Latest Updates from cropwatch.unl.edu

Photo by Richard Ferguson This spring conditions are good for pre-plant fertilizer, but there are still considerations that justify shifting more nitrogen application to in-season versus pre-plant.

Scouting in early spring is the best way to categorize current weed problems and those that may become issues later in the season and into the following year.

Approximately 20% of Nebraska corn was planted as of Sunday, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. This is ahead of 12% last year, and near 16% for the five-year average.

Corn planted into green cereal rye in 2020. Growers that switched to planting green, say it was much easier to plant compared with planting into the decomposing-dying cover. In spite of these observations, planting green is not for everyone and one needs to assess the risk of doing so.

It takes a number of warm days (a week or more depending on temperatures) after freezing to determine the condition of the winter wheat crop, so don’t make any quick decisions after a freeze.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is working to help alleviate the strain many businesses and individuals have under the current circumstances. This article gives information on guidelines announced for partnerships and Schedule C’s.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) may be in short supply, regionally or nationally, in the 2020 growing season. What can people in Ag industry do to prepare?

Figure 1. Location by county (shown by red fill) for soybean seeding rate studies through the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network from 1990 to 2019 based on the resultsfinder.unl.edu database. Counties with studies not currently in the database are noted by red lines and have been reported in CropWatch articles. The Nebraska On-Farm Research Network has shown that a seeding rate of 120,000 seeds per acre has performed well across counties, farms, and fields in Nebraska.

This year remember to be safe when handling treated seed and check the seed tag for specific handling and use directions.

Recently, two nutrient management tools produced by Nebraska Extension have been updated and are now available.

Applying a pre-emergence herbicide with multiple sites of action is particularly important in fields where herbicide-resistant weeds are present or suspected.

April freeze nips alfalfa. Extent of damage varies based on numerous factors, but no management actions are recommended.

Figure 1. Snowpack on the Snowy Mountain Range that feeds the North Plate River system. The US Bureau of Reclamation monitors snowpack to estimate the amount of water in the North Platte Basin likely to be available this growing season. (Photo by Gary Stone) The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Wyoming Area Office has released their forecast for spring snow melt runoff for the North Platte River drainage. The forecast calls for above average snow melt runoff.

Some of you may be wondering, in this rising wheat market “Why not place a long hedge or purchase a call option?”, while also holding unpriced grain either in the field or in the grain bin. These thoughts are often motivated by our beliefs of where commodity markets are headed. Currently, this could be due to market uncertainty stemming from COVID-19.

The first session is Thursday, April 16, 3 p.m. (central), and features Nathan Kauffman, with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, presenting on COVID-19 Economic Developments and U.S. Agriculture.

Some producers are concerned with the condition of their winter wheat fields this spring. At the time of seeding last fall, some areas were dry and under no-till conditions it was difficult if not impossible to seed at the recommended seeding depth.

In the event a key farm operator is unable to operate the farm, Nebraska Extension has developed a Crop Operations Plan to help guide someone new to the operation to adequately and successfully operate the farm for the next couple months.

The truth is for many farmers and ranchers the physical act of social distancing may not be as big of a challenge as it is for our urban counterparts. Yes, it may be easier to stay six feet from the nearest person but that doesn’t mean that farmers and ranchers aren’t having to cope with uncertainty.