CORN & SOYBEAN AGRONOMIC UPDATESAngela McClureDecember 2014

2014 at a glance…..■880,000 acres corn harvested; 168 bu/A■1.58 million acres soybean harvested; 46 bu/A

■475,00 acres wheat harvested; 66 bu/A■270,000 acres cotton harvested; 915 lbs/acre

Jan 10, USDA NASS report projected yields

Downside of a High Yield Year

■Corn prices near $4■Soybeans near $10■Shift in acres■Increase Profits byCutting costs Increasing yield

N loss due to wet soils

crawfish tunnel usually means your soil doesn’t drain very well!

Adequate Nitrogen Rate- Base amount on realistic yield goals for each field

Expected Grain Yield

Nitrogen (lbs/acre)

Lbs N per bushel of grain

100-125 bushels 120 1.2- 0.96

125-150 bushels 150 1.2- 1.00

150-175 bushels 180 1.2- 1.03

175-200 bushels 210 1.2- 1.05

200-225 bushels 240 1.2- 1.07

Bushels Yield increase with N Stabilizer on Dry Urea (150 lbs N/A at planting; 2011, 2013)

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Jackson Milan REC Mid TN

25

50.743.7

Agrotain Ultra

Yin, Savoy and McClure

(Bu/Ac)

Summary N Stabilizer Comparisons(150 lb N/A at planting in all treatments)

Treatment 2011Jackson

2013Milan

2013Springhill

Yield as Bu/Acre

Ammonium nitrate 199.3 a 207.4 a 223.7 aUntreated urea 172.5 b 131.5 d 137 dUrea+ Nutrisphere N 169.7 b 136.7 cd 171.2 cd Urea + Agrotain ---- 168.9 ab 206.8 abUrea + Agrotain Ultra 197.1 a 182.2 bc 180.7 bcUrea + N-zone 171.3 b ---- ----ESN ------ 187.2 bc 177.5 bc

Value of Pre-Tassel Nitrogen Application(220 lbs N IR; 180 lbs N dryland)

254 256268

190

262 267 260

201

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300

2012 IR 2013 IR 2014 IR 2014

At Plant 1XSplit 2XPre Tassel 3X

b ab

(Bu/Ac)

(lost layby N)

Pop Up Fertilizer and Corn Yield

190

268

198

283

199

273

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100

150

200

250

300

2014 WTREC 2014 MilanREC

No StarterUAN (10-0-0)Black Label ZN (2-7-0ZN)

(180lbs total N non irr) (220 lbs total N IRR)

“Yellowtop” a.k.a. Soybean Top Dieback in 2014

UT lab ~ 34% testing low in K

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Low Medium High VeryHigh

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M1 POTASSIUM NUTRIENT RATING

Potassium Soil Test Levels 2012-2014 StatewideAgronomic vs Garden/LawnsUT Soil, Plant & Pest Center

Lawn & Garden Agronomic

UT lab- 37% testing low in P

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M1 PHOSPHORUS NUTRIENT RATING

Phosphorous Soil Test Levels 2012-2014 Statewide- All Crops vs. Agronomic Only

UT Soil, Plant & Pest Center

All Crops Agronomic Only

UT Phosphate and Potash recommendations “Slow Build philosophy”Soil Test Level P205 lb/A K20 lb/A

Corn Soybean Corn SoybeanHigh 0 0 0 0

Medium 50-90 20 50-90 40

Low 100-180 40 100-180 80

UT Sulfur Research■Low testing sulfur fields need Su■Ammonium sulfate source ($0.32 lb Su)■ Data source: Milan REC low Su field

Corn Soybean

Sulfur Rate 2012 2014 2012 2014

0 lbs/A 163.3 b 155 b 53.2 a 49.7 a

10 lbs/A 194.5 a 186 a 50.8 a 50.3 a

20 lbs/A 198.1 a 195 a 50.1 a 51.6 a

30 lbs/A 190.8 a 187 a 54.6 a 49.7 a

Corn VariableCosts

Breakeven 154 bu

Seed

Lime/Fert

Chemicals

Cash Rent

Labor,Equipt

Soybean Variable Costs

Breakeven 46.7 bu

Seed

Lime/Fert

Chemicals

Cash Rent

Labor,EquiptOther

(from 2014 UT Crop budgets for non irrigated corn and soybeans)

First Farmer’s Coop Corn budget

Item Description Unit Quantity Price Total Lime 2 ton every 4 years per ton 0.5 32.00$ 16.00$

Seed Seed Corn (Avg. $240 per 80K) VT3P / HR hybrids 1000 seed 30 3.00$ 90.00$ Insecticide seed treatment included n/a 0 -$ Fungicide seed treatment included n/a 0 -$

90.00$

Upstart 6--20--6 w/ Ascend + Zinc 2.5--8--2.5--0.18 Z 4 gallon 37.50$

Urea (Nutrisphere) 195 $0.61 per unitDAP (Avail) 69 $0.76 per unitPotash 90 $0.39 per unitMg $0.58 per unitSulfur 15 $0.32 per unitZinc 2 $0.90 per unitBoron 1 $0.77 per unit

244.89$

207.39$

Fertilizer (Current Soil Test Reccomended)

2015 Corn (150 Yield Goal) *All prices are strictly speculative. *Rates and quantities are given as a general guide and are not specific reccome

First Farmer’s Coop Soybean Budget

Item Description Unit Quantity Price Total Lime 2 ton every 4 years per ton 0.5 32.00$ 16.00$

Seed Soybeans (Avg. $52 per 140K) 1000 seed 140 0.37$ 51.80$ Insect./Fung. seed treatment Warden CX Unit 140,000 11.65$ Innoculant Primo Unit 140,000 1.34$

