Monday August 07 Crop Progress + Ag News

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending August 6, 2023, there were 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 12% very short, 28% short, 57% adequate, and 3% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 19% very short, 32% short, 47% adequate, and 2% surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn condition rated 4% very poor, 12% poor, 23% fair, 42% good, and 19% excellent. Corn silking was 95%, ahead of 90% last year, and near 94% for the five-year average. Dough was 46%, near 42% last year and 49% average. Dented was 3%, equal to last year, and near 5% average.

Soybean condition rated 6% very poor, 12% poor, 26% fair, 42% good, and 14% excellent. Soybeans blooming was 91%, near 94% last year and 92% average. Setting pods was 68%, near 64% last year, and equal to average.

Winter wheat harvested was 87%, behind 95% last year and 92% average.

Sorghum condition rated 1% very poor, 8% poor, 29% fair, 44% good, and 18% excellent. Sorghum headed was 60%, ahead of 47% last year, but near 64% average. Coloring was 4%, equal to last year, and near 5% average.

Oats harvested was 79%, behind 91% both last year and average.

Dry edible bean condition rated 0% very poor, 3% poor, 37% fair, 52% good, and 8% excellent. Dry edible beans blooming was 72%, equal to last year. Setting pods was 42%, near 46% last year.

Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 4% very poor, 9% poor, 31% fair, 41% good, and 15% excellent.



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION REPORT

Some much needed rainfall across western Iowa resulted in 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending August 6, 2023, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included cutting and baling hay as well as applying pesticides and fungicides. Increased precipitation helped alleviate some crop stress although conditions remain dry.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 18 percent very short, 41 percent short, 40 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 19 percent very short, 47 percent short, 33 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Corn silking hit 97 percent this week. Fifty-eight percent of the corn crop has reached the dough stage or beyond, 3 days ahead of both last year and the 5-year average. Sixteen percent of the corn crop has reached the dent stage, 9 days ahead of last year and 1 week ahead of normal. Corn condition remained steady at 59 percent good to excellent.

Ninety-six percent of soybeans were blooming. Soybeans setting pods reached 75 percent, 5 days ahead of last year and 3 days ahead of the 5-year average. Soybean condition fell 2 percentage points to 53 percent good to excellent.

Oats harvested for grain reached 80 percent.

The State’s second cutting of alfalfa hay reached 97 percent complete, 1 week ahead of last year and 8 days ahead of the average. The State’s third cutting of alfalfa hay reached 51 percent complete, 2 weeks ahead of last year and 12 days ahead of the 5-year average. Hay condition rated 36 percent good to excellent.

Pasture condition rated just 22 percent good to excellent. Livestock producers continued to supplement with hay due to the prolonged dry conditions.



USDA: Corn, Soybean Conditions Rebound 2 Points in Week Ended Aug. 6

Beneficial widespread rains this past weekend and a break from the extreme heat across much of the country helped corn and soybean conditions rebound from the previous week, USDA NASS reported in its weekly Crop Progress report on Monday.

CORN
-- Crop progress: 93% of corn was silking as of Sunday, Aug. 6, 4 percentage points ahead of 89% last year and 2 points ahead of the five-year average of 91%. Corn in the dough stage was pegged at 47%, 5 percentage points ahead of last year and near the five-year average of 46%. An estimated 8% of corn was dented, even with the five-year average.
-- Crop condition: Nationally, corn was rated 57% good to excellent, up 2 percentage points from 55% the previous week but still slightly below 58% a year ago at this time.

SOYBEANS
-- Crop progress: 90% of soybeans were blooming, 2 percentage points ahead of 88% last year and 3 points ahead of the five-year average of 87%. Soybeans setting pods was pegged at 66%, 7 percentage points ahead of last year's 59% and 3 points ahead of the average of 63%.
-- Crop condition: Soybeans were rated 54% good to excellent as of Sunday, up 2 percentage points from 52% last week but still below 59% a year ago at this time.

WINTER WHEAT
-- Harvest progress: Winter wheat harvest slowed last week, moving ahead 7 points to reach 87% completed. This year's harvest now trails the five-year average by just 1 percentage point.

