Fall Comes Early for Alfalfa Seeding
“Fall seeding of alfalfa and grasses can be a good option,” said Craig Loen, Federated agronomist at the Osceola location, because there is less weed and insect pressure in August.
In spite of the possibility of late summer/early fall being dry, Federated Agronomists recommend seeding, especially alfalfa, in early- to mid-August to give the plants time to establish roots and crowns and build up nutrient reserves in the roots to better survive the winter and produce a viable stand for the long haul (three to five years).
“A current soil test is necessary to determine pH and nutrient availability in your soil profile,” said Loen. “As always,” he added, “fertility is key to establishment of an optimal stand of alfalfa and/or grasses.” (See article below.)
For alfalfa seeding, soil preparation is critical. Alfalfa seed is small and needs to be placed approx. ¼-inch from the top of the soil to get proper soil-to-seed contact. The seed bed should be a firm as possible. “A Brillion-style packer is preferable. You should be able to bounce a basketball on your field,” said Loen.
“Alfalfa / grass hay can be a high value crop,” said Loen, noting that the best way to maximize ROI in a cash crop market or livestock operation is to make sure all the inputs are correct. “Remember that you are seeding a crop that has a three- to five-year life expectancy, so you need to do it correctly. In these tighter economic times, we need to try to maximize our longevity of these crops.”
Federated Co-ops has a great selection of alfalfa varieties and grass seed options, in addition to pre-mixed grasses that may or may not include alfalfa. Your
Federated Agronomist
will help you choose the best option for your farm.
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Soil Test to Know Alfalfa Fertilizer Needs
“I know I sound like a broken record because I say it’s always best to start with a current soil test,” said Tim Stelter, location manager at Federated’s Osceola location, but it’s true. A current soil test and knowing what crop removal took from the soil are the two critical pieces of information necessary for making fertilizer recommendations.
Alfalfa removes large amounts of both potassium and phosphorus from the soil. Soil pH and phosphorus are both critical factors when getting a new alfalfa stand established (see article above). Soil tests are the only sure way to know what fertilizer the next crop needs.
“Manure, if available,” said Stelter, “is an excellent source of sulfur and phosphorus,” adding that it can “make anyone appear to be an above average farmer!” But when manure isn’t available, commercial fertilizer supplies the needed nutrients.
The best time to fertilize alfalfa is after the first and last cuttings, “and don’t forget that even grassy hay fields require proper fertilization,” said Stelter. Boron and nitrogen are mobile in the soil, so apply boron to alfalfa early in the year; in the case of grassy hay, apply nitrogen early in the year. Having the phosphorus and potassium levels well balanced is important for both crops to help improve yields and stand longevity.
Stelter said Federated has offered blendable Gypsoil® for the last couple seasons. “The term 'no-brainer' comes to mind when discussing Gypsoil and alfalfa fertility. The sulfur in Gypsoil is a longer, slower release formulation than other forms of fertilizer and alfalfa loves the calcium in it.”
Gypsoil is also pH neutral, which means it doesn’t lower the pH as other fertilizers can. Elemental sulfur is another good option for slow-release sulfur, and it is well suited for fall application.
Talk to your
Federated Agronomist
about Gypsoil or other fertilizer options for your alfalfa or grassy hay fields this fall.
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F
ederated Focus: A Person, A Service
Rapid Growth Doesn’t Sidestep Customer Service
Managing people and working with customers rank as the best parts of Brian DeVries job, and as Federated’s Ogilvie location manager since 2014, he has been committed to “making sure the service that [customers] need happens.”
DeVries served as Federated’s fuel division manager for 11 years before taking the helm as Ogilvie’s location manager. In both roles, his focus has been on the customer. “Growers appreciate my commitment to making sure they are successful,” said DeVries.
Growing up on a farm just 10 miles south of Ogilvie, DeVries has a good feel for the farming environment and economy of the area. And even though he didn’t use his ag management degree right out of the gate – he worked in the car repair industry for about 15 years – his managerial skills have led him to this point in his career.
The Ogilvie location has seen dramatic expansions in the past four to five years, basically doubling its size in capacity for fertilizer, seed treatment, and warehousing. Customer needs have remained the priority, even during the fast expansion. “This location has had a lot of investments put into it . . . our base has grown, growers have gotten bigger,” he said.
The challenges of rapid growth motivate DeVries: “I kind of thrive on the challenge of making things work. I’m like the quarterback when things start in the morning. I have the ability to sit back and look and see what’s best for our customers and for us. I can be calm in a storm,” he said.
Ogilvie has a large stock of equipment to schedule and inventory to move; there is a lot of activity on any given day – especially in the spring. “There is a lot more to manage in a short period of time [in the spring],” said DeVries.
Spring 2018 was a great example: “It was a very condensed spring planting season, a lot of things happened in about two weeks. We did a good job of meeting that demand; things went smoothly,” he said, adding, “Our help is very good.”
As the 2018 growing season moves closer to harvest, DeVries said, “We are starting to meet with growers about next year’s plans, and it’s a tough one to deal with as the growers look at their profit and loss statements with today’s commodity prices. Growers are struggling . . .”
The one thing growers can count on is that DeVries and his team will walk with them through the struggles. This father of three, and grandfather to three (plus one more in Nov.), won’t settle for anything less than full service to
Federated’s
customers.
And if the stress of the job gets to him, he’ll go spend a little time with his small herd of Angus breeding cattle. “They are my therapy,” he said with a chuckle.
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