Superstars

of Extension
these innovators
are making a difference
in agricultural Extension p.28

For families who make farming and ranching their business® | November 2017 | Vol. 115 | No. 13 | Agriculture.com
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Vol. 115 | No. 13

o t n s
NOVEMBER 2017 Successful Farming magazine serves the diverse business, production, and family information needs of families who make farming
and ranching their business. Our passion is to help you make money, save time, and grow your satisfaction in the farming business.
1 CONTENTS
2 ACROSS THE
3 EDITOR’S DESK®
4 COVER STORY:
5
6 AGRICULTURE.COM EXCEPTIONAL
7 EXTENSION P. 28
8 GLEANINGS Meet 10 superstar
9
10 Q&A: MICHAEL O’GORMAN
specialists who are
11 making a difference
12 FIRST CUT in ag Extension.
13
14 MANAGING YOUR FARM
15
16 CONNECTING YOUR FARM
17
18 YOUR PROFIT
19
20
21
22 MACHINERY INSIDER™
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
COVER STORY:
EXCEPTIONAL ALL AROUND
30
31
EXTENSION THE FARM P. 75
32
Burn weeds
33
at a safe distance
34
BIG CUTS IN by using controls
in the cab.
SAFETY NET? P. 38
35
36
37 Farm groups fear cuts
38 BIG CUTS IN SAFETY NET? to crop insurance, dairy,
39
40
and cotton supports in
41 the construction of the
42 BUYERS’ GUIDE: 2018 farm bill.
43 GET YOUR GEEK ON
44
45 AGRONOMY INSIDER:
46 SOYBEANS WITH BENEFITS
47
48 ACRE INSIGHT:
49 CONSIDERATIONS FOR
50 RESIDUE MANAGEMENT
51
52 BEEF INSIDER: BULL MAGIC
53
54 BEEF INSIDER: ROUNDUP
55
56 BEEF INSIDER: PRODUCTS
57 BEEF INSIDER: HEALTH
58 FIGHTER TO FARMER: RISING
59 TO THE CHALLENGE
60
61
62 FAMILY
63
64
65
66
67 CAN THEIR PROBLEM BE
68 SOLVED?
69
70
71
72 Q&A: MICHAEL
73
74
O’GORMAN
75 ALL AROUND P. 10 Meet the
76 THE FARM® man mobilizing
77 veterans to feed
78 America.

November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 1

ACROSS THE SUCCESSFUL FARMING ®

®
EDITORIAL
e d i t o r’ s DESK Successful Farming Magazine, 1716 Locust Street/LS257,
Des Moines, IA 50309-3023 | Email: adminsf@meredith.com

EDITORIAL CONTENT DIRECTOR Dave Kurns

CAN YOU SPARE TWO ART & PRODUCTION

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Matt Strelecki

HOURS A MONTH?
COPY & PRODUCTION MANAGER Janis Gandy
MACHINERY & TECHNOLOGY
THAT’S ALL EXECUTIVE EDITOR Dave Mowitz
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Laurie Bedord
IT TAKES TO SHARE YOUR FARM’S STORY. CROPS

“B
uddy, can you spare a dime?” Remember that old saying
that originated in a Depression-era song?
Despite rough times in today’s low-price environ-
ment, as a farmer, you find a way to get by. You always
have; you always will.
One key way you will endure is through technology.
At a recent agricultural entrepreneurship session at
Iowa State University, I sat in on a speech titled, “Are
CROPS TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Gil Gullickson
AGRONOMY & CONSERVATION EDITOR Kacey Birchmier
BUSINESS, MARKETING, & RISK MANAGEMENT
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Betsy Freese
MARKETING EDITOR Mike McGinnis
CONTENT EDITOR Paula Barbour
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Jodi Henke
FAMILY & FARMSTEAD EDITOR Lisa Foust Prater
VIDEO
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Jason Meeker
PRODUCER, MULTIMEDIA & CUSTOM SOLUTIONS David Ekstrom
DIGITAL
DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Jessie Scott
INTERACTIVE SERVICES EDITOR Christine Steinhauser

We Ready? The Frontiers of Ag Opportunity,” affili-
ated with the ag tech accelerator there. Jay Lehr, who
has more than five decades of experience as a futurist
Jay Lehr
and an ag economist, created a twist on the old saying,
in essence, asking, “Can you spare two hours?”
“The American farm is in very good hands,” Lehr said, citing the high
regard that consumers have for farmers. “The public does have great re-
spect for farmers. . . .Farmers rank very high in the esteem of the public,”
he said. The understanding of the farm, however, not so much.
Lehr’s advice? Get out and tell your story. Despite the positive trust
people have in farmers, there is still a chasm of misunderstanding about
what farming is all about.
You can spend two hours a month talking about agriculture wher-
EDITORIAL OFFICE COORDINATOR Debbie Evans
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Gene Johnston, Al Kluis, Dan Looker,
Cheryl Tevis, John Walter
PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATION / ADVERTISING SALES
DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING Sarah Miller
NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Eric Marzen
NATIONAL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Heather Gieseke, Tyler Smith
REGIONAL ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Brian Keane, Collin Coughlon
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Courtney Yuskis
CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER Katie Eggers
DIGITAL CAMPAIGN SPECIALIST Alyssa Dixon
CUSTOMER INSIGHTS ANALYST Lucy Hermann
SALES SUPPORT & MARKETING MANAGER Zach Quick
MANAGER OF AFFILIATES Karl Michael
SALES ASSISTANTS Diana Weesner, Alyssa Richardson
MEREDITH AGRIMEDIA CUSTOM STUDIO
EXECUTIVE ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Doug Stark
CONTENT DIRECTOR Justin Davey

ever you live, according to Lehr. Write a column or letter to the editor CONSUMER MARKETING MANAGER Rachel Black
BUSINESS MANAGER Darren Tollefson
for the local newspaper, call the local radio station and tell a reporter SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER Jim Nelson
what farming is about. It will help relate what you do, how you do it, DIGITAL IMAGING SPECIALIST Steve Lause
DIRECTOR OF QUALITY Joseph Kohler
and why you do it so well.
Lehr claims that a key reason to share your story is to combat mis- VICE PRESIDENT AND GROUP PUBLISHER Scott Mortimer
information. The biggest mistake is thinking that other people don’t
care about what you do. MEREDITH NATIONAL MEDIA GROUP
President JON WERTHER

the value of social media President and General Manager of Meredith Magazines DOUG OLSON

Y
ou could try using social media. Our story on p. 16, “Making the
World Smaller,” by Jessie Scott, highlights how two farmers use
Instagram in innovative ways to connect with friends, fellow farmers,
President of Meredith Digital STAN PAVLOVSKY
President of Consumer Products THOMAS WITSCHI
Chief Revenue Officer MICHAEL BROWNSTEIN
Chief Marketing Officer NANCY WEBER
Chief Data and Insights Officer ALYSIA BORSA

landlords, and consumers. SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTS

Consumer Revenue ANDY WILSON Digital Sales MARC ROTHSCHILD
Why would you use social media? Phil Pitzenberger, a Greene, Research Solutions BRITTA CLEVELAND Digital Video MELINDA LEE
Chief Digital Officer MATT MINOFF
Iowa, farmer, has a following of 9,000 people on Instagram. “I’ve
VICE PRESIDENTS
reached some people on a level that shows what we’re doing out here,” Finance CHRIS SUSIL Business Planning & Analysis ROB SILVERSTONE
Pitzenberger says. “We are a family, but we’re also a large operation. Content Licensing LARRY SOMMERS
Digital Sales MARLA NEWMAN
Corporate Sales BRIAN KIGHTLINGER
Direct Media PATTI FOLLO
We enjoy what we do and are doing the best we can to be stewards.” Brand Licensing ELISE CONTARSY Human Resources DINA NATHANSON
Strategic Sourcing, Newsstand, Production Consumer Marketing STEVE CROWE
Here’s to a successful November! CHUCK HOWELL

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer STEPHEN M. LACY

President and Chief Operating Officer TOM HARTY
President, Meredith Local Media Group PAUL KARPOWICZ
Chief Financial Officer JOSEPH CERYANEC
Chief Development Officer JOHN ZIESER

Vice Chairman MELL MEREDITH FRAZIER

FOR SUBSCRIPTION HELP: Visit Agriculture.com/myaccount;

Dave Kurns email sfgcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com; or call 800/374-3276
Editorial Content Director
Our subscriber list is occasionally made available to carefully selected firms whose products may
david.kurns@meredith.com be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive information from these companies by mail or by
phone, please let us know. Send your request along with your mailing label to Magazine Customer
Twitter: @davekurns Service, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508.

2 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

 Products Use Notice for
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Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence

Through Stewardship ® (ETS). Monsanto products
are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product
Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance
with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization
of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in
Commodity Crops. This product has been approved
for import into key export markets with functioning
regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced
from this product can only be exported to, or used,
processed or sold in countries where all necessary
regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a
violation of national and international law to move
material containing biotech traits across boundaries
into nations where import is not permitted. Growers
should talk to their grain handler or product
purchaser to confirm their buying position for
this product. Excellence Through Stewardship ®
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ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FOR

USE ON PESTICIDE LABELING. IT IS A VIOLATION
OF FEDERAL AND STATE LAW to use any pesticide
FORMER GRAIN TRADERS PICK
product other than in accordance with its labeling.
NOT ALL formulations of dicamba or glyphosate
THEMSELVES UP OFF THE FLOOR
are approved for in-crop use with Roundup Ready Walk through the lives of traders who had to pick themselves up off the floor in
2 Xtend® soybeans. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS search of another life away from the hustle and bustle – and big money – that came
THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH with trading agricultural commodities. Read the story at Agriculture.com/graintraders.
USES AND APPROVED FOR SUCH USE IN THE
STATE OF APPLICATION. XTENDIMAX® HERBICIDE
WITH VAPORGRIP® TECHNOLOGY AND IN CROP
USES MAY NOT BE APPROVED IN ALL STATES.
Contact the U.S. EPA and your state pesticide
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for in-crop use with Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®
soybeans.

Roundup Ready 2 Xtend ® soybeans contain

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IDENTIFYING
Individual results may vary, and performance
AND ASSESSING
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year. This result may not be an indicator of results
SUICIDE RISKS
you may obtain as local growing, soil and weather
Suicide rates among U.S. farmers and
conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate
data from multiple locations and years whenever
ranchers were higher in 2016 than they
possible. were during the height of the 1980s
Follow us for more great farm crisis. In this episode, Ohio State
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE farm shots at Instagram. University Extension Educator Jami
LABEL DIRECTIONS. Genuity ®, Roundup Ready ®, com/successful_farming. Dellifield talks about the mental health
Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®,
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6 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: monsitj of iStockPhoto.com

Build the perfect Bobcat loader for your operation.
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 l a i g
Compiled by Jessie Scott, Digital Content Manager

WISE WORDS

“The discovery of
agriculture was the
first big step toward
a civilized life.”
– Arthur Keith, Scottish scientist

In 1900, farmers used 22 million work animals.

Today, 4.7 million tractors do the work of

The first root to

emerge from a corn
seed is called Around 75% of the
the radicle. 1 billion tons of global
vegetable production
takes place in Asia.

Cosmic DUTCH TIP

When you are trading stocks,

Tubers
Potatoes were the
you cannot fight the Fed.
When you are selling grain,
you cannot fight the USDA reports.

first vegetable
grown in space.

Sources: The Al Kluis Farmer’s Almanac; Iowa Food & Family

Project; Potato Grower; Syngenta; Purdue University
8 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Artwork: canicula1 and egal of iStockphoto.com
 NO ONE CARES MORE ABOUT
PRESERVING THE LAND THAN THE
PEOPLE WHOSE LIVELIHOODS
DEPEND UPON IT.

As the world’s population continues to grow, so does

the demand for more efficient and effective farming
practices. At Koch Agronomic Services, we’re focused on
providing real solutions that maximize plant performance
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yield potential. A smart solution for today – and tomorrow.
To learn more, visit agrotain.com.

AGROTAIN® and the AGROTAIN logo are trademarks of Koch Agronomic Services, LLC. Koch and the Koch logo are trademarks of Koch Industries, Inc. ©2017 Koch Agronomic Services, LLC.
 q a THE SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW
By Jessie Scott, Digital Content Manager

MICHAEL O’GORMAN MEET THE

MAN MOBILIZING VETERANS TO FEED AMERICA.
knows the stress levels are
enormous, but veterans didn’t
shy away from stress when
SF: What’s kept you going
10 years past when you
were hoping to retire?
they went into the military. MO: It’s definitely the stories