SPRING WHEAT
-- Harvest progress: Spring wheat harvest moved ahead 8 percentage points last week to reach 11% completed as of Sunday. That was 3 percentage points behind the five-year average of 14%.
-- Crop condition: USDA said 41% of the spring wheat crop was rated good to excellent as of Aug. 6, down 1 percentage point from last week's 42%, and below 64% a year ago.

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Nebraska Corn Approves New Strategic Plan

In the winter of 2022, the Nebraska Corn Board (NCB) and Nebraska Corn Growers Association (NeCGA) began joint strategic planning efforts for the Nebraska corn industry to update the strategic plan that was established for 2017 - 2022.

Over several months, the organizations evaluated the realities of the corn industry, anticipated significant issues and trends affecting both domestic and export markets. Together, the boards developed a strategic plan to guide their efforts and optimize resource allocation. In June, both organizations approved the new plan, providing direction for the next five years.

The strategic plan has a shared Nebraska Corn vision and values, and three distinct strategy segments: joint strategies, NCB specific strategies and NeCGA specific strategies.

For more than 50 years, the Nebraska Corn Growers Association has been an independent association focused on engaging corn farmers across the state through education, policy and leadership development. Since 1978, Nebraska's corn checkoff success has helped to grow markets for corn through education, market development, research and promotion.

Nebraska Corn has maintained a strong reputation as a leader among a diverse set of key stakeholders at state, national and international levels, and will continue to focus on enhancing demand, adding value and ensuring sustainability through effective programs and projects.

The two organizations affirmed the Nebraska Corn joint vision of Enhancing Demand. Adding Value. Ensuring Sustainability.

Each organization updated their mission statements.

Nebraska Corn Board: Increasing the value and sustainability of Nebraska corn through promotion, market development and research.

Nebraska Corn Growers Association: Advancing Nebraska corn farmers through leadership, policy and education.

“Together, we are focusing on enhancing the worth of our already valuable organizations,” said Chris Grams, President of NeCGA. “Our new mission statement instills the goals we’re continually trying to maintain and grow in. We are looking to the future of ensuring the corn industry is strong for the next generation.”

Four core strategic priorities have been established to guide the organization's work:
    Increase grassroots producer engagement in education, leadership development, advocacy, policy efforts and local communities.
    Collaborate to grow sustainability and demand for corn in all forms.
    Strengthen the reputation of corn as a trustworthy energy, food and feed ingredient.
    Foster a culture of continuous coaching and professional development within the organizations to enhance skills and support program, career and leadership growth.

“Strategic planning tests our comfortability, ensuring we’re always striving for the next step and not being complacent,” said Jay Reiners, NCB Chairman. “Our four strategic priorities aim to pull us towards continued and new relationships with partners and stakeholders, while upholding the vision of who we are.”

To learn more about Nebraska Corn’s new strategic plan, visit NebraskaCorn.org.



Nebraska Cattlemen Attend NCBA Summer Business Meeting

Recently, Nebraska Cattlemen members and staff attended the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Summer Business Meeting in San Diego. Cattle producers from all over the country came together shape policy to help direct the work of the association.

Cell-Cultured Protein Products? No, thanks.
Nebraska Cattlemen voted in favor of a directive to continue advocacy efforts on transparent inspection and labeling of cell-cultured protein products.

The Board of Directors approved the policy. Members will have the opportunity to vote on the policies approved by the board on the ballot in the September NCBA newsletter.

Nebraska Cattlemen looks forward to communicating our position to Nebraska's Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. as we continue promoting and protecting the beef industry.

Nebraska Cattlemen Leads The Way
Nebraska Cattlemen has leaders in four of NCBA’s seven policy committees and one on the executive committee.
Vice President of NCBA - Buck Wehrbein; Mead
Agriculture and Food Policy Committee Chair – Ken Herz; Lawrence
International Trade Committee Chair – Jaclyn Wilson; Lakeside
Live Cattle Marketing Committee Vice Chair – Mike Drinnin; Clarks
Property Rights and Environmental Management Committee Vice Chair – Barb Cooksley; Anselmo

A number of task forces and work groups are scheduled to meet between now and the annual convention in Orlando in January of 2024. NC members will be engaged in the discussions and are ready to represent Nebraska in Orlando.



