mineralized balanced agrlc titre bio news … · bio news vollthie 13, issce-* farming, mbaa family...

MIDWESTERN BIO-AG'S MINERALIZED BALANCED AGRlC TITRE

Midwestern Bio-Ag

FALL 2008

BIO NEWSVOLLThIE 13, ISSCE-*

Farming, MBA a family tradition

Greg, Jim, Marilyn, Jon, MOllica, Aaron and Chris Dukelow biologicallyfarm 1,200 acres and milk nearly 300 01 on their central Wisconsin farm.

For the Jim Dukelo s fanningis part of the fabric of family.The central i c n in familyrun operation, milking 270 headof Holsteins and working 1200acres, keeps fanning all in thfamily with Dad Jim, MomMarilyn, sons Chris Greg andJon, daughter-in-law onica andgrand on Aaron all playing apart in running the farm.

. Bi

anint _ Ipmany year tharemember just how It

they got started with Bio- ....Jim does recall attending a

thr e-day meeting put on byGary Zimmer in the early '80s.At so many fanner meetings,after a good lunch it was hard tostay awak , but not at one ofGary' meeting -. Hi conceptwere "reall~ inter ting. iw s sounded' a .e 1 3.

Jim took tbos ~ od ide andran with th m. e en making surethey could till be Bio-Ag customers wh n just ov r ten yearsago they made the move fromNeosho (near his brothers whoalso farm biologically withMBA) 180 mil s north to Abbotsford in search of more acreage. (A daughter, Bec y and herhusband and three children own

their own faml nearby.)After two decad "having ex

pand d t d iry herd, upgradedf: ciliti ,a d brought all threeof his sons into th business, Jimstill finds it good business to dobusiness with Bio-Ag.

The heart of their operation isthe dairy herd, hOll ed in a freestall bam they built, then expanded. A calf barn was constructed next and recently a newfree stall barn was added forheifers and steers as well as a

commodities shed.That healthy herd tarts ",.rith

quality feed gr wn on th BioAg system. e p iaIl h megrown forag fed as a key campan nt of a high-forage ration.Cattle are fed in fi e groups,with even the high group stayingabove 50% forag .

High forage rations gi e tbemhealthier cows, longevit andfoot health, the all agreed."Less grain, 1 troubl"

olltinued on page 9)

More Information at http://www.nuganics.com.au

http://www.nuganics.com.au

[_PA_G_E_2 ------'L BIONEWS FALL 2008 _______---....J~~~f~E 13. ISSUE"

Gary Zimmer's Fall Letter

Pg.14

Pg.13

erstanding Magnesium

Energy sources for dairy cattle

(the corn based ;imlustrial meal' something more than a com-fast food burger alld fries; the pas- modity, growing a lot of ourtoral meal, which became two, own nitrogen, getting plantsone from items purchased at healthy so a lot of the toxicWhole Foods, the other from local chemistry and plant modifica-foods; and the personal {forest} tion is not needed-- this doingmeal of food hunted, gathered or everything you can to get thegrown by the author, including s ils healthy and mineralizedwild pig and mushrooms ). and everything you can to get

He is also the author of another the livestock healthy and com-book I just read, In Defense of fortable also solves many of theFood. Here he states that it's not problems we face in Americathe food's fault what we did to it-- and the world today.how it's proce sed and r:::~................~W~e~c~al~1 this mineralized,preserved to last and it's110t th rt. balanced agricul-last and b shipp d a 1, e ooo's tur or biologicalan here, 'tI. Who We did [rming.

P)l1 n' I tter to lJ It- how it' The gro\ ing in-the new president is prOt:. s terest from con-about three major -esSedand sumers to gardenerspolitical campaign preserved to last to mega-farmers isissues-health care, andlast unreal. With ourenergy and climate sh· andbe sixty-some consult-change. Pollan 'PpedanYWhere ants, Midwesternstates that farming . Bio-Ag can't get alland environmental issues weren't over to all the farmstalked about during the campaign, that are showing interest in bio-but if we are to solve the three logical fanning.problems listed above, the answer I know there are others work-lies in agriculture and our food ing in tIns field of biologicalsystem-how food is produced, farming, but many still se m toprocessed and di tribut d. offer little but magic bullets,

So it appears, as it has many wonder liquids or some otherother times throu hout history, super-duper product to sell

. that fanners rather than working on the sys-New Remote Consulting Program Pg. 5 h Id' h'o III t elr tern. Dealing with the whole

Pg. 6 hands a huge sy tern is the only way we seeresponsibility to go--crop rotati us plant di-

Pg. 10 for the a1 h ~ersi, carbon management,------1--- and health of minerals, and, of course, ca1-

Organic Pg. 11 the nation. Rais- cium calcium, calcium (whichPg, 12 ing food in an is sure a major part of the sys-

___I environmentally tern, though not the only thingresponsible needed to make it work). Youway, treating can continuously provide avail-animals as (Continued on page 3)

Biofumigant crop

Dear F r _ peLS D.bat dran: aile me. The only

thin_ that - m ;;table ishange.On dling about fanning, if

,'ou an keep the bills paid, youv,,'on·t 10 e y r job or your

money inve ted in retirement ifyou own

~~==r-~---,that farm.