I
n 2007, Michael
O’Gorman started
the Farmer Veteran
Coalition (FVC) out of
the back of his pickup
truck. After working in
production agriculture for
nearly 40 years, he thought it
would be a good retirement
project. He got more than he
bargained for.
Today, the FVC has
more than 10,000 members
nationwide. More than $1.5
million in fellowship funds
have been given to members.
Homegrown By Heroes,
which is a branding program
used to promote products
from farmer veterans, now
has 1,000 participants in all
50 states.
If that wasn’t enough
of an accomplishment,
O’Gorman also worked
with members of the Senate
Agriculture Committee
while the 2014 Farm Bill
was being shaped. The
Military Veterans Ag
Liaison position and the
Farm Service Agency’s mi-
croloan program both came
out of these conversations.
As the 2018 Farm Bill
is being shaped, the FVC
will continue to advocate to
make resources available for
farmer veterans.
SF: Why did you start the
FVC?
MO: In part, I was looking
for something for the next
chapter of my life after
working in ag for nearly 40
years. We also found a niche
that nobody was serving.
No one was focusing on the
disproportionate number of
veterans returning to rural
communities. The demand
and interest for it on the vet-
eran side was incredible, and
that’s when the organization
took off.
SF: What surprised you
most about FVC’s suc-
cess?
MO: The demand.
When veterans call
us, they don’t just call
casually. In some cases,
they are almost beg-
ging for help, because
there is such a desire to
work in agriculture.
We learned early
on that there was a
healing aspect to this
project. Anyone
who has spent a
life in agri-
culture
The real secret sauce that
makes it work is the sense of
mission and purpose that ag
provides. A lot of PTSD and
other battles with trauma
get mixed up with the loss
of identity and purpose after
veterans put their lives on the
line. There’s a need to have
something that is as mean-
ingful as defending their
country. Feeding the country
seems to do that.
Another loss coming out
of the military is the cama-
raderie. While our members
are geographically dispersed,
we can help them be a part
of an organization, make
friends, and bond with other
veterans.
SF: From the beginning, you
have emphasized that the
FVC will support all types
of farming and agriculture.
Why was that so important
to you?
MO: I was the production
manager for three of the
largest organic vegetable
operations in the country.
My identity was primar-
ily as a farmer; being an
organic farmer was second-
ary. I always grimaced at
anyone who spoke poorly of
other farmers. My cama-
raderie, like someone in
the military, was with my
brothers and sisters who
were farmers.
It’s not a political tactic
or a way to help the project
grow. It’s just something we
believe in. I like to say that
veterans fought for freedom,
so we support their freedom
to choose how they farm,
and we honor it all.
and the gratitude that people
express to me and the orga-
nization. I underestimated
how significant and impor-
tant this organization would
be. I’ve stayed on to make
sure we have an organiza-
tion that can last long after
I leave.
SF: When are you planning
to retire?
MO: I’ve told the board the
end of next year.
SF: What do you hope to
accomplish before then?
MO: We want to increase
support from the ag
community and have
enough funding so we can
meet demand. We are
working with the Army,
the USDA, and the
Department of Labor so
that military men and
women can be introduced
to ag before they leave the
service. That’s very
exciting, and we hope it
will come together in the
next year.
From Fighter to Farmer
Read the story of one out-
standing farmer veteran on
page 58.
BIO
NAME:  Michael O’Gorman
TITLE: Founder and director of
the Farmer Veteran Coalition
FAMILY: O’Gorman has four
children: Anne, Emma, Georgia,
and Gregory. He also has four
grandchildren: Chloe, Caleb,
Spencer, and Finley.

10 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Farmer Veteran Coalition

 SLOWING THE FLOW?
W C
HO EATA N THE 2018 BIOFUELS MANDATE MAY PINCH RENEWABLE FUELS.

YOU B
YOURELD
HIG H-Y I
M A RK ?

