Your information source for canola, sunflowers and wheat.
Beyond Seed
SUMMER 2016
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Otis
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Hays
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beyond seed
2
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Texas
Colorado
— Your CROPL A N ® Seed t e a m —
3
E arly Harvest Presents D ouble- Crop Opportunit y
9
A rt i c l e s
8
Insights A bound At
Your L ocal A nswer
P lot ® L ocation T his
Season
18
Spring W heat
Varieties Respond
Differently to
Fungicide at Flag Leaf
Your CROPLAN® Seed Team
3
Notes from Mark Torno
5
Land O’ Lakes® Recipe
6
Applying Copper In-Season
Can Make ‘Cents’
7
Prepare Fields for Fall
Canola Planting
11
Palisade® EC PGR Can Help
Wheat Stand Up to Lodging
12 North and South Example
Crop Budget Sheets
15
Good Chemistry: Genuity®
21
Roundup Ready® Canola Ideal
for Crop Rotations
Beware of ‘Seedy’ Summer Sunflower Diseases
24
The Right Adjuvant Package Brings it All Together
30 We always welcome feedback and we would
love to hear from you. Please send comments to:
20
beyond seed
4
Glyphosate vs.
Glufosinate : I s
T here a P ound - forP ound W inner ?
26
Got Variability ?
Variable- R ate
T echnology D oes A
Crop Good
[email protected] — 701-897-1484
winfield.com
croplan.com
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No t es f rom m a r k t orno
Diverse Field Crops Marketing Manager Wheat, Canola, Sunflower
This issue of Beyond Seed contains a wide range of articles
geared towards helping you optimize yields and maximize
your profit potential. After you reach the back cover, be sure
to continue advancing your knowledge by attending a few
local Answer Plot® events this summer. There you will learn
more about agronomic practices that can help you tackle the
challenges that your fields might present now and in the future.
Of course, we know that challenges in the field aren’t
the only issues farmers are facing right now. In addition
to low commodity prices, the government continues to
debate whether food makers should be required to label
foods containing genetically engineered ingredients.
Another proposal is likely to be introduced to the U.S.
Senate before July 1, when the state of Vermont’s
mandatory GMO labeling law is scheduled to take effect.
So if there was ever an ideal time for you to share your
opinions on the topic with your elected officials, this is it.
“
...we feel we have a
responsibility to help educate
people about the evolving
technology and science
that is vital to sustainably
increasing food production.
”
But don’t think that you’re facing this challenge alone.
Industry leaders like WinField continue to work hard
on your behalf to provide the facts about agricultural
advancements. While part of that effort is directed
towards lawmakers, another angle we’re taking is to
educate the public about modern agriculture.
As a cooperative that focuses on the business areas of
crop inputs, feed and dairy foods, Land O’Lakes has an
end-to-end view of agriculture. Consequently, we feel
we have a responsibility to help educate people about
the evolving technology and science that is vital to
sustainably increasing food production.
Therefore, we have leveraged the strength of the WinField
brand to partner with Fair Oaks Farms – an ag tourism
destination centrally located between Chicago and
Indianapolis – to create the WinField Crop Adventure.
This exhibit will inform visitors about the agronomic
practices and technologies that shape modern farming.
Opening soon, the exhibit will be a highly interactive
and technology-driven experience that includes videos,
touchscreen displays, interactive puzzles and games that
demonstrate the science behind today’s farming practices
and how agriculture might look in the future. Displays will
include information, images and other assets from Purdue
University’s College of Agriculture. We’ll provide a more
detailed report on the opening of the WinField Crop Adventure
at Fair Oaks Farms in the next issue of Beyond Seed.
beyond seed
Mark Torno,
5
L and O’ L akes® recipe: FOUR CITRUS MINI BUNDT® CAKES
Preparation time: 30 minutes Total time: 90 minutes Serves: 12 cakes
INGREDIENTS:
(CAKE)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup Land O’ Lakes Butter, softened
2 Land O’ Lakes® Eggs
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 teaspoon freshly grated grapefruit zest
®
(GLAZE)
½ cup sugar
¼ cup Land O’ Lakes® Butter
¼ cup freshly squeezed
grapefruit juice
½ teaspoon freshly grated
grapefruit zest
Land O’ Lakes® Heavy
Whipping Cream, sweetened
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour individual mini (6) Bundt® cakes pan; set aside.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt and apple pie spice in bowl; set aside. Combine 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter in
bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, until well mixed.
Add buttermilk, vanilla and lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit zest. Continue beating until well mixed. Add flour,
baking powder, baking soda and salt; beat at low speed just until moistened.
Spoon batter evenly into prepared pan (about 1/2 cup batter for each cake). Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick
inserted in center comes out clean.
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6
Combine all glaze ingredients in 2-quart saucepan while cakes are baking.
Bring to a full boil. Boil 3 minutes or until light golden brown. Poke bottoms
of cakes all over with fork; leave in pan. Drizzle halfof glaze over bottoms
of warm cakes. Let cakes cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling rack;
glaze tops with remaining glaze. Let stand 30 minutes or until glaze is set.
*Serve with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
RECIPE TIPS:
To make in a regular 12-cup Bundt® pan, double cake ingredients and bake 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Double glaze ingredients; follow remaining directions accordingly.
Nutrition Facts (1 serving)
Calories 280
Fat 13 g
Cholesterol 65 mg
Sodium 200 mg
Carbohydrate 38 g
Protein 3 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
20979 ©2016 Land O’ Lakes®, Inc.
APPLYING COPPER IN-SE ASOn
CA N M A KE ‘CENTS’
W INF IEL D ® M A X-IN ® Copp er Micronu t r ien t s Boo s t s
W he at Yiel d s in 2 015 A nsw er P l o t ® R ese a r ch T r ial s
WinField Agronomist
The results from eight Answer Plot® locations spread across
three states show a supplemental application of MAX-IN®
Copper micronutrients at the 4 to 5 leaf stage averaged a
positive response of 5.4 bu/A on spring wheat in 2015.
MAX-IN® Copper contains 5% copper and patented
CornSorb™ technology for increased movement of
nutrients through the leaf cuticle to internal leaf
structures. It also mixes easily with other crop nutrients
and most crop protection products, making it a good tankmix partner if you make a fungicide application on spring
wheat around the tillering stage. Winter wheat may also
have a positive response to MAX-IN® Copper if it’s tankmixed with fungicide applications.
In some cases, spring wheat might also benefit from a
second MAX-IN® Copper application made at the boot stage.
Nutrient deficiencies start to impact plants before visual
symptoms appear, so it’s a good idea to have wheat tissue
samples analyzed by the NutriSolutions 360® system prior
to flag leaf. This will diagnose whether any deficiencies
exist and recommend whether MAX-IN® Copper or another
product from the line of MAX-IN® nutrient formulations
should be applied. That way you’re applying exactly what
your crop needs, and nothing it doesn’t.
Adequate copper levels are essential for optimizing
development of wheat and other small grain crops,
especially when you’re using high management practices
to push yields. Here are some of the ways in which a
developing wheat crop utilizes copper:
• Essential for proper enzyme activity and cannot be
replaced by other metal ions.
• Promotes cell wall formation, which is crucial for stem strength.
• Essential for pollination and pollen tube formation.
• Necessary for protein synthesis.
• Key in the plant immune system and plant health.
• Endorses seed production.
Wheat Response to MAX-IN® Copper
96
94.2
+5.4
94
BU/A
92
90
88.8
88
MAX-IN® Copper
Untreated
Applied at 4-5 Leaf Stage
Source: 2015 data from 8 Answer Plot® locations in MN, ND & SD.
As mentioned earlier, it’s always best to perform a soil
test and make a broadcast application prior to planting if
copper deficiencies are detected. Deficiencies are most
common in organic or peat soils, while the highest levels
are usually found in finer-textured mineral soils. Like most
micronutrients, copper’s availability is reduced in higher
pH soils. It isn’t mobile in soils because it’s attracted to
organic matter and clay minerals.
For assistance in collecting soil and plant tissue samples,
contact your local WinField retailer. Your agronomist can
submit the samples to a lab on your behalf, provide you
with a detailed analysis of the results and help prescribe
the right corrective treatment if deficiencies of copper or
other nutrients are noted.
COPPER DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
• Limp or wilting stems at mid-tillering
• Pale yellow, curled young leaves at tillering
• Leaf tips die back and are twisted
• Increased sensitivity to disease
• Ergots form in grain heads
• Stunted stem growth
• Excessive late tillering and high mortality of late
tillers
• Aborted heads and spikelets
• Delay in heading, maturity and senescence
• Lodging
• Stem and head melanosis
• In severe cases, plants can die after reaching the tillering growth stage
beyond seed
Farmers who grow wheat and other cereal crops are
constantly reminded about the importance of ensuring
that copper (Cu) soil levels are sufficient prior to
planting. But recent research indicates that an in-season
application of WinField® MAX-IN® Copper micronutrients
may also help optimize yield potential.
