Wheat harvest will wrap up shortly across the High Plains. It was an interesting year. A dry fall and winter was followed by an unusually wet spring. Late freeze and snow events added to the roller coaster that is growing wheat! As you prepare for sowing wheat again this fall, it is time to look [...]
Alfalfa production in Southwest Kansas is a profitable crop. Initial seed costs are comparable with corn, but when amortized out for a five to seven year stand, costs are around $20 per acre per year. Furthermore, since alfalfa is a legume crop, nitrogen fertilizer is not required for production, assuming seed was inoculated and nodules [...]
Most farmers understand the importance of nitrogen fertilizers in relation to yield, but many do not fully realize the importance of phosphorus fertilizers in maximizing yields and improving fertilizer uptake efficiencies. Phosphorus fertilizers are the second most important fertilizers for many crops throughout the High Plains. Unlike nitrogen which is a mobile nutrient, phosphate ions [...]
With the recent dry summers in the Southern Plains, interest in moisture conserving alternative crops has increased. One new forage that has shown great potential in North Central Oklahoma is teff grass. Teff is a summer annual forage native to Ethiopia that is very broadly adapted. It can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, [...]
Applying a pop-up or starter fertilizer at planting has become commonplace. Here are just a few things to keep in mind as you prepare your planter this spring. By definition, pop-up refers to fertilizer put in direct contact with the seed, and a starter fertilizer is typically placed a couple inches away from the seed [...]
Phosphorus is a vital nutrient for wheat and other small grain production. In many ways it is even more important than nitrogen. We always think of nitrogen as the nutrient that allows plants to grow vigorously, and get the crop off to a good start, but without proper phosphorus levels, adequate or excess nitrogen will [...]
The cost of commercial fertilizer is a significant expense each year for crop production. But fertilizer has always been an input with a positive return on investment when applied at proper rates, and when replacing nutrients that are deficient in soils. One fertilizer source that is usually in great demand where available is manure. Beef [...]
Next to nitrogen, phosphorus is the most important nutrient needed by a wheat crop. Phosphorus (P) is vital for plant development starting when wheat is just a seedling and continuing all the way to maturity. Besides playing a role in the quality and formation of seeds, this nutrient helps ensure uniform heading, faster maturity and [...]
As wheat harvest is wrapping up over a good portion of the country, “it’s not too early to start thinking about your wheat seed needs for this fall,” states Dwight Koops, Crop Quest President. In some areas there may be shortages of seed wheat due to adverse growing conditions this past season over the High [...]
“Yes is does!” exclaims Farrell Allison, Crop Quest Agronomist in the Dodge City, KS Division. “At times, Precision Agriculture information and technology can be overwhelming but once all the pieces are together, it does pay,” he states. Allison consults on approximately 40 fields that are using some type of Precision Agriculture (PA) system. The most [...]