The American dream,to own your

-r~.... own business, to bethat entrepreneurwho builds

something to be proud of, sureseems out of the reach of manypeople these days. Maybe wechased too hard after money andwithout working to g t it.In the New York Times on Oct.2, Michael Pollan wrote a letter

to the president eject, our"fanner in chief. ' (To read the

ntITe article go to\' "W.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine 12po1icy-Lhtml?em )

Pollan is the auLhor of thebook The Omni\'Ore '5 Dilemma,about a history of four I eals



[ BIONEWS FALL 2008-----------;'---

.I VOLUME 13. ISSUE"

....Gary's Fall Letter

Sharon and Bryan grew the first Otter Creek Organic Farm giantpllmpkin, Yhich weighed in at 440 lhs.

on the Bio-Ag fann, officially. ighed in at a respectable 442

und . It was a lot of work,but he's now hooked on the~ball nge of it.

Planting the right seed isn'trything. The seeds w

planted were from a pumpkinof over 1000 lbs, so we don'tb lieve genetics was our limiting factor. Genetics can onlytake you so fur; healthy soils,good care and the environmentalso matters.

What's th cheapest thing tohaul to your fann? What nutrients weren't affected by energyuse or greed? The answer tothe second question is calcium-BioCal, gypsum, lime.It may cost a bit more to grindand haul but it's not on a runaway pri e chedule. The an-

(Continued on page 4)

_.ant pumpkins. In this our first_ear, we just worked up a plotin hat wa part of a pasturc

1m the heavy flooding inrin~ a tually putting the field

un 1'\ ter at ne point.learn d a I t and we 1m

____.• reall ne a a pi ayears of preparationbefore growing thepumpkins, improv-

. agert, . t ing he plot withrtltr .ce paIn ? compost, aeration,

hot prl" hOW green manure

crop and lotsof mineral .

One thing for sure, youcan't grow a giant pumpkin bypushing the system (pouring oncommercial fertilizers). Successis achieved by a biological soilapproach. Though it was ourfirst try, our pumpkin, nurturedby Sharon who lives and works

(Continuedfrom pg 2)

able calcium but you also need abalanced crop fertilizer. Thenyou need to deal with the residue decay oil air, and water(w ich needs to oak in, be held,and move up when needed). Itse ms like there i a lot to this,but it' aU carom n en e!

The high fertilizer price ala gwith high fuel 0 I d b lievewill help u aU t bee me motesustainable. bett r at hat wedo. You can grow nitrogen. a atwhat price point will you learnhow?

Are we there yet? I just did ashort trip with my grand a andheard that pbrase many ti ehe' three and impatient. Likehim. we am em dwant it aU nsystemj ncan get reco ts amcals) up frget better. =profit.

There is a nunor of a biological, zone-till farner insouthern Minne. ota who this yearon a 20 acre fieldproduced over 400bushel com p r acre.This was weighed,and as all the factscome out, I'm surewe'll hear more about it,how this roiJe tone wasn'tachieved by more plant alteringtechnologies or chemicals or theperfect gen tics

At our farm, we got in olvedwith the fun chaU ge to grow



E_E_4 -'- BIO_N_E_W_S_F_A_l_l_20_0_8 [ VOLUME 13. ISSUE 41

....Gary's Fall Letter

In October and November, the Otter Creek Organic Farm Dairy herd was grazing on turnips.

Utah (my IOU states) plusPennsylvania- but gettingthings set up, finding the rightpeople and training them is ahuge undertaking. The remote

nsulting program is set upto get many more farmerstarted and involved in this

movement. ( ead more on thenext page, and on our website,www.midwestembioag.comfor complete details.)

Upcoming EventsWe're planning our annual

two day intensive training ineedsburg, WI on Dec. 9-10.

There' more information onage 13.) ough it's mainlyor continuing the education

of our own n_ ultants wewelcome farmer. , educatorsand other ag professionals tojoin us. There's no fee for thesessions, just your expenses oftraveling and staying.

1will also be at the AcresUSA conference again thisyear, held in St. Louis on Dec.4-6. Check out the schedulefor speaking times, and we'lla so have a booth and consultants there to assist with yourfarm planning.

It's one of my favoriteevents of the year with manygood presentations and goodbiological farmers and educators from around the US andthe world.

1 hope you had a good fallharvest. If you need any assistance or soil testing, let usknow!

GFZ

alth Q' :>

H care bit o'e he e b th interest we're getting from coast to

coast from small or-ganic farms to someof the largest farmsin North America.To be able to helpmore of these farmers, to answer theirquestions and assistthem, we havestarted a new remotesoil testing and consulting s rvice.