Yield (bu/A)
Karnes Neill,
7
INSIGHTS A BOUND AT Your
L ocal A nsw er Pl o t ®
L ocat ion T his Se A SON
Steve Anthofer,
WinField Answer Plot® Program Manager
Celebrating its 18th year in operation, the WinField®
Answer Plot® Program has long been one of the industry’s
premier research and demonstration programs. It is a
tremendous resource for farmers and the cooperative
business model because we provide you with scientificbased data by testing products using rigorous protocols
and strict analytical standards. This helps us deliver
customized farming recommendations that can positively
impact your bottom-line potential.
Each year, millions of data points are produced from
hundreds of replicated trials and demonstration plots
through the program. Answer Plot® location analysis
identifies several key insights with significant financial
implications for farmers nationwide. As is the goal for
every season, this year’s insights will help you identify
ways to optimize production and receive the best return
on your input investments. Here is what we have planned
for 2016:
beyond seed
8
Wheat trials:
• Foliar micronutrients
• Seed treatments
• Response to Nitrogen (RTN)
• Response to Population (RTP)
• Response to Fungicide (RTF)
• Plant growth regulator (PGR)
Canola trials:
• Variety performance tests
• RTP
We’re always looking for new ways to improve your
Answer Plot® location experience by providing enhanced
local and regional information you can use to help
optimize yield potential and increase potential profits. So
as we look forward to the program’s 20th anniversary in
2018, we’ve also created new key training locations this
year called Answer Plot® Vision sites.
These innovative learning settings will include expanded
research plots and more robust data sets. We’ll dive
deeper into things like plant nutrition, plant health, yield
enhancement products and practices, seed treatments,
advanced weed management and Ag Technology. The
2016 Vision sites that include canola and/or wheat trials
are called out as such in the chart below.
The remaining locations are designated as Performance
sites. There the focus will be centered on seed selection
and general management practices.
For more information about the happenings at your local
Answer Plot® location, contact your local WinField retailer
or visit answerplot.com. We look forward to seeing you.
2016 Answer Plot® Locations
Featuring Wheat and Canola
The list below shows all the Answer Plot® locations in
the country’s midsection and Pacific Northwest that
feature canola and/or wheat trials and demos. Official
Answer Plot® events may not be held at all of these
sites, but tours can always be scheduled with your
local WinField representative. Our new Vision sites
are labeled as such. To find out if your local site has
events scheduled, or to make an appointment for a
personal tour, call your local WinField retailer.
IDAHO
Craigmont
Viola (Vision)
KANSAS
Abilene*
Anthony
Downs*
Garden City*
Garden Plain
Lyons*
Quinter*
Spearville*
Tribune*
MONTANA
Great Falls
Miles City*
Vida
NORTH DAKOTA
Bismarck (Vision)
Bottineau
Devils Lake (Vision)
Dickinson
Fargo* (Vision)
Minot
Williston (Vision)
OKLAHOMA
Bessie
Hennessey
Pond Creek
Stillwater
SOUTH DAKOTA
Pukwana* (Vision)
WASHINGTON
Reardan
* Locations without canola demos
CANOLA SWATHING IMAGE
Ea r ly Wint er Crop
Ha rv est Pr esent s
Doubl e- Crop Opp or tunit y
Canola Agronomist
Thanks to warmer than usual temperatures in February
and March, winter canola and wheat grew rapidly this
spring. This means farmers from Texas to Kansas expect
to harvest early, which will present an ideal opportunity
to plant a double crop this summer.
In addition to potentially increasing your profit, double
cropping offers a great chance to reduce insects and
disease by breaking up regular crop cycles. But before
we go any further into this opportunity, here’s a quick
refresher on winter canola harvest methods so you can
maximize yield potential and oil quality.
OPTIMIZE YIELD POTENTIAL WITH TIMELY HARVEST
Winter canola harvest is always a busy time for farmers
because there’s a lot to get done in a short amount of
time. Once your crop is ready for harvest, you typically
have a week to 10 days to get the crop out of the field
before yield suffers.
So when is the best time to harvest your crop? Harvesting
too early will cause you to miss out on potential yield
and hurt oil quality, so I always encourage farmers to
start scouting about a week after flowering has finished
and begin swathing when canola reaches 50 percent
seed color change. Don’t get fooled by pod or straw color
change; open up the pods and look at the seeds inside.
The key here is to know your crop and not pull the trigger
too early because you see your neighbor across the road
starting to harvest. Remember, they could have different
canola varieties and/or field environmental conditions.
Swathing has become the harvest method of choice
for winter canola in recent years because it tends to
provide the best results. Cutting the crop and placing it
in windrows on the cut stubble reduces the potential for
yield loss and speeds up seed dry down. This can lead
to an earlier harvest, which in turn leaves more time for
a double crop. Swathed canola will be ready to combine
once seed moisture content has dropped below 10
percent – usually at least five days after swathing.
Direct harvest is also an option, but this exposes the crop
to the elements for a longer period of time. Wind, heat
and low humidity can cause shattering, which can leave
a lot of yield in the field. Applying a desiccant can help
you mitigate some of this risk by preparing your crop for an
earlier harvest. Regardless of whether you use a desiccant, a
timely harvest is essential when you’re direct harvesting.
Some farmers opt to combine at night when moisture is
higher, as this can help keep seeds intact and avoid shatter.
The pushing harvest method has faded away in recent
years, mainly because it lacks consgistency. For it to
work effectively, you need a tall enough crop with a
good canopy. Since that can vary from year-to-year, it’s
difficult to include pushing in your harvest strategy when
planning ahead.
beyond seed
Heath Sanders,
9
DOUBLE DOWN WITH SOYBEANS OR GRAIN SORGHUM
Once you’ve harvested your canola or wheat, taking
advantage of the opportunity to double crop is a great way
to improve your productivity and profitability. Keeping
something actively growing in your fields can also raise
the organic matter of your soils and allow for better water
utilization.
When planning for a double crop, it’s important to plant
something that doesn’t interfere with the timing of your
next crop rotation. If you’re going into winter canola this
fall, September is the ideal time to plant. You have more
time if you’re planting winter wheat, however, as the ideal
planting window starts in mid-September and extends
past mid-October. Farmers in Texas can usually plant
winter wheat as late as Nov. 1.
In most cases, there isn’t enough time to grow corn as a
double crop. But soybeans are a good option – especially
in places where moisture is more consistent in the
summer months like eastern Kansas and Oklahoma.
In addition to breaking up disease and insect cycles,
soybeans put anywhere from 15 to 60 lbs. nitrogen (N)
per acre into the ground for the next crop to utilize.
Grain sorghum (milo) is another good option for double
cropping. Known as a drought-tolerant crop, sorghum
uses moisture efficiently to build yield. Be aware that
the dry down process is more time consuming than corn,
however, so it’s best to give it more time in the field
before harvesting.
Once you’ve chosen a crop to grow this summer, it’s time
to come up with a plan for preparing your fields. Here are
a few things to keep in mind:
beyond seed
10
• No-till saves time and resources. Leaving canola
residue on your fields helps capture and retain moisture. Canola leaves less residue in the field than wheat, so it’s easier to no-till your double crop into the ground.
• Make a burndown application to reduce weed
pressure. With limited moisture in the summer
months, you need to prevent your double crop from
competing with unwanted weeds and grasses.
o
Control volunteer Genuity® Roundup Ready®
canola. If you have Genuity® Roundup Ready®
canola in your fields right now, remember to
add the right herbicides to your tank so you can
control the volunteer canola that will likely
sprout up.
o Avoid long-residual herbicides if rotating to
winter canola. Canola is susceptible to many broadleaf herbicides that have a long residual
life, so instead use herbicides that have a
short residual if you’re planting winter canola
this fall. Sulfonylurea Residual Tolerant (SURT®) winter canola varieties can be grown
on fields where a product like Ally®, Glean®,
Finesse® or Amber® herbicide was applied on
the previous winter wheat crop. However,
they are not designed to tolerate sulfonylurea
herbicide treatments made over the summer.
• Add an insecticide to your burndown application. Although the insects present in your current crop
are no longer of economic concern, the pests that
remain on canola and wheat stubble can clip the
seedlings of your double crop. Therefore, scout
your fields and add WinField® Grizzly® Too or Delta
Gold® insecticides to your burndown application if
necessary.