Nebraska Introduces LB 820 for Fairer Agricultural Valuation

2023 saw the introduction of LB 820, a significant legislative bill in Nebraska known as the Agricultural Valuation Fairness Act. The act's objective is to streamline the assessment of agricultural and horticultural land across the state, ensuring fairness and uniformity.

LB 820 addresses the issue of non-agricultural factors influencing agricultural land sale prices, aiming to evaluate farmland based on its income-generating potential, agricultural use value. This revenue-neutral valuation is in compliance with the Nebraska Constitution and addresses the disparity between agricultural and horticultural worth.

Under the provisions of LB 820, an Agricultural Land Valuation Committee will be established. This committee's role will be to define agricultural land values using a productivity-based approach, wherein the land's gross income is adjusted for expense ratios to arrive at net income. This net income is then capitalized to calculate the land's assessed value.

The committee also has the responsibility of deciding the capitalization rate to ensure that valuations align with 69-75% of the market value.

The proposed legislation maintains local control by assigning the task of land classification to county assessors. The county assessors' representative will be part of the Agricultural Land Valuation Committee.

The assessors will also have the option to petition the tax commissioner for alternative values if they feel the set values are not proportionate or uniform.

LB 820 proposes a yearly increase cap of 3.5% and a maximum value limit of 75% of the market value for agricultural lands. This ensures a balanced approach to assessment, contributing to fairness and standardization across Nebraska.



Attorney General Hilgers Sues EPA for Failure to Implement Sale of Year-Round E15 Gasoline

Today, Nebraska Attorney General Hilgers joined Iowa in suing the Biden Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) for failing to timely fulfill the request by Iowa and Nebraska Governors to allow the sale of year-round E15 gasoline.

On April 28, 2022, a bipartisan coalition of eight governors asked the EPA to allow the sale of E15 gasoline through the summer. Despite the Clean Air Act requiring the EPA to comply within 90 days, the EPA has remained silent. It has now been over 376 days since the expiration of that 90-day deadline.

The Attorneys General filed the lawsuit to ensure the EPA promulgates regulations that give consumers in their states access to low-emissions E15 during the summer driving season. Allowing year-round sale of E15 will reduce the cost of gasoline for consumers and avoid supply shortages. The move would also benefit Nebraska’s corn farmers, ensuring they have another stable and consistent outlet for their product.  Many states and consumers prefer access to E15 as it produces fewer dangerous emissions and is often sold at a lower price.

“The Biden Administration knows that increasing access to E15 will help consumers obtain some relief from the rising cost of gasoline, provide support for our farmers, and strengthen US energy security during a turbulent time,” said Attorney General Hilgers. “Earlier this year the administration recognized as much when it issued a temporary waiver. There is no reason that waiver shouldn’t be made permanent.”

The suit demonstrates that a respectful approach to federalism empowers the states to act in a manner to best protect their states’ air quality, consistent not only with the Act’s plain text but with the Clean Air Act’s intent.



Iowa and Nebraska Attorneys General File Lawsuit to Hold EPA Accountable on Year-Round E15 Fix

Today Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers filed suit in federal court against the U.S. EPA to protect the rights of their governors under the federal Clean Air Act. The suit seeks to compel the EPA to make a final determination on a request from eight Midwest governors to equalize regulations for E10 and E15 ethanol blends, thereby allowing E15 to be sold year-round.

“The EPA is already over a year late in finalizing the E15 decision,” stated Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Any further delay could jeopardize access to E15 during the 2024 summer. After showing incredible patience and giving the agency every chance to act on their own, it seems it may take a court order to get the EPA to finalize the E15 rule. IRFA members applaud the Iowa and Nebraska attorneys general for defending the rights of their governors, and by extension, the rights of all the Midwest governors who are waiting on EPA to do its job.”

Current federal regulations set different requirements for E10 and E15 during the summer driving season from June 1 to September 15. This has allowed oil refiners to game the system and only supply gasoline suitable to blend E10. The Clean Air Act provided every state governor with the authority to equalize the E10 and E15 regulations. By law, such a request was supposed to be made final by the EPA within 90 days of the request. That deadline passed over a year ago.