While 1know thatit's ideal to havesomeone withknowledge and observational skillsshow up at yourfarm on a regularbasis, we just aren'tset up yet to be everywhere with ourskilled consultants.

We have taken onnew territories botheast and west-- inIdaho, Ohio and

~ ontinuedFompage 3) acres, the same principles can

s er to the first question is r"'~:~~-:- ......~~w~o~r~k on yourseeds-the seeds we use EdUcatiol/ I~ fields.for our green manure crops al/d . ,~ , eas Educa-

11/, or!'",.,•.Like rye, clover, etc. You th' 1

11..,,"101/ tion,can still plant those for ~ts What it t.' idea andunder $20 per acre. to . ake informa-

have challenged all It ~lT1proveYOUr tion. that"arlT1lhl? ~v.our Bio-A consultants '.::7 ~/S,e.h1.L " hat itel/ . III, 'rte

to set up land and condi- vlrOl/lT1el/f take totions for growing a gi- health or th ' ~I/d the Impr,ant ptunpkin. e I oodWe our farm-

I do believe the larg- prodUce. ing tan.est one in America! ,=::..............:~......J th enVlf -Canada t .s ear wa 0 er 1800 rneot anlb . This project IS a great learn-ing experien and fun. 00.

Tt al 0 hows that if ou C

do t is with a pumpkin on small


http://www.midwestembioag.com


BIONEWS FALL 2008 VOLUME 13. ISSUE ..

M A emote Consulting now availablerequire samples be sent toour recommended lab.) Weask that you submit enoughsamples to give a fair representation of your soils, forexample, one sample per 20acres.

Once we've got the information and soil test results,our staff will send you recommendations specific toyour farm and its soils, andlet you know how to contactthe consultant you'll beworking with.

Fees are based on thenumber of soil samples submitted, with three packagesavailable. Package A is forup to 10 samples, with aminimum of three for thebase price of $200, andeach additional sample $50.This package includes onehour of phone consulting.Package B is for 11-20 samples at the same rate ($200

for first three, $50 each thereafter) with two hours of consulting, and Package C is for 21 ormore samples (at the same $200minimum for the first three, $50each thereafter). Additionalphone consulting is available, as isspecial package pricing for morethan 30 samples. On-farm consulting including dairy/livestock,may be available in some areas.

"We're excited to offer a program for those farmers who areinterested in biological farmingbut find it so hard to get the helpand advice they need," saysZimmer.

d quality representative soU sample .d if test re ults ill any con ultingprodin our new remote consulting prograllL

Midwester Bio-Aghas launched a new remote consulting programto offer our services tofar ers and producerswho live outside our consultant network.

"We get so many requests for help fromfarmers all across thecountry ," says GaryZimmer, -from so manyplaces where we don't yethave consultants. Thiswill help fill the gap forthose in erested in biological and organic farming. We've designed theprogram to be effectiveand affordable."

The pr09ram's gool sto heJp f ssoil heatincreasequality, asproved Ii _ ~

formanceThe $- plan links farm-

ide soil test results the filled out form along with a010 information on our farm map (FSA maps are pre-questionnaire, with MBA staff ferred), recent forage/tissue

consultants who analll)y:z:e~t:h:a:t~in:-~:::;;;;~ii1tests if you haveformation to provid=. them and paymenta 'soil health story' of fees.with written rec- We'll send a soilommendations for sampling kit in-fertilizers and soil c1uding sampleamendments. bags, instruc-

The Customer In- tions for wl-formation Sheet lecting sam-which starts the proc- pIes and aess is availab e on our submittal formwebsite, that goes to the testing lab.www.midwesternbioag.com or by (Due to differences in soil labscalling 1-800-327-6012. Return and testing procedures, we do


http://www.midwesternbioag.com


Flowering mu tardplants 011 a Michigan potato farm, olle week before they were worked into the soil.

______~. ISSUE 4[

Biofumigant cover crops:a Michigan case study

IPAGE 6 ----r BIONEWS FALL 2008-----~----------------

by Leilani Zimmer-DurandMidwestern Bio-Ag Research Specialist

Can plant prevent disease and insect infestations?For potato growers, the use of some types of

cover crop can h lp to r duce costs while improving soil quality. The e crops areknown as 'biofumigants' becausethey contain the same nematode andfungal-suppressing compounds as thchemical fumigant metam sodium. Butunlik a chemical fumjgant, a biofumigant co er crop is less expensive, a lotless toxic to handle and comes with theadded benefit of pro .ding carbon and nutrients to the soil.