If you don’t have the resources to plant a double crop or
you don’t expect to receive adequate moisture for crop
production, there’s a silver lining to leaving fields fallow
in the summer. It gives you extra time to get your fields
ready for your winter crop and allow time to store rainfall
for next seeding.
Heath Sanders holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education and
a master’s degree in Plant and Soil Science with an emphasis in Weed
Science from Oklahoma State University. When he wrote this article, he
served as Canola Field Specialist for the Great Plains Canola Association.
Amber® is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company.
Ally®, Finesse® and Glean® are registered trademarks of E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company.
N APPLICATION
PREPARE FIELDS FOR FALL
CANOLA PLANTING
WinField Agronomist
Correcting fertility deficiencies and preparing your
seedbed are important practices that will help start your
winter canola crop off right. Begin by taking a complete
soil sample in August to make sure your fertility levels
align with your yield goals. Pay particular attention to the
following:
• Soil pH: Canola performs best when soil pH falls between 5.5 and 8.3. Liming should not be delayed
when levels are low, because it can take up to a
year before the full benefits of an application are
realized. Liming often helps all crops grown in this
rotation by providing a more favorable soil for
microbes and increased availability of many
nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P).
An additional benefit is changing physical soil
structure by improving water holding capacity and
making it less prone to crusting.
o Gauging the pH level throughout your fields
also assists with variety selection, as some
winter canola varieties tolerate low soil pH
better than others. HyCLASS® 115W canola is
one hybrid that tolerates low pH levels
particularly well.
• Nitrogen (N): Apply one-third to one-half of your N
prior to planting. Applying more than that can
diminish winter hardiness.
• Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K): These nutrients
are essential for good root development, so they
must be applied before planting.
• Sulfur (S): Canola uses a lot of S, so it’s essential
to correct deficiencies. Soil tests aren’t as reliable
for S as they are for other important nutrients, so
applications are often recommended even when
tests report excessive levels. Broadcasting
ammonium sulfate prior to seeding is the safest;
others prefer to apply ammonium sulfate as a top
dress in the spring.
Canola establishment can be deterred by issues like soil
compaction, excessive stubble and lack of soil moisture
at planting, so properly working your fields before
planting can go a long way in establishing a good stand.
Many farmers have had success with vertical tillage
implements.
For best results, you need your seedbed to be level,
moderately firm and moist. Leaving a moderate amount
of crop residue on the soil surface will help conserve
moisture. It’s a good idea to make your fertility
application before your last tillage operation. Making
that final tillage the day of or close to planting can help
conserve moisture close to the surface. Using rollers or a
good packing drill will help firm soil and draw moisture
into the planting zone.
With commodity prices down, it’s important to focus
on the basics when looking ahead to managing your
winter canola crop this fall. Weeds, insects and nutrient
deficiencies won’t take a break just because your profit
potential is lower, so you need to continue to make
the right decisions when it comes to preventing and
addressing crop stresses.
Remember, your trusted agronomist and WinField
representative are great resources when it comes to making
crop management decisions. Lean on them for help!
beyond seed
Dennis Christie,
11
Comparison of wheat crop treated with Palisade® EC PGR on the right vs. untreated on the left. Trial performed by Syngenta in Clinton County, IL.
Palisa de ® EC P GR
ca n help Whe at
Stand Up to Lodging
Jason Hanson,
WinField Agronomist
Since lodging can reduce yield potential and slow down
harvest, it’s one of the most significant concerns shared
by wheat farmers in any production year. As growers of
one particular tall-growing public spring wheat variety
experienced last season, all it takes is a few significant
wind or rain events to flatten a wheat crop, which can
result in increased combining time and repairs, higher
drying costs and reduced grain quality.
That’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that more
wheat producers are looking into using plant growth
regulators (PGRs) like Palisade® EC PGR to help prevent
lodging, which in the process can help optimize yield
potential and speed up harvest. In fact, this very topic
was presented during the On-Farm Research Summit at
the Prairie Grains Conference held in December, where
farmers showed images of side-by-side untreated vs.
treated trials that depicted dramatic differences – much
like the photo shown above.
First approved for use in the United States in 2012, it’s
taken a few years for the use of Palisade® EC to gain
traction with farmers here due to lack of familiarity. But
PGRs have long been a popular tool in the United Kingdom
and parts of Europe, where growing conditions are ideal
for wheat. Farmers in these areas often plant taller wheat
varieties and apply more than 200 lbs. of nitrogen (N)
during the growing season. Last year, wheat yields in the
United Kingdom averaged nearly 120 bushels/acre.1
Palisade® EC works by shortening the internodes and
strengthening the stem through inhibition of cell elongation.
This shortens plants without sacrificing yield potential,
which improves standability and reduces lodging caused
by adverse weather or higher nitrogen fertilization levels.
Factors that Lead to Lodging
beyond seed
12
• High nitrogen (N) levels spur growth and heavier plant tissue, which can weaken stems.
• High seeding rates compress root systems,
reducing a plant’s anchorage to the soil.
• Wet soil conditions limit root development, increase root rots and don’t allow for roots to be as tightly anchored to the soil.
• Tall plant types or varieties with poor straw strength have a higher center of gravity than shorter plant types.
• Shallow seeding can limit root growth and lateral root branching.
• Adverse weather conditions, such as rain, strong winds and hail induce lodging.
PALISADE® EC PGR BENEFITS
THICKER STEMS
IMPROVED STANDABILITY
% Lodging
70
32%
82
69
LESS
LODGING
60
50
40
37
30
Untreated
Palisade EC
®
80
Yield (bu/A)
80
OPTIMIZED YIELD
BU/A
76
74
72
72
70
10
68
Untreated
+6.0
78
20
Palisade® EC
78
Palisade® EC
Untreated
Application Rates: 0.09-0.114 lb ai/A (equivalent to 12-14.4 oz/A of Palisade® EC.)
11 trials conducted in IL, KY, MD, MN, NY and OR.
Source: Syngenta data
Key Benefits of Palisade® EC
Speaking of high N applications, they can really help
drive higher yield potential. But with yield you also
get more leaves, stems and total plant material. PGRs
like Palisade® EC can help improve standability by
shortening some wheat varieties by as much as 6 or 7
inches, redirecting that energy into building cell walls
and developing seed. This makes PGRs a great option for
winter wheat and spring wheat producers alike.
Syngenta trial results have shown an average yield
increase of 6 bushels per acre when using Palisade® EC
in high lodging situations2, but it’s important to note that
that some varieties are more responsive than others. This
summer we are researching variety-by-variety reactions
to a PGR application. We are hopeful wheat varieties like
CROPLAN® HRS 3530 and HRS 3504 in the north and
CROPLAN® SRW 9434 wheat in the south will respond
positively to PGRs.
As far as application timing is concerned, Palisade®
EC has good crop tolerance when a single treatment
• Increases stem thickness and diameter to help strengthen the stem and decrease lodging.
• Widens the list of wheat varieties to pick from, including some very high-yielding options.
• Mitigates threat of lodging from high N levels carried over from previous crop.
• Can be tank-mixed with many herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and fertilizers, including liquid N.
is applied between Feekes Growth Stages (FGS) 4 to
7 and under favorable environmental conditions. Split
applications can also be made; the first should be made
at FGS 4-5, while the second should be made at FGS 7.
Per label instructions, Palisade® EC is not to be used
in stress conditions like drought, excessive moisture,
excessive heat, disease or crops that have already lodged.
This may reduce yield and increase undesirable secondary
tillering, which can cause further yield loss.
We want to increase your comfort level with using PGRs
and help you determine if they are a good fit for your wheat
acres. That’s why we’re introducing Palisade® EC trials
into our quadrant system at several Answer Plot® locations
in 2016. Be sure to take the opportunity to view these
trials with your agronomist throughout the growing season
to see how treated stands stack up against the check.
1 Big volumes may be the ‘new normal’ for European wheat, www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-grains-braun-idUSKBN0U128S20151218
2 Application Rates: 0.09-0.114 lb ai/A (equivalent to 12-14.4 oz/A of Palisade® EC.) Number of trials = 11. Trials conducted in IL, KY, MD, MN, NY and OR.
beyond seed
• Helps shorten internodes to reduce crop height and lower center of gravity, which improves crop standability and mitigates risk from adverse weather.
• Helps protect yield potential in lodging-prone conditions or varieties, allowing farmers to optimize profit potential by applying higher nitrogen (N) levels.
13
THIS IS CANOLA’S GOLDEN MOMENT.
WinField is proud to offer growers a proven portfolio of DEKALB® and CROPLAN® seed varieties.
These brands provide farmers with high-performing genetics partnered with the service and expertise of
WinField. To learn more about our seed lineup, contact your local WinField representative.