In April of 2022, eight Midwest Governors, led by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, exercised their Clean Air Act (CAA) authority to equalize the summer regulations for E10 and E15. Defying the 90-day deadline, EPA waited until March 6, 2023, to propose approval of the request. Even with the public comment period on the draft rule closed for months and no substantive objections raised to the proposal, the EPA has neither finalized the rule, nor laid out a timeline for action.

“There is no excuse for further delay,” stated Shaw. “The law is clear. The air quality science is clear. And it is clear the EPA has missed the statutory deadline by over a year. This is not a complex issue and it’s mindboggling it has taken this long. Midwest consumers and fuel retailers deserve to know that E15 will be a year-round option in 2024. Every day of delay jeopardizes investments that can reduce fuel costs, clean our air, and make us more energy independent.”



U.S. Suppliers Meet with Latin American Buyers at USMEF’s Product Showcase

Red meat buyers from Central and South America and the Caribbean recently met with U.S. suppliers in Cartagena, Colombia, during the 11th edition of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Latin American Product Showcase. With 70 U.S. exporting companies exhibiting at the showcase, 220 importers had the opportunity to meet U.S. suppliers and arrange purchases of a wide range of U.S. red meat products.

“We are a family company in Colombia for 45 years. This show is very important to us, because we can find new suppliers,” said Laura De Bedout with Colombia-based importer Vitamar. “We are looking to have more brands of beef and pork to complete our portfolio for foodservice.”

The value and versatility of underutilized pork, beef and lamb cuts were a focus of the educational activities during the showcase. U.S. industry leaders in attendance also toured a distribution center and several types of retail outlets.

Randy Spronk, a farmer from Edgerton, Minn., who serves as USMEF chair-elect, attended his third Latin American Product Showcase.

“It’s just phenomenal seeing the growth that’s happening in these countries," Spronk said. "It’s great for those that fund USMEF to be able to see what those funds actually do and show the return on their investment.”

Funding for the showcase was provided by USDA’s Market Access Program, the Beef Checkoff Program, Nebraska Beef Council, Texas Beef Council, United Soybean Board, Illinois Soybean Association and Indiana Soybean Alliance.



Membership in National FFA Organization Reaches All-Time High

Agriculture plays a key role in everyday life. As the membership in the National FFA Organization continues to grow, it’s evident that students today understand the important role they can also play in agriculture.

Today, the National FFA Organization has a record-high student membership of 945,988, an increase of 11 percent from last year. In addition, the number of FFA chapters continues to grow — increasing by 168 this year, resulting in 9,163 chapters in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“It’s exciting to see our numbers grow and know we continue to influence the next generation of leaders,” said National FFA CEO Scott Stump. “This generation is making a difference in their communities and agriculture. We’re excited to see the enthusiasm for agricultural education and FFA reflected in our membership.”

The top five membership states of the organization are Texas, California, Georgia, Illinois and North Carolina. This year, the organization has more than 150,000 Latino members, more than 50,000 Black members, more than 9,000 Asian members, more than 14,000 American Indian and Alaska Native members, and more than 2,400 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander members. More than 43% of the membership is female, and 49.8% is male, with .6% reporting as nonbinary and 6.4% undisclosed.



USDA to Begin Issuing Cost-Share Payments for the Emergency Grain Storage Facility Assistance Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is beginning to issue cost-share assistance payments through the Emergency Grain Storage Facility Assistance Program (EGSFP) for approved and funded applications that have met the requirements for partial or final payment. FSA first announced $20 million for this program in March to help producers affected by eligible disaster events from Dec. 1, 2021, through Aug. 1, 2022, that damaged or destroyed large commercial grain elevators in eight Midwest states. Due to the high volume of program applications received, FSA has amended the original Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) to increase the initial funding amount for EGSFP to $80 million in cost-share assistance.  

The unprecedented outbreak of tornadoes and derechos impacted numerous counties in Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Tennessee. Significant damage or destruction to local, commercial elevators left many grain producers with limited storage capacity for harvested commodities and with no or limited marketing options. This support is being made available under the Commodity Credit Corporation, which allows USDA to act quickly to help agricultural producers navigate significant and unpredictable challenges.

 “The applications that FSA has received for this assistance under our original funding announcement far exceed the limited funding available for the program,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Given the critical need for assistance across the countryside, the now $80 million allocation will be used to fund additional eligible applications that have already been received.”