PIONEER® brand products are provided subject to the
terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the
labeling and purchase documents.
® TM SM
, , Trademarks and service marks of DuPont,
Pioneer or their respective owners. © 2017 PHII. DUPPSY17025SF
B
ack in February, President
Trump sent a letter to an annual
ethanol conference, assuring the
industry that “renewable fuels
are essential to America’s energy
strategy.” Nonetheless, the biofuels
industry may be unhappy when the
Trump administration, at the driver’s
wheel for the first time, sets the U.S.
biofuels mandate. Ethanol will get its
coveted 15-billion-gallon-a-year share
UPComing
NOVEMBER
• 28: Chicago Federal Reserve Bank
conference, “Midwest Agriculture’s Ties to the
Global Economy,” Chicago, Illinois
• 29: USDA updates its Farm Income Forecast
for 2017
• 30: USDA releases quarterly forecast for U.S.
farm exports
• 30: Target date for EPA announcement of
ethanol mandate for 2018
DECEMBER
• 3-5: National Grain and Feed Association
holds annual Country Elevator Conference,
Louisville, Kentucky
12 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
of the gasoline market if the EPA sticks
to its proposals for the Renewable Fuels
Standard, but biodiesel could see a
significant cut.
Trade group Growth Energy says the
biodiesel mandate could be lowered by
15% under an EPA review that began in
late September. Under a regulatory odd-
ity, EPA sets the RFS for corn ethanol
just before the start of each calendar year,
while the biodiesel RFS is set 13 months
in advance. The EPA is reexamining
the 2018 target of 2.1 billion gallons of
biodiesel. If it’s cut, the 2019 target could
be reduced, too.
“We have significant concerns that this
action indicates that the EPA may back-
pedal on the promise and growth of the
RFS,” says Growth Energy Chief Emily
Skor. Ten biofuels trade groups span-
ning the industry, joined by the National
Farmers Union and the Corn Growers,
asked Trump to intervene with EPA
in the name of rural economic growth.
There was concern, expressed privately,
in the biofuels world about whether the
15-billion-gallon corn ethanol mandate
was a sure thing pending the final EPA
Illustration: AlexLMX, iStockphoto.com
decision, nominally due November 30.
In Senator Charles Grassley’s (R-IA)
skeptical view, EPA administrator Scott
Pruitt sought to placate antiethanol oil
refiners while keeping faith with farmers
and biofuel makers. “I don’t think Pruitt
can do that. If he can, he’s going to con-
duct a miracle,” Grassley said. Beyond
the RFS tussle, the future of biofuels may
be affected by the parade of automak-
ers during the summer expanding
production of hybrid
The trade group and electric vehicles.
Growth Energy China, the world’s
says the biodiesel
mandate could largest car market,
be lowered by said it would set a
15% under an EPA deadline to end sales of
review that began fossil-fuel vehicles.
in late September.
Some analysts say
a sustained rise in U.S. or global sales
would mean smaller gasoline – and
ethanol – sales. Hybrids and electrics now
comprise 3% of U.S. auto sales. Others
say population growth and the large stock
of vehicles already on the road assure
decades of petroleum-fueled travel. Dick
Loos, director of research for the Illinois
Corn Growers, says ethanol can prosper.
“It’s the cheapest octane available on
the market,” says Loos. A midrange
blend, say E25, if cleared by regulators,
would allow automakers to build lighter
and cleaner-burning engines, even if they
go into hybrids or plug-in electrics. “I
think we still have a lot of options and
opportunities in front of us.”
Make Room for Russia
O n the strength of a staggeringly large
crop, Russia will knock the U.S. out as
the number one wheat exporter in the world
this trade year, and it won’t even be close.
Russian wheat production has climbed steadily
since 2012 as farmers devoted more land to the
crop and yields improved almost every year. In
two years, wheat output has zoomed by 34%.
With the harvest in its final stages this fall,
USDA estimates the Russia crop at a record 82
million tonnes, up 14% from the previous crop,
and 2017/2018 exports at 32.5 million tonnes
– leading the world by a large margin. The EU
34%
The increase in Russian wheat
output in just two years
This article was produced in collaboration with the Food & Environment
Reporting Network, an independent, nonprofit news organization producing
investigative reporting on food, agriculture, and environmental health.
would be second with 28.5 million tonnes,
followed by the U.S. with 26.5 million tonnes.
In the previous trade year, the U.S. was number
one with 28.7 million tonnes; Russia trailed by
910,000 tonnes.
The small U.S. wheat crop this year – the
smallest since 2002 – reflects low market
The r
prices and the global wheat surplus. The
University of Missouri think tank FAPRI says
e
wheat acreage will expand in 2018 by 4%, or
nearly 3 million acres, buoyed by higher prices.
“Global supplies remain large and project
ns
a s w
i
prices remain below $5 per bushel for the next
three marketing years,” says FAPRI. USDA
expects a season-average price around $4.60 a
bushel for this year’s crop, a big step up from
$3.89 for the 2016 crop.
Senate election in
Alabama may change farm
bill calculations
T he lineup in the Senate Agriculture
Committee is bound to change after
the special election in Alabama on
December 12, when the panel could
be sitting down to work on the 2018
farm bill. The departure of Senator
Luther Strange (R-AL) would deprive
Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS), a lead-
ing defender of crop insurance, of an
ally and decrease the South’s influence
on farm policy.
Roy Moore, a Bible-quoting social
and fiscal conservative and former chief
justice of the state Supreme Court, hand-
ily beat Strange, appointed to the Senate
early this year, in the GOP runoff and
will face Democrat Doug Jones, a former
U.S. attorney, in the general election.
Moore campaigned for “lower taxes,
smaller government, and less spending”
along with “rescinding unfair free trade
agreements.” It’s not clear if he would
succeed Strange on the committee.
Southern lawmakers want cottonseed
to be eligible for ARC and PLC. There
will be pressure to appoint a Southerner
to succeed Strange, said a farm lobby-
ist, adding that if Southerners “really
want something, they’ll just go to House
Agriculture Chairman Conaway any-
way.” Conaway is from Texas.
Moore’s victory could encourage other
conservatives to run for the Senate. Seven
of the 10 Democrats on the committee
face reelection in 2018, including Heidi
Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe
Donnelly of Indiana, states that President
Trump won by a landslide.
November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 13
 a a
OE S
By Raylene Nickel
D
HOW TRY- SWOT YOUR FARM
INDUSING
THIS ANALYSIS HELPS PUT
BUSINESS IDEAS ON A CLEAR PATH TO SUCCESS.
LEAD RCH
RESEAFF IN
PAY O
G H E
HIYIELD R
N T I A L?
POTE
B
rainstorming new farm enter-
prises or deciding upon changes
in existing ones often spawns a
scattering of seemingly unrelated
ideas offering no clear pathway
to right choices. Charting a direction
from the diverse thoughts can be helped
by conducting a SWOT analysis of a
potential or an existing business.
The process is a way of analyzing
an enterprise’s strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats. These can be
evaluated and compared against each
other to determine how one area may or
may not cancel out the other, suggest-
ing success or failure of the new idea
or proposed change in direction. The
analysis may also point to managerial
issues requiring modification.
“A SWOT analysis is a process that
can help you and your team get insights
into the past and think of possible solu-
tions to existing or potential problems
for your business,” says Lynn Kime, se-
nior Extension associate at Pennsylvania
PIONEER® brand products are provided subject to the
State University.
terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the “Participants in our SWOT work-
labeling and purchase documents.
® TM SM
, , Trademarks and service marks of DuPont,
Pioneer or their respective owners. © 2017 PHII. DUPPSY17025SF 14 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
i g
YOUR FARM
shops have told us the process opened
their eyes to possibilities and drawbacks
of new or existing ventures,” he says.
“Some have reported that valuable ideas
came to light as a result of going through
the process.”
Kime suggests the following steps for
conducting a SWOT analysis of a new or
existing business.
• Get everyone involved. “For a SWOT
analysis to work well, every member
of your team must be involved in the
process,” he says. “Team members might
include your family and employees, your
lawyer, accountant, and insurance agent.”
• Let the ideas flow. Before delving into
the nuts and bolts of the analysis, first lay
out ideas relating to goals and direction
of the existing or envisioned enterprise.
In intergenerational groups, this open
exchange may borrow from the benefits
of experience, which are often caution-
ary. Yet, it also encourages the optimistic
and more freewheeling vantage of youth.
“Encourage a frank discussion and
an understanding that there are no bad
ideas and anything is possible,” says
Illustration: aurielaki, iStockphoto.com
Kime. “This is a time for ideas to flow
freely. When done in the right spirit,
this discussion offers all team members a
chance to express their opinions.”
• Define goals and objectives. From this
freewheeling discussion, then craft the
goals and objectives for your farm or
ranch. Later, the four points of the actual
SWOT analysis can be evaluated against
the backdrop of these goals and objectives.
• Identify strengths. Listing strengths
is the first step in the four steps of the
actual SWOT analysis of a new or an
existing enterprise.
“Strengths are considered mostly in-
ternal,” says Kime. “For example, what
do you and your family, employees, and
management team bring to the business?
If you are planning to start a business,
you may have previous experience in the
industry you are considering. If not, this
may be viewed as a weakness. Although,
you may have an employee or member
of your management team who has prior
experience in the industry you are plan-
ning to enter.”
Examples of strengths for existing
businesses could include years of exper-
tise, an understanding of your business
history, and your pathway to present suc-
cess. Perhaps your family is supportive
or you have loyal employees and a skilled
management team.
• Ferret out weaknesses. “Weaknesses
are also considered mostly internal and
are the items you will need to address for
success of your business,” says Kime. “If
you are a start-up business, an example
of a weakness may be a lack of experi-
ence in the selected industry. Or, you
may lack qualified employees or the full
support of family members.”
Additional weaknesses could be the
lingering effects of previous poor deci-
sions, a high turnover in employees,
insufficient capital for equipment, or a
high short-term debt load.
“The weaknesses will need to be ad-
dressed so your business can be success-
ful,” says Kime.
• Pinpoint opportunities. These are mostly
external. For example, potential start-up
businesses may have access to grants or
low-interest loans. Opportunities might
include local consumers seeking products
you hope to produce.
• Take stock of threats. “These are
threats from outside of your business
that will directly impact you, things over
which you may have very little control,”
says Kime. “If you are starting a new
November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 15
business, you may have the threat of local
regulations negatively impacting your
business. Unforeseen local or foreign
competition, dissolution of markets, and
adverse weather may also have a nega-
tive effect on your new business.”
• Review the four points. After going
The r
through the process, it’s time to discuss.
“Let the ideas flow,” says Kime. “Evaluate
ansswe
ideas for how they impact business in the
short term as well as the long term.
“Keep in mind that one point of the
i
analysis may offset another,” he says.
“For example, your strengths may com-
bat your weaknesses, and your opportu-
nities can offset your threats. If this does
not happen, you will need to find ways
to correct the imbalance.”
• Find ways to strengthen weaknesses.
If weaknesses arise from a lack of skill
in certain areas or shortages in manage-
ment, hiring qualified employees could
be a way to transform these weaknesses
into strengths. Or, purchasing equipment
to perform some type of disliked hand
labor could be strengthening, as could
the transfer of certain field operations to
custom operators.
• Discuss offsets for threats. Insurance
coverages can downsize threats from
liability, fire, vehicle accidents, and crop
failures. Marketing threats, for example,
require creative brainstorming in order
to find ways to reduce risk from un-
foreseen competition and downturns in
price or demand. Creating contingency
plans could provide an orderly response
to unexpected adverse events such as
equipment breakdowns or even deaths
in the family.
• Review annually. Conducting an annual
review of the SWOT analysis helps the
goals and activities of an enterprise stay
abreast of changes in markets, produc-
tion conditions, and status of team
members’ involvement.
In sum, conducting the analysis offers
the far-reaching benefit of strengthening
relationships between members of the
family and with employees, as well.
“The biggest benefit of the SWOT
analysis is the communication that
results between family members and
other members of the business team,”
says Kime. “When people talk things
out, a lot of problems can be eliminated
or made much smaller.”
LEARN MORE
Lynn Kime
717/677-6116 | lfk4@psu.edu
 c o n n e c t i n g YOUR FARM
By Jessie Scott, Digital Content Manager
MAKING THE WORLD SMALLER
INSTAGRAM, YOU CAN BUILD NETWORKS, CONNECT WITH INTERNATIONAL
COUNTERPARTS, UPDATE LANDLORDS, AND INFORM CONSUMERS.
A
fter visiting a farm
show this summer,
three agronomists
from Argentina
made a pit stop at
Phil Pitzenberger’s farm in
Greene, Iowa. The trio had
never meet Pitzenberger,
but they knew his farm
well because they followed
him on Instagram.
“They toured farm fields
and looked at equipment,”
says Pitzenberger. “They
knew just enough English,
and we used Google trans-
late when we got in a bind.”
Instagram has helped him
make lots of connections
like this, he adds, including
other farmers from abroad
as well as those across the
U.S. “Instagram has made
the world smaller,” he says.
Ethan Clarke, Washing-
ton, Indiana, has had simi-
lar experience. The 20-year
old farmer, who planted
his first crop this year, has
built a network with other
young farmers that started
on Instagram.
“We followed each
16 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
THROUGH
other on Instagram and
would send messages back
and forth. Eventually, we
had a group message on
Instagram, then Snapchat,”
he says. “Now, we talk ev-
ery day. We’ve also started
to visit each other.”
These eight young farmers
are college age or younger.
Half are first-generation
farmers, like Clarke, and half
come from farm families.
“We grow a lot of the
same crops, but we are in
different states,” he says.
In addition to this
interest from farmers,
Pitzenberger has found that
Instagram is a good way to
update landlords. “We have
a lot of absentee landlords,
and this gives them a place
where they can see what’s
going on,” he explains.
While both Pitzenberger
and Clarke admit the ma-
jority of their Instagram
following (a combined total
of 9,000) has a connection to
ag, they also connect with
some consumers.
“I’ve reached some
people on a level that shows
what we’re doing out
here. We are a family, but
we’re also a large opera-
tion. We enjoy what we do
and are doing the best we
can to be stewards,” says
Pitzenberger.
tips and tricks
H ere are four simple steps
you can take to showcase
your farm to the world via
Instagram.
1Stay active without blowing
up people’s feed. “I like
taking pictures, so I post
my favorite one from the
week,” says Clarke. “Try
not to overdo it, but try and
stay halfway active.”
2 Use the gear you have.
Both Pitzenberger and
Clarke use their smart
phones to take photos and
to do minimal editing, if
any, in the Instagram app.
From time to time,
Pitzenberger also posts
photos taken from his
drone. He just upgraded to
a DJI Inspire 2, which has a
professional-grade camera,
Photography: Provided by Phil Pitzenberger and Ethan Clarke
but he also uses his older
DJIs, a Phantom 2 and 3.
3 Always respond. That’s
Pitzenberger’s rule for
any messages and com-
ments he receives.
4 Show the good and bad,
but leave out the ugly.
The good: One of
Pitzenberger’s most photo-
graphed scenes is his par-
ent’s beautiful red barn. He
also showcases conservation
practices, like no-till.
The bad: “I like to show
that bad things happen,” he
says, like this summer when
he posted a photo of hail
that leveled 4-inch-tall corn.
The ugly: “People within
ag may know what you are
doing, but nonag people can
take things the wrong way,”
says Clarke. Think twice
before posting and carefully
consider your captions.
“One of the biggest issues
is that people don’t know
where food comes from,”
says Clarke. “Instagram is
one tool we can use because
there is such a broad audi-
ence there.”
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YOUR p r o f i t
By Al Kluis

