july / august 2016 issue 449of business including soybeans, corn, oats, drying & storage, feed,...

July / August 2016 www.allamericancoop.com Issue 449

Manager’s Notes ..........................................................................2Grain News ..................................................................................3Prepaid Storage Program Now Available! ....................................3Just a Reminder ..........................................................................3Summer of Fun ............................................................................4Meet Our 2016 Summer Interns ..................................................5Remember What’s important when it comes to harvesting Corn Silage ............................................................6Managing Heat Stress..................................................................7

I Work Alone but I Don’t Feed Alone! ..........................................8China: An International Experience..............................................9Soil EC Mapping on Your Farm ....................................................10Fall Grid Sampling ......................................................................10Physoderma Brown Spot in Corn ..............................................11Sign Up For our e-Link News ....................................................11Nutrition plays critical role in seedling vigor - overall yields ......12Welcome New Employees..........................................................12

What’s Inside

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • Chatfield 867-4710 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-3275

Glenn Lutteke, General Manager

[email protected] (507) 5334222

I cannot believe how fast time is rolling along

this season. As I write this article, we are heading

into August. That means that Fall Harvest is less

than 2 months away. Amazing!

Our crop continues to move ahead. I know

we are still 2 months away from putting crop in

our bins but I think we have to feel optimistic; to

say the least, we are looking at a normal crop. The

commodity markets are seeing the same thing.

I am hoping for some type of rally in the market place for people to

find an opportunity to sell some grain before harvest. If not, storage

of new crop grain will be a concern.

We should start to see more fertilizer pricing for fall applications

in the near future. I would say with the pricing I have seen to this point

should bring us price levels we have not seen in years. Personally,

I think they need to be there. This should be a positive side to input

costs as we prepare to plan for next year. I would expect that the

fertilizer producers will be looking to raise prices wherever they can.

I know this will be late for most of our county fair goers but,

everyone at All American Coop and Progressive Ag Center want to

recognize ALL fair exhibitors for the effort and work ethic they put

into their projects. Those are traits that will help you the rest of your

life. Good luck and Congratulations to all of you!

Lutteke

Manager’s Notes

2

Glenn Lutteke, General ManagerAll American Co-op

Progressive Ag Center, L.L.C.

Todd Stockdale, All American Co-op Grain Manager

Brent Vorpagel, All American Co-opFeed Department Manager

Editor: Beth Pagel

Design & Production: Paper & Graphics, Inc. division of Smyth Co.

All American Co-opBoard of DirectorsMike Heim, President

Ed Twohey, Vice PresidentDavid Severson, Secretary

Lawrence Schwanke, DirectorJim Klavetter, Director

Progressive Ag Center, L.L.C.Board of Directors

Lawrence Schwanke, PresidentDave Severson, Vice President

Mike Heim, SecretaryJim Klavetter, Governor

Ed Twohey, Governor

“ Working with you”Progressive Ag Center, LLCChange of Address/Forwarding Address

It is important to us that you continue to receive our mailings.

Please contact All American Coop with a change of address if

you are moving, or a forwarding address if you are going to be

away for an extended time. In an effort to save the cost of return

postage, please be aware that if we get publications returned,

we will have to remove you from our mailing list. Please send

your address changes to All American Coop, P.O. Box 125,

Stewartville, MN 55976 or call (507) 5334222 or email changes

to Beth Pagel at [email protected]. Please indicate if

your change is a permanent or temporary change. If you are

giving us a temporary change, it will be your responsibility to

notify us when to change your address back to your permanent

address. Thank you for your help and your continued businesswith All American Coop and Progressive Ag Center, LLC.

https://www.facebook.com/allamericancoop

Our Offices will

be CLOSED

Monday, September 5th in

observation of Labor Day!

How do I Qualify for Patronage?All American Coop pays patronage on several different categories

of business including soybeans, corn, oats, drying & storage, feed,

fertilizer, chemicals, seed and agronomy services.

Patronage is paid only in the categories that were determined to

be profitable during the past fiscal year. Patrons must do enough

business in the profitable categories and meet the $20 minimum

patronage to receive a patronage check. In addition, to receive apatronage dividend, we must have a signed patron consent formand W9 on file.

If you think that you have not filled out these forms, please contact

the Stewartville office and we can get the forms to you. If you

have received patronage from us in the past, we should have these

forms on file.

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • Chatfield 867-4710 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-3275 3

Grain News

Todd Stockdale, Grain Manager

[email protected]

(507) 5334222

Harvest is fast approaching; in general we

appear to have a good crop coming. The rally

we had a month ago allowed for at least a few

profitable sales. Don’t feel alone if you wish

you had sold more, you have the good company

of most of your fellow producers. The market

appears to believe the crop is doing just fine and

the weather premiums we had for a while are quickly going away.

I hope for another rally as much as any of you but my expectations

of one coming get less each day.

