corn south, february 2014
DESCRIPTION
Corn South is a supplement of Cotton Farming Magazine, published three times a year in February, October and December.TRANSCRIPT
CornS outhCornSouthONE GROWERPUBLISHING, LLC
February 2014
A Supplement to Cotton Farming and The Peanut Grower Magazines
The Southern Gold Rush
2014 Corn Production: From Planting to Storage
CS Feb 14 Cover _CF 11/13 template 1/13/14 1:03 PM Page 1
Zidua® herbicide is part of BASF Advanced Weed Control. Learn more about it at
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Always read and follow label directions. Zidua is a registered trademark of BASF. ©2013 BASF Corporation. All Rights Reserved. APN 13-ZD-0001
Gaining an extra two weeks to reach canopy can help
keep weeds from escaping without having to spray
another round of herbicides. That’s why corn and
soybean growers are looking toward the alternative
site of action and longest-lasting residual control of
Zidua herbicide. This powerful tool controls small-
seeded broadleaf weeds and grasses, including
glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth and waterhemp, up to two
weeks longer than other preemergence herbicides.
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Mark Welch is a well-respected
Texas AgriLife Extension Econo-
mist who publishes the “Feed Grain
Market Outlook.”* Following are
highlights from Jan. 13, 2014:
“On Jan. 10, 2014, World Agri-
cultural Supply and Demand Esti-
mates reported a decrease in corn
supply and an increase in use com-
pared to the December report. Feed
use increased 100 million bushels, and ending stocks decreased 161
million compared to last month. The stocks-to-use ratio stands at
12.4 percent, down from 13.7 percent in December. World corn
supplies tightened primarily on lower beginning stocks (-2 mmt).
Increased use estimates were only slightly higher than increased
production (+0.3 mmt). Days of use on hand at the end of the mar-
keting year declined from a 63-day supply to 62.
“A bullish surprise came from the Grain Stocks report as well.
Traders expected corn stocks of 10.790 billion bushels in all posi-
tions; the report showed stocks of 10.426 billion, 360 million less
than expected. Dec. 1 stocks are up 30 percent from last year and
just above the five-year average. The last time corn stocks were this
high on Dec. 1 was 2009 (10.902 billion bushels).
“In the biofuel era (since 2007), the January Crop Report has
created significant market volatility. In four of the past eight years,
December corn has traded either limit up or limit down on the day
of the Crop Report and has averaged a price change of 14 cents in
the other years. On average, the December contract at expiration
has been within two cents of the closing price on the day of the
January Crop Report; but that average includes two years of con-
tract expiration $1.50 over the price in January and two years going
off the board $1.50 below. I will take advantage of this uptick in
the market to price the first 20 percent of 2014 production, using
technical tools to time this sale.
“There is still a long way to go in this marketing year with plenty
of uncertainty ahead. I hope the price I lock in this early is the
worst of the year; I have plenty more corn to sell. If prices do move
lower, I will be glad to have gotten some priced at this time.”
See Welch’s “Feed Grain Market Outlook” in its entirety at
agecoext.tamu.edu/resources/market-outlook/feedgrain-outlook.
CORNSOUTH FEBRUARY 2014 CS3
Texas Extension EconomistComments On Corn Market
EDITORIf you have comments, send them to Corn South,1010 June Road, Suite 102, Memphis, Tenn., 38119.You may also call (800) 888-9784 or contact LiaGuthrie at [email protected] or Carroll Smithat [email protected].
Contents4 Storage Tips
Consider advice of MSUExtension personnel wheninitiating on-farm grain storage.
6 Weed Control In CornResearch your options for theupcoming growing season.
7 Prep And PlantingSoil preparation and preciseplanting are key factorsin optimizing corn yield potential.
Cover photo by Carroll Smith.
CornSouthCornSouth
*The opinions and recommendations expressed are solely those of Welchand are intended for educational purposes only. Welch and Texas AgriLifeassume no liability for the use of this newsletter.
