Carl Joern

Most overlooked aspect of soil tests in NE IA.... IMHO it is soil pH. I see way too many acres that have grid sampling done & no action taken on correcting soil pH. Technical definition: -log (H+). Which means the more hydrogen ions you have the lower your pH goes. Generally for soils in NE IA if more than 10% of your CEC is occupied by H+ you likely need to take corrective measures to adjust pH. pH drives soil biological activity and thus nutrient availability. When I see pH levels in the mid 5's and even in the 4's we know there is significant yield loss. Our studies show soil pH should be 6.3 to 6.7 in row crops to optimize yield. Two columns on most soil test results. Soil pH and buffer pH. Soil pH tells you yes or no you need to correct. Buffer pH indicates amount of product like lime you need. Once corrected & soil is in balance you can often times go a lengthy period without additional applications. Be sure to be checking out your soil tests during this rain delay!! Contact your local Pioneer sales rep with questions.

Agronomy Lessons from 2025 Excessively Dry Soybeans at Harvest has cost growers serious $$ past few seasons. Getting soybeans out of the field near 13% has been a real struggle the past few seasons. Earlier planting has often increased yield potential, unfortunately sometimes the beans are maturing in early to mid September w/warmer days that lowers moisture quickly. Green stems have also hindered the ability to harvest when grain moisture is optimal.. Spreading maturity out more has helped... but not a solve all. Hoping to try some seeding rate & fungicide trials this season to try to find a solution. Will take any thoughts..

Agronomy Lessons from 2025 Residue in the seed trench causes frequent delayed emergence and thus runt plants with small or no ear. In evaluating stands over the years I have found it accounts for 40-60% of runt plants. In tillage systems it is nearly impossible to avoid. The more residue that can be left on the surface and moved to the side with planter attachments the better. Of course this can cause cooler & wetter soils. Residue free seed trench IMHO is maybe the largest benefit of strip tillage... right up there with banding nutrients.

Agronomy Lessons from 2025 Horizontal tillage in the spring can create serious density layers. A leaf blower can expose what may look like a great job of tillage on the surface, & very uneven tillage floor. Shallow tillage tools like high speed discs & vertical tillage units can create very uneven tillage floors. Recommend last tillage pass is in the same direction as planting pass so row units do not have to ride over the density layers, creating uneven planting depths and poor ride quality. Resulting in uneven emergence. Be sure to check out your tillage floor this spring! Photos from Ben Covington with ISU Ag & Biosystems Engineering Department.

Agronomy Lessons from 2025 Manure continues to perform as the "ultimate" fertilizer source. Results from the stalk nitrate project in the geography I cover revealed fields that had manure as their main nitrogen source performed exceptionally well. Supplemental N of 40-60# generally maximizes return to N investment. Essential to have applications after soil temps get below 50 degrees (ideally 45) and complete incorporation. Manure value chart I worked thru w/customer yesterday shows value of their manure was $100+/1000 gallons, without giving any credit to micro nutrients and biology enhancements. Working with neighbors on "buying" manure like commercial fertilizer likely has major benefits for both parties. Contact your local Pioneer Sales Representative to help calculate your manure value!

Agronomy Lessons from 2025 Too much of a good thing? With livestock operations being highly concentrated in some areas, repeated manure applications can result in too much of a good thing. Items to watch are: 1) Phosphorous levels 2) %NA in your base saturation and excess salts on your soil tests. 3) P/Zn ratio 4) High early N availability resulting large amounts of vegetative growth 5) Phosphorous risk for movement into surface waters. Visit with your local Pioneer sales rep to review manure plans & cost/benefit of transporting manure to other farms.

Agronomy Lessons from 2025 Cold soils in spring are often times not as "fit" as they appear. A couple very warm windy days makes the top 1" very dry, however the cold soil below has not dried out enough for field operations. Famous saying of "the dust was rolling" without inspection 2-6" down caused many issues again this spring. NH3 burn was extremely common on very early applications and a lot of poor seed furrows/crusting/sidewall compaction on mid April plant dates. Be sure to get out and dig!