Tag Archives: sclerotia

What a Difference a Year Makes!

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As University of Wisconsin Fields Crop pathologist Damon Smith recently pointed out, what a difference a season can make.  Last year this time, growers were facing drought and this year winter refused to release its grip.

As 2013 is proving to have more than adequate moisture, white mold has fast become a major concern for growers throughout the Midwest.  (Check out Smith’s full article here.)

Contans® WG fungicide is leveling the field by reducing sclerotia load in the soil prior to the development of white mold.  It is the only fungicide of its kind that can be applied pre-plant or at planting to reduce growers’ risk of white mold.

The bad news – mother nature will always be fickle. The good news – it’s not too late to apply Contans WG to your soybean fields this Spring season. For more information, call 1-800-295-0733.

Soybean Test Plot Report

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By: Margy Fischer, Farm Journal Machinery Editor and Test Plot Director

p44 Soybean Test Plot Report
To learn more about soybean yield variation based on row spacing, Farm Journal Associate Field Agronomist Missy Bauer used a Case IH Early Riser and a Great Plains Yield-Pro planter to plant 15″, 30″ and twin-row replicated test plots.

The Farm Journal Test Plots were organized more than 20 years ago to study soybean row spacing. While the program has been expanded through the years to include corn and other agronomic management subjects, Farm Journal Agronomists Ken Ferrie and Missy Bauer still invest time and effort into soybean plots to answer farmer questions.

In 2012, in the eastern Corn Belt, Bauer conducted plots on soybean row spacing as well as methods for treating white mold and controlling soybean cyst nematodes. Ferrie also conducted a soybean cyst nematode test plot in central Illinois. These plots, like all Farm Journal Test Plots, were harvested with a calibrated yield monitor and grain carts with scale packages for accuracy.

Close the Canopy

The discussion of what row spacing is best for soybeans continues to be a hot topic as many farmers transition from more narrow rows to 30″ rows to use one planter for both corn and soybeans.

“It’s a trend being driven more by mechanics than agronomics, and there is a high percentage of acres going into 30″ soybeans,” Bauer says. “As a result, we thought it would be important to compare 15″ rows to 30″ and twin rows (8″ twins on 30″ centers). For the past decade, the standard row spacing was 15″ in the eastern Corn Belt.”

p46 Soybean Test Plot Report

To evaluate yields by management zone, every Farm Journal Test Plot is harvested with a calibrated yield monitor and grain cart with scales.

At one of the test plot locations, Bauer’s crew used a Case IH Early Riser planter for the 15″ and 30″ soybeans and a Great Plains Yield-Pro planter for the twin-row soybeans. At the second location, the plot compared twin rows planted with the Great Plains planter to 15″ rows planted with the Case IH Early Riser planter and 15″ rows with a drill. A third location compared twin rows to 15″ rows planted with the farmer’s planter.

“We would expect the 15″ rows to allow for early canopy closure, which is especially beneficial in a dry year such as 2012, our first year for this study,” Bauer explains. “The 30″ rows were the slowest to close and in some soil types never did with the dry conditions and short plant heights this past year.”

In addition to canopy closure, row spacing affects branching of the plants—and there’s a compromise between early canopy closure and branching. “The 30″ rows had more branching followed by the twins then the 15″ rows. In the wider rows more sunlight reaches the lower canopy inducing more branching,” Bauer says.

But the trade-off of more branching wasn’t enough to make up for the penalty realized because the canopy did not close. For example, at the location that included all three spacings, the 15″ and twin-row soybeans yielded similar, but the 30″ soybeans yielded 2.5 bu. less.

“In a dry year, the successful establishment of soybean stands really come into play, which is why we also did a study looking at soybeans planted with a planter and a drill,” Bauer says. “Farmers probably don’t look at drill performance as closely as they should.”

One of the common questions about row spacing is whether the yield advantage solely stems from the row width or is it also linked to the planters’ ability to uniformly seed compared with drills. We compared 15″ rows planted with the Case IH Early Riser to a drill at two locations and evaluated uniformity and consistency of stand. The planter provided more uniform spacing and emergence as well as more consistent stand counts when compared with the drill. The stand counts in the drilled plots varied on average by 38% or nearly 50,000 plants per acre, while the variation in the planter plots was only 7% and less than 9,500 plants per acre.

“However, at harvest the yields were comparable,” she says. “The lesson comes down to the economics of seed. The stand count that you actually achieve affects how much you’ll overseed your soybeans.”

Bauer challenges farmers to narrow the gap between planted seeds per acre and stand counts after emergence.

When White Mold Strikes

It’s common for the eastern Corn Belt (specifically southern Michigan, northern Ohio and northern Indiana) to have outbreaks of white mold. To learn more about the products on the market to control the disease, Bauer oversaw three test plot locations in 2012.

“Two of these plots were irrigated, and the third had a history of white mold,” she says. “We applied Contans, Cobra and Domark.”