64.79$

Urea (Nutrisphere) 18 $0.54 per unitDAP (Avail) 46 $0.76 per unitPotash 120 $0.39 per unitMg $0.58 per unitSulfur 15 $0.32 per unitZinc 2 $0.90 per unitBoron 1 $0.77 per unit

89.13$

89.13$

Fertilizer (Current Soil Test Reccomended)

2015 Soybean (40 Yield Goal) *All prices are strictly speculative. *Rates and quantities are given as a general guide and are not specific reccome

Profitable Corn with Unprofitable Prices

■Carefully consider others: Extra fertilizer, micronutrientsFoliar fungicideInsecticide spraysSugar, foliar anti-stress, growth promoters

■Cover the Basics:Plant corn in good yielding fieldsPlant earlyGood geneticsGood pH, N, P, K Weed ControlWater if you can

Profitable Soybeans with Unprofitable Prices

■Carefully consider others: Extra fertilizer, micronutrientsBlanket sprays for insects and diseasesInoculants, sugar, foliar anti-stress, growth promoters

■Cover the Basics:Full season beansFung/Insect seed treatment on early beansGood geneticsAdequate pH, P, K Weed Control (suitable generics)Scout and treat for diseases and insects

Evaluation of high yield soybean techniques

D. Verbree and A. McClure

Light penetration and branching

30” 15”

Light penetrationto axial buds

No branching Branching

Effects of variety, row spacing, and seeding rate on yield (WTREC, 2013)

Row Spacing Evaluation■Milan REC small plot2 varieties: Pioneer 47T36 and Asgrow 46322 planting rates: 100K and 140K3 row configurations: 15”, 30” and skip row planted at similar rates of 100K or 140K

■County on-farm demonstration10 sites7.5”(1), 15” (9), skip row(10), 30” (2)Skip rows planted at 1/3 lower rates

Skip Row Population and Yield (Milan REC) (ns at P=0.05)

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P47T36 AG4632

100K140K

Row Configuration and Yield, Milan REC(Skip row at same population as solid)

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P47T36 AG4632

15" solid30"Skip row

2014 GoBeans On-farm Results■ 10 locations in 9 counties■ Compare yield of 15” rows to skip rows ■ 2 locations included 30” rows■ 1 location had 7.5” vs skip■ Planter set for single population with no skip row

adjustment (skip row planted 33% less seed per acre)

Photo: Ranson Goodman

On-farm Skip row resultsRowSystem

Cannon Coffee Crockett Dyer Dyer IRR

Franklin Giles Henry Tipton

Average number nodes per plant

15” 16.0 14.3b 14.7 ---- 17.1 17.1 18.8 18.3 21.1

Skip 16.4 15.4a 14.8 ---- 18.6 18.1 19.4 17.8 21.2

30” 16.7 17.0

Average Total Pods per plant

15” 37.3b 37.2b 46.9b 40.5 59.9 54.8b 53.5 62.5b

Skip 55.0a 59.1a 57.4a 54.7 78.2 79.1a 69.2 103.2a

30” 37.8 64.1

Average Branch pods per plant

15” 2.9b 3.8b 16.0b 3.9 25.4 9.9 13.1b 12.0b

Skip 16.8a 17.1a 26.9a 10.1 41.4 26.3 29.9a 37.5a

30” 2.9 26.1

On-farm Skip row results-Yield

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Cannon

Coffee

Crockett

Dyer Dry

Dyer IR

Franklin

Giles IR

Henry IR

Tipton IR

Weakley

SolidSkip

Skip Row $Return on Investment

20.14

7.37

26.91

11.69

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7.5" 15" 30" All RS

Skip Row Return

(9)

(2)

(10)

(# sites)

(1)

Skip Row ROI ($) By locationLocation Variety Return/A with Skip

RowCannon Pioneer 49T97R $7.56Coffee Pioneer 47T36R $22.95Crockett Asgrow 5632 -$2.75Dyer-- IR Asgrow 5233 $4.07Dyer Asgrow 4934 $40.60Franklin Pioneer 49T97R -$22.30Giles –IR Asgrow 4232 $14.80Henry-- IR Asgrow 4533 $10.52Tipton-- IR Asgrow 4632 -$9.12Weakley Terral 38R10R $20.14

Average Return $11.69Varieties highlighted in yellow usually branch less according to seed rep

Did Environment affect Outcome?Location ROI 60-day accum Season Total

GDD Precip (in) GDD Precip (in)

WTREC 2013 1523 11.5 3209 19.4

Cannon $7.56 1387 12.0 3109 30.5

Coffee $22.95 1255 9.1 2813 23.4

Crockett -$2.75

Dyer-- IR $4.07 1524 8.6 3148 16.7

Dyer $40.60 1511 11.1 3106 18.9

Franklin -$22.30 1452 7.8 3273 25.9

Giles –IR $14.80 1277 13.8 3236 20.9

Henry-- IR $10.52

Tipton-- IR -$9.12 1414 14.2 3083 23.8

Weakley $20.14 1356 14.9 3251 22.2

Skip row summary■Milan REC skip row beans had similar yields at same

seeding rate as 15” row beans■On-farm skip row beans had more total pods and branch

pods per plant in all environments8 of 10 sites statistically similar yields with less seed7 of 10 sites returned money3 of 4 irrigated sites returned money

■Planned in 2015 more study in this areaReduced and higher 15” row compared to skip rowDifferent year/environment weather?

Odds and ends….■Refill Irrigation/Crop Physiologist■New crushing plant Trenton, KY on-line spring 2015 for canola

■Corn checkoff for TN

AnyQuestions??