CROPLAN is a registered trademark of Winfield Solutions, LLC. DEKALB and Design® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. ©2016 Monsanto Company. ©2016 Winfield Solutions, LLC
NORTH Example CROP BUDGET SHEET*
Many factors go into determining which crops to rotate to
and how to manage them, so these decisions shouldn’t be
based on gut reactions alone. At WinField, we’re focused
on giving you the right tools to help you decide what’s
best for your acres. For that reason, we provide example
crop budget sheets in every issue of Beyond Seed.
when it comes to helping
you think through the pros
and cons of each crop and
its management options.
We encourage you to
work with your local agronomist to use their electronic
versions of these budget sheets to help you customize
the figures for your fields. It’s a great collaborative tool
and it puts you and your agronomist on the same page –
both literally and figuratively.
Crop values and input costs are constantly changing
and often vary by region. Therefore, the figures in these
budget sheets are always ballpark estimates. But the
analysis of income, estimated expenses, fixed costs and
return on investment (ROI) is an accurate guideline
Income
CROPLAN®
Wheat
Public
Wheat
Winter
Wheat
Soybean
Canola RR
Canola LL
Average Yield
Price*
61
$5.19
50
$4.79
65
$3.75
38
$8.99
21.00
$16.55
20.00
$16.55
18.50
$17.50
18.50
$17.50
130
$3.19
$316.59
$239.50
$243.75
$341.62
$347.55
$331.00
$323.73
$323.73
$414.70
Income/Acre
Sunflower Sunflower
Express Sun Clearfield
Corn
Plus Rotational Value
Estimated Expenses*
Variable Costs
Seed
Seed
$23.96
$24.44
$19.44
$58.83
$51.66
$53.23
$34.87
$39.23
$92.81
Seed Treat/Inoculant
$12.66
$6.15
$8.59
$9.50
in bag
in bag
in bag
in bag
in bag
Crop Protection Products
Tech Fee
—
—
—
in bag
in bag
in bag
in bag
in bag
in bag
Chemicals
$41.30
$36.20
$34.60
$61.11
$28.28
$30.80
$49.90
$52.75
$48.61
$68.21
$46.05
$62.32
$11.66
$57.33
$52.72
$31.05
$31.05
$85.56
Fuel & Lubrication
$13.50
$13.50
$13.50
$13.50
$13.50
$13.50
$15.00
$15.00
$22.00
Repairs
$16.00
$16.00
$16.00
$16.00
$16.00
$16.00
$17.00
$17.00
$23.00
Drying
—
—
—
—
—
—
$11.00
$11.00
$19.00
Crop Insurance
$11.00
$11.00
$11.00
$14.00
$15.00
$15.00
$18.00
$18.00
$31.00
Operating Interest
$7.47
$6.13
$6.77
$7.38
$7.27
$7.25
$7.07
$7.36
$13.21
Machinery
$39.00
$39.00
$39.00
$39.00
$39.00
$39.00
$44.00
$44.00
$61.00
Land Investment
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
Total Costs/Acre*
$288.10
$253.47
$266.23
$285.98
$283.04
$282.50
$282.89
$290.39
$451.19
$28.49
-$13.97
-$22.48
$55.64
$64.51
$48.50
$40.84
$33.34
-$36.49
Break-even Yield
56
53
71
32
17.10
17.07
16.17
16.59
141
Break-even Price
$4.72
$5.07
$4.10
$7.53
$13.48
$14.13
$15.29
$15.70
$3.47
Fertilizers
Fertilizer
Field Operations
Misc. Variable Costs
Net ROI/Acre
* Pricing data based on the average of elevators in the North Central North Dakota region as of 4/21/16.
* Expenses are estimates only and based on the average costs for the expenses listed in the North Central North Dakota region.
Contact your local seed agronomy advisor for your own customized version. Because of factors outside of Winfield Solutions control, results to be obtained, including but not limited to yields, financial
performance, profits, losses or otherwise, cannot be predicted or guaranteed by Winfield Solutions, LLC.
beyond seed
Fixed Costs
Data provided is an example only. Actual results may vary. Winfield Solutions, LLC shall have no liability in connection with the performance of your operation.
Winfield Solutions LLC, its affiliates and subsidiaries – and its agents and employees – are not authorized to make a representation of profitability, financial or sales performance in this or any related documents. Likewise, Winfield
does not and cannot make or provide any estimates, representations or projections regarding sales, expenses or profits. This information represents estimates and projections based solely on assumptions made for illustration
purposes. Winfield and its affiliates and subsidiaries – and its agents and employees disclaim any liability and responsibility in connection with those estimates and projections.
15
SOUTH Example CROP BUDGET SHEET*
3 Year Total
Bill’s Farm
Matt’s Farm
INCOME
Wheat
Canola
Rotation
Matt’s Farm
VS.
Year 1
Year 2
Wheat
on
Wheat
Wheat
Canola
GENNRR
Wheat
Canola
GENNRR
Yield
—
—
45
35
45
35
Price*
—
—
$4.50
$6.95
$4.50
$6.95
$416.25
$202.50
$243.25
$202.50
$243.25
$649.07
Income per Acre
ESTIMATED EXPENSES*
Variable Costs
Seed
Seed
$42.21
$21.38
$7.13
$27.55
$7.13
$27.55
Seed Treat/Inoculant
$2.46
$21.71
$7.24
in bag
$7.24
in bag
—
—
—
in bag
—
in bag
$69.78
$85.20
$28.40
$13.28
$28.40
$13.28
$119.72
$90.27
$38.77
$42.11
$38.77
$42.11
Fuel & Lubrication
$25.50
$25.50
$8.50
$8.50
$8.50
$8.50
Repairs
$18.00
$18.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
Custom Other
$24.00
$24.00
$8.00
$8.00
$8.00
$8.00
Custom Swathing
$12.24
—
—
$12.00
—
$12.00
Custom Harvesting
$75.00
$75.00
$25.00
$25.00
$25.00
$25.00
Crop Insurance
$29.53
$23.10
$7.70
$14.00
$7.70
$14.00
Operating Interest
$17.21
$15.37
$5.47
$6.26
$5.47
$6.26
Machinery
$45.00
$45.00
$15.00
$15.00
$15.00
$15.00
Land Investment
$165.00
$165.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
Total Costs/Acre*
$645.64
$609.52
$212.20
$232.70
$212.20
$232.70
Net ROI/Acre
$3.42
-$193.27
-$9.70
$10.55
-$9.70
$10.55
Break-even Yield
—
—
47
33.48
47
33.48
Break-even Price
—
—
$4.72
$6.65
$4.72
$6.65
Crop Protection Products
Tech Fee
Chemicals
Fertilizers
Fertilizer
Field Operations
Misc. Variable Costs
Fixed Costs
beyond seed
16
Above is an example of two growers, each having trouble producing their expected yields and battling troublesome winter grasses.
Each have taken different approaches in producing marketable and profitable crops. * Pricing data based on the average of elevators in the Oklahoma region as of 4/21/16.
* Expenses are estimates only and based on the average costs for the expenses listed in the Oklahoma region.
Contact your local Seed & Agronomy Advisor for your own customizable version. Because of factors outside of Winfield control, results to be obtained,
including but not limited to yields, financial performance, profits, losses, or otherwise, cannot be predicted or guaranteed by Winfield Solutions, LLC.
Data provided is an example only. Actual results may vary. Winfield Solutions, LLC shal have no liability in connection with the performance of your operation.
Winfield Solutions LLC, its affiliates and subsidiaries – and its agents and employees – are not authorized to make a representation of profitability, financial or sales performance in this or any related documents.
Likewise, Winfield does not and cannot make or provide any estimates, representations or projections regarding sales, expenses or profits. This information represents estimates and projections based solely on
assumptions made for illustration purposes. Winfield and its affiliates and subsidiaries – and its agents and employees disclaim any liability and responsibility in connection with those estimates and projections.
Year 3
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Wheat
Canola
GENNRR
Wheat on
Wheat
Wheat on
Wheat
Wheat on
Wheat
45
35
37
37
37
$4.50
$6.95
$3.75
$3.75
$3.75
$202.50
$243.25
$138.75
$138.75
$138.75
$7.13
$27.55
$7.13
$7.13
$7.13
$7.24
in bag
$7.24
$7.24
$7.24
—
in bag
—
—
—
$28.40
$13.28
$28.40
$28.40
$28.40
$38.77
$42.11
$30.09
$30.09
$30.09
$8.50
$8.50
$8.50
$8.50
$8.50
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$6.00
$8.00
$8.00
$8.00
$8.00
$8.00
—
$12.00
—
—
—
$25.00
$25.00
$25.00
$25.00
$25.00
$7.70
$14.00
$7.70
$7.70
$7.70
$5.47
$6.26
$5.12
$5.12
$5.12
$15.00
$15.00
$15.00
$15.00
$15.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
$55.00
$212.20
$232.70
$203.17
$203.17
$203.17
-$9.70
$10.55
-$64.42
-$64.42
-$64.42
47
33.48
54
54
54
$4.72
$6.65
$5.49
$5.49
$5.49
beyond seed
Bill’s Farm
17
WHEAT FUNGICIDE APPLICATION
To Spray, or Not to Spray?
