Corn South January 2019

Planting Tips

CornSouth ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

Southern Production & Marketing Strategies

A Supplement to Cotton Farming and The Peanut Grower Magazines

January 2019

CornSouth Better Late Than Never Just as I was about to wrap up this issue of Corn South, work on the Farm Bill began again in earnest. Within a couple of days, the Farm Bill had passed out of both the House and the Senate and was headed to the President’s desk for signing.

“America’s farmers and ranchers are weathering the fifth year of severe recession, so passing a Farm Bill that strengthens the farm safety net is vitally Amanda Huber important,” said Chairman Conaway.

Editor Chairman Roberts, said, “We started this journey nearly two years ago. As promised, this Farm Bill provides much needed certainty and predictability for all producers — of all crops — across all regions across the country.

I thank my counterparts in the Senate and House for coming to — and staying at — the table to reach a bipartisan, bicameral agreement for rural America.”

The bill contains provisions that offer more flexible coverage for dairy farmers, plus providing producers more tools to manage their risk. It calls for a $300 million investment in the prevention and response for animal pests and disease. More broadly, the bill invests in research, outreach to beginning and underserved producers, local and organic food production, bioenergy, Withinand access to new markets. It also addresses broadband, farm stress and mental health issues, and the opioid epidemic in rural areas.

“By working across the aisle, we overcame many differences to deliver a strong, bipartisan Farm Bill for our farmers, families and rural communities,” said Ranking Member Stabenow.

“Working together, we continued to expand the diversity of our agricultural economy, maintained a strong food and farm safety net, created new opportunities in our small towns and rural communities and made significant investments in land and water conservation.”

Hopefully by the time you read this, the Farm Bill will have been signed and everyone will at least know what programs they are working under for the next few years. It’s certainly better late than never.

Corn South: Covering Southern Corn Production Corn South is a supplement to the Mid-South and Southeast versions of Cotton Farming magazine and to The Peanut Grower magazine for producers in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

To receive Corn South, visit www.CornSouth.com and click on “Subscribe to Corn South.” You can also add your email to the E-News List to have exclusive content delivered to your inbox.

Cover photo by National Corn Growers Association Send comments to Corn South, 875 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 23, Box 305, Collierville, TN 38017. You may also call 901-767-4020 or contact Lia Guthrie at lguthrie@onegrower.com or Amanda Huber at ahuber@onegrower.com.

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CORN SOUTH | JANUARY 2019

Industry News Renewable Fuel Standards Announced The National Corn Growers Association recently said the EPA’s 2019 Renewable Volume Obligation rule under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) moves renewable fuels and energy security forward in 2019, but only if EPA does not grant refiners further RFS exemptions.

“We are pleased the EPA maintained the implied conventional ethanol volume of 15 billion gallons and increased the total 2019 renewable fuel volume as intended by the RFS. However, EPA granted refineries 2.25 billion gallons in RFS waivers over the past year but did nothing to account for those lost volumes. If EPA continues to grant waivers in this manner, the volumes set in this final rule cannot be met,” says NCGA President Lynn Chrisp.

In comments on the rule, NCGA and its grower members urged EPA to take steps to maintain the integrity of the RFS. NCGA will continue to work with EPA to ensure the full energy and environmental benefits of the RFS are achieved.

New ‘Waters Of The United States’ Definition The EPA and the Department of the Army are proposing a clear, understandable and implementable definition of “waters of the United States” that clarifies federal authority under the Clean Water Act. Unlike the previous administration’s definition, this proposal contains a straightforward definition that would result in significant cost savings, protect the nation’s navigable waters, help sustain economic growth and reduce barriers to business development.

The EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, says, “For the first time, we are clearly defining the difference between federally protected waterways and state protected waterways. Our simpler definition will help landowners understand whether a project on their property will require a federal permit or not, without spending thousands of dollars on engineering and legal professionals.”

Under the proposal, traditional navigable waters, tributaries, certain ditches, lakes and ponds, impoundments of jurisdictional waters, and wetlands adjacent to jurisdictional waters would be federally regulated. What are not protected waters are features that only contain water during or in response to rainfall; groundwater; many ditches, including most roadside or farm ditches; prior converted cropland; stormwater control features; and waste treatment systems.

Comments will be taken on the proposal for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. They will hold a webcast on Jan. 10, 2019, and a listening session on in Kansas City, Kansas, on Jan. 23, 2019.

More information is available at https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule.

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Planting Tips

Plant For High-Yielding Corn

E

arly planting is a well-known component of successful corn production. Achieving a uniform stand is critically important to high corn yields. Although corn seedlings generally have tremendous vigor compared to other crops, corn is usually far less forgiving when issues arise.

A rainy environment and other factors often restrict the window of opportunity for spring planting and can significantly hinder the quality of corn stands achieved. There are difficult decisions to make regarding when to safely proceed with planting.

The primary environmental factors that influence corn establishment outcome are soil temperature and moisture. Soil temperature is the main factor influencing seedling growth rate. Therefore, you should always make sure temperatures are favorable for corn seedling development before you begin planting. Cool soils will substantially hinder germination and seedling growth, which could create emergence disparity and distort development. Sluggish growth also makes seedlings more vulnerable to other issues, including wet, saturated soils, seedling pathogens, insect pests and herbicide injury.

Soil saturation can also limit aeration, stunt or kill corn seedlings, and restrict root development.