Seasonal Corn Prices (10-Year Monthly Average)

$6.00 This 10-year seasonal odds chart
shows April and December being
$5.80 two good months to sell. The
lows usually develop before the
$5.60 main corn harvest starts, during
the month of September. In the
$5.40 last few years, it’s best to avoid
sales in September and November
$5.20 and to get the corn crop sold
and hedged ahead while you are
$5.00 planting.

$4.80

$4.60

$4.40

$4.20

$4.00
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

CORN AND SOYBEAN my spreadsheets and created

the new seasonal odds stud-
is in April and May. The
worst time is in late August

SEASONAL PATTERNS THE

PATTERNS HAVE CHANGED IN THE LAST DECADE.
ies, I compared the current
seasonal odds pattern with
the seasonal odds pattern
to September. The main
reason for these lows is the
large number of bushels
from 10 years ago. What I that are forced onto the

A
noticed was a big change corn market in late August
t the start of one of my late-August seminars, I in the corn seasonal odds when farmers have to price
got this question: Have the seasonal odds patterns pattern and a slight change their delayed price (DP)
changed because of the increased crop production out in the soybean seasonal odds contracts.
of South America? patterns. The seasonal studies from
I told the attendee that I would have to get back to To get a long-term histor- 10 years ago showed major
him in about a week. That’s because I needed to complete my ic look at how seasonal odds lows in March and October
annual seasonal odds update in early September before I could have changed, I brought out with the highs in June and
give him an answer. my 1981 Charting for Profit July. The lows that devel-
When I work with my corn and soybean charts and my textbook that I wrote with oped in March 10 years ago
seasonal odds Successful Farming maga- were because of the huge
studies, I also work zine Editor Loren Kruse amounts of corn that had to
Have the on a marketing 36 years ago. This textbook be sold for land, rent, and
seasonal year calendar from used data from 1971 to equipment payments.
September through 1981 to make those charts. I
odds patterns August (rather noted some major changes how they compare

