Attaining good weed control is essential for maintaining maximum yield potential. Weeds are one of the biggest robbers of yield that we have. Left unchecked, weed competition can cause upwards of 50-80% yield reduction. Even getting 90-95% control of weeds can still cause up to 15% yield reduction, especially if weeds are present in the [...]
What a difference a year makes. Last year the extended drought made it difficult to establish wheat stands or allow for extensive fall or spring growth. That led to lower than normal disease pressure in 2023. We are looking at a very different situation in 2024. Over most of the High Plains, we have [...]
At-planting EDDHA Chelated Iron treatment vs check with no Iron added shows dramatic results in severely deficient soils. Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC) in soybeans is a significant concern for soybean growers, as it can lead to substantial yield losses. This physiological disorder is characterized by the inability of soybean plants to uptake sufficient [...]
Farmers across the High Plains faced a number of weather challenges in 2022. The wheat crop got off to a slow start last fall due to dry conditions. The winter did not provide any significant moisture either. We were blessed with one or two timely rains in the spring that allowed producers to cut an [...]
The High Plains have experienced an extended drought for the past number of years. Lower than average precipitation has plagued some areas for over a decade. Years like 2011 and 2012 rivaled some of the dry, hot years of the 1930’s and 1950’s. Recently, the weather pattern has been a little more tolerable, and soaking [...]
Dr. Clay Robinson Dr. Clay Robinson was a professor of soil and crop sciences at West Texas A&M for 17 years. While at WTAMU, one of his main interests was the influence of climatic conditions on farming, particularly dry land and crop-fallow systems. After leaving the University, he spent a couple years working [...]
Jeff Doran is a Senior Business Meteorologist with Planalytics. With Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Meteorology, time spent in the Air Force, and 15 years with Planalytics, Jeff has over 30 years of meteorology experience under his belt. He took the time to talk with us about upcoming weather predictions that will affect this planting [...]
We’ve probably all seen the drought maps that the National Weather Service reports, and how the Midwest and Southwest have been in extreme or severe drought situations for the last two to three summers. The rains in August and the monsoon season in the Southwest have helped a lot, but the situation hasn’t been remedied [...]
The 2013 growing season has been interesting to say the least. Variable may be a good summarization of the year. Drought conditions continued to dominate a good portion of the High Plains through the spring and early summer. While central and eastern parts of Kansas and Oklahoma experienced more normal precipitation early in the growing [...]
Spring is in the air, planting season is in progress, but what does Mother Nature have in store? “We are experiencing the worse drought since 1988 (and reminiscent of the 1930’s) in terms of coverage,” states Jeffrey Doran, Senior Business Meteorologist, Planalytics, Inc. Most of that area consists of the Great Plains region and the [...]
The dairy industry has grown rapidly across the High Plains region over the last decade. “Dairy numbers and number of cows have likely peaked in Western Kansas due to the limited supply of water,” states Dwight Koops, Crop Quest President. “Due to water allocations and lower output wells, keeping up with forage demands has proven [...]