We will likely have 1,000,000 bushels more farmer owned corn

on site than when harvest began last year. We will likely continue to

lease as much off site storage as we have in the past and might even

lease a couple more sites. I’m not sure how we will be able to move

all the grain to fill the leased sites but we did it last year so we will

try to do our best again.

Oat Quality

Oat harvest will quickly be upon us, the oat market is becoming

increasingly strict in their grading requirements. It is almost impossible

to sell oats that have a test weight below 32 pounds per bu. We have

been forced by the market to modify our discount schedule and will

no longer accept any oats below 31 pounds per bu. Please have your

oats tested before bringing them in. All American Coop will notaccept oats with a lighter test weight than 31 or with moistureabove 14.5%.

Storage and Drying Rates

There will also be some slight changes to the moisture discount

table for wet corn this fall. We are eliminating the 10 cent minimum

drying charge. We have adjusted the table to more evenly distribute

the drying cost. We will be charging for drying down to 15% for

storage, grain bank, and cash sales. We will continue to shrink the

stored grain to 14% to allow for the additional shrink caused by

long term storage and multiple aeration cycles.

We will be adjusting our storage rate to 4 cents per bushel per

month and the minimum storage period will be 150 days. These newrates will go into effect on September 1st.

PrePaid Storage

We have a limited amount of storage that we will offer for

prepayment again this year. This is a first comefirst served program.

The signup for that will begin on August 1st. The rate this year

will be 30 cents per bushel and will run from September 1st,

2016 to August 31st, 2017.

I expect soybean harvest to start a little earlier than normal

because of planting dates and heat units we have received so far. We

expect to be ready to receive new crop soybeans as early as the end

of September.

Stockdale

PREPAID STORAGE PROGRAMNOW AVAILABLE!

Guaranteed storage for 12 months (September 1, 2016 Through August 31, 2017)

30¢/bu per year prepaid

Policy Is as Follows:•••••••

•

••

For more info contact: Todd Stockdale, Grain Manager

(507) [email protected]

Chrissy Vrieze, Grain Accountant(507) 533-4222

[email protected]

Sign-up ends August 31, 2016This is a first-come first-serve program

All payments are non-refundableStorage contracts are non-transferable

Maximum contracts offered: 5,000 bu. Soybeans 20,000 bu. Corn

Extension of the contract can be achieved by buying storage at the normal monthly ratesLoad-out rates would be the same as CCC filed ratesAll American Co-op reserves the right to cancel -

All prepayments are due at the me of sign-up

Contracts will be assigned to one enty only

the program at any me

Just a ReminderIf you have grain stored at one of our locations, the accrued

storage will be billed out on any remaining bushels on August

31, 2016. If you have any questions, please call Chrissy Vrieze,

Grain Accountant, at the Stewartville office at (507) 5334222

or email at [email protected]


Kate Brown, Calf & Heifer Specialist,

Purina Animal Nutrition


I cannot believe we are nearing Back to

School time already! This new school year is

going to lead to big changes for me, my oldest

will be starting kindergarten. How can that be?

But with the beginning of this school year we

will also be saying goodbye to the great group

of summer interns that have been able to work

with this summer at All American Coop.

I had the pleasure of working with South Dakota State student

Becky Duden this summer on the calf and heifer side. Over the course

of the summer Becky conducted over 20 calf walkthrough audits.

During these audits she asked a variety of questions, used the ATP

meter which is able to checks for bacteria, used the refractometer

which check solid levels for colostrum and pasteurized milk, and

weighed calves on some farms. As Becky returns to school we hope

that she is able to take back some onfarm experiences from each farm

that she visited. For those she was unable to visit, please feel free to

contact me if you would like a calf audit done on your farm.

A big discussion Becky and I had with producers this summer

was the importance of feeding quality colostrum and ensuring that

colostrum is collected and fed with clean equipment. Without

clean sanitary collection and feeding of high IgG colostrum you

are hindering your calves’ start. Often when people are having

issues with calves I will challenge them to use Land O’ Lakes

Bovine IgG Colostrum until we can get an understanding of each

farms’ collection equipment and quality.

When I asked Becky what key things she took away from her

walk through audits she talked about how every farm does things

differently, each with the same goal in mind, having healthy calves.

She also noticed that a key area people are working on to do better

is tracking health records with their calves to ensure that when they

become part of the milking herd, they can look back to see if there

were any issues as calves. Finally, she was happy to see that producers

understand the importance of calf health and nutrition. Even in this

economic time, producers recognize that they have to continue do

what is best for the calves as they are the future of the herd.

With the summer heat we have also been encouraging everyone

to give the Land O’ Lakes Electrolyte System a try. Using the

Electrolyte Base is a great way to combat the heat and get calves,

cows, and even other livestock on the farm to drink more water and

help keep them hydrated. Using the Electrolyte Base costs about

$0.36 a dose. To learn more about the Electrolyte Base please

visit www.allamericancoop.com/dairyfeed. If calves seem to be

struggling, sick or need the extra boost, you can use the Electrolyte

Complete which costs about $0.75 a dose. Both are fed as a separate

feeding and NOT mixed with the milk. Both have been great to help

keep calves hydrated and calves really enjoy it.