T
changed than a calendar that have developed in the he yearly price ranges to-
because of the year schedule). In last 40 years. day are a lot larger than
increased crop the last few years, when I put my initial study
I have started to what’s changed? together in 1981. The 1981
production
out of South
America?
chart on the South
American market-
ing year of March
F or corn, today’s seasonal
odds pattern shows that
the highs now come in
chart showed a July high
and a November low. With
all of the new grain storage
through February. much earlier in the year. that has been built, the corn
When I updated The best time to sell corn market often bottoms now

18 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

STORE NOW
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YOUR p r o f i t Continued

Seasonal Soybean Prices (10-Year Monthly Average)

$14.50
This 10-year seasonal odds
chart shows that June is usually
$14.00 the best month to sell, with
April a close second. The South
$13.50 American harvest low in March
and the U.S. harvest low in
$13.00 September are two months to
avoid.
$12.50

$12.00

$11.50

$11.00

$10.50

$10.00

$9.50
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.

on the last flush of old-crop sales, as farmers sell to get the called them in to a runner, global market, the biggest
bins empty before the next harvest. who took the order to the challenge for you is to
For soybeans, the current 10-year seasonal odds chart pit. Now, many of you place develop and execute a
shows a pattern that is very similar to the one 10 years ago. hedges from your own com- disciplined marketing plan
The difference is that 10 years ago there was a June high and puter or you phone right so you can control how you
an October low. Now, there is a preharvest South American into the CBOT. make decisions that are not
high in April and a secondary high in June, followed by lows The CBOT used to rise based on greed and fear.
in March and September. Today’s chart reflects the increas- and fall on U.S. weather
ing amount of soybeans that are harvested in Brazil and and weather forecasts, so NOTE: Trading of futures and
Argentina. The market now has two seasonal rallies and two it was pretty quiet in the options has substantial financial
harvest lows each year. winter. Now, in the global risk of loss and is not for
When I look at my soybean seasonal odds chart from 1981, marketplace, you can watch
it shows a rally from the lows in October and March to the weather around the world
major high in June. In 1981, the U.S. soybean crop and the and focus on what it’s doing
weather in North America were the main market factors. in South America during
AL KLUIS
Ten years ago, the U.S. was the number one soybean exporter the winter. Commodity
in the world; today, Brazil is the largest soybean exporter in The biggest change has Trader
the world. been how everyone uses the Al Kluis has
been trading
internet to gather and dis- grain futures
other changes tribute information. What since 1974. Sign
What has
changed
O ne other question that
has to do with changes
was asked in my late-
used to take three days to
reach the public now take
less than three minutes. For
up for a free
trial to his
daily morning email and weekly
the most August seminar: What has the younger farmers who “Al Kluis Report” by going to
changed the most in grain use social media, it’s more alkluis.com.
in grain
marketing over the last 40 like three seconds.
marketing years? That exchange of infor-
Kluis Commodities
over the last 901 - 12 Oaks Center Drive
As you might imagine, mation has really helped Suite 907
40 years? a lot has changed. level the playing field in the Wayzata, MN 55391
You used to call in grain markets. 888/345-2855
orders to a broker, who In an ever-changing alkluis.com | al@alkluis.com

20 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

 u t v EVALUATION
By Rick Sosebee

the innovative dual-clutch

transmission might have
created at crawling speeds.
When placed in low gear, the
Honda Pioneer would crawl
up the same steep hills with
oomph that begged for more.
One handy item on the
Pioneer is the prewired
winch harness. If you decide
to add a winch, it will be an
easy install.
Overall, the Honda
Pioneer 1000 EPS is a great
working machine that has
advanced and usable
features in the running gear.
If Honda’s past and present
innovation is a clue, then
you will be seeing even
greater things from this
manufacturer.

HONDA PIONEER 1000 EPS THIS MACHINE PROVES

ITS POTENTIAL FOR TOWING AND HAULING IN OUR UTV EVALUATION.
About the author: Rick Sosebee
is an ATV/UTV journalist and
was one of three evaluators
during the UTV testing.

T
he Honda Pioneer is gaining ground in the UTV back to the lower gear. The In 2017, Successful Farming
market quickly since the machine’s introduction in Pioneer is really intuitive – magazine conducted its third
2013. The field performance of this true worker was to a point. extensive UTV evaluation to
undeniable during the Successful Farming Ultimate The only annoyance was provide you with information
UTV Evaluation. the shifting in some situa- about how UTVs perform
As for our team’s experience driving the Honda Pioneer 1000 tions. The shifts were a little in ag applications. During
EPS, we had the opportunity to load the bed to half capacity as jerky in certain tight trail the evaluation, seven of the
well as full capacity and to tow a large trailer with the 2-inch situations. However, the newest utility vehicles were
receiver hitch. The machine’s reactions to these loads were evi- Pioneer easily switched to put through four rigorous
dent, but different than expected. The Honda Pioneer was one manual mode, where we tests. Learn more about the
of the few vehicles that maintained ground clearance with the could control every shifting evaluation at Agriculture.
heavy loads in the dumping bed. This alone helped the machine aspect and settle any action com/2017utvtest.
maintain its ability to get through some rougher trails.
Towing is where we found the Honda Pioneer really shined,
as the engine had plenty of grunt to get the load started as Score Out of 5
well as an amazing ability to slow the entire rig and trailer on Fully Loaded (1 low to 5 high)
steep descents. Again, the fact that the suspension never sagged
when loaded was impressive. These features put the Pioneer in Steering responsiveness and vehicle 4.3
maneuverability
third place for towing with a score of 20.6 out of 25.
When it comes to shifting the Pioneer, there is a new Acceleration 4.7
option with the EPS version: paddle shifting. The up and Ease of maintaining a constant speed 4
down paddles are mounted behind the steering wheel and
well within reach of the driver. In automatic, the machine Braking 4.7
will shift on its own. We found this to be most convenient Noise level 4
while towing, so we could focus on steering. There were
times when the engine would shift prematurely under load, 21.7
Total score out of 25 Second place for this test
but a simple bump of the paddle shifter took the UTV right

Photography: David Ekstrom November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com Bonus

THE COLOR’S THE SAME.

THE PERFORMANCE ISN’T.