How biofumigants work(Biofumigants' are plants that contain compounds

that suppress soil-borne diseases and plant-feeding

nematodes. The biofumigant effect occurs whentwo compounds, found in separate compartmentsof a living cell, come into contact with each otheras the cellular tissue is broken down. These

two compounds combine to fonn thesame chemical compound found inmanufactured soil fumigants. Whenreleased into the soil, it suppressesroot-knot nematodes and some diseas such as the fungus thatcauses potato early dying wilt, andcommon root rot (WSU Extension

Bulletin, 2003).In practical terms, the segregation of the two

parent compounds in the plant cell means that inorder to release the biofumigant into the soil whereit can be effective, as many of the plant cells aspossible must be broken, and the plant tissue must




BIONEWS FALL 2008 VOLUME 13. ISSUE" I

....Can plants rotect ot er pants?(Continuedjiwn page 6)

be incorporated into the soil. There are several waysof accomplishing thi , but the most effective areflail-chopping and then rotovating or disking thecr p into the oil while plants are still green.

The 'chigan potato farmMidw em Bio-Ag recently began

working with a on -entionalw a p tata funn r in Michigan wb '- im r t d in reducing s il fumigation. and auldal a like to improve plant uptakeof mineral particularl phosphorus. The soil on the fann i verysandy (with a CBC ofb een 3and 5.5), so the farmer currently applies soluble nutrients e eral timestbrouobout the gro ing eason.

Our obj eti on tbi fann is to r duee or eliminatethe need for iI fumi_ ati n. and to improve soil biolog s il rgani matter and nutrient-holding capacit_ through a ombinati n of compost, minerals,and green manure raps.

Mustard green manure crops in particular whitemustard and ori ntal mustard, have sho ~'n great potential as both a large biomass producing green manure crop and a biofumigant. Studies in Michiganand Washington have shown that planting a mustardgreen manure crop in the fall in place of applying achemical fumigant resulted in comparable potato

yields at a lower cost per acre. In addition,growers were able to reduce their nitrogen inputson the following potato crop by between 10%and 25% without any subsequent reduction inpotato yield (McGuire 2003, Snapp et al. 2003).

We are hoping to reproduce similar results, and also reduce soluble P inputs,without negatively affecting yield or quality.

Preliminary results from theMichigan test plots

Test pots were set up on a 300 acrefield in July of this year, after wheatwas harvested. The field was divided into six 50-acre plots. Three

plots will be managed as 'biological testplots' over the next two years, the other threewill continue to rec lve conventional management.

To maximize nutrient uptake and to introducemore diversity into the crop rotation, a covercrop blend was planted. The blend consisted oforiental mustard. buckwheat, and ryegrass.

A green manure crop is a crop, which means itneeds nutrients and water just like any cash crop.Beca e one of the major goals of this project isto improve soil organic matter, compost wasused as a ouree of nutrients and carbon for thegreen manu cr p. A week before the green




[PAGE 8 OO]L- B_IO_N_E_W_S_FALL 2008 I VOLUME 13. ISSUE 41

....Ca plants protect plants?

tode testing are in, it should become clear how effective thebiofurnigation was this year.

Nutrient levels in the co ercrop are lower than anticipated,but still represent a significant I

amount of nutrients held in plantmaterial. As the plants decay,the e nutrients will be consumedb soil organisms, ing them tocarbon and biola , so they willnot be easily lost from the soil.

Based on cover crop diesdone at North Caroline StateUniversity, it is expected thatover 50% of the nutrients foundin the cover crop will be available for the following crop in thesprrng.

This is just the first year of theMBA study and we will havemore results to publish in the future.

as expected. Biomass sampleswere taken on October 8th

, oneweek before the c ver crop wasworked into the soil. Biomassranged from 1700 to 2800 lbs/acre across the three plots. Thisis about 50% les than expected,but as the photo on thi pageshows, nitrogen loss was a factor in the reduc d cover cropstand.

The reduced biomass affectedthe amount of carbon and minerals held in the cover crop, butwhether it affects the biofumigation ability of the crop is currently unknown. Nematodetesting was done on all plots inearly October, and will be doneagain in November, after thecover crop has broken down inthe soil.

Once the results of the nema-

The mustardlbllc/rn.,'heatlrye cover crop showing early leafsenescence andyellowing, igll ofnitrogen deficiency.

fOp

(Continuedji-om page 7)

manure crop wa planted,2tons per acre of compost wasapplied to the field, supplyingapproximately 40 units of nitrogen. After the cover cropplants had sprouted, 20 gallonsof28% N was fertigat d ontothe crop.

Unfortunately, not all factorscan be controlled in field research, and two days after the28% N was applied, over threeinches of rain fell. Even withthe added organic materialfrom the compost, much of thefertigated nitrogen likelyleached through the sandy oil.

The green manure crop wasplanted on August 14th

. Byearly October the mustardplants were flowering and thecover crop was ready to bechopped and worked into thesoil.

Howe er, likely due to nitrogen leaching the cover crop hadnot produce{f a much biomass



~P_A_GE_9 J___ BIONEWS FALL 2008 [ VOLUME 13.I~

....Dukelow ~ mi y farms togel r

"Packing and the facer ar the bigfactors," said Jim, who makepacking one of his responsibili-ti s.