It was a pleasure to work with all the interns this summer. As

they prepare to return to school it is great to see that the future of

agriculture is headed in the right direction. As my daughter heads into

kindergarten this fall, I can only hope that in 15 years she will want to

have in internship in agriculture and that there will be just as many

opportunities to have one.

Summer of Fun

Brown


Meet Our 2016 Summer InternsBecky Duden, Plainview, MNCollege: South Dakota State UniversityMajor: Animal Science Business Production“My internship with All American Coop has been a great one. I have really enjoyed learning handson at different farms. This handson learning has helped to round out my education and teach methings that no classroom would ever be able to give me.”

MaKayla Wingert, Plainview, MNCollege: University of Wisconsin River FallsMajor: Agricultural Education“I have really enjoyed having the opportunity to work with our customers and being able to help themwhether it be scouting their fields and addressing any issues I may find, or by talking with them about theirconcerns about their crops and making sure those concerns are getting addressed. I have also enjoyedlearning more about ways we can help our customers with new technology we are utlilizing to get aheadand continue to work on improving crop health and overall yields.”

Jack Roessler, St Charles, MNCollege: University of Minnesota Twin CitiesMajor: Agricultural Education“Working with All American Coop Progressive Ag Center in St. Charles has been a blast so far. Getting towork in my hometown community and interacting with familiar faces is something. I’ve really appreciatedlearning how the whole coop system works and seeeing how we truly have the growers best interestin mind has been very eye opening. Everyone I have worked with wants me to get the most out of thisexperience and has helped me grow my knowledge and skill base.”

Jacob Rindels, Spring Valley, MNCollege: University of Wisconsin River FallsMajor: Crop Science/Agriculture Business“My internship has been a great learning experience exposing me to what goes on ‘behind the scenes’to make the coop operate effectively. I have enjoyed the amount of scouting and inthefield experiencemy internship has offered me.”

Sam Reineke, Eyota, MNCollege: University of Wisconsin River FallsMajor: Crop & Soil Science“I continue to learn and gain real world experience while interning at All American Coop ProgressiveAg Center. I take great pride in caring for the Answer Plot at Elgin. I have learned so much from theAnswer Plot events that I am able to apply to my studies at UW River Falls.”

Libby Mills, Lake City, MNCollege: University of Minnesota Twin CitiesMajor: Animal Science/Dairy Production“My family’s farm is where I developed a deep rooted passion for agriculture and my education in animalscience spurred a strong interest in dairy nutrition. It is through the willingness of local professionals whoserve as mentors that allow students, like myself, to dive deeper into what our interests could look like asa real world career. I am so thankful to All American Coop for this opportunity.


Remember what’s important when it comes to harvesting Corn Silage

Robb D. Wock, DPC –

Purina Animal Nutrition LLC


With Corn Silage harvest only a month to a

monthandahalf away, it’s important to refocus

and concentrate on the REAL reasons why we

feed Corn Silage and how this relates to the ideal

time to harvest. “WholePlantMoisture” is one of

the easiest and fastest ways to evaluate the general

area of maturity of the Corn plant. However, the

REAL basis behind understanding “WholePlantMoisture” and

its relationship to the timing of harvest is in our understanding of

“RuminalStarchDigestibility”. I will attempt to explain this in

better detail within the remainder of this article.

During a normal growing season your typical variety of corn

grown for silage purposes contains somewhere between 55 and 65%

of its energy within the corn kernel itself. This energy is primarily in

the form of “starch” which is a key component of cow performance.

Dairy Cows require a precise amount of starch & energy in order to

maximize milk production and maintain good health. Therefore many

ration decisions are at least in part, based not only on the amount of

total starch that is fed but particularly on the amount of “Ruminal

DegradableStarch” – as this quantity reflects how much starch the

cow can actually utilize.

One of the methods Purina Animal Nutrition has developed to

help evaluate “RuminalStarchDigestibility” is called a GPN test

using proprietary technology to measure how digestible & available

the starch will be to rumen microbes. Ingredients sampled receive a

score based on an index of 1 to 11, with 1 being very slow digesting

and 11 being very fast. It is important to realize that RuminalStarch

Digestibility varies by year & location, and is often influenced by

many factors including stage of maturity, kernel processing, storage

time, hybrid selection and growing conditions.

At the time of harvest much of the data we have collected on

Corn Silage using the GPN technology has shown us that the range

of starch content often varies significantly, from as low as 18% to as

high as 48%, with averages often from 3034%. However, again as

mentioned above, the actual maturity of the plant, plant varieties, and

many growing conditions including soiltype, all play a role in the

starch content at the time it is sampled. Starch digestibility ratings

using GPN often range from 5.5 to 7.5, with averages somewhere

around 6 to 6.5 or so.