Sp r ing W he at Va r ie t ies R esp ond Dif f er en t ly t o F ungicide at Flag L e a f
Jason Hanson,
WinField Agronomist
When selecting wheat varieties, it’s common for farmers
to base their choices on yield potential and protein levels.
But as WinField R7® management research continues to
demonstrate, it’s increasingly important to also consider
how each variety interacts with management practices
and environmental conditions.
The purpose of our WinField R7® management research
is to help boost yield and profit potential by identifying
which treatments and varieties respond best to aggressive
management tactics. One area we’ve focused on over
the past two years is Response to Fungicides (RTF).
Specifically, is there a variety advantage to treating spring
wheat with a fungicide at flag leaf?
beyond seed
18
Fungicides are commonly applied twice on hard red
spring wheat – once tank-mixed with a post-emergent
herbicide at tillering and then later at the flowering
stage. We know the flag leaf is where almost 70 percent
of photoassimilates occur for grain fill as carbohydrates
are moved into the head, so it only makes sense that a
healthier flag leaf would contribute to building more yield.
“
We are pioneering variety-by-variety research at our
Answer Plot® locations and we’re observing a trend in
the way different varieties respond to fungicides. Beyond
simply protecting against the disease, we’re seeing how
some varieties yield more than others, putting more
energy into building yield rather than fighting off disease.
We’re learning that a variety’s disease score is not the
whole story. RTF is the new future.
In 2014 and 2015, our crews replicated a total of
150 treatment points across 15 different Answer Plot®
locations in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.
The average response was an impressive +6.1 bu/A,
and 82 percent of the treatments by variety provided a
positive response. But is there more opportunity than the
average indicates?
Products like WinField® Onset® 3.6L and Topaz®
fungicides are designed to provide excellent control of
leaf, stem and stripe rusts, and suppression of head blight
and head scab.
We are pioneering variety-by-variety research
at our Answer Plot® locations...
”
response to flag leaf fungicide treatment
35
30
BU/A
AVG.
POSITIVE
20
Yield (bu/A)
+6.1
82%
25
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
Range of response: -7.9 to 32.6 bu/A
Source: 2014-2015 Answer Plot® trials (15 locations in ND, MN and SD)
FINDING WHERE FUNGICiDE PAYS
88
BU/A
BU/A
84
Yield (bu/A)
+4.9
+8.8
84.8
80
76
76
75
70.1
72
68
64
60
FLAG LEAF
Fungicide
UNTREATED
CROPLAN® HRS 3504
FLAG LEAF
Fungicide
UNTREATED
PUBLIC BARLOW
All plots were treated with fungicide at herbicide timing and for head scab at heading. Source: 2014-2015 data from 15 Answer Plot® locations in MN, ND & SD.
• You can put the odds in your favor by learning
about your variety’s RTF. Each wheat variety’s
genetic composition makes it respond to fungicides
differently. For example, CROPLAN® HRS 3504
responded more than twice as favorably to a flag
leaf fungicide treatment in 2014 and 2015 than
public wheat variety Barlow.
• Contrary to what you’ve always heard, fungicides
can pay even when wheat prices are low.
Traditionally farmers might shy away from making
additional crop investments when spring wheat
futures are priced around $4.75/bu. But provided
you’re growing wheat varieties that have a strong RTF,
a fungicide application at flag leaf could still pay off.
THE CONCLUSION
To date, our research findings reiterate the importance
of selecting wheat varieties that are best suited for your
fields and managing them correctly. However, you can
also end up sacrificing profit if you apply a fungicide on
the wrong varieties under the wrong conditions.
At WinField, we are committed to identifying advanced
wheat management practices that can keep your acres
profitable. There’s always value in consulting your local
WinField representative when making crop protection
treatments, so schedule a visit with your agronomist.
They will review agronomic conditions and RTF research
findings to help you make the best decisions for your
acres.
beyond seed
Here are some things to keep in mind when considering a
fungicide treatment at flag leaf in your fields:
19
Glyphosate vs.
Glufosinate: Is There a
Pound-for-Pound Winner ?
Jeff Herrmann,
Monsanto Technical Development Manager for Specialty Crops
WinField sells three brands of spring canola backed
by one of two different weed management systems. Its
lineup consists of HyCLASS® and DEKALB® Genuity®
Roundup Ready® canola and LibertyLink® InVigor®
canola. These systems provide farmers with different
modes of action to help keep their canola stands free and
clear of yield-robbing weeds.
planting HyCLASS® or DEKALB® Genuity® Roundup
Ready® canola:
• Glyphosate can control larger weeds because it translocates throughout the plant.
o When applying glyphosate, total spray coverage
isn’t as critical because it’s a systemic
herbicide that easily moves throughout broadleaf
and grass weeds. Glufosinate, on the other
hand, is a contact herbicide. Therefore, you
need to achieve better plant coverage for the
application to be successful. You also have
a shorter application window with glufosinate
because as weeds get bigger, good coverage is
more difficult and weeds become harder to control.
• Glyphosate controls 70 percent more weeds.
o Glyphosate controls about 100 more grasses and perennial weeds than glufosinate. That
means applicators need to add another
herbicide to the tank when treating
LibertyLink® canola to control those weeds
and grasses, adding to the cost.
WinField consistently sources some of the best genetics
in the canola industry and stands behind each of the
hybrids it offers. Of course, each system requires different
management practices due to the inherent differences in
chemistry between glyphosate, the active ingredient in
Roundup® and WinField® Cornerstone® 5 Plus herbicides,
and glufosinate, the active ingredient in Liberty® herbicide.
beyond seed
20
Depending on your management preferences and crop
rotation, these differences often make one cropping
system more appealing than the other. Both systems can
work well, but farmers typically find that the Roundup
Ready® system has more flexibility and is usually more
forgiving than the LibertyLink® system.
Here are some management advantages that come with
• Glyphosate offers more application flexibility.
o Glyphosate can be applied whenever a plant is
actively growing to be effective, even in cooler
temperatures or droughty conditions. To get
the full benefits of glufosinate, however, it
needs to be applied when the air temperature
is 75 degrees F or higher, and it also needs
higher humidity and brighter sunlight.
o Glyphosate is rainfast in 30 minutes, but
glufosinate needs 4 hours to become rainfast.
Therefore, you need to keep an eye on the
weather and plan ahead more when spraying
glufosinate.
• Glyphosate requires less water.
o Farmers can spray more acres per tank with
glyphosate than glufosinate. This is because
glyphosate needs a carrier volume of only 5
to 10 gallons per acre (GPA) of water in most
cases, while glufosinate usually needs 15 to
20 GPA water.
o Both herbicides should be mixed with
ammonium sulfate (AMS) to maintain
effectiveness, but glyphosate usually needs
less AMS in the spray tank than glufosinate.
As a side note, it’s important to control volunteer Genuity®
Roundup Ready® canola if you’re rotating to Genuity®
Roundup Ready® soybeans or corn after your canola
crop. You can do this by including a tank mix herbicide
with your Roundup® or Cornerstone® 5 Plus herbicide
application or applying a pre-emergent residual herbicide.
Despite the advantages offered by Cornerstone® 5 Plus
and other Roundup® agricultural herbicides, there may
still be benefits to planting InVigor® LibertyLink® canola
in your fields – especially if corn and/or soybeans are
included in your crop rotation. For this reason, it’s always
a good idea to consult your local WinField retailer when
determining which weed management system is best
suited for your canola fields.
Good Chemistry
Genuit y ® Roundup Re a dy ® Canola Ide al for
Crop Rotations
Monsanto Technical Agronomist
As a technical agronomist with Monsanto, I’m out in the
fields meeting with farmers on a daily basis. One popular
question I’m often asked by growers is why they should
choose Genuity® Roundup Ready® canola over InVigor®
LibertyLink® canola.
Provided they’re used in the right situations and managed
correctly, both systems can be effective in eliminating
weeds and managing against herbicide resistance. So for
me, answering this question isn’t so much of a sales pitch
as it is about asking farmers about their crop rotation and
the weed pressure in their fields. The questions I ask are:
• What crops are in your rotation?
• Do you have unwanted grass pressure?
