Yellow airplanes were buzzing over Iowa cornfields like bumblebees over zinnias during my drive to Iowa last week. There was a time when Midwest farmers would grind their teeth at the sight of these crop dusters. It usually meant a neighbor was treating a pest problem with a costly, unplanned aerial application. And that pest problem was heading their way. My how times have changed.
Nowadays, foliar fungicide applications are SOP for many corn and soybean growers. A retailer in Iowa told me two-thirds of his customers make planned fungicide applications. Regardless of there being visible signs of fungal pressure, fungicides are seen as providing crop health benefits that lead to a yield bump. Seed company research shows a 7-bushel increase for corn and 3 bushels for soybeans. The best bang for your buck comes when fungicides are applied during pollination in corn and pod development in soybeans. The idea is to mitigate any potential stress factors. And for good measure, many savvy growers maximize the flight by adding foliar fertilizer and growth managers to the tank. I’ve long believed that foliar fungicide applications can be the easiest money a farmer makes. That’s why I applied Huma Gro® Proud 3® and Crop Gard® to my R1 corn and spiked it with Breakout® and foliar fertilizers. Huma offers a variety of natural foliar fungicides that provide a yield bump while lowering CI scores.
My corn is at the R3 stage. Lots of the ears are producing 18 rows (rounds). The tips are not filled out, which is likely due to high heat during pollination. And I have not irrigated (nor will I this season). But I’m still counting many rows with 38 kernels. The ear shown below is fairly representative of what I’ve seen scouting. You’ll find bigger and smaller ears, but this is typical. Now it’s about adding weight to those kernels.
We know regenerative agriculture is good for the soil, good for the environment, and good for crops. But studies suggest that regen ag may be just as good for our diets. Scientists at Unilever found that practices which increase soil organic matter also increased the zinc content of rice, while tomatoes grown under deficit irrigation produce greater levels of vitamin C. Yet it’s not just cultural practices that lead to greater nutritional content. While limited in scope, studies are suggesting that adding natural biostimulants like humic acid to the soil can increase iron and zinc levels in wheat.
I often wonder why do companies care more about the opinions of people who will never buy their products than those who do? Well, at Huma, our purpose is to “enhance the quality of life by empowering others with sustainable humic substances.” This certainly helps us identify and support like-minded partners and customers. It also helps steer us toward movements such as soil health and regenerative agriculture.
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This Week in Ag #6
Tomorrow is National Ag Day! Just like Huma, Inc., National Ag Day is enjoying its golden anniversary. The day is dedicated to celebrating and raising awareness for how our food, fiber (and energy) is produced. This year’s theme is “Growing a Climate for Tomorrow.” Agriculture is the USA’s largest employer, responsible for 23 million jobs –
JoVE Video Journal Publication: Quantification of Humic and Fulvic Acids
Dr. Richard T. Lamar and Dr. Hiarhi Monda of our Humic Research Laboratory, with assistance from analytical chemist Ryan Fountain, have published a methodology video in the biochemistry section of the peer-reviewed online video journal, JoVE. The video, Quantification of Humic and Fulvic Acids in Humate Ores, DOC, Humified Materials and Humic Substance-Containing Commercial Products,
How Deep Should You Plant?
This time every year, hemming and hawing would rage on at the Nichols Farm. Dad and Uncle Gary would not only agonize over when to plant, but how deep to drop the seeds. From “It’s been awfully dry, we better wait for a rain” to “It still feels a little wet, maybe we should run the field cultivator over it again” (gulp) to my annual favorite: “But If we get a beatin’ rain, those tops will turn into a layer of concrete.” Prompting, “Then we’ll have to rotary hoe.” Ah yes, the rotary hoe. A toolbar affixed with several blades resembling weapons thrown by Ninjas: rotating steel wheels featuring curved teeth. It’s used to break up crusted soils (and in some cases to incorporate herbicide) formed by those beatin’ rains.