The bottom line is that there is a clear linear decrease in rumen

starchdegradability as crude starch content increases. In other words

starch content & digestibility are inversely related, which meanswaiting to let the ear fill completely to maximize TOTAL starchcontent is not likely to provide optimum starch digestibility for yourdairy cows. Some “highstarch” varieties (40%+) measuring low in

GPN are hard & dense kernels that are almost impossible to process

and pass right through the rumen.

GPN scores increase as moisture content increases, supporting

the theory that harvesting more immature silage to capture more

digestibility is likely the best strategy. As the plant matures & kernel

starchfill continues, the digestibility of the starch declines. Althoughless mature corn silage may contain lower quantities of starch, thestarch is more digestible in the rumen, the kernels process better,and the additional moisture results in more favorable packing &fermentation.

So this is the reason why we utilize “WholePlantMoisture” to

help determine plant maturity & harvest timing – there is a direct

relationship between plant moisture & ruminalstarchdigestibility.

Dr. Randy Shaver, professor of Dairy Science & Extension dairy

nutritionist at the University of WisconsinMadison, says a good rule

of thumb for harvesting Corn Silage is when the kernel is at half milk

line (half milk & half dough). “Once the kernel is dented, it’s time to

start measuring kernel movement & dry matter” he explained.

Keep in mind that the most desirable corn hybrid is one offering

both high starch and high digestibility. From a performance standpoint,

personally I have seen anywhere from a 2 to 5 pound daily milk

response per cow when starch is efficiently utilized. This is huge

– particularly now in a depressed milk economy.

In order to help you understand the stage of maturity of your

corn silage I would encourage you to join us at All American Coop

during our Corn Silage BurnDown events later this month and in

September. We can help you decide when you should plan your

harvest so that you can provide the most digestible nutrients to

your Dairy enterprise.

Wock

Stewartville (507) 533-4222 Elgin (507) 876-2222 (507) 867-4710 Plainview (507) 534-3147 St. Charles (507) 932-4732 [email protected] www.allamericancoop.com

CORN SILAGE BURN DOWN DAYS 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Lunch Served Monday, August 22nd All American Co-op Progressive Ag Center at PlainviewFriday, September 2nd All American Co-op Progressive Ag Center at St. Charles


Mark Werner, Livestock Production Specialist,

Purina Animal Nutrition, LLC


As we move into the 2nd half of the year andour daylight begins to shorten a little more everyday, we still have the joy of looking forward to the“dog days of summer”. These hot, humid, stagnantdays are not only uncomfortable for us humans,but are downright miserable for our livestock.

We need to be sure a put our 4 leggedresponsibilities on the forefront of our concerns.

We can always jump back in the air conditioned tractor cab or truckor go in the house to cool down, but our stock only has what theyare provided to them by us, their caretakers, to keep themselvescool and comfortable. When heat indexes north of the 85 degreemark are looming, we need to take a little extra time to make surewe put in the extra effort to apply the basic management practicesto keep our stock cool.

First off, and the most important factor is water consumption!! Ifwe keep cattle drinking, they will eat and if they eat, they will drink.We all understand that mammals require water to stay hydrated, butwe must consider the source of the water. Whether your stock aresourcing water from a tank, a pail, a fountain or a natural water source,we need to evaluate the cleanliness of that water. If it is a humanmanaged water supply source, make a point to put in the extra effortand scrub out your tanks, pails, and waterers to remove any algae orother debris to keep fresh water consumption at optimal levels. Greenor orange water is ok if you are drinking Gatorade or adding in anelectrolyte pack, it’s NOT ok if that’s the everyday color of the watersource. When it comes to natural water sources pay extra attentionto areas that have collected debris or have become overgrown toencourage water to flow ensuring that there are places along thenatural source that provide clean, clear, nonstagnant water. Try tominimize livestock from standing in natural water sources; thisincreases the mixing of dirt and organic matter into the water source.

When it comes to watering space, we need to be able to supplylarger cattle (1000 lbs+) 20 gallons per head per day (this figure willchange with different life stage of cattle) during high demand days or1.5 to 3 inches of water space per head with adequate water flow. Ifyou feel you are short on overall watering space during a heat event,consider adding an additional stock tank with a float on it to supplythe extra needed watering capacity for that group.

Shade and air flow are major factors in keeping cool.Temperatures in the shade can be 10 degrees or more cooler thanin direct sunlight, and that is not even considering coat color ofour livestock. Darker coated cattle will absorb more sunrays andtherefore will have a higher external body temperature than stockwith lighter colored coats. If there is shade shelter available, makesure your stock has access to it.