The LibertyLink® system works well when alternated with
the Roundup Ready® system in corn/soybean rotations
because it helps you manage the weed resistance that can
develop when growing only glyphosate-tolerant crops. We
have a lot of crop diversity in North Dakota which means
farmers are rotating weed management systems regularly.
Crops like sunflowers, peas, lentils, flax and barley are
popular here, so when it comes to controlling grasses
beyond seed
Courtney Meduna,
21
in these crops, farmers are usually limited to applying a
Group 1 herbicide.
These Group 1 herbicides are quite effective in
controlling grasses, but as is the case with any chemistry,
weeds can develop herbicide resistance when the same
active ingredients are applied over and over. Roundup®
and WinField® Cornerstone® 5 Plus are strong grass
herbicides, which provides another mode of action
when used in rotation with Group 1 herbicides. Since
Liberty® herbicide doesn’t control all grass weeds such
as wild oats, yellow foxtail and volunteer cereals, farmers
have to add a product like WinField® Section® Three or
Select® 2EC to their tank mix if they rotate to InVigor®
LibertyLink® canola.
So in this case, you’re actually selecting for weed
resistance by rotating between LibertyLink® canola and
barely, peas, lentils, flax or sunflowers. That’s why many
spring canola farmers opt to use Genuity® Roundup
Ready® canola in their rotations, because it allows them
to break up the cycle and achieve a broader spectrum of
weed control by spraying their fields with a glyphosate
product like Roundup® or Cornerstone® 5 Plus herbicides.
Whether you’re leaning towards one weed management
system or the other, it’s always a good idea to bring your
local agronomist into the decision making process. They
might identify potential challenges that you’re unaware of
and they’ll help ensure you choose the right hybrids for
your acres.
HE AD-TO-HE AD YIELD COMPARISON
As far as CROPLAN® and DEKALB®
brand Genuity® Roundup Ready® canola
yields are concerned, different genetics
obviously perform differently under
varying growing conditions. However,
public trials and Answer Plot® program
data from the past three years shows that
on average, HyCLASS® 930, HyCLASS®
955 and DEKALB® DKL 70-07 canola
hybrids outperform InVigor® L140P
canola hybrids in both yield and oil
levels. They have also performed great
when being straight cut.
beyond seed
22
COMPANY
PRODUCT
TRAIT
YIELD
(lb/A)
OIL
CROPLAN®
HyCLASS® 955
RR
2,447
45.9%
CROPLAN®
HyCLASS® 930
RR
2,421
46.4%
DKL70-07
RR
2,368
45.2%
InVigor® L140P
LL
2,354
43.8%
DEKALB®
Bayer
Plots located in ND and MT.
Includes public trials and Answer Plot® results.
Total tests: 15 (3 in 2013, 6 in 2015 and 6 in 2015)
THE QUALITY IN THE BIN STARTS WITH THE THINKING THAT GOES IN THE BAG.
BRING IT ALL TOGETHER
The advanced genetics and technology behind CROPLAN® seed may mean this spring could
be the start of your greatest year yet. By matching soil type with Answer Plot® test results,
your WinField agronomist can help you choose the right seed and seed products so you have
the best chance for success in your specific location. In short, CROPLAN® seed is locally
proven, nationally validated and backed by expertise and insights to help you be greater on
every acre. Learn more at croplan.com/soybean
CROPLAN and WinField are registered trademarks of Winfield Solutions, LLC. LibertyLink and the water droplet logo are registered
trademarks of Bayer CropScience. ©2015 Winfield Solutions, LLC.
Be wa r e of ‘Seedy ’
Summer Sunf l ow er
Dise a ses
Kyle Okke,
WinField Agronomist
According to the National Sunflower Association, there are
around 30 different diseases that can infect a sunflower
crop in any given year. Downy mildew, rust and white mold
(Sclerotinia) are three of the most damaging, as they can
significantly reduce yields. The good news is that while
they each provide different challenges, we have solutions.
Here’s a look at each of these diseases, their symptoms
and what you can do to manage against them. When in
doubt, call up your local agronomist for assistance in
prescribing the right treatment for your crop.
DOWNY MILDEW
Downy mildew typically causes the
most concern among sunflower
farmers in and around the Dakotas.
A soil-borne fungus that can live in
soils for 10 years, crop rotation doesn’t help prevent disease
development. There are about a dozen unique races of the
disease in the Dakotas alone, but races 710, 730 and 770
account for more than 75 percent of the population.1
Hard rain events and soils lower than 60 degrees F provide
ideal conditions for the disease. It’s more likely to progress
in heavier clay/silt soils than it is in course, sandy soils.
beyond seed
24
Similar to root rots, downy mildew can cause the most
damage in earlier seedling stages. Yield potential is poor
at best under extreme infections, as the disease can cause 50
to 95 percent yield loss in sunflowers. It can also systemically
impact the plant when it reaches the vegetative stage (4
to 6 leaves). Symptoms include a chlorotic yellowing of
the leaves and a white, fuzzy mass under the leaves.
One thing to note is that plant injury caused by PPO
herbicides like Spartan® herbicide is often mistaken for
downy mildew. Like the disease, the chemical injury usually
occurs after a major rain event, as the heavy precipitation
increases herbicide uptake and results in brown cotyledons
and leaf burn. The best way to prevent this type of damage
is to apply Spartan® herbicide before planting.
There was heavy downy mildew pressure last year, but
fortunately it didn’t turn into anything big since most
farmers incorporated both of following control methods
into their crop management plan in 2015.
Top control methods:
•Seed treatments: Fungicide seed treatments are one
way to reduce the severity of downy mildew, as they
help prevent disease pathogens from taking hold and
work systemically to limit diseases from spreading
during the early stages of development. Dynasty®
seed treatment can be boosted to a 4x rate to provide
additional early protection. Early reports indicate some
seed treatments in development may have a promising
future, but they’re still in the testing phase at this time.
•Downy mildew traits: As a longtime leader in
supplying new innovations for crops, CROPLAN®
brand seed was the first to bring Pl 15 resistance to
sunflowers – one of the best options for controlling
downy mildew. It is still recommended to use seed
treatments in tandem with downy mildew resistant
hybrids, but only at the base rate.
o CROPLAN® sunflower hybrids with the Pl 15 strain protect against all known downy mildew races across the globe.
o Pl 8 is a great trait. Resistant strains can become infected, but the strain is designed to stop downy mildew from advancing.
o The Pl 6 strain has some common resistance, but doesn’t provide 100 percent protection; it’s susceptible to races 314, 704, 714, 734 and 774.
o If you aren’t sure which trait is best for your
acres, work with your local WinField retailer
to select the right downy mildew resistant
CROPLAN® hybrids.
SUNFLOWER RUST
Sunflower rust overwinters on plant
debris and spores germinate in the
spring. The disease goes through
several stages before forming brown
pustules on the top or bottom of
leaves, but it can spread very quickly under the right conditions.
The ideal environment for rust cultivation consists of
moisture and temperatures between 50 to 80 degrees F.
Even dew on leaves can provide the moisture needed for
the disease to develop. Rust can run through its life cycle
in as little as two weeks.
in the area. Achieving good weed control on the
next crop in your rotation is also a smart practice.
WHITE MOLD
Highly dependent on weather
conditions, white mold
(Sclerotinia) is caused by moderate
temperatures (50 to 80 degrees F),
a wet canopy and saturated soils over a period of 10 to 14
days. Root infection results in wilt or stalk rot and plants
infected early on will usually lodge well before harvest.
Middle stalk or head rot infections, on the other hand, are
caused by blown spores settling on dead plant tissue.
The “white mold” nickname stems from the tufts of white
mycelium that appear on the stalk or head of the plant. The
infected area also has a bleached appearance. Although the
disease impacts only a small percentage of the crop every
year, there is potential for significant yield and quality loss.
Unfortunately no fungicide options exist for white mold to
date, so cultural practices are a farmer’s best lines of defense.
Top control methods:
•Plant early, harvest early: Seeding sunflowers early
and using a desiccant to allow for early harvest
often helps reduce disease. It also helps reduce
black bird pressure.
Sunflower rust can become a very big issue in a very short
amount of time, so it’s important to scout early and often
and treat right away. Researchers from North Dakota
State University (NDSU) found that an infection of only 1
percent in the top 4 leaves at or before bloom can warrant
a fungicide application.2
•Hybrid tolerance: Sunflower hybrids like CROPLAN®
549 CL HO and 559 CL have good tolerance to
stalk and head rot. They can help limit severity, but
are not 100 percent effective.
Although some hybrids have rust tolerance, it isn’t as
useful of a trait as downy mildew protection because rust
is much more likely to build resistance to the trait. In only
one season, researchers from the USDA’s office in Fargo,
ND identified 39 new races of the disease.2
•Reduced population: In some cases, stand
reduction can encourage more airflow in the canopy.