Their consultant Rick Knoppalso noted that the design of theirbunkers is another key to success. 'They are six time as longas they are wide," a oiding theproblems caused by having too

much face exposed. All the stockare fed out of the bunkers, including the dairy steers theyraise, which also helps avoidCommon problems like spoilageand mold.

Some of the hay is baled,with much of that dry hay going for the dry cows, especiallythe grassier hay, along withtriticale and peas. "Fresh cowsalso get a bale of dry hay firstthing every morning," saysyOlmgest son Jon, who manages herd health.

Calving problems are few."We haven't had a DAin a long time" henoted.

"Calves are healthy,too " adds Marilyn,wh 's in charge of feeding them. They havetheir own well ventilatedbarn next to that of theyoung stock.

"Breeding is easy because ofthe good min rals" in the Bio-Ag nutrition program, Jon alsonoted. Cows breed on_............natural heats.

~~~;'I The Dukelows raise alltheir own replacements._"We haven't bought any(cows) for years butwe've been increasing(numbers) every year."They're nearing the peakherd size they want to

_~ ...J reach to fit their acreage

Jim Duke/ow and grandson Aaron check the face and the help available,on one ofthe farm s blmker silos. and don't want to get too

big, They plan to sellsome stock when they reachtheir goal of about 300 headmilking, a number that's"Enough we can handle without hiring more help," saysGreg. They have only one part-

(COII/inlled from page 1)

summed up oldest son Chris.Mo t feed is home grown,

though the do buy protein. Ration are re-figured about fourtimes a "ear. or when sam thingchang . with the whole familymeeting wi their consultant,Ric Knopp, to work on adju ting the ration. They r, t feedsand watch manure a waysof keeping an . on thsituation.

"On our hay, we useBio-Cal," say Jim. "Wecan always te I when erent a new fann. After 4-5years, the crops get better." Hay gets "a boostfrom Bio-Cal:' Their tandard is 500# on all hayground after first crop.They a1 0 erti " e v ith 58-12 or 5-8-2 after secondcrop. "It seems to bworking really good."

The Dukelows also understand that raising thatquality hay is only halfthebattle-harvesting andstOling it to retain thatquality is of equal importance.

'We lik to make ourhay quick so that our uality is the sa e,' ayChris. He estimaLed iliatthey harvest about 100a res a day in between chores.They have five side by sidebunker silos. Keys to quality arepacking, keeping it covered, andmaking it fast, they all agreedalong with adding an inoculant.

\

J

(Con/inued on page 10)



Healthy, home-raj"ed replacement. are growing the dairy herdforthe Dukelowfamily.

ukel w F r

PAGE 10

••••

(Continued from page 9)

time helper for ch res, wi 1 therest -- field work includingsome custom manure baulingand combining plus milking-- isa family collaboration. Thecows are; milked twice a day inthe double 12 parlor usually byGreg and Jim a ta k that takesabout six hours, with cleaning.

Field work finds MomMari Iyn and Chris's wifeMonica pitching in to help (andfour ear old Aaron alreadyanxious to j min - he'sstarted a ing to bu - hi o\' ntract r).

Soil fertilityTheir a rea e. ne quarter of

which is rente ,in lude 00acres of hay. 130 of triticale andpeas, and the rest in corn forsilage and high-moisture cornstored in Harvestore silos. Therotation is triticale and peas,three years hay, then 3 years

BIONEWS FALL 2008

corn.ith 7 0 head of stock on the

farm 0\\ S, Y ung stock anddairy t r .), manure makes up amajor part a their fertility program. They put a Iight coat ofmanure on fields they're seedingand a heavier coat on fields to becorn.

They use tvlBA corn starter anddon't apply extra nitrogen."We like the no-salt fertilizers,"Jim xplains.

Midwestern Bio-Ag, they allagree, gives them the most bangfor their buck. "It's the bottomline that counts around here. Weaim to make a decent living doing what we love to do, beinggood stewards of the land andanimals. MBA products andprinciples allow us to accomplishthis," says Jim. And despite being long-time customers with thecompany, "I still like to go toGary Zimmer's meetings."

VOLUME 13, ISSUE 4

....Magnesium(Continuedfrom page II)

soils. Potassium and nitrogenmove through the soils tooquickly which reduces their uptake. These soils are normaHylow in organic matter and humusand have very limited waterholding capacity. If you aredealing with these soil types,make sure low Mg is not yourlimiting factor in crop production.

As a farmer raising crops, youhave certain jobs, one of themis to maximize photosynthesis.You can do this by making surethe plants have plenty of available Mg, regardless of the typeof soil you have. Also make sureyour plants have adequate zinc.

Zinc has many important functions and one of those is that itis involved with the enzyme inplants that increases leaf size.