Air flow helps keep animals more comfortable because it aides inevaporating moisture. Heat from the skin’s surface is removed throughthe evaporation process. We can increase air flow to our livestockby removing all objects around our livestock facilities that restrictairflow. Look around, is there equipment, bales of bedding/feed,weeds, trees, windbreaks, or curtains that impede natural air flow?Remove as many obstacles as possible and let as much air move overyour livestock areas as possible.

Another popular management tool is misting our stock. Mistingour cattle adds cool water to the skin of your stock and readilyremoves surface heat, helping them cool down and maintain afavorable body temperature. The one thing we need to make sure ofwhen misting our stock is to make sure we don’t mat the hair of thecattle. We want the hair of the cattle to stay erect and open in orderto increase surface area and let the body expel heat. If we matt the hairdown by dousing the cattle with a strong stream or a large splash ofwater, and the cattle cannot shake the excess water out of their hair,we can actually hold heat in, working against our intended goal andincreasing their internal body temperature excessively, doing moreharm the good.

When we think of hot weather, many people do not think ofbedding them to keep them cool. But as mentioned in the aboveparagraph, moisture on the skin is ok as long as the hair is not matted.Well, as we all know, when cattle lay in a moist pen pack, that manuremore than likely will stick to them and matt their coat. Give yourstock a clean dry place to lay to keep their hair dry and not matted.A dry pack underneath them will hold less heat than a moist manurepack helping them regulate their body temp more efficiently.

When feeding into a heat stress period, know that your livestockwill ultimately back down somewhat on feed intakes. Watch theforecast and use your best judgement and management skills to backdown your feed delivery amounts to those cattle going into andthrough a heat stress period to avoid excess feed in the bunk reducingspoilage. If doing twice a day feeding, consider delivery feed laterat night or earlier in the morning when temperatures are cooler andcattle will be more willing to consume feed. A word of caution, cattleare creatures of habit so please don’t change your feeding times ordelivery pattern too drastically, cattle like to eat relatively close to thesame spot and same time every day. Cattle don’t want to eat heated,spoiled feed and nobody wants to be shoveling out bunks in 115degree heat index temperatures.

In order to minimize the effects of heat stress in our cattle, thereare a couple products you can look at adding to your heat stressmanagement arsenal. The Supermix Beef Abate product is a ¼ poundfeed rate product that can be added into a feed ration or supplementmix. This product is designed to supply our cattle with Diamond VXPC yeast to support digestive health and maintain feed intakes andincrease feed efficiency and feed conversion. Zinpro is another keycomponent supplied by this supplement to support the immunesystem of stressed cattle by replenishing diminished trace mineralstores. Potassium is the electrolyte lost through sweating, so fortifiedlevels of potassium are delivered to replenish the spent stores. Thenext product would be the Land O’ Lakes Electrolyte Base andComplete. These electrolyte add packs are mixed with our animals’drinking water to prevent dehydration and supply the body withelectrolytes that are depleted during heat stress. This product is idealto use in young calves and groups of cattle who have access to a tankin which the electrolyte and be mixed.

The more comfortable our stock are, the more they will eat andless effect they will experience from heat stress. Minimizing our lossof production due to heat stress and maximizing our productionwhen others are standing still or going backwards will keep youanother step ahead of the game.

Managing Heat Stress

Werner


Kris & Kevin Borgen Farm, Chatfield, MN

Kris and Kevin Borgen have an 80 cow herd of Holsteins near

Chatfield. The brothers farm 500 acres of cropland with a majority of

that crop being used as feed for the herd. They also manage a 40 cow

beef herd and buy and raise bull calves that they sell as feeders. They

are busy guys! The family is a fourth generation farm that has been

selling milk from this farm for 70 years. Kris’s son Andrew works on

the farm when he is not

working at his fulltime job

at Preston Equipment.

In November 2015

Nate Goeldi, Dairy

Production Specialist; began

doing the nutrition work

with the Borgen milking

herd. When visiting with

Kris about the changes they

have experienced in the past

6 months he immediately

responds with “It is like

somebody turned the lights

on!” Since the Borgens have been working with Nate, the herd has

seen a 40# increase in their Rolling Herd Average. Kris says, “I have

never had a nutritionist do what he does.” Nate does a herd walk thru

two times a month. “If Nate sees something that needs to be fixed, he

tells me about it.” An example would be an observation Nate made to

the height of the neck rails at the feed bunk. He suggested that we

lower the rails 12 inches, “it took a short amount of time, and I believe

that it saved us another 1% in feed costs due to 1520# less in wasted

feed. Such a simple thing that can help to improve our bottom line. It

has been a whole new ball

game since we have begun

to work with Nate.” says

Kris. Nate has formulated

a feeding ration utilizing

forages stored on farm,

getting the most bang for

the buck. He measures our

feed bags, taking samples

as needed to be sure that

we are feeding the appropriate rations for the forages we have

on hand. “Nate’s personality and knowledge are top notch. Nate

brings us information and talks to us about topics that he feels

might be applicable to our farm.”