There are plenty of look-alike seed treatments out there, but don’t let them fool you.
With CruiserMaxx® Vibrance® Beans* you get the industry-leading combination of
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m a c h i n e r y
By Ray Bohacz
PARTS TELL A STORY
LOOK, FEEL, AND SMELL FOR PROBLEMS.
W
orld corn
yield cham-
pions Randy
Dowdy (2014)
and Dave
Hula (2015) can walk into
a field they never saw
before and see things that
would pass by most people.
For example, Dowdy can
determine even emergence
by the height of the ear on
the stalk.
Just as corn plants tell
a story, so do the parts on
an engine or a machine.
A wealth of information
can be gleaned and a costly
failure avoided by reading
the components. When you
are working on something,
you need to pay attention to
every detail. Once you train
Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
You don’t always need an instrument – like this
dial indicator – to detect an engine problem.
YOU CAN
yourself, it will become
second nature to detect
problems.
A tactile approach
T hough the image above
depicts crankshaft
end-play being checked
with a dial indicator, parts
examination can be made by
sight, smell, and feel. You’ll
be amazed how much you
can determine by simply
running your finger over a
surface, into a port, or on a
tapered roller bearing.
Threading a bolt in by
hand instead of using an
air tool can reveal problems
with thread integrity and
cleanliness. If you do use an
air tool, listen to its sound
and acknowledge when that
operating sound changes,
which offers an indication
of a difference. Do not just
keep the trigger pulled and
let it work through the spot.
The following are areas
you should pay particular
attention to when making
repairs.
• Tailpipe: Wipe the inside
with your finger. If it is
especially sooty (diesel) or
carboned up (gas), the en-
gine fuel setting is too rich,
or the engine is misfiring.
That finger wipe can reveal
RAY BOHACZ
The SF Engine Man
Ray Bohacz has engine grease and field
dirt under his fingernails from a life spent
repairing vehicles and running a farm
in New Jersey with his wife, Charlotte.
His how-to articles also appear in Diesel
Power, Engine Professional, Hemmings
Motor News, and Speedway Illustrated
magazines. Contact Bohacz via email at
SFEngineman@Agriculture.com.
signs of oil in the exhaust,
indicating a problem with a
seal or piston rings.
• Exhaust: Take a clean rag
with no odor on it and place
it by the exhaust of a run-
ning engine for a few sec-
onds, and then smell it. You
can often detect an internal
coolant leak or excessive oil
consumption without any
signs of visible smoke or a
rich condition.
• Gaskets: If the gasket
comes off in one piece or
nearly so, look for even
compression and marks
from the other mating
surface. Examine the part’s
surface for an even imprint
of the gasket. This will
determine if there is exces-
sive variation at the surface
that does not allow for the
prescribed compression of
the gasket.
• Carburetor: Stains or signs
of varnish around the float
bowl or any other part indi-
cate weeping.
• Injection pump and
nozzles: An excessive
amount of field dust around
these parts indicates mois-
ture and a leak.
• Dipstick: Take a sample of
the fluid from the dipstick
and rub it between your
fingers. Study it for particles
and then check the smell.
• Any bearing: Slowly turn
it by hand, feeling for
roughness or tight spots.
Photography: David Ekstrom
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 p r e c i s i o n DECISIONS
By Laurie Bedord, Advanced Technology Editor
CLOSING THE DATA DIVIDE
YOU NEED TO DEMAND MORE WHEN IT COMES
TO HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS USED.
A
s a producer, you’re getting savvy about how your data
is being used, and you’re insisting on more transparent
legal agreements. Not only do you want to know how
your data is being used, who owns it, and who can buy
it, but also you want a say in setting those terms.
Data privacy and security are two topics many ag companies
have addressed recently. You have been assured that you are
the owner of your data, and you alone control who you share
it with. But what happens when that information is used to
price-fix or suppress grower compensation?
In a recent lawsuit filed by Oklahoma poultry growers, those
allegations were made against Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms, and
other integrators. In short, the complaint claims that Agri Stats,
Inc., which is a data hub, allowed the integrators to collect and
share growers’ data. The integrators then used that information
to suppress compensation to the growers.
answering ag’s burning questions
W hile the case is interesting for its antitrust implications,
Indiana attorney Todd Janzen says the suit may help
answer some of the ag industry’s burning questions about data.
“Who owns ag data? Is production data something that you
can own and control? Can companies share ag data anony-
mously without running afoul of antitrust issues? To what
extent must geographic information be stripped from ag data
to make it truly anonymous?” questions Jantzen.
“This lawsuit is an example of how little growers under-
stand or consider the implications of giving their data to large
ag companies or to small start-ups that are often acquired by
big companies,” says Douglas Hackney, Enterprise Group Ltd.
One aspect of this case, he asserts, is the reality of encrypting
or removing personally identifiable information from data sets
so individuals whom the data describes remain anonymous.
“Anonymization of ag data is a myth,” says Hackney. “For
crop data to have any value, you must know the soil type, soil
Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
test data, rainfall, tillage type, crop, plant date, emergence date,
input application data, harvest date, etc. It only takes a few of
those data points to pinpoint a location. Only a single grower
produces a single crop in a given growing season in a given
area. For data that matters, there is no anonymization.”
Consequently, he says, providing production data to compa-
nies that already control your financial future via their pricing
power over your most costly inputs is extremely risky.
“The only way to ensure that your data – data that can un-
lock insights to lower costs, better yields, and higher margins
– is not used against you is to own and control your own data
and your own data system,” Hackney notes.
The Farmer Perspective
A s a beef cattle producer, this lawsuit gave Aaron Ault an
uneasy feeling of foreshadowing cattle market trends.
“It became painfully clear to Holstein beef farmers a couple
of months ago how monopolistic the packing industry has
become,” says the Indiana farmer. “One packer announced, for
reasons it refuses to share, that it will no longer buy Holstein
beef. It completely collapsed the national Holstein market
overnight. Divide and conquer, I suppose. Collapse 20% of the
beef industry to force it toward vertical integration owned by
packers so that the remaining 80% becomes easier to segment
and wrest under control. To me, it’s existential.”
Ault also serves as the project leader for the Open
Agriculture Data Alliance. He believes getting a handle on
data means creating an open-source platform for analysis tools.
“As someone who buys food for my family, using data
analytics to identify inefficiencies in the supply chain, which can
result in lower food prices, is a good thing. In fact, it’s a great
thing,” he says. “However, as a farmer, the ability of a few large
players in the supply chain to distort the overall market means
I’m more likely to lose my farm as the troughs of volatility
reach ever lower. I think where those two come together is that
a more consolidated market can lead to greater swings in food
supplies. The prevalence of free markets among food products
is the primary reason most of us in the western hemisphere con-
ceive of famine as a historic problem like the bubonic plague.
Remove those, and you risk the few players left making bigger
mistakes that have further reaching consequences.”
Ault thinks it boils down to an argument that you typi-
cally see misstated in political debates.
“One side argues that some tool has been used for great evil
and, therefore, should be banned,” he says. “The other side
argues that it has been used for great good and, therefore,
should be increased. In reality, they are both arguing that the
tool is powerful rather than inherently good or bad. Big-data
analytics can be callously deaf to the cries of the oppressed. It
can also free mankind to achieve qualities of life never before
conceived across all peoples. It is powerful, and it is through
cases like these we’ll try to figure out how that power will be
used. One thing I do know is that the more I’ve used data in
my own operation, the better my operation has become.”
Illustration: Paul Lange
Every American farmer works hard. At Golden Harvest® seeds we’re rooted in genetics,
agronomy, and service to help you deliver a better performance in each of your fields.
Your success is our success. Put us to work for you. GoldenHarvestSeeds.com

©2017 Syngenta. Golden Harvest® is a trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. MW 1GHV7010-WORK-AGP1 08/17
 f a r m MANAGEMENT
By Gil Gullickson, Crops Technology Editor

records from state farm-

Buckle up. Keeping irrigation
units and other tools to
produce a profit will become
more challenging during these
tough economic times.
management associations
can provide benchmarks
for your farm. “Ask if you
have lower cost of produc-
tion than competitors,”
he says.
Attending confer-
ences such as Purdue’s Top
Farmer Workshop (http://bit.
ly/2mPibeq) can also help you
glean ideas for keeping your
farm competitive.
Other ways to keep your
farm competitive include the
following.
• Scour machinery pur-
chases, if there’s a need. The
panel says good machinery

WHY YOUR LENDER IS ASKING buys are one upside to a

down economy.