Bigger leaves mean more photosynthesis, meaning increasedsugar production; increasedsugar leads to plants that havea better chance of reachingtheir true genetic potential. Itis all connected- that is why abalance of all the nutrients isessential.

Next time someone starts taking about Mg and all the negatives, make sure you understandthe importance of soluble, plantavailable Mg and all the benefitsit provides to the plant.

With adequate levels of magnesium, your plants will behealthier and more productive.

You can hear Bob speak atthis year's Acres USA conference Dec. 4-6 in St. Louis, Mo.



[PAGE II BIONEWS FALL 2008 ______---'LVOLUME 13 IS~

Understanding Magnesium

Remember this, as Mg levelSincrease in the soil, some negative things also happen.

Soils lose their air and waterholding capacity. They becometighter, harder to dry and tillagebecomes an issue.

Also higher Mg ties up potassium and suppresses nitrogenuptake.

You can offset these negativeaffects of high Mg by applyingcalcium and sulfur (from Bio-Cal,OrganiCal, gypsum, etc.) in yoursoil correction program and byadding soluble Magnesium withyour balanced fertilizer. (Almostall Midwestern Bio-Ag fertilizerblends include soluble Mg.)If magnesium is too low in your

soils, below 12-15'ro base saturation, there are also negative reactions. This is usually the casein lighter, sandy midwestern


Leave from soybean plants growing jll t a few yards apart il1 the samefield- the leafon the left grew in the section ofthe field fertilized with aMBA balancedfertilizer blend, the leafon the right from the section fertilized witlt a conventional P-Kfertilizer, at the same co t per acre.

e

equally important to make sure thatMg is available to the plant eitherfrom the soil or from the fertilizerprogram. There are certain thingsyou can do to improve Mg availability and uptake.

The base saturation of magnesium on your soil test should be between 15-20'ro. Sandy soils need

r::~ ~m~o~r:e~M~g~while clay soils re-Magn quire less. Remem-

IUm I ber that soils arenot mathematical

ey and it is always

e',elln~nt ,. better to targetranges instead of

" exact numbers.--------.:.....:y:....:.:...J If your soil testlevels are above 20'ro

base saturation, make sure you areadding calcium and sulfur to helplower Mg and never apply anythingto your soil that would drive theMg levels higher (such as dolomiticlime).

When people talk about magnesium in the soil (especially here inthe upper Midwest where manysoils tend to have an excess),they usually start by listing allthe negative aspects of this minerai and forgetting to mentionthe positive things associatedwith it.

Magnesium (Mg) is a very important mineral when it omes toplant growth and perfor ance.Let's look at both sides of thisnutrient, the good and the bad,to better understand its importance.

Magnesium is the key elementin chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is whatmakes plant leaves greetl. Theleaves attract energy from thesun and through photosynthesisproduce sugars (glucose). Thegreener the leaf, the more photosynthesis.

This is a simple explanation, it'sreally a much more complex process than that, but the basic thingwe all need to know is'that nothing happens inthe plant until sugarsare produced. Thesesugars are then translocated throughoutthe plant and all functions in the plantfrom root growth toreproduction occur.

Also, 20-25'ro of the sugars inthe plant are dispersed outthrough the roots into the soil tofeed the soil biology.

Once we understand how important Mg is in the plant, it is

By Bob YandaMidwestern Bio-Ag ofIowa



_______-L- _ BIONEWS FALL 2008 VOLUME 13, ISSUE'" I

o CRP to Organic: 10 int t Con ider

BUILDiNG A BETTER Eco~FARM

FOR MORE DETAILSWWW.ACRESUSA.COM

ANNUAL CO FERENCEDEC.4~6,2008

Hyatt Regency U ion St tion, St. Louis, MO

MANY XCELLENT SPEAKERS

V SIT MIDWESTERN BJO-AGAT BOOTHS 34-35

USA

requires production oforganic matt r. AI", ays includea green manur IsoiJ buildingcrop in .' our rotation. Avoid

\ rtilling bare soils.

10. The above comments hopefully will stimulate yourthoughts to change yourthinking. Successful organicfarms do everything they canto get soils healthy and mineral ized. They can use anynutrient a conventional.fanner can use, just from different sources. Study tbe organic farm plan from yourcertifier. Organic farming isabout not doing-don't usechemical , commercial fertilizers, etc. Successful organicfarming is about doing understanding what it takesto farm biologically. Get thetools and fi d the knowledge.

c

grown, rotations, soil building crops, nutrients, tillage,weed control and marketinc .

7. Growing hay and selling it iselling off mineral and organic matter, which drainssoils. These nut' nt n d tobe replaced throngh hueof livestock manure. rtilizers, compost and limingmaterials. Selling hay ff flow fertility ground makthings worse.