Management options that can be used to improve chances of achieving successful corn stands are as follows:  Measure soil temperature before you start planting. A reasonable goal for corn is at least 55 degrees F measured early in the morning at planting depth. Corn will not germinate at temperatures below that, and the growth rate slows considerably with cool temperatures. Therefore, exposing your expensive seed to adverse conditions is asking for big trouble.  Avoid planting fields while soils are marginally wet. Your goal TWITTER: @CORN_SOUTH

associated with planting is to optimize precision and achieve uniform, vigorous stands. Planting into wet soils will likely inhibit planter performance, create persistent issues and compound problems with abundant rainfall that hinder stands. Tire traffic from tractors and equipment produce soil compaction that inhibits root and plant growth. Seed furrow compaction can inhibit moisture imbibition by the seed as well as severely restricting seedling root growth. You have to be patient enough to avoid these issues.  Plant well-drained soils first. Heavy-textured clay soils naturally stay wet longer leading to more stand issues and failure, particularly when planting early.

JANUARY 2019 | CORN SOUTH

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New Products uct financing and product assurances.

For more information on Ethos 3D insecticide/fungicide, visit www.fmc.com.

New Insecticide/Fungicide From FMC FMC Corporation introduces Ethos 3D insecticide/fungicide, formulated specifically for the novel 3RIVE 3D in-furrow application system that converts traditional high-volume applications to low-volume applications through patented technologies.

Ethos 3D insecticide/fungicide provides full spectrum seedling insect and disease protection for corn, soybeans, dry beans and peas. It combines bifenthrin insecticide with a biofungicide that grows along with the root system to protect against damping off diseases including Pythium, Phytophthora, Fusarium and Rhizoctonia. It also provides control of wireworms, grubs, seed corn maggots and corn rootworms.

“The biofungicide colonizes root hairs and grows with the root structure building a defensive barrier to infection from fungal pathogens. You can see a visual difference in the root health and mass when you compare plants that were treated with Ethos 3D insecticide/fungicide and plants that were not,” says Christina Coen, U.S. marketing manager. “Seedlings emerge more uniformly and with the vigor to optimize productivity when Ethos 3D insecticide/fungicide is applied at planting.”

University research trials in 2017 demonstrated that corn treated with Ethos 3D insecticide/fungicide had an average 11 bushel per acre yield advantage compared to the untreated check.

The Annex Pivot Controller

The Ethos 3D insecticide/fungicide application, left, exhibited better root growth protection than the untreated check on the right. The improved hair root development allows for greater moisture and nutrient uptake. Treated plants were also larger and more robust with improved vigor.

Coen adds, “We are very excited to offer a second product for the 3RIVE 3D application system, which is being deployed on more acres every year. Growers have been asking for additional products and FMC has several products in the pipeline that we anticipate to launch in the next year or two.”

The 3RIVE 3D application system offers growers precision, speed and convenience with the ability to cover up to 480 acres between refills. It delivers a continuous Zone of Protection into the furrow for seedling defense and yield enhancement.

Ethos 3D insecticide/fungicide and the 3RIVE 3D application system, are part of FMC Freedom Pass, which includes application innovations, agronomic rewards, prod-

 Don’t knock down your beds any further than necessary.

Raised beds are intended to provide relief to seedlings from saturated soils. Reducing bed height diminishes their effectiveness, while offering a cooler environment for your seedlings.

This is a no-win scenario.  Planting depth may influence seedling development. Corn seed should be planted at least 1 ½ inches deep to enable proper root development, and 1 ½ to 2 inches is normal. Deeper planting is not usually needed unless soils are really dry and you need to place seed deeper to reach moisture. Deep planting will likely expose seeds to lower soil temperature and more moisture, which can hinder seedling development. Thus, keep planting depth moderate, particularly when planting early, or during less favorable conditions.  Moderating planter ground speed will enhance stand uniformity and corn yields. Top producers, such as new World Record corn producer David Hula say, “Even spacing and emergence are critical to high corn yields.” Increasing planter ground speed hinders planter performance, stand uniformity and corn yield. Although new technology and after-market equipment may improve seed-metering performance, increased ground speed still reduces stand uniformity. Increasing speed increas-

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CORN SOUTH | JANUARY 2019

Reinke introduces RPM Annex pivot controller, a device that wires into main control panels allowing growers to upgrade to the latest technology by “annexing” their existing panels.

“Purchasing a new main control panel can be a costly investment,” said Reinke President Chris Roth. “Annex allows growers an alternate way to upgrade their existing systems for a fraction of the cost of buying a whole new panel.”

This device can provide the user interface and controls of Reinke’s RPM Preferred, RPM Advanced Plus or RPM Connect. In addition to providing the functionality of this newer technology, Annex allows growers with standard-type main control panels to utilize telemetry. And, because Annex is compatible with all center pivot brands, growers can upgrade any of their existing units to a Reinke panel.

Annex is ReinCloud-Ready, which includes remote access for monitoring and controlling pivots, the ability to manage multiple systems from one dashboard and notifications when there’s a change in the system’s status.

Annex is available as an aftermarket component and also carries a five-year warranty.

Annex is now available through Reinke dealers. For more information, visit www. reinke.com.

Tips For A Successful Stand: ■■ Plant when soil temperature is at least 55 degrees F at planting depth early in the morning.

■■ Avoid planting fields while soils are marginally wet.

■■ Plant well-drained soils first.

■■ Don’t knock down beds any further than necessary.

■■ Plant at a depth of 1½ to 2 inches.

■■ Slow the planter ground speed to enhance stand uniformity. es inertia causing seeds to roll and/or bounce more during planting, creating poorer seed spacing and seeding depth variability. For instance, even at a slow speed of 4 mph, you are dropping about 15 seeds per second per planter unit – and each mile per hour increases the distance covered 18-inches per second, so achieving a picket fence stand is no simple task. Do your part to improve your outcome by slowing down. CS Article by Erick Larson, Mississippi State University Extension Specialist

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