Contans WG, a product from SipcamAdvan, contains fungal spores. Applied to the soil, Contans WG targets and controls Sclerotinia diseases. Domark is a fungicide labeled for suppression of white mold; application is suggested at R1 if the environmental conditions are conducive for the disease. The combination of Cobra at V5 and Domark at R3 is also labeled for suppression of white mold.

READ MORE HERE!

SipcamAdvan Adds New Cold Storage Facility

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(DURHAM, NC) SipcamAdvan announced this week that they have partnered with Arctic Cold Storage to add a cold storage facility in Canton, Michigan. This site will expand SipcamAdvan’s ability to serve growers and distributors in the Midwest with Contans® WG fungicide just in time for the Spring planting season. The first delivery of Contans WG arrived in Canton on April 25.

Soybean and dry bean growers throughout the Midwest choose Contans WG to treat their soil prior to planting to control sclerotia build-up. Sclerotia is responsible for white mold, which can destroy edible bean yields. Even when white mold isn’t visible above ground, sclerotia can be wreaking havoc in the soil below.

The additional storage facility in Canton not only extends pick-up and delivery options for Contans WG, but it also ensures that SipcamAdvan can keep up with increased demand for this unique product. While traditional foliar fungicides are applied after the white mold has already appeared, only Contans WG is applied before planting in order to stay a step ahead of white mold.

“This is an extremely busy time of year for growers, distributors, everyone,” explains Scott Peterson, Agricultural Sales Manager at SipcamAdvan. “If we can save them time and money by bringing the product they need that much closer, that is what we will do. “

About SipcamAdvan

SipcamAdvan is owned by the Sipcam-Oxon Group, an Italian company recognized worldwide for its formulation and manufacturing expertise. SipcamAdvan uses a distribution-focused marketing strategy to provide traditional chemical and biorational products to the agriculture, turf and ornamental markets. The company is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.

Contans gives growers a clear advantage

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Dry bean and soybean grower’s  using Contans® WG have a clear advantage going into this Spring’s planting season!  Grant Young of North Dakota, Nate Vandenberg of Michigan and Tod Becker of Minnesota explain why they use Contans year in and year out as part of their risk management efforts.  Listen why they recommend Contans for boosting yields on the heels of a dry season, a wet season and anything else mother nature throws at them.

http://youtu.be/5o_grCBBKGo

With white mold, it’s not a matter of if – it’s a matter of when.  Rather than risk your profit, take a long-term approach to protecting your fields and permanently stomp out white mold with Contans.

 

Contact your local distributor and ask for Contans by SipcamAdvan.  Or call us directly at 1-800-295-0733.   For more information visit www.sipcamadvan.com.

Soybean Farmers Chart ASA Policy Course During 2013 Commodity Classic

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ST. LOUIS (March 5, 2013) - Members of the voting delegates of the American Soybean Association (ASA) reaffirmed the association’s commitment to a comprehensive long-term farm bill, as well as additional critical soybean industry priorities, including exports and trade, transportation and biotechnology, among many others during its annual meeting Saturday during the final day of the 2013 Commodity Classic in Kissimmee, Fla.

“The resolutions process is a great reminder that ASA’s policies come directly from the ground up,” said ASA President Danny Murphy, a soybean farmer from Canton, Miss. “The policies are raised, voted on and established as ASA priorities through an entirely farmer-driven process. It keeps farmers involved and it keeps ASA firmly tied to the everyday concerns of soybean farmers.”

Farm Bill

Within the farm bill resolution language, ASA maintained that any new farm bill must not distort planting decisions, and it should protect and strengthen crop insurance as a viable risk management tool for soybean producers. While ASA supported the revenue-based Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program in previous farm bill negotiations, ASA noted that it recognizes funding may be insufficient to cover the cost of this type of program, in which case, ASA also expressed its openness to consider strengthening the current crop insurance program with a Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) program similar to that which was included in both the Senate and House versions of the bill.

Given that ASA recognizes some commodities also are interested in a program that protects against long-term price declines, the voting delegates affirmed ASA’s openness to including a program based on target prices and price losses in a new farm bill, provided that payments are decoupled from planting decisions. ASA will continue to oppose a target price program that would interfere with the ability of producers to respond to the market by distorting planting decisions.

Also in the farm bill discussion, delegates noted that in order to pay for the costs of improvements to crop insurance, SCO, and a decoupled target price program and to meet part of any deficit reduction targets, Direct Payments may have to be reduced or eliminated. As has been ASA’s position throughout the negotiations, ASA encourages agriculture to accept its fair share of spending reductions, provided they are proportionate with cuts to other federal programs and do not weaken the federal crop insurance program.

The farm bill resolution approved by the delegates also contained language encouraging Congress to protect valuable programs streamlining conservation programs, reauthorizing and funding biodiesel and biobased education programs, agricultural research, trade development and food aid programs.