ABOUT WORKING CAPITAL FORM A

FINANCIAL STRESS TEST BEFORE YOUR LENDER – AND
• Consider diversifying your
crop mix. “There may be an
advantage for growing milo
THE LENDER’S REGULATORS – ASK YOU FOR ONE. in some parts of the coun-
try,” says David Widmar,

I
Purdue University agricul-
f your lender has been asking you about your working loan, what do they flip to? tural economist.
capital lately, there’s good reason. That’s because working The housing crisis,” says • Explore alternative
capital – current assets minus current liabilities – is much Henderson. markets. “People are asking
lower among many farmers this year than in years past. us about organics because
“The magnitude of working capital drawdown is what do you do? of the margins,” says
substantial,” says Jim Mintert, director of Purdue University’s
Center for Commercial Agriculture. “In the Corn Belt, farm-
ers built up working capital from 2007 to 2013. They have
G et your house in order
before regulators start
asking questions about your
Henderson. “It is not for
everyone, but we have been
getting questions asking
been drawing it down the last few years. If the burn rate con- loan portfolio. Regulators about the value-added op-
tinues as it has in recent years, they will face real challenges will ask lenders about portunity.”
with their lenders.” financial stress tests and • Be open to expansion
models, says Henderson. opportunities. For example,
Why the Question? Be ready and form your there may be a retiring farm

T he reason lenders are asking about working capital is be-

cause regulators are asking about it. So buckle up. It could
be a tough next few years, says Jason Henderson, Purdue
own financial stress test. For
example, what happens if
corn prices don’t reach your
situation where no family
member will take over the
farm. Or, there may be a
University associate dean and Extension director. break-even point? Or what situation when a farmer is
One challenge is that not many bank regulators have happens if interest rates rise not yet ready to retire but is
a farm background, three times? What will your not exerting the same
Henderson says. They do, response be? physical effort he or she used
By the numbers

50%
though, carry memories of
working through troubled
housing loans during the
fallout of 2008’s financial
The amount that net farm
crisis.
income has declined “So when they look at
since 2013. agriculture as a real estate
“Also, think about upside
scenarios,” says Henderson.
Form a plan on how you
will take advantage of com-
modity price upticks during
the year.
Mintert says looking at
to. “Maybe it starts out as a
partnership and evolves into
an acquisition strategy,” says
Mintert. “For the short run,
tackle it from the other’s
perspective. Put yourself in
his or her shoes.”

Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Gil Gullickson

 p o n d s
By Jodi Henke, Multimedia Editor

CONTROL POND VEGETATION WITH FISH THERE ARE TWO SPECIES

THAT CAN MOW DOWN WEEDS ON TOP OF AND BELOW THE WATER SURFACE.

A
quatic plants in the pond have great aesthetic value, you live in. Did you know carp or tilapia afterward,”
provide habitat for wildlife, and contribute dissolved there are 300 species of says Sink. “The fish clean
oxygen to the water. However, aquatic plants can tilapia? Some states only al- up anything that you miss
easily get out of control and become a nuisance. If low the use of a few of those or any regrowth or regen-
you’re looking for natural water weed control, a species, and other states ban eration. That actually gives
couple of fish species might be able to help you out. all tilapia in farm ponds to you a much better manage-
Unfortunately, there are no fish native to the U.S. that take prevent them from becom- ment plan and control strat-
care of aquatic weed problems in our ponds. If there were, ing invasive in U.S. waters. egy for that vegetation.”
we’d all have pristine ponds. Since that isn’t the case, it takes Sink says you can’t expect It may take grass carp
nonnative fish to do the job. a fish to be the sole savior of two to three years of
Todd Sink is an aquaculture and fisheries specialist with a weed-infested pond. It’s munching before you see
Texas Agrilife Extension. He says triploid grass carp and just one tool in an integrat- good results. Tilapia can get
tilapia are often used for weed control. ed pest management plan. the work done in one season
“If it’s a submerged vegetation, grass carp are the way to “First, you would go in if they’re stocked early. If
go,” he says. “If it’s floating vegetation such as duckweed or with an appropriate FDA- not, you’ll have to restock
watermeal, grass carp will eat some of it, but tilapia can be approved aquatic herbicide them again the next spring,
more effective than grass carp at doing that.” and knock the population of because they die off when
Because they’re nonnative species, you will need a permit that plant back really well. water temperatures dip
to stock triploid grass carp or tilapia, depending on the state Then you stock your grass below 50°F.

Season-long control of 16 different corn pests. Above and below ground. That’s what you
get from Golden Harvest® hybrids with Agrisure Duracade® 5222 E-Z Refuge. It’s the
ultimate trait stack for insect control, simplicity and choice™. To learn more, talk with your
Golden Harvest Seed Advisor™. GoldenHarvestSeeds.com

©2017 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label and bag tag instructions. Consult bag tags for Refuge product herbicide options. Only those labeled “EZ1” may be sprayed with
glufosinate ammonium based herbicides. Unless otherwise specified all trademarks and service marks are the property of a Syngenta Group Company. Herculex and the Herculex shield logo are registered
trademarks of Dow AgroSciences LLC. MW 1AGT7010-GH-AG168 10/17
 C R o p s
By Gene Johnston

By the numbers

10
The number of days
between each soybean
group maturity number.

from about nine hours in

A distance of just a few hundred miles
extends daylight by a few minutes.
This makes a difference in soybean
maturity groups.
the winter to 15 hours in
the summer. In Missouri,
the difference from north to
south is just a few minutes,
but it’s enough that the
plants are quite different.
Soybeans have developed
a sort of intelligence that
lets them know if they have
enough time to fill seed. A
chemical in the leaves called
phytochrome responds
to day length and sends a
signal to the meristem on
nodes, where the flow-
ers appear. That starts the
reproductive process.
Plant breeders have iden-
tified and selected varieties
that are just a little different
in how the phytochrome
reacts to day length. They’ve
assigned maturity group
numbers to them from 000
to 8 and developed zone
maps across the country that
correspond.

A SIMPLIFIED LOOK AT SOYBEAN 2 How does the

maturity group
impact yield

MATURITIES TOP YIELDS COME FROM A RANGE OF

GROUPS IN MOST AREAS, SAYS THