http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~corn/

CORN
Crop Observation and Recommendation Network

January 17-24, 2000
C.O.R.N. 2000-2

In This Issue:

A)  Soybean Cost Cutters for 2000
B)  Forage Performance Trials Online
C)  Forage Production Short Courses Planned for 2000

A) Soybean Cost Cutters for 2000 - Jim Beuerlein CORN Questions

Soybean grain prices in 2000 are predicted to be in the $4.50 to $5.50 range which doesn't leave much profit even with good yields. There are three approaches to increase profits: A) increasing yield while holding the cost of production constant, B) reducing the costof production while holding onto yield, and C) increasing the price received through better marketing.  For most producers the easiest and most effective approach is to reduce the cost of production without reducing yield.

Build your production system on the following foundation:  If all other inputs are adequate, planting date and row spacing combined account for 50% of yield, drill beans as early as soil conditions allow.  If all other inputs are adequate, disease control accounts for 20% of the yield, select disease resistant varieties and treat the seed.  If all ther inputs are adequate, weed control accounts for 15% of yield, design a good program for controlling weeds.  If all other inputs are adequate, soil fertility and seeding rate account for 7% and 5% respectively, check the soil pH and K levels and calibrate the drill for the desired seeding rate. Seeding rates can usually be reduced if the seed is properly treated with fungicides.

 
Following are actions to consider in reducing cost of production.
  1. Reduce the amount of tillage performed or use none.
  2. Don't apply fertilizer if the soil test levels are above the response level. Soil pH should be above 6.0.  Soil P needs to be only 15 PPM or greater for maximum yield.  Soil K should be about 165-, 190-, or 215-ppm for a soil CEC of 10, 20, and 30, respectively, for maximum yield.  Don't apply nitrogen to soybeans.
  3. Because soybean seed is sold in 50-pound units, buy varieties with small seeds to make a unit plant more acres.
  4. Use public certified varieties to control seed input cost.  Public varieties yield well and usually have good resistance to disease.
  5. Buy varieties with proven performance that have been around a couple of years rather than the newer, more expensive ones. Make sure they have yielded in the top 25% of the yield trials where they have appeared.  If they have not been compared to other varieties in a University performance trial, don't take a chance on them.
  6. Many of the Roundup Ready (RR) varieties we tested in 1998 had a large yield lag.  There were also some very high yielding RR varieties with good disease resistance in the trials. Be very selective if using Roundup Ready varieties.

    Note:  There are over 500 soybean varieties available each year, but only about half are entered in the Ohio Soybean Performance Trials.  Varieties not entered are usually poorer performers than those entered.  Selecting a variety that was in that test and had a yield greater than the test average gets you in the top 25% of varieties.  If you select one that yielded above average by more than the LSD value, then you are into the best 10% of varieties and those are all similar in performance and yield potential.
  7. Select varieties with as much disease resistance and tolerance as possible as a means of holding onto yield.  Such varieties don't cost any more than susceptible ones.  Ohio loses 6 to 12 bushels per acre each year due to disease.
  8. Reduce the seeding rate for normal varieties from 200,000 to 150,000 and use seed treatments to produce an adequate stand that is healthy.  In six years of seed treatment trials, Apron seed treatments have increased yield by an average 2.2 bushels per acre at a cost of less than $3.00 per acre.  Seed treatment pays.
  9. High seeding rates are used to control weeds, but are not needed for yield. Reducing the seeding rate of RR varieties to 125,000 can reduce the seed cost by half, while having very little effect on yield.  A few more ounces of Roundup Ultra may be needed for weed control, but you'll be many dollars ahead.  Be sure to treat the seed with fungicide.
  10. For weed control in the normal varieties, use reduced rates of post emergence herbicides where weed pressures are moderate to low.  Pay close attention to herbicide application timing.
  11. Don't keep your grain to use for seed.  Hundreds of studies show that while saved grain is cheaper than purchased seed, yet yield losses from saved seed are almost always greater than the savings in seed cost, resulting in less profit. The quality of grain coming from many Ohio fields was poor. Before using this for seed have it germination tested. It should be cleaned and treated before use.
  12. Inoculate your seed with one of the new/improved inoculation materials.  Our average yield increase from 29 field trials over five years with several products in each has been 2.1 Bu/Ac generating a profit of  $8 to $9 per acre.
  13. When prices are low, there are numerous worthless products and fast-talking sales people that make those products sound really great. If they don't show you data from several University evaluations, then don't waste your time with them.