But it can also make larger heads that flower for a
long period and are slow at dry down, extending the
plant’s exposure to white mold.
Top control methods:
•Fungicide treatments: Foliar fungicide applications
are the most effective and economical when
it comes to protecting your sunflower crop.
Application is recommended when rust is found
on the upper four leaves and the plant is in
the vegetative stages and up to R-6. WinField®
Onset® 3.6L fungicide tank-mixed with WinField®
MasterLock® adjuvant offers both curative and
preventative properties, typically protecting against
rust for as many as 14 days after application.
•Control volunteer sunflowers: Rust infects wild
sunflowers just as easily as genetic hybrids, so
mowing or spraying roadside ditches and other areas
around your fields reduces the amount of pathogens
•Reduced nitrogen: Reduction in nitrogen (N) limits
plant growth, which sometimes helps improve
airflow. But this can also limit yields – particularly
on ground that has been in a sunflower rotation.
•Crop rotation: Rotating to non-host crops like corn,
sorghum, wheat, durum, barley or flax can be effective
in mitigating the stalk white mold disease developed
from the root. This does little to prevent head white
mold though, because the spores are airborne.
beyond seed
North Dakota State University Downy Mildew Management Guide, www.ag.ndsu.edu/ndipm/publications/sunflower/documents/downy-mildew-of-sunflower
2
North Dakota State University Sunflower Rust Management Guide, www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/rowcrops/pp1557.pdf 1
Spartan® is a registered trademark of FMC Corporation.
Dynasty® is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company.
25
Go t Va ria bilit y ?
Variable-Rate Technology
Does a Crop GooD
Chris Heidrich,
WinField Agriculture Technology Specialist
A lot of today’s planting equipment is capable of multivariety and variable-rate seeding, but only a small
percentage of farmers are utilizing these features. When
the technology is employed, it’s most often used in corn
and soybean production. However, equal opportunities
exist to optimize seed expenditures in wheat and even
canola through proper variety placement and effective
population management.
If you aren’t open to using variable-rate technology in
your fields, you’re likely overlooking an opportunity to
help increase profitability on each and every acre. That
is, unless you have completely flat fields with the same
soils, disease history, insect pressure and fertility levels
on every acre. If that’s the case, then there’s no need to
read any further.
beyond seed
26
Still reading? I had a feeling. Nearly every farmer has
differences in their fields that warrant the consideration
of variable-rate technology. There’s a common
misconception out there that variable-rate technology is
too complicated of a process to adopt, and that’s likely
keeping some farmers from taking the plunge. But as
the few wheat farmers who are planting multi-varieties of
CROPLAN® wheat and seeding at variable rates will tell
you, Answer Plot® research findings and the R7® Tool by
WinField have made the process a whole lot easier.
Take Travis Messer and his father, Greg, for example.
They farm more than 10,000 acres near Dickinson, ND
and rotate between wheat and other small grains, canola,
field peas, corn and soybeans. With some fields having
as many as seven different soil types and a lot of rolling
terrain, their acres are ideal for variable-rate technology.
They began working with variable-rate fertility on corn,
soybeans and wheat in 2005 and started integrating
variable populations and mutli-hybrid seeding on the
same crops a few years later.
While information on placing corn hybrids and soybean
varieties was readily available a decade ago, wheat variety
management research wasn’t being performed at a high
level. So back then, the biggest challenge faced by wheat
farmers looking to plant multi-varieties was the lack
of data that existed on seeding rates and management
responses. The technology was available, but farmers had
to come up with the application on their own.
“We dealt with a lot of in-field trial and error to build our
own database of what did and didn’t work in different
areas of our fields,” notes Travis Messer, who serves as
an agronomist/precision ag specialist with Plains Grain
& Agronomy when not working in the fields with his
father. “We looked at how each wheat variety responded
to different seeding rates and higher nitrogen (N) rates.
As a result, we started making more efficient crop input
investments and getting a lot more out of our acres. But
it was a very time-consuming process.”
ANSWER PLOT® RESEARCH CHANGES THE GAME
Since wheat is a grass plant like corn, our experts in
research and agronomy took what we knew about corn hybrid
management and designed Answer Plot® trials that examined
This means the amount of time and effort you would have
dedicated to in-field trials in the past has been reduced
to a mere fraction today. The reliable, replicated data that
we’ve cultivated provides a lot of insight into selecting
the right CROPLAN® wheat varieties for specific areas of
your field and managing them to their fullest potential.
As a result, it’s only a matter of time before more farmers
experience the benefits of planting mutli-variety wheat at
variable-rate populations on their farms.
“The farmers and retailers who use the WinField® R7® Tool
and Answer Plot® data in their planning and management
strategies don’t know how good they have it now,” Messer
says. “Nobody else is doing the kind of research that
WinField is doing. Guys used to throw darts at the wall trying
to figure things out when growing wheat, but now farmers
and sellers basically have a playbook that tells them how to
get the most out of each CROPLAN® wheat variety. You just
don’t get that with the public wheat varieties.”
As Answer Plot® research has proven, choosing the
right wheat variety and planting it at the optimal plant
population is related to a number of factors including
soil type, stress tolerance, stress levels and the timing of
stresses relative to crop development.
Since productivity levels often vary within individual
fields, using the R7® Tool by WinField to separate fields
into management zones is a great way for you to get
started. Begin by comparing soil types against historical
satellite imagery and yield data to help you identify areas
with high- and low-yield potential.
This along with variety ratings powered by Answer Plot®
research data will assist you in determining which
CROPLAN® wheat varieties will fit best within each
management zone and help you calculate accurate variablerate seeding prescriptions. Here’s a look at how we assess
each wheat variety in the CROPLAN® brand seed lineup:
• At WinField, we rate our varieties on how they
perform in agronomic aspects like standability, stress
tolerance, height, shatter, disease resistance and
maturity. This helps you place varieties where they’ll
perform best and customize your harvest schedule.
• We rate our wheat varieties for their Response to
Nitrogen (RTN). These scores help you match low N
response varieties to low-yielding portions of a field,
and high N response varieties to areas where high N
application rates are more justified.
• We assess each of our wheat and canola varieties
for their Response to Population (RTP) so you can
adjust seeding rates accordingly.
• Through our Response to Fungicide (RTF) trials,
we’re also working on how to improve your yield
potential in wheat by determining which wheat
varieties will respond to a flag leaf fungicide
application.
MANAGE POPULATIONS TO STRETCH INPUTS
Knowing when to push populations can go a long way in
improving potential profits. Increasing plant populations
for varieties that thrive under increased plant density
helps achieve high-end yield potential and maximizes
fertility applications at a relatively low additional cost.
On the other hand, it’s just as important to identify
marginal field areas that can’t support more plants.
Understanding which areas of the field have the least
beyond seed
variety management in wheat. Now that WinField has
performed this research at Answer Plot® locations for the
past few years, the data on CROPLAN® wheat is catching
up with the capabilities of variable-rate technology.
27
profit potential can help you save on expenditures by
fine-tuning plant populations, fertilizer applications and
other input expenses. By simply redistributing seed from
marginal zones to areas with higher productivity, you can
help increase the yield and protein potential of your field
without a major increase in your overall seed costs.
MULTI-VARIETY PLACEMENT CREDITED FOR
BOOSTING YIELD POTENTIAL
Last year, the Messers grew wheat on 7,000 acres and
positioned three different CROPLAN® wheat varieties on
much of that area: CROPLAN® HRS 3378, 3419 and 3361.
“We went with CROPLAN® HRS 3378 on our hilltops because
it has strong yield potential in tough conditions and performs
best when planted at high populations,” Messer says.
It’s often difficult to plant high populations in western
North Dakota and Montana because there are a lot of
hot and dry areas like hilltops. But the problems with
planting lower populations is that it takes a long time for
thin stands to cover the ground and early stresses tend to
burn back tillers. So in addition to placing a variety with a
good RTP score in these types of field management zones,
growers need a variety that performs well in stressful
environments. Answer Plot® research has shown that HRS
3378 is a great candidate for these types of situations.
Of course, where there are hilltops in western North
beyond seed
28
and South Dakota, there are also low-lying areas. These
typically have better soils and higher moisture, so they
manage a lot like acres in the eastern part of North
Dakota. Since these are the areas that produce best,
they’re well suited for a variety that you can push with
high management and high populations alike.
“We planted CROPLAN® HRS 3419 in these areas
because it has high RTP and RTN scores,” Messer says.
