Fall is a Good Time to Build

It’s easy to get to harvest and stop thinking about improving yields. You can surmise that “they are what they are” at this point, but while that may be true for this year’s crop, next year’s crop is already beckoning for your attention.
 
Fall is a great time to focus on the building blocks of good yields:

• soil tests,
• fertilizer application,
• lime application,
• disease and insect management, and
• hybrid/variety choices.

 
Each building block requires careful thought. “You can’t change soil dynamics and nutrient levels quickly,” said Kevin Carlson, Federated’s agronomy sales manager.
 

• Soil degradation is slow; significant soil improvement is also slow. Soil tests are critical.
• Non-mobile nutrients, such as potassium and phosphorous, should be maintained annually for the best ROI. Applying lime in the fall is essential because there’s not enough time in the spring. “When it’s time to plant, you need to plant,” said Carlson.
  • Carlson noted that “lime makes everything work better, including nutrient availability.” Lime is a “fundamental building block” because you can’t overcome a pH level that is out of range. “There is no agronomic formula around that,” he said. This chart and graph outline nutrient availability.  

• Knowing what diseases and insects affected this year’s crop (by scouting now) makes it possible to determine how to mitigate their effects in next year’s crops.
• Seed choices need to be based on crop genetics and your unique crop management practices.

 
Talk to your Federated Agronomists about the agronomic building blocks in your fall plans. “Spring is a difficult time to do it all,” said Carlson, so start building now.