8. Row crop planted m r often than 1.:0 out f fi e arsare m r d:i J ullt tamre~ardin::- eed ontr 1and

il r_ani. malter. It . n'te&:) t meet the organic landmana~ement standards withthe pr ducti n of more rowcrop_

9. Organi land management

]. il fertilit may be low onCRP land. Sitting idle andnon-producti e growing

mpl x carbon doesn't addminerals to t e soil. Youneed 10 soil t t to determineoil fertility.

Most CRP lands have lots ofresidues of complex carbonswhich n ed conversion tohumus. That's a Jow process. Soil biology is usuallygood.

3. Shred re idues, disk, rotovate, then wait a fewweeks. Work soils haUo\ lyagain and plant a gre n manure crop. Fall rye i a goodway to start. This process isvery different in the spring.

4. Soluble nutrients are slow tobecome available on CRPlands. Applying livestockmanure and growing a cropwith low nitrogen requirements is a good startingplace

5. All this carbon and good biology nee to be carefullymanaged, not burned up byxce i e tillage.

6. Outline a fa land manage-ment plan: crop t b

Midwestern Bio-Ag'sBio-News

is once aga"n avai ableon our Website:

www.midwesternbioag.com





BIONEWS FALL 2008 VOLUME 13. ISSUE"

BA hosts two ay educatio a eetingDuane Siegenthaler, Precision Farming ThroughMidwestern Bio-AgJohn Kempf, MBA consultant from Ohio, onvegetable/ plant production

• Jim Fasching, Midwest Labs, The Role ofCECin Nutrient Access

• Bill Zimmer DVM, Midwestern Bio-Ag, BioVet

We 11 also talk about the MBA Forage Program,our Dairy Nutrition program, Icelandic kelp, tran itioning CRP)and, what's new at Midwest rn BioAg, and consultants will hare some of their uccessstories.

The new remote consulting program will also bediscllssed in more detail.

As soon as we hav our schedule set, it will beposted on our web ite, www.midwestembioag.com.It will also be available by contacting the Bio-Agoffice at 1-800-327-6012.

Midwestern Bio-Ag's annual two day Mineralized •Balanced Agriculture educational conference will beheld Tuesday and Wedn day I Dec. 9-10 at The Vo- •yageur Tnn, R dsburg, WI.

Midwestern Bi -Ag staff, consultants and guestspeakers will pre ent materials on a variety of biological farming topics at t annual event.

Fanners and other a~ri-businessprofessionals arewelcome to attend. Th re is no charge to attend thesessions, but g e are responsible for their ownmeals and lodging.

OUf ter tatj e sp aker li t includes (and more maybe added):• Gary Zimmer "You Can t Violate the Princi-

ples"• Bob Yanda, Midwe tern Bio-Ag ofIowa• Karl Dallefeld, Forages! orag Genetics• Leilani Durand, reporting on Bio-Ag Research

projects

I.I

Organic Bay for sale-- Small rounds, second cutting.319-533-7413

10 ft. Hart-Carter for sale - ground driven dynad.ri e with crometer row, $2,500 Call 715-267-3272

Organic corn for sale- 4,000 bushel Call 608-7970136

Organic alfalIa bay and wheat straw for salerounds and large squares. Have tests on hay. 515-3700036

Hay for sale-- x4 r und bales, 1st & 2nd cutting, netwrapped 262- 4-4038

Howard Rot vator- 13 ft. wide, model HR50. Call515-370-0036

Organic M C corn- 18,000 bu., also 400 squarebales, 1000# wet. 608-647-2611

3-vear rolling acreage contracts from Organic Vallev, with a minimum floor price for 15 crops includinghay. For program de' ription and enrollment packet,call 888-809-9297 or [email protected]

Consultants wanted We have openings for full-timeconsultants to work with biological fam1ers. Fanningexperience or sales experience helpful. Help Midwestem Bio-Ag change agriculture! For more information,call 1-800-327-6012, ask for Tim Williams

Wanted- Organic producers of milk, meat and eggs.Now and into the future. Please contact Organic Valley1- 888-809-9297

Herd Reduction Sale- We have grown our organicHolstein dairy herd from 120 to 250 ows in the last 3years. We are sell ing 120 head, sleeted for strength,high forage diets and longe ity. Records available.Gary Zimmer 608-225-9 39

Trading Post ads run one time free.To place an ad in the Winter edition ofthe

BioNews, call Mary at 1-800-327-6012 by Dec. 12.


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.midwestembioag.com


BIONEWS FALL 2008

e gy source

VOLUME 13, ISSUE 4

•al

.50

.25

From the .\lfB Daily Staff

Fanne no longer have $20milk e eryonc needs 0 bemart in bo the e cow are

being Ii d. Here at MidwesternBio- g e are making sure hatour rations are fonnulated following the same proven method a w always have to allowyou to be as profitable as possible. We are paying close attention to energy sources such astarch and bypass fat in the diet.

Bypass FatBypass fat provides an extra

boost of energy in the ration.Most cows are in a negative