B) Forage Performance Trials Online - Marc Sulc

The 1999 Forage Performance Trials Report is now available on the web from the Ohioline website. The URL is http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~perf. The 1999 report includes performance data for alfalfa (including potato leafhopper resistance trials), orchardgrass, tall fescue, and other grasses in trials conducted across Ohio.  The report is also available as a special insert of Ohio's Country Journal, along with the corn and soybean performance trial reports. The forage performance data for 1999 demonstrates that forage grass yields were severely depressed by the drought at all testing locations. In contrast, alfalfa was much better able to withstand the drought conditions, as it maintained excellent yields until the last cutting of the season.

C) Forage Production Short Courses Planned for 2000 - Marc Sulc

Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Forage and Grassland Council are teaming up to sponsor several 3-day forage production short courses this winter. The focus of these courses is on managing the production, storage, and utilization of forage crops. The course will equip forage producers, agribusiness and extension professionals, consultants, and other professionals to efficiently manage forage crop resources.
 
Participants will engage in hands-on exercises and learning activities, and will receive a valuable reference notebook full of color references, factsheets, and articles supplementing the instruction. Specific topics include: soil fertility, forage species and variety selection, stand establishment, weed-insect-disease pest management, forage quality and cutting management, hay and silage making and storage, forages in animal diets, forage inventory management, forage-livestock disorders, economics of forage production, and marketing forages.
 
The course will be offered at three locations:
Findlay, OH on Jan. 24, 25, 27 (contact Gary Wilson at 419-422-3851);
Sugarcreek, OH on Feb. 14, 15, 17 (contact Chris Zoller at 330-339-2337);
Urbana, OH on Feb. 21, 22, 24 (contact Mike Haubner at 937-328-4607).
Pre-registration is required, and is $50 per person, which includes the reference manual and all materials.
 
Course information and registration forms are available through county extension offices, and on the web at:
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~corn/foragecourse.html

You can also access the website from:
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~corn/agcrops.html
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~corn/programs.html

Readers can subscribe electronically to this newsletter by sending an e-mail message to: corn-out-on@postoffice.ag.ohio-state.edu. A successful subscription message will receive by an automatic reply from the listserv. Contact your local Ohio State University Extension Office or e-mail labarge.1@osu.edu if you have problems subscribing.

Past versions of C.O.R.N. can be found on the World Wide Web at: http:/www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~corn/archive/

C.O.R.N. is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio Crop Producers and Industry. C.O.R.N. is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, State Specialists at The Ohio State University and Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. C.O.R.N. Questions are directed to State Specialists, Extension Associates, and Agents associated with Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at The Ohio State University.

Contributors to C.O.R.N. include: State Specialists: Mark Sulc (Forage Production), Jim Beuerlein (Soybean and Wheat Production), Anne Dorrance and Pat Lipps (Plant Pathology), Hal Willson (Entomology) and Peter Thomison (Corn Production); District Specialist: Ed Lentz (Agronomy); Extension Agents: Barry Ward (Champaign), Steve Prochaska (Crawford), Larry Lotz (Fayette), Greg La Barge (Fulton), and Roger Bender (Shelby).

Editor: Greg LaBarge        Web Editor: Nathan Watermeier

Information presented above and where trade names are used, they are supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Ohio State University Extension is implied. Although every attempt is made to produce information that is complete, timely, and accurate, the pesticide user bears responsibility of consulting the pesticide label and adhering to those directions.

All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keith L. Smith, Director, Ohio State University Extension.

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