fertilizer prices proved is that the value of a good soil sampling program, along with implementing VR fertilizer applications strategies has led to increased profitability. The trend towards VR applications continues to expand as we look to increase yields and maintain profitability.
The seed space continues to evolve with new traits and products on the market every season. MRGA agronomists lean heavily on data and field level insights from 2022 to place products in the proper environment and implement the best management practices for each hybrid to maximize yield. In our continued partnership with Winfield United, our agronomists have industry-leading insight into what population, nitrogen management program, and fungicide strategies are going to provide the best return on every hybrid.
The biggest change in the crop protection market was limited supply. MRGA was able to maintain a good supply; but with that supply challenge came an increase in the price of goods. That price trend continues into 2023; although, supply has slightly improved across most, but not all product lines. One of the changes everyone has had to embrace is keeping up with manufacturers’ programming and to seek out ways to use those programs in combination with the products that result in the best level of weed control, resulting in increased profitability. Prepay multipliers and manufacturer product pair-ups can earn significant savings or a return on your dollar. One thing that will always stay the same is that product decisions based on your fields’ weed pressure should remain the priority when making a choice on CPP products. “Clean fields for higher yields!”
The newest change and challenge at our doorstep is in the biologicals market. Biologicals and biostimulants are a large focus in the current ag landscape; although not new, there is a renewed focus with increased input pricing and pressure to focus on sustainability moving forward. We have been promoting and using biologicals for years in the form of soybean inoculants to increase nitrogen uptake in soybeans, as well as adding mycorrhizal fungi in furrow to increase nutrient uptake in corn. The newest biologicals to the market are focused on nitrogen and producing or procuring nitrogen in the plant from the atmosphere. What may sound like some kind of “voodoo” as we look at traditional practices, our partnership with Winfield United has allowed us access to multiple years of data, testing products with these claims. Through those studies and data sets we see that the product Envita, when used in conjunction with a solid crop plan, can do exactly that “voodoo” of providing in season nitrogen to a host plant by procuring nitrogen from the atmosphere. Thus creating a positive economic return for a grower. In the biostimulant space, we have proven the positive economic return of Ascend in furrow for corn. We have also tried adding products like Foster FC, Accomplish, and NexBlu to applications in order to stimulate microbial activity in soil. That landscape continues to change, as Ascend 2 looks to bring a new level of return in the corn market, and another product- Yield On, tested by Winfield United, has come to our attention to try based on their data and positive response rate in trials. We will continue to partner with Winfield United, working hard to bring forward products that provide consistent positive returns.
With all this change, the things that are the same are the nuts and bolts of growing a good crop. We need to start with proper field soil preparation to provide a good seed bed. A fertilizer program that meets your fields yield potential, high quality seed with proper placement, and season-long weed control to have the best chance of high yields. What we do after or on top of that is where we can start the change. Whether that be adding a biostimulant in furrow at planting, like Ascend 2 or Foster FC, changing nitrogen practices by split applying dry and liquid, or adding biologicals like Envita foliar with your herbicide pass to provide late season nitrogen into your current program. Or additionally, trying a fungicide product like Veltyma, Marvis Ace, or Delaro with boron or new biostimulants like Yield ON. There are a few new and some of the same “tried and true” data-backed products and management practices that can bring a positive return in the right field scenario.
Only you and your MRGA agronomist can decide where and when to implement some of these changes in 2023. While we will undoubtedly continue to experience changes in the agronomy landscape; what will remain the same is
VR viewing of a field
AGRONOMY TEAM
Mike Flaten, Agronomy Manager
Karl Berg, Agronomy Sales Manager
Ethan Kyllo, Precision Agronomy
Jon Ellingson, CCA - Agronomy Sales
Mike Weed, CCA - Agronomy Sales
Mike Stetz, Agronomy Sales
Brian Marquardt, Agronomy Sales
Mason Keefauver, Agronomy Sales
Justice Keefauver, Agronomy Sales