Trade

ASA’s delegates formalized the association’s support of a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Agreement with the European Union that would provide meaningful market access for exports of U.S. soybean products and address trade barriers, including current EU biotechnology policies, and the Renewable Energy Directive (RED).

Transportation

ASA continues support of funding for waterways infrastructure including additional and alternative financing measures that provide a steadier and more reliable funding stream to reduce project costs and timeframes for completion.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology was also a key topic of discussion, as delegates voted to encourage the swift approval and deregulation of high-oleic soybeans. The delegates also established the association’s opposition to state food labeling requirements that go beyond those implemented by the federal government.

Regulation

On regulatory matters, ASA’s delegates supported raising the quantity of on-farm fuel storage that would be subject to the EPA’s new regulations requiring containment plans and practices to 10,000 gallons or greater. Delegates also expressed support for voluntary conservation and water-quality programs that are farmer led.

Sustainability

Finally, delegates endorsed the work undertaken by the soybean industry to develop a “U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol” that documents and promotes to buyers worldwide that U.S. soybeans are the world’s most sustainably-produced soybeans.

The resolutions passed by the delegates on Friday will be available in full on the ASA website,www.soygrowers.com, in the coming weeks.

ASA represents all U.S. soybean farmers on domestic and international issues of importance to the soybean industry. ASA’s advocacy efforts are made possible through voluntary farmer membership by farmers in 30 states where soybeans are grown.

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For more information contact:

Danny Murphy, ASA President, 601-906-3809, dpmurphy@bellsouth.net

Patrick Delaney, ASA Communications Director, 202-969-7040, pdelaney@soy.org

Access this release at www.SoyGrowers.com/newsroom/news.htm.

 

 

See the Full Release at http://www.soygrowers.com/newsroom/releases/2013/r030513.htm

Winners of IPAD MINI Selected at Commodity Classic

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The lucky winners of the mini iPad shown receiving their prize from Scott Peterson are Doug and Kathy Noem from East Central South Dakota. They farm 2500 acres, mainly corn and soybeans . They have 11 children and 5 grandchildren which keeps them busy when they are not farming.

Doug says that weather is one of his biggest worries and that the great drought of 2012 was in fact a great year for him!

On the farm some of the biggest challenges are marketing the new crop, maximizing yield and the looming threat of glyphosate resistance weeds. Currently resistant Kochia is starting to rear it’s ugly head and Water Hemp is also a difficult to control weed.

Commodity Classic Update Feb. 28, 2013!

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Over 160 growers came by the booth today at the commodity classic. Primarily corn and soybean growers , but also encompassing sunflowers, canola, peanuts, edible beans , potatoes, sugar beets and sorghum to name a few.many were interested to hear about white mold control and the role Contans plays in its management.

Glyphosate resistance clearly is an issue for many growers country wide and these growers were keen to learn about the battalion of stalwart products  and especially stalwart MtZ the new addition to the family.

Kip Cullers works record soybean yield holder also dropped by to remind everybody that Contans controlled hiswhite mold in 2010.

Kathy and Douglas Noer of Bryant SD were the lucky winners of the iPad mini give away.

Kip Cullers Breaks Soybean Production Record

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Yield limiting white mold controlled by Contans.

Durham, NC:  Kip Cullers of Missouri has once again broken the world soybean production record.  His 160.6 bushel/acre yield tops his record by over four bushels per acre.  A key benefit of Kip’s efforts in his competition plot is the knowledge gained for soybean production and the agricultural market.  Kip has always shown a willingness to share experiences with soybean growers both in the United States and globally.  As noted by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, the leadership Kip exhibits is invaluable to the soybean industry.

At a press conference near his farm in Purdy, Missouri, Kip explains the introduction of Contans® into his soybean production program:  “White mold has been one of the limiting factors keeping us from reaching 200 bushel soybeans.  We used Contans on our farm this year and have not found any incidence of white mold.”  The key to Contans success is the unique mode of action. Similar to how a herbicide attacks the weed seed bank, Contans goes after the source of the disease, reducing the fungus population year after year.  The active ingredient in Contans is fungal spores of Coniothyrium minitans, a parasite that attacks the resting state (sclerotia) of both S. sclerotiorum and S. minor. The fungus C. minitans in Contans attacks sclerotia in the soil before it can infect a susceptible plant. Applied post-harvest in the fall, Contans attacks and destroys the black sclerotial bodies, which are the resting survival structures ofSclerotinia. This breaks the cycle of disease by controlling the disease-causing fungus in treated soil before infection can occur.

About SipcamAdvan

SipcamAdvan is owned by the Sipcam-Oxon Group, an Italian company recognized worldwide for its formulation and manufacturing expertise.  SipcamAdvan uses a distribution-focused marketing strategy to provide traditional chemical and biorational products to the agriculture, turf and ornamental, home and garden, and pest management markets in the U.S. and Mexico.  The company is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.