News from Your Federated Agronomists | June 11, 2019

Scouting Soybeans for Better Fungicide Timing  It may not feel like it should be here yet, but the longest day of the year is fast approaching (June 21) and the coinciding short night triggers indeterminate soybeans to flower. Why does that matter? Because, said John Swanson, Federated agronomist at the Ogilvie location, “shortly after this we must start scouting for flowers” to be able to effectively fight white mold. Fungicides should be applied earlier than most other plant health products .. . Read more.

Tissue Sampling Gets to the Heart of Crop Health “Tissue sampling is a snapshot in time on how your crops are performing,” said Mike Slater, Federated ag sales rep at the Isanti location. “They can tell you how well your crop is doing, or what the plant is deficient in, and give you a better idea on what you need to adjust,” he added. All crops grown in the Federated area can be tested ... Read more. Image source: https://www.spectrumanalytic.com/services/analysis/plantguide.pdf

Prevent Plant? Know Cover Crop Options The UMN Extension Service recently posted good information on what growers need to do and consider for prevent plant acres, according to Kevin Carlson, Federated's agronomy sales manager. "On acres where 'prevent plant' is claimed for insurance, the USDA-Risk Management Agency (RMA) requires protection from erosion and control of noxious weeds" ... Read the article.

Proven Herbicides Fight the Tough, Resistant Weeds Federated recommends two proven herbicides in the fight against resistant waterhemp and giant ragweed: Flexstar® (from Syngenta), and Battlestar® (its generic equivalent). “The reason we use these products is because they do very well managing glyphosate- and ALS-resistant weeds like waterhemp and giant ragweed,” said Bob Marquette, Federated Agronomist at the Albertville location.  On the heels of planned pre-emerge weed control, either of these two post-emerge products can be used by themselves for conventional soybeans or mixed with glyphosate on Roundup Ready® beans. “That’s kinda’ the beauty of the thing" ... Read more.

Maximize Nutrients to Improve Yield In a season racked with weather issues, maximizing yield with strong nutrient applications is vital.  “VersaMax™AC is a blend of macro and micronutrients that can be applied as a foliar feed to help maximize yield on your farm,” said Kevin Johnson, Federated ag sales rep at the Osceola location. VersaMax AC helps “spoon feed your crop,” which will help overcome deficiencies. As a supplement to a standard fertility program (not as a stand-alone product) . .. Read more.

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