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CS4 CORNSOUTH FEBRUARY 2014
Special Report
BENCHMARK YOUR FARM AND MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS
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Last year, in some cases, corn that was harvested in
Mississippi was what could generally be considered high-
moisture corn. Some farmers received a premium by har-
vesting high-moisture corn and taking it straight to the ele-
vator. However, managing high-moisture corn is not easy since corn
that goes directly into on-farm storage needs to be quickly dried to
less than 15 percent moisture (24 hours or less). Drying corn reduces
the likelihood of fungal growth on the corn in storage.
Corn placed into grain storage at moistures above 15 percent can
begin to grow fungus if heat and air flow are not constant. In some
instances, electricity that was being used to run driers stopped after
grain was placed into storage. In as little as 24-36 hours, the corn on
top developed a green fungal growth.
Remember, once drying and heating are continued after that peri-
od, the fungus doesn’t disappear. The fungal spores that produced the
green fungus are still present and can begin to grow again if a con-
ducive environment reoccurs.
Consider the following when initiating grain storage:
• Monitor moisture, and corn with moisture above 15 percent
should be dried to a moisture below 15 percent within 24 hours.
• Fungal growth on harvested grain can develop in extremely short
periods of time if the environment within grain storage is conducive.
Mycotoxins can be produced in the field or in grain storage, especial-
ly in grain storage if the harvested grain isn’t handled correctly.
• Several fungi can grow on corn and are green in color, but not all
of them produce toxins.
• If the presence of aflatoxin is suspected, there are some places
that will conduct an analysis to determine the presence and concen-
tration in the harvested grain: Bunge North America
(http://www.bungenorthamerica.com/locations/index.shtml);
Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory (http://www.mscl.ms-
state.edu/); or Midsouth Grain Inspection Service at (901) 775-1871.
• Don’t store harvested grain in trucks or combines for any period
of time following harvest since fungi can grow quickly.
• Once aflatoxin is present in harvested grain, the toxin won’t go
away; however, cooler temperatures and reducing moisture in the
grain can reduce the likelihood of increasing aflatoxin production.
Tom Allen, Extension Plant Pathologist, and Erick Larson, StateExtension Specialist-Grain Crops, with Mississippi State University,co-authored this article.
StorageTips
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CS6 CORNSOUTH FEBRUARY 2014
Production
Because corn weed control
starts with clean fields,
LSU AgCenter weed scien-
tist Daniel Stephenson is
advising Louisiana corn farmers
to take a proactive approach to
controlling weeds.
First, a burndown of weeds should
be done four to six weeks before
planting. The end result removes
weeds that will compete with corn
for moisture and nutrition and elimi-
nate habitat for damaging insects
such as cutworms, Stephenson said.
“It’s just imperative that a corn
grower starts clean.”
A pre-emerge herbicide is essen-
tial to prevent new weed growth, and
it should be mixed with atrazine to
give a full spectrum of grass and
broadleaf control, he said. “It is still
the bedrock we need to plant our
corn weed control program on.”
Stephenson said choosing a corn
hybrid with Roundup Ready and
LibertyLink traits will allow the
producer to use glyphosate and
Liberty for managing glyphosate-
resistant johnsongrass.
But, he said, it is imperative that
farmers avoid using an organophos-
phate insecticide, such as Counter,
during planting because those
chemicals interfere with a plant’s ability to
metabolize herbicides, such as Corvus,
Capreno, Realm Q, Accent Q and other
ALS-inhibiting herbicides.
Many farmers assume that a herbicide will
have three months of residual activity, but
such long-lasting chemicals were taken off
the market long ago, Stephenson said.
“Don’t expect any herbicide to give you
three months of weed control.”
Most farmers only spray their crop when it
gets about 12 inches tall, with no follow-up,
but he said a second application is becoming
more commonplace.
Eliminate Vegetation After HarvestBecause corn is harvested in Louisiana in
July and August, weeds in harvested fields
have several months to thrive, Stephenson
said. Farmers who don’t control these weeds
are recharging the weed seed bank. This
means the fight against weeds will be even
more difficult in the next growing season.