Even with the $80 million in support for EGSFP– quadruple the original funding allocation – this program will not be able to meet the needs of many producers who are still experiencing storage deficits due to these disaster events. For this reason, FSA has secured an additional $40 million in reallocated CCC funds to provide much-needed help to producers and is exploring options outside of EGSFP to do so. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.

To be eligible for EGSFP, producers must have both:
    Eligible grain production.   
    Demonstrated a need for additional on-farm grain storage in an affected county impacted by an eligible disaster.    

Approved EGSFP applicants who meet the requirements for payment will receive cost-share assistance for the construction of new or renovated grain storage capacity and equipment required to meet drying and handling needs to support the orderly marketing of commodities in counties affected by these disaster events. FSA will not be able to approve and fund all eligible applications that have already been received by FSA even with the increase in initial funding.  Therefore, the original application deadline has been modified to Aug. 7, 2023. For additional information on eligibility and payments, please refer to the initial NOFA for EGSFP that was published in the Federal Register on March 16, 2023.    

EGSFP Payment Calculation    
For applications that have been approved and funded, FSA is using the producer’s self-certified cost of additional on-farm grain storage capacity or drying and handling equipment multiplied by the producer’s share of grain to determine the program payment amount.       

This amount is multiplied by the cost share rate of 75% or 90%. An eligible producer who certifies that they are socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning and veteran farmer or rancher by filing form CCC-860 Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification with FSA will receive the higher 90% cost share rate.      

Assistance for Producers Not Funded Through EGSFP    
Producers in the geographic impact area who applied for EGSFP and do not receive funding through EGSFP will be contacted by FSA.   

In the meantime, for producers who may be interested, FSA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL) can provide low-interest financing for eligible producers who may not qualify for EGSFP but need on-farm storage capacity. FSA is also currently reviewing FSFL policies to determine whether certain flexibilities can be made, or waivers granted, to further reduce FSFL financial obligations for producers in need of immediate grain storage.   

FSA will announce planned additional assistance in the coming weeks.  



Tyson Foods to close 4 more chicken plants as losses mount

The nation’s largest meat company is working to cut costs as it faces strong market headwinds.  Tyson’s announcement would bring the number of total plant closures this year to six.

The meat company has already been trying to cut costs over the past several months. It closed its Midwest corporate offices and shared plans in October to consolidate and move employees to its Springdale, Arkansas, headquarters. The company also sent a memo to employees in April that it would eliminate 15% of its senior leadership roles and 10% of its corporate roles, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The four affected chicken plants are located in North Little Rock, Arkansas; Corydon, Indiana; Dexter, Missouri; and Noel, Missouri. King said the company is becoming more productive with automation and worker engagement to offset capacity losses, but these types of decisions are “never easy for anyone.”

Sales came in at $13.1 billion for the quarter, down 3% from last year. Adjusted operating income was $179 million compared to $998 million a year ago, driven by sizable pork and chicken losses and partially offset by positive prepared foods results.

Consumers are dealing with inflationary pressures and increased everyday costs, slowing demand for Tyson’s products as it deals with tighter supply and production constraints. Meanwhile, higher feed and labor costs are challenging meat producers across the board.

A spring fire temporarily shuttered a Tyson pork plant in Madison, Nebraska, leading to additional setbacks and diversion costs.

Looking forward, King said the company has been through many cycles and challenges, and it always comes out “better, stronger and faster than before.”



Insult to Injury: Spider Mites Thrive During Droughts

Once fields experience drought-like conditions, a door is opened for a number of pests and diseases. One such pest, the two-spotted spider mite, thrives during extended periods of drought with accelerated spider mite movement and reproduction.

Two-spotted spider mites damage crops by piercing plant leaves and feeding on the plant juices. Mites are almost impossible to see with the naked eye, but the result of their feeding is visible to farmers.

“Yellowing or speckling on soybean leaves is a good indicator of spider mites,” said Scott Gard, Pioneer Field Agronomist. “The mites remove moisture and nutrients from the plants, resulting in the yellowing color growers can see.”

To confirm the presence of spider mites, growers can utilize a hand lens or conduct a paper test.