“The multi-variety results were pretty impressive. HRS
3378 yielded about 80 bu/A on average, but we had some
areas that reached 85-90 bu/A. HRS 3419 averaged more
than 100 bu/A, and some spots got as high as 150 bu/A.”*
These are good results for western North Dakota. But to get
a cursory idea of how these varieties stacked up against
each other side-by-side, the Messers did some test strips
in their fields that they call “learning blocks”. They flipped
varieties, and HRS 3419 averaged only 60 bu/A on the
hilltops; probably because of the tougher environment and
lower levels of N it had access to. So in that case, HRS
3378 provided a 20 bu/A advantage over HRS 3419.*
“HRS 3378 still maxed out at 80 bu/A when we planted
it in the low ground areas though, so going with HRS
3419 there provided a 20 bu/A advantage,” Messer says.
“Last year was a tough year for emergence, too, so we
think we’re really just on the tip of the iceberg of what’s
possible. But it was still an example of how multi-variety
seeding can work really well.”*
WHAT EQUIPMENT IS NEEDED?
If you have a variable-rate air seeder, there isn’t much
stopping you from using variable-rate technology on your
farm. If you don’t, the economy is obviously a hurdle
for many farmers right now. The low commodity prices
make it difficult to justify upgrading current equipment
or purchasing new, but I expect many more farmers will
make the investment once the economy picks back up
and crop prices improve.
Farmers have two options for upgrading equipment. Some
may be able to retrofit their current air seeders by adding
an electric control system. If this kind of system isn’t
compatible with your current air seeder, the other option
is to invest in new planting equipment altogether.
Determining the potential return on investment really
comes down to looking at the size of your operation and
the amount of variability you have in your fields. Some
farmers might find that the potential increase in yield
generated by planting multi-varieties could cover the cost
of new planting equipment in as little as 1 to 3 years at
current crop prices. Others, however, will find that they’re
better off waiting until the economy improves.
Once you have the right planter capabilities, it’s just a
matter of programming management zones and their
corresponding seeding prescriptions into your tractor’s
computer system. Then the planter will automatically
switch from one variety to the other when it enters into a
different management zone.
When taking advantage of multi-varieties, variable-rate
seeding and other new technologies, combine your firsthand knowledge of your fields with the tools, information
and equipment recommendations provided by your local
WinField retailer. This will help stretch your resources
and give your crops the greatest opportunity to get off to a
strong start and enjoy a more profitable finish.
* Travis Messer’s story is provided as an individual’s experience with
Winfield Solutions’ products and may not be a representation of
actual results than can be guaranteed. Because of factors outside of
Winfield Solutions control such as weather, soil, planting and product
application; individual results to be obtained, including but not limited
to: financial performance, profits, losses and yields cannot be predicted
or guaranteed by Winfield Solutions.
PLANNING IS KEY
Ordering seed is a more detailed process when planting
multi-varieties and seeding at variable rates. Instead
of an hour-long meeting with your retailer to sign the
paperwork, it’s now common for farmers to spend 2 to 3
days with their agronomist to select the right varieties and
hybrids and prescribe the right treatments so they can
maximize what they get out of every acre. But the time
spent during planning can be well justified come harvest
if the yield monitor shows more bushels in the bin.
beyond seed
“One size fits all” is great when you’re buying a pair
of tube socks, but not so much when buying seed and
fertilizer. Since the whole concept behind variable-rate
technology is to find the best fit for each part of your
fields, proper planning becomes even more important.
That means you need to be willing to put in the time to
make it work.
29
The Right Adjuvant
Pack age Brings it All
TogetheR
Kylla Hummel,
WinField Adjuvants Associate Marketing Manager
If you’ve read this issue of Beyond Seed from front to
back, you’ve heard a lot about the different micronutrient
and crop protection treatments that can help you
optimize yield potential in 2016. But in order to realize
the maximum benefits of those inputs, you need to make
sure they actually reach your crop.
Adding the right adjuvant package to your tank mix
helps reduce spray drift and improve absorption into
the plants, but that’s easier said than done. Optimizing
deposition and drift control has become an exact science
in recent years due to advancements in crop protection
technologies.
beyond seed
30
Fortunately, your local agronomist has a deep
understanding of everything from product compatibility
to mixing order. In a year when you need to put each crop
investment under a magnifying glass, they can help you
get every ounce out of your applications by prescribing
the right adjuvant formulations. Here’s a look at some of
the tools they use to enhance spray performance.
thickening the spray. Extensive research shows that using
InterLock® adjuvant can reduce fine droplets by up to
50 percent.* By keeping more spray droplets within the
most effective size range, InterLock® adjuvant improves
coverage, increases canopy penetration and reduces drift
and evaporation of crop inputs, whether they are applied
by ground or air.
MASTERLOCK® ADJUVANT
WinField® MasterLock® adjuvant goes a step further,
combining InterLock® adjuvant with DropTight™
technology to enhance spray coverage. While InterLock®
helps keep your application on target, spray droplets
can be lost due to bounce and leaf surface barriers.
DropTight™ technology helps optimize droplet adhesion,
which reduces bounce and increases droplet sticking and
spreading for improved contact and coverage.
MasterLock® adjuvant works effectively with fungicides
and insecticides, and may be used with herbicides and
other crop protection products.
INTERLOCK® ADJUVANT
Derived from vegetable oil, WinField® InterLock® adjuvant
drastically reduces the amount of driftable fines in
the spray pattern and increases droplet speed without
CLASS ACT® NG® ADJUVANT
WinField® Class Act® NG® adjuvant offers an easyto-use formulation that combines ammonium sulfate
(AMS) for water conditioning, WinField’s exclusive
CornSorb™ technology for improved pesticide uptake and
performance, and an antifoaming agent.
An added benefit of this pre-dissolved liquid ammonium
sulfate (AMS) formulation is that it eliminates having to
deal with the mixing and quality problems that can be
associated with AMS. Avoiding issues like sedimentation
and nozzle plugging prevents the downtime that can be
caused by hard-to-dissolve dry AMS. Also, there is no
need to handle bulky 51-pound bags of dry AMS.
HIGH SURFACTANT OIL CONCENTRATES (HSOCs)
Also utilizing CornSorb™ technology are WinField®
Superb® HC and Destiny® HC adjuvants. These HSOCs
help increase herbicide uptake and performance at lower
rates than traditional crop oil concentrates (COC), and
they work especially well during drought conditions and in
controlling larger weeds.
Destiny® HC is for use with all herbicides that recommend
a methylated seed oil (MSO) or COC and it’s one of the
first MSO adjuvants available that is compatible for use
with glyphosate.
Again, don’t be afraid to ask your local agronomist to help
you customize the right adjuvant package for your fields.
Their constant training prepares them to tailor treatments
that will meet the challenges of your toughest acres.
* WinField Spray Analysis System Research Data, River Falls, WI, 2012.
KNOW Your Nozzle
1. Optimize nozzle performance. Calibrate your spray
nozzles and make sure they are within 10 percent of their
designed output. Replace any nozzles outside of that range.
2. Check nozzles for desired spray pattern. Flawed
spray patterns can be caused by clogged or worn
nozzles, improper nozzle cleaning and even incorrect
boom height. Most spray booms should be a minimum
of 20 inches above your target. Check the nozzle
manufacturer’s recommendation to make sure you set
the proper boom height.
3. Select the correct nozzle output. Nozzle selection
should be determined by the type of chemical you
are spraying. Make sure you follow label instructions
to determine proper droplet size for each application,
whether you’re spraying a systemic product like
dicamba, 2,4-D or glyphosate; or a contact product
such as strobilurin fungicides or herbicides with active
ingredients like fomesafen or glufosinate.
Finally, be sure to check out a WinField spray clinic in
the offseason to brush up on sprayer technology and
get familiarized with new equipment and techniques.
Happy spraying!
beyond seed
Fine-tuning your application equipment and confirming
everything is in optimal working order is the final step
to making the most of your crop protection investment.
Here are three things to do before treating your fields.
31
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P.O. Box 64281
St. Paul, MN 55164
PAID
ChANhASSEN, MN
PERMIT NO. 2461
KNOW-HOW IS GREAT. KNOW-WHEN-WHERE-WHAT-WHY-HOW IS GREATER.
GET IN THE KNOW
The R7 ® Tool allows you to see your fields like never before. It starts by pairing 20 years of
historical satellite field mapping and soil variability with precise local Answer Plot ® data so you
can make informed seed and population decisions. It continues by incorporating in‑season, on‑
demand satellite imagery to identify emerging crop nutrition problems and opportunities as
they arise, before it’s too late. With the R7 ® Tool, you’ll be able to effectively harness local field
experience with the power of precision agriculture technology to help you be greater on every
acre. Bring it all together at winfield.com.
Answer Plot, R7 and WinField are registered trademarks of Winfield Solutions, LLC. ©2016 Winfield Solutions, LLC.