Using a residual herbicide, such as Valor,
mixed with a non-selective herbicide, like
paraquat, or making multiple tillage passes
to destroy weed vegetation, is a good way to
suppress seed production until cold weather
arrives, Stephenson said.
Bruce Schultz is Assistant CommunicationsSpecialist with the LSU AgCenter.
Corn Weed Control
Plant Twin Rows or Plant Single Rows
One Planter...One Row or Twin Row
Easy Conversion
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By Bruce Schultz
Daniel Stephenson, LSU AgCenterweed scientist, tells farmers at a fieldday about weeds that are resistant toherbicides found in Louisiana fields.This weed that Stephenson is holding isjohnsongrass.
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CORNSOUTH FEBRUARY 2014 CS7
Production
Soil preparation and precise planting are keys to optimizing
corn yield potential. The University of Georgia (UGA) and
University of Arkansas (U of A) Cooperative Extension
Services offer the following insight into helping Southern
farmers achieve this goal.
Soil Management And TillageIn addressing its state’s specific needs, UGA Extension says,
“Water erosion is a significant problem on many Georgia soils during
the high rainfall, winter months. Wind erosion can be a problem on
sandy Coastal Plain soils in early spring when blowing sand can
severely injure young corn plants. Crop residue left on the soil sur-
face or a seeded cover crop effectively reduces water erosion prob-
lems. Using minimum-till planting practices such as strip-till or slit-
till helps reduce soil losses and “sand blasting” from wind erosion.
“Compaction layers or traffic pans (dense areas) are present in
many, if not most, of the sandy, Coastal Plain soils in Georgia. These
traffic pans restrict root growth and thus affect water and nutrient
uptake by the plant. Traffic pans or dense soils should be disrupted
by deep turning, V-ripping, paraplowing, chisel plowing or by in-row
subsoiling during planting. In-row subsoiling has increased corn
yields more than 50 percent on soils where traffic pans were present.
It enables corn plants to develop deeper root systems, which make
better use of subsoil moisture and improve chances of recovering
nutrients as they move through the soil.”
Four Steps For Precise PlantingThe University of Arkansas Extension Service says that precision
planting is of utmost importance in achieving high yields in Southern
corn production. U of A recommendations note, “Uneven plant spac-
ing and emergence may reduce corn yield potential. Seed should be
spaced as uniformly as possible within the row to ensure maximum
yields, regardless of plant population and planting date.”
U of A Extension also suggests that corn producers try to follow
these four steps for precision planting:
1. Calibrate the planter at the speed intended for planting. Don’t
risk obtaining a misleading seeding rate from slow speeds.
2. Calibrate on a hard turnrow to be able to locate all the seed and
assure that the rate is approxi mately correct before taking the planter
to the field. (If a seed monitor displays population per acre, verify
that the monitor is displaying values that coincide with actual seed
counts behind the planter. Multiple seeds don’t trigger a response if
they pass the sensor together. Seed monitors are helpful to warn you
about skips, malfunc tioning rows or undesirable seeding rates.
However, they will not detect erratic spacing between seeds).
3. Check behind the planter in the field to verify that seed place-
ment, depth and spacing are exactly what you intend. Once seed is
planted, it is hard to be sure that you’ve found all the seed. Roughly
prepared ground bounces the planter units and may shift seeding rates
either up or down.
4. Check the planting rate every time you change seed size or
hybrid. These changes, as well as seed treatments or field roughness,
may cause multiple seed drops or skips.
Additional Planting Considerations“Vacuum seed selection planters typically achieve the most uni-
form plant densities followed by plateless or finger pickup seed selec-
tion,” U of A Cooperative Extension Service adds. “With all other
factors equal, maximum yields occur when corn is placed uniformly
deep into the soil with uniform spacing between seeds. Producers
should follow the manufacturer’s recommended planting speeds.”
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Prep AndPlanting
Planting corn in Chicot County kicked off the 2012 spring crop growingseason in Arkansas.
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