Recap of “Managing Prevented Planting Acres” Meeting

July 5, 2019
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By:  Stephanie Karhoff

This past Wednesday, Williams County OSU Extension hosted a meeting focused on “Managing Prevented Planting Acres.” If you could not make it to the program, here is a brief recap:

Prevent Plant Meeting

 

Weed Management, Jeff Stachler

  • The three main options for weed management are mowing, tillage, and herbicides (or a combination of them).
    • Mowing will be the most time-consuming of the three. If mowing, remember it is better to spray before mowing, since weeds that survive mowing will be more difficult to kill with herbicides.
    • Tillage is better suited for smaller weeds, and will require multiple passes or a moldboard plow to uproot larger weeds.
    • For chemical applications, glyphosate should be used as a base program with an application rate of ~1.5-2.0 lbs. as equivalent per acre, along with 2,4-D at ~1.5 quarts per acre. If planting a cover crop after 2,4-D application, wait at least 20 days for grass species, and 30-45 days for broadleaf species. If you are not planting a cover crop, you will likely need two herbicide applications to manage weeds. The most costly (but most efficacious) program would be a combination of glyphosate, 2,4-D, and Liberty (glufosinate). Excluding corn and soybeans, Liberty has a ~70 day plant-back period. If you need a herbicide application before seeding cover crops, paraquat may be a good option, since it has no rotational restrictions.
      • Especially if you are harvesting cover crops for forage, check all herbicide labels for any restrictions

Opportunities to Transition to Certified Organic, Alan Sundermeier

  • Organic products comprise 3.5% of all U.S. food sales, and sales have increased by 46% since 2007 (Source – 2012 Census of Agriculture). In Ohio, there are over 50,000 certified organic acres, representing a wide variety of grain and vegetable crops.
  • Certification requires three year transition period of no prohibited products (i.e. synthetic fertilizer, GM crops, and synthetic pesticies).
    • If you have been considering converting part of your operation to organic, 2019 may be a good year to do so if you have not applied any prohibited products since 2018 season.
    • If you are interested, check with a certifying agency, before starting the transition process.

Disposal and Storage at Treated Soybean Seed, Stephanie Karhoff

  • If you have treated soybean seed, and your seed dealer will not accept returns, your best option is to plant the seed for either grain harvest, or as a cover crop or forage on Prevented Planting Acres (*communicate with your crop insurance agent and adjuster when making Prevented Planting decisions).
    • If planting for grain harvest, the Ohio Agronomy Guide suggests less than 15″ row spacing and a seeding rate of 250,000-275,000 seeds per acre. Suitable relative maturity for planting from July 1 to July 10 in Northern Ohio is 3.0-3.3, with a yield potential of 10-20 bushels per acre.
    • If planting as a cover crop, the USDA-NRCS cover crop guidelines requires a seeding rate of at least 54 lb. per acre (~151,000 seeds per acre) for a purestand of soybean. Make sure to check the label for maximum amount of active ingredient per acre, and adjust your seeding rate accordingly. For GM or bioengineered crops, check with your seed dealer that you are compliant with your technology license agreement. 
    • If planting for silage, plant a later maturing variety in mid to late July with less than 15″ row spacing to maximize dry matter per acre. Harvest between the R3 (pod development) and R5 growth stages, and dry drown to 60-68% moisture before chopping. To increase palatibility and decrease protein content, consider adding an annual grass like spring triticale or oats. Check seed treatment and herbicide labels for feeding restrictions.
  • Storing soybean seed requires a climate-controlled facility (50 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% relative humidity) and starting germination score of at least 90%. The latter may be an issue, since 2018 seed quality was lower compared to other years due to high incidence of Phomopsis and Diaporthe. According to an Iowa State study, after 16 mos. of storage in a warehouse with no climate control, germination rates fell below 20%. 
  • If you are using soybean as cover crop or forage on intended corn acres, and are in a corn-soybean rotation, you may have higher disease pressure. Keep this in mind and increase your scouting efforts, and contact your county educator to have your soil tested for soybean cyst nematode.

Filling the Gap with Forages, Rory Lewandowski

  • If you are unable to obtain seed for warm season annual grasses like sorghum sudangrass, here are some viable alternatives:
    • Corn silage – plant in mid July and treat as grass not grain silage
    • Oats – plant in late July to early August
    • Oats/winter cereal rye mix – a good option if you need forages for both fall and spring
    • Spring triticale – plant in late July to early August
    • Soybean silage – plant in mid to late July
  • In general
    • Consult and verify decisions with crop insurance agents/adjusters, seed companies and chemical dealers. Report to FSA.
    • Read herbicide labels!
  • More details can be found here.

For more information, subscribe to the C.O.R.N. newsletter at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter and submit your questions to https://go.osu.edu/AgCrisis