One ration change that has made a significant difference in herd

health is the addition of the Rally product to the prefresh rations. Nate

and Kris agree that by adding Rally to the ration they have seen an

overall improvement to the transition from dry cow to milk herd. “The

cows seem to pick up quicker with less incidence of ketosis.” In the

last six months after adding Rally to the ration, we have seen quicker

recovery in our fresh cow group which has also offered an increase

in milk production within this group of cows.

Kevin Borgen manages the calves and the beef herd, “Stacy

Hoffman has done a great job with both of the areas of the farm.

We love the calf feed program we are on, using the Amp Max milk

replacer and the Ampli Calf starter. Calves are gaining faster and we

are transitioning the heifers sooner. The bull calves are also getting

to selling weight quicker, meaning we can turn groups of bull calves

more often. We are saving on milk and calf feed costs because of it.”

Kris likes being a member of the coop system and says that

moving to All American Coop with his feed business is something he

should’ve done sooner. “Everyone is great! The customer service from

the Central Feed Order staff is excellent. The drivers are courteous and

thorough. If there is a question or concern with an order or delivery,

their followup is prompt. I like being able to go to Chatfield to pick

up the bagged product I need when I need it. It is very convenient

for us since we live so close.”

“I tell everyone that they should be doing business with All

American Coop! I tell them, I work alone, but I don’t feed alone! It is

nice to have the support of a quality, educated team behind us. I will

never go back to

the way I used

to do things.

Kevin and I

have seen the

improvements

we have already

made and we

can more

comfortably

plan for the

future.”

I Work Alone but I Don’t Feed Alone!


Dillon Welter, SDSU Student

My name is Dillon Welter. I am currently a

junior at South Dakota State University majoring

in agricultural systems technology. This past

semester I enrolled in an agricultural international

experience. With 1.3 billion people, China is the

most populated country in the world. Everything

and anything that China does has a huge effect on

the rest of the world. May 9th, 24 classmates and

I had the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to

China for 2 weeks. We started off our journey

with a 16 hour flight to Hong Kong. While in Hong Kong we had

a briefing with a USDA representative about Hong Kong and their

agriculture trade. The total trade between the United States and Hong

Kong in 2015 was around 62 billion dollars. It is shocking to learn

how much Hong Kong differs from China.

After visiting Hong

Kong we continued our

journey in the southern

part of China in a town

called Guangzhou. While

in Guangzhou we had the

pleasure of touring a

swine farm. The swine

farm was different from

in the US because the barns were open and all the walls of the pens

were made of cement not steel. After touring the swine farm, we

visited the largest wholesale fruit and vegetable market place. It

was truly astounding to see so much fruit and vegetables all in

one condensed place. There were trucks constantly coming in and

mopeds cruising everywhere. There was little to no organization at

the marketplace, but surprisingly it worked for them. Another large

wholesale market that we got to see while in Guangzhou was a fish

market. It was crazy to see all the different types of fish being sold

at the market. Anything you can find in the water, it was sold at the

market. To end our time in Guangzhou we took a cruise along the

Pearl River.

To continue our

journey, we took a plane

ride to Xi’an. Our first

day in Xi’an, we toured a

large dairy operation. As

we were touring the dairy

facility, it almost felt like

we were touring a farm

in the US. At this dairy

facility they had all the technology that we have implemented on all

of our larger dairy operations. While in Xi’an we got the chance to

tour a dairy processing plant as well. After touring the processing

plant we asked them why they don’t produce any cheese. The

reason why China doesn’t produce cheese is due to the fact that it

takes a lot of milk to produce a small amount of cheese. In order for

China to be selfsufficient, they need to produce the highest yielding

foods. We continued our journey through China by taking the high

speed train from Xi’an up to Beijing.

When we first arrived in Beijing, I was amazed by how

modern Beijing looked compared to the rest of China. Our first

tour in Beijing was a tour of a poultry laying operation. In the

poultry barns they have a robot that travels down the alley ways

and is able to scan all of the chickens’ temperatures. This way the

managers are able to notice if a chicken has a fever, or if a chicken

has died and treat them accordingly. Next we took a bus ride to

Tian Jin to visit a John Deere tractor engine plant. The John Deere

plant was practically all automated. It’s crazy to see what

technology can all do in today’s world. After the John Deere tour,

we traveled to a manufacturing site for Artex Barn Solutions. The

fascinating thing about this stop is that it was just recently that they

started to use robotic welding machines. Before the robots, all the

welding in the manufacturing site was done by hand.

For our final day in Beijing, we started off the day by climbing

the Great Wall, and boy was that not easy? It seemed like every step

you took was a different height. After the Great Wall we toured the

Femur Head Hospital. This was a hospital that used traditional Chinese

healing practices to focus bone regrowth. To end out our busy trip to

China, we stopped at

China Ag University.

Here we got a chance

to talk with college

students majoring

in agriculture like

ourselves. It was

interesting to see

how their college

experience varies from here in the US.