en rgy balance du to high de- complished \\ i ur the harmfuJmands for milk production and effi t f 0 - dmg ar handlow dry matter intake. As a re- havin~ I I mlake. Bypasssult, the cow uses nutrient re- fats are inen III the rumen mean-serves, particularly body fat to ing they ar n t digested in themeet her energy needs. Adding rUl n and do not affecta bypass fat to the ration t the rumen microbes. Theis a profitable & aSS fa a by~~s fa.ts are thenlogical method B~P a" eXtr . u.tdlZe? m the ~ow'sto replace this Ov1deS rgY 1(1 mtestmes. TIllS makes"lost" energy. pr of e(le them different from aOne pound of fat boost ratiOn. regular fat whichis qui alent to the can interfere with ru-three ounds of men organisms making themh Iled corn. up- Ie ff tive at digesting for-

plemental bypa fat- all w ag; ~.

co to 'eel'th ir b d. ondi- recommend feed· g En-tion, especiall after ah ing. ergy Elite or its organic erion,

The benefits of feeding by- NRG Organic. Energy tit andpa s fat include: increa ed mil NRG Organic will ensur _ouryield, fal tests can be main- cows are getting the energy lh _tained or improved, reproduc- need to produce their best, ktive performance is increased optimum body condition, anbecause cows return a positive breed back at peak efficienc•.energy balance earlier, and We also recommend using - -overall energy status is im~ .camp to provide needed energ.proved. All of this can be ac- and feed the rumen microbes.

Alcomp is the perfe L t for most

non-organic dairy herds. Itprovides higher energy, caneliminate animal fat, reducepurchased protein, and allowsfarmers to use more homegrown forages. With Alcompin the diet, cows will do lessorting and have less feed re

fusal.We recommend the follow

ing minimum levels of bypassf: t 'or a dairy herd with highmilk production (80 pounds ofmilk or higher) and feedingAlcomp.

We recommend the following minimum levels of bypass

(Continued on page J5)



~ ] 1 VOLUME 13. ISSU"'E'7lLPAGEt5 _ BIONEWS FALL 2008

....e e gy SO rces for dairy

pre~cnted Cjl' rterly by

BIO-NEWS

MBA ofMinnesota16231 County Road 18,

Utica. MN 559791-866-485-4300

Copyright MBA 2008

www.midwestmbioag.com

Bio-Ag of Michigan246 Cross Rd.

Kinde MI 484451-989-874-6009/I-R88-825-9373

Midwestern Bio-Ag10955 Blackhawk Dr.,

Blue Mounds WJ 535171-800-327-6012/1-608-437-4994

Midwestern Bio-Ag of IOl a18355 170th Ave

Monticello, IA 51311-319-465-3503/1- 8 -46 -3503

tant energy source in a ration. also plays into the picture. TheCows need a pound of starch for shorter the chop length, theevery pound of protein fed in less starch from grainsorder to maximize protein get you can feed.production all day h CO" .. , 'f it It is extremely im-long. We also stare ble I . portant right nowneed to make ." trOU ee ,,, wit.h lower milksure that the type yoU I f bola" pric s to get theof starch being fed is out 0 atio'" most out of thematches the forage the r starch in yom rationfed. and to utilize bypass fat for

An example is long extra energy. Talk to yourstemmed forage such as baled Midwestern Bio-Ag consultanthay or balage which requires a about makit g sure you are get-balance of rolled com and barl y ting the best possible use ofor oats. Paul Deckard, nutrition your starch and bypass fatdivi ion manager, says, ' 1100 alona with the other compo-microns is a great size for grain nent~of your ration.in a balagelbaled hay based diet.Alternately, 800 microns is moreideal for a haylage diet alongwith com silage."

The com in com silage is relea ed more slowly allowing fora more finely ground starchprodu t to be fed. It is very important that we have enoughstarch and protein in the rumenas well as in the digestive tractand int tines.

We recommend that rationsinclude starch levels between] 9% and 24% of the total diet.

Starch can however get you introuble if it is out of balance inthe ration. Starch has a large effect on rumen pH when out ofbalance. When left unchecked, itcan cause acidosis.

We like to balance starch toforage NDF. The less forageNDF and/or forage in a ration,the less starch we can safelyfeed. The more forage NDF inthe ration, the more starch itspossible to include. Chop length

< 80 rbs. Amount ofW/AlCODlU bypass fat

Pre-fre h .25

Po t-fresh .25

Br eding .25group

Pregnant! ."510\,\ milk

High Amount oJVIo/o Alcomp bypass fatPre-fre h 50

Post-fre 11 .r.Breeding .75group

Pregnant/low .50milk

Medium Amount ofw/o Alcomp bypass fatPre-fresh .25

Post-fresh .50

Breeding .50group

Pregnant/low .25milk

StarchStarch is another very impor-

We recommend the fa!lowingminimum levels of bypas fatfor a dairy herd with high milkproduction and not feeding Alcamp.

(ConlinuedFom page 14)

fat for a dairy herd with medium milk production (below 80pounds of milk) and feedingAlcornp.

Finally, we recommend thefollowing minimum levels ofbypass fat [or a dairy herd withmedium milk production andnot feeding AJ omp.


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