Shaking a few soybean leaves onto a white piece of paper should show tiny orange- to yellow-colored mites slowly moving on the paper.

There is limited information regarding potential economic threshold for two-spotted spider mite infestations in soybeans, which makes treatment decisions challenging. Some extension sources suggest treating spider mites if 20% to 50% of the leaves are discolored before pod set. After pod set has begun, that threshold drops to 10% to 15%.

If hot and dry weather persists, spider mite populations will rise. Detecting outbreaks early allows for effective early treatments and control.

Chemical control of spider mites is challenging. While some pyrethroid products may suppress spider mite activity, nearly all synthetic pyrethroid products also have a detrimental effect on spider mite predators.

For optimal population control, growers should use high pressure and a high volume of carrier to achieve thorough coverage and penetration of the crop canopy. Treated fields need to be re-scouted five to 10 days following application. A second application might be necessary to pick up any newly hatched spider mites.

Conditions can change quickly depending on environmental conditions. Heavy rainfall or changes in temperature, humidity or crop conditions may warrant a re-evaluation of mite populations before treatments are made.



Early Season Issues Could Have End-of-Season Implications

While recent rains have eased some of the drought stress for farmers in southern Iowa, AgriGold Agronomist Emily Prevo warns they are not out of the woods yet. Nutrient deficiencies – of potassium (K), in particular – along with root constriction could cause problems for those farmers this fall.  

Drought and soil compaction fuel potassium deficiency
“Roots have a harder time pulling up potassium when soils are dry,” Prevo explains, noting that her area was gripped by drought during the V6 to silking period of peak potassium usage. While farmers may have had enough potassium in the soil, it wasn’t accessible to the plant.  

“Tomahawked” or “hatchet” roots added to the problem. A three-week cooldown after planting during which some areas received no rain and others received too much rain caused soil crusting, sidewall compaction and a tight soil profile. The resulting root constriction compounded nutrient constriction.

“The role of potassium in the plant is to open and close the millions of pore-like structures in the leaves known as stomata that let water in and out, helping with energy production and moving water and protein through that plant,” Prevo explains. “But when potassium availability is restricted, those stomata don’t work as efficiently.”  

Unfortunately, remedies for dryness-related potassium deficiencies are limited. “I would love to say there is an easy fix or solid rescue strategy, but a good rain is about your best bet,” Prevo says. In normal years, farmers should make sure to have enough potassium upfront, she adds.  

“Field GX™ Family F products appeared to handle these environments well versus other genetic families thanks to its fibrous root system,” says AgriGold Agronomist Kevin Gale. “These roots typically are more prolific and can access additional nutrients in stressful environments.”

AgriGold agronomists classify their hybrids into families based on agronomic traits. This approach helps farmers understand performance outcomes and the best management strategies for each product.

K deficiencies tend to coincide with other issues
It’s often said when you have a potassium deficiency, nitrogen deficiency will also show up, according to Prevo. That held true in her area of southern Iowa this season.  

Stalk viability is another concern for Prevo. “As we entered key points of the growing season, we already had compromised root systems, and with the added drought stress stalk strength declines,” she points out. “A wind event, wet weather or lodging could threaten yields this fall.”  

With that in mind, she says, “This is not the season to sit back and wait for perfect harvest conditions. Prioritize fields and be ready to roll.”

Detecting a nutrient deficiency
“I encourage farmers to get in the fields and dig roots to assess root structure,” Prevo says. Telltale signs of potassium deficiency include yellowing or necrosis that starts with the tips of the lower leaves and slowly works its way along the outer edge of the leaf toward the base. That contrasts with nitrogen deficiency, which causes an inverted V down the middle of the plant.  

Testing can also help farmers detect nutrient deficiencies so they can adjust for seasons to come. For potassium, a soil test can indicate whether the deficiency stems from dryness or the soil fertility level itself, Prevo says, emphasizing the importance of testing on a consistent basis.  

“Tissue sampling is another option and is one of the best ways of seeing what is actually getting pulled up into the plant versus what’s in the soil,” Prevo continues. The AgriGold process takes six tissue samples at precise points in the growing season based on growing degree units, giving agronomists and farmers a season-long take rather than a single moment in time. They can use that to remedy dips, imbalances and shortfalls in nutrient management.