I would like to thank All American Coop for their donation that

helped make this trip possible for me. I had a great time traveling

throughout China and would love to travel other places around the

world in the future.

China: An International Experience

Welter


Gary Suess, Precision Ag Specialist


If you’re a grower in our trade territory, you

all have something in common: your fields vary.

The variability may be in water holding capacity,

organic matter, yield potential, nematode pressure,

soil pH, or many other possibilities. One thing is

certain – managing these fields as if they were

uniform is not the best strategy.

Before you can manage soil variability, or

manage inputs differently, you need to map it with accuracy and

intensity that truly captures the variations. Soil EC testing is an

effective way to do this, map these soil variations. Soil EC is soil

electrical conductivity – a measurement of how much electric current

the soil can conduct. While soil EC has no direct effect on crop growth

or yield, the benefits of EC mapping comes from the relationships that

frequently exist between EC and a variety of other soil properties that

are highly related to crop

productivity. These properties

include waterholding capacity,

topsoil depth, soil drainage,

organic matter levels, and subsoil

characteristics. EC readings

correlate strongly to soil grain

size, making it an effective way

to map soil type and texture

because smaller soil particles

such as clays have a high

conductivity, silts have a medium

conductivity, and sands have a

low conductivity.

A popular way to

measure soil EC is

done by pulling a Veris

Technologies sensor in

passes about 5060 ft

apart across the field. The

Veris sensors use spring

loaded coulter electrodes

mounted on a steel frame

sensor cart. The sensor

measures the soil EC on the go as the cart is pulled across the field.

Because the soil types on the farm do not change, the zones identified

by a Veris soil EC map are consistent over time, making it a onetime

investment.

Once soil EC mapping of a farm is done, Progressive Ag Center

agronomists can then work with growers to devise management zones

for the farm, create variable rate seeding prescriptions, and better

manage nitrogen applications. Options for variable rate application

of seed, fertilizer, and water can be explored when producer and

agronomists knowledge is combined with EC soil mapping. By

optimizing the placement of inputs, the potential for a return on

investment improves. The opposite can also be said. By not placing

inputs in areas with poor soil, dollars can be saved or shifted to other

locations. This also leads to a higher potential for a return.

If you would like to read more about Variable Rate Management

Zones here is a link to an article that was published in the February

2016 issue of the Corn and Soybean Digest. http://cornandsoybean

digest.com/precisionag/bettervariableratemanagementzones

If you would like to know more about this new technology

I encourage you to contact a member the All American Coop

Progressive Ag Center agronomy sales team.

Suess

Soil EC Mapping on Your Farm

Fall Grid Sampling

Dan Klavetter, Agronomy Sales, Stewartville

[email protected]

(507) 2720157

Harvest Season is soon approaching once

again, and with that comes reflection of the past

growing season and preparation towards next year.

I feel the best place to start improving for next year

is with the soil. We rely on our soils yearin and

yearout to produce high yielding crops and we

need to make sure we are replenishing, if not

building, our nutrient levels.

No matter the field, it is going to have some degree of

variability. With the grid sampling we offer at All American Coop

Progressive Ag Center, we can assist you in placing your fertilizer

or lime where it needs to be, not just blanketing with a flat rate.

Variable rate spreading aids in optimizing each acre to the highest

yield potential.

If you are already using grid sampling on your farm, we

recommend updating your test results every four years to ensure

accurate fertilizer and lime placement. Your local All American Coop

Progressive Ag Center agronomist can answer any questions you have

or if you are unsure of the return on investment that grid sampling

can offer on your operation.

Klavetter


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“ Working with you”Progressive Ag Center, LLC

Physoderma Brown Spot in Corn

Charlie Tank, Agronomist, Plainview


As we have been scouting corn fields this

summer, we have come across a newly recognized

disease in Southeastern Minnesota. Physoderma

Brown Spot is a corn disease that has typically

only been identified in the lower Corn Belt. We

have positively identified the disease in a corn

field near Viola the middle part of July. It has

numerous small, round, purple lesions on leaves,

leaf midribs, leaf sheaths and husks (Figure 1). After visiting with our

Monsanto agronomist, Haydee Ramirez, even though it is fungal in

nature, it is not controlled with current fungicides. Varietal selection is

the only resistance measure at this time. I have attached an article

from aganytime.com, a Monsanto website with up to date agronomy

issues that further explains what Physoderma Brown Spot is.

Disease Cycle and Symptoms of Physoderma Brown Spot

Physoderma Brown Spot (PBS), caused by the fungal pathogen

Physoderma maydis is typically an infrequent, minor but widespread

disease. The fungus survives in crop residue and can be more common

in continuous corn and conservation tillage systems. Abundant rainfall

in corn fields and temperatures ranging between 73 to 90 degrees are

favorable for PBS. Symptoms of PBS are similar to eyespot, common

rust, and southern rust and may cause alarm if they are severe.

Water held behind the whorl or leaf sheaths creates a favorable

environment for PBS, which is closely related to other water/mold

pathogens. The fungus produces sporangia that germinate and release

swimming zoospores.

Symptoms appear as small round to oblong lesions that vary

from yellowish to brown in color depending on the host (Figure 2).

Lesions can be on leaves, leaf midribs, leaf sheaths, and husk leaves.

Neighboring lesions join and tend to darken in color from brown to

reddish brown or purple. Purplish spots along the midrib of infected

corn plants are characteristic of the disease. Leaf lesions generally do

not consume enough leaf tissue to affect yield.

Physoderma and Stalk Breakage

Severe outbreaks of PBS in Illinois in 1970 were associated with

80% lodging in some fields. These symptoms were not frequently

observed again until 2013 and 2014 when stalk breakage, Physoderma

Stalk Rot (PSR), associated with PBS, was observed in Iowa (Figure

3). Exceptionally wet weather appears to be associated with the

occurrence of stalk breakage.

Management of Physoderma Brown Spot

Management of PBS and PSR includes reduction of available

inoculum with crop rotation or tillage although sporangia can be

transported long distances and live for multiple years in the soil.

Planting adapted tolerant to resistant products also provides

control. Most products have adequate tolerance to PBS. Products

are being evaluated for reactions to the newlyemerged stalk

breakage symptoms. Further research is underway at public

universities to evaluate fungicide efficacy in preventing stalk

breakage due to PSR.

Even though we are done spraying herbicides in our corn fields,

it is still important to continue scouting them into the harvest season.

We were not actively looking for PBS in that corn field near Viola,

but we ended up finding it. If we know there is a particular disease or

pest issue in a field this growing season, it is much easier to prepare

and plan accordingly for it going into next season.

Thank you for your business and I hope you enjoy the rest

of summer!

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Tank

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Nutrition plays critical role in seedling vigor overall yields

Larry Veith, Seed Specialist,

Plainview & St. Charles


Maximizing yields in corn has been and will

continue to be an ongoing endeavor. While most

growers will agree that not all seed is created

equal, techniques continue to be developed to

improve nutrition at the early season growth stage

to ensure maximum hybrid output.

One of the ideas being researched is the

concept of delivering a more “nutrient rich” seed in the bag. How this

is done, in part, is to apply micronutrients during the seed production

phase. The belief is that this practice may actually help increase

the nutrient density in the seed, while improving seedling vigor,

germination, and ultimately resulting in higher yields. Nutrient rich

seeds that have emerged are also more noticeable to the eye when

looking at biomass, germination and stand uniformity. Without these

attributes, the chances of having a really good crop decrease.

Nutrition in the field as well, involves complex interactions

between the soil, the plants and available nutrients. One of the main

nutrient interactions involves Zinc and Phosphorous. When a field is

deficient in Phosphorous, it really doesn’t matter how much zinc you

apply because it is not accessible. Zinc is an essential element that

helps break dormancy, and the results early in the season can be

dramatic, including consistent emergence and better root systems.

Overall, the seed industry continues to evolve and change, and

the importance of doing everything we can to enhance early season

growth and development will continue to be developed and advanced.

Continue to scout your Corn and Soybeans

As everyone is well aware, the growing season is full of surprises

every year. This year has been no exception. As I remember Paul

Douglas predicting at the Seed Appreciation Dinner this past fall, the

weather around the world will continue to get more volatile and less

predictable in the years to come. The late spring frost this year,

followed by ample moisture and some extreme heat is just another

example of how different the weather is from one year to the next,

one month to the next and even one week to one day from the next.

But what doesn’t change is the need to continue to scout your fields

until the combine has been put away. Potential problems for this fall

and planning for next year are right in front of us today, so take the

time to scout for insects, diseases and other issues that may present

problems if left undetected or untreated.

A case in point is the discovery of a relatively new disease to

SE Minnesota, Physoderma Brown Spot. We (Monsanto agronomist

Haydee Ramirez and myself) stumbled upon this disease while

checking fields recently. This disease is so uncommon that most

people could not identify it if not having seen it previously in some

other state. Because control measures are not very good at this time,

rotation and genetic resistance appears to be the only control measure

one can take. How severe will the consequences be if your hybrid

has this disease? Nobody knows. We will continue to monitor the

situation, but know this disease could be in your fields this year or

next, and you might not even know it. It was found by a routine

scouting tour of the field.

What to look for when walking your fields????? Anything you

can’t identify, or something that is not normal in your mind. Make a

note, call your agronomist, take pictures with your cell phone. Save

yourself potential grief and money by identify a problem BEFORE

it gets out of hand. HAPPY HIKING!

Vieth

Welcome New Employees

Shannon Curtis

Admin Assistant

Stewartville

Cody McCormick

Feed Mill Operator

Stewartville

july / august 2016 issue 449of business including soybeans, corn, oats, drying & storage, feed,...

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