Mid-County Messenger Page 2
Mid-County Agronomy
www. midcountycoop. com
Joe Forner, Agronomist( 952) 466-3730 joef @ midcountycoop. com
On occasion in the fall, I will get a call from someone who is less than happy about their weed control. I understand their frustration, as I know it is of vital importance to their livelihood to maximize yields and profitability. The part I don’ t understand is why I didn’ t get a call sooner, like in June. I realize that people are busy with other things than looking at their fields and I realize that it is often easy to underestimate the severity of a re-infestation. The importance of crop scouting can’ t be over-emphasized. A few hours in May, June, or July can prevent a disaster in October. Along with that, the more sets of eyes on a field, the better the chance that a potential problem can be caught early enough so that
Crop Scouting
a solution can be found.
Approaching our fourth year of a full-service scouting program, there are a few things that I think we could do better to serve our customers. There has always been an implicit acknowledgement that the service of scouting is part of the higher prices that are often associated with a full service retailer, like Mid County Coop. We still get a fair number of calls for a quick look( scout) at a field that needs to be sprayed. Obviously, we prioritize our premium scouting acres over the free scouting acres, but we do get to scout a fair amount of these quick-look fields. What we seldom do is come back and get a follow-up scout after the chemical application, so we never know if there is a problem in the field until October. What we are going to initiate this year is a“ Crop Scouting Light” program. It’ s basically one trip across the field to scout for weeds before any post-emerge herbicide application, a second scout ten days after post-herbicide application, and a third scout trip either right before canopy closure on corn, or late July for soybeans. We would be sweeping alfalfa seven days after a cutting. Wheat and small grains would be a scout trip before herbicide application, one after application, and in the case of wheat, we would check for scab when the crop is heading out. This program should satisfy many of our customers’ needs, who may not be inclined to go with the full scouting program, but still want their fields looked at before spraying. Our regular scouting program will still retain its high level of services, like stand evaluations, insect scouting, disease scouting, nutrient deficiencies, yield estimates, and plant tissue testing. What really sets our scouting program as being unique from any other is the attention to detail. There is no“ run in twenty rows, look around, and call it good.” The scout, myself included, has to see every inch of the field. Doing a stand count doesn’ t mean seeing what the population is, but also a qualitative evaluation of stand emergence timing and spacing to better understand the dynamics of intercrop competition. Taking these scouting trips to a higher level is instrumental in taking yields, farm productivity, and ultimately, farm profitability to a higher level also.
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1935- 2010 ANNIVERSARY
( 952) 466-3730