Could be. I have terragator tracks in my fields, it is soybean chemicals. Could be dry fertilizer on soybean stubble? I know a few guys who put all their nitrogen on after the corn is about 5-7 leaf corn. But in today’s world a lot of stuff goes on like you said. If applied early enough, chances are good there is a product with it to slow down nitrogen loss.
***Official 2024 Weather Thread***
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Max Velocity has a shirt out in honor of the SW OK and yesterdays TX tornado.
View I just took from doing a few repairs at a place. These ponds have been there the whole week.
I know many of the fields and saw liquid going down so it wasn’t dry. Most dry got dropped the end of March and first of April. I drop my stuff after planting. I’ve had more issues dropping before working than vice versa.
A lot of N serve and instinct is used because they know it will be mandated soon so you might as well get used to the hit with 7 dollar corn than 4.
I don’t put any N on without an inhibitor. I just think it is the best thing to do.
I kept hearing how we need a lot of rain for these crops. That definitely wasn’t true. Even last year a lot of farmers had their best year in that drought.
I farmed most of my life and we farmers as a group love to complain: too wet, too cold, to windy, too hot, too dry, etc. Heard a joke a while back about a farmer who had a perfect year. The crop went in in a timely manor, the gentle rains came when they were needed, the crop dried in the field with no losses and the yields were excellent. When asked about the year he had, the first thing he said was "ya, it was a good year, but it sure took a lot out of the soil!" Another gentleman I knew retired after 50+ years of farming and said "I never had two years alike, and I never had a year that I did like". Part of the fun (challenge?) of farming was to find a way to succeed while navigating all the forces against you.
I’ve had several I’ve liked. I honestly liked 2012, it was dry but with heavy soil it didn’t hurt too bad. Had 170 bu corn at almost $8 bushel. That was at 14-15% out of the field and we started at Labor Day and we’re done a week into October. I’d take that every year.
There are two swans that have camped out in the field for a while. About the third year in a row.
We did/do need a lot of rain, we just didn't need it all in 2.5 weeks. We've been fortunate the past couple years for timely rains during the summer that produced good yields, but the subsoil moisture is still very depleted. Even with the rain we are receiving now we will still need some timely ones in July and August to finish the crop.
The biggest takeaway for me the the past 2 years has been the improvement in plant breeding and genetics. Water use efficiency has really increased for our crops and timeliness of rain has almost become more important than total quantity throughout the growing season. Drought doesn't have the same level of impact that it used.
You don't need a lot but you need TIMELY rains. 2 yrs ago it was dry but timely exceptional yields, last yr about 2 inches short when needed corn took the hit, but beans were ok, this yr who knows way too early to tell.
Subsoil was pretty well depleted last year. As you said it, you are correct. Even the drought guard traits have come a long ways even in the last 10 years. Normal rainfall to slightly below normal rainfall will produce a bumper crop once again.
Idk, there’s truth to that, but southeast Iowa didn’t have timely rains at all last year and yet many farmers had 70+ bu beans. Hardly any rain in July and August. Was pretty shocking to me and even to the growers
Beans are remarkable at handling dry weather. The places that consistently produce 80+ bushel yields (Nebraska and Kansas in my experience) are arid climates with irrigation. The dry air helps prevent disease development and then they can crank the water to them during pod fill. Corn sets it's yield potential early in the season, but beans hold onto theirs up until the bloody end as long as you can keep them from aborting pods.
I read an article last year in which the author (with seemingly no political agenda) stated that our recently increased crop yields were more influenced by global warming than advances in genetics. He had tons of compelling data to back his stance with the core reasoning being we are trending towards longer growing seasons--earlier planting lending to earlier plant maturation during temperature favorable conditions during the life cycle of the plant. He also brought to mind the "adjusted" planting zones moving northward from previously labeled ones. He had data showing the corn belt extending farther north into Minnesota than years prior allowing the use of fuller season hybrids than before and the lack of increased yields in the Texas area that he attributed to heat.. He never discounted the advances in genetics but stated they made less of an impact than our temperatures and questioned whether the "drought tolerence" breeding was being being confused with or misread as heat tolerance or that they worked in concert with each other. Rather interesting and compelling thinking.
Edit to add: Years ago my area was listed as Zone 4 when determining which garden plants, trees, etc were suitable for my area. I'm now Zone 5 (and I didn't move)
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This wouldn't be surprising.
Small sample sizes but there were lots of forest/timber floor plants etc. that never really seemed to die off the last two years even though it's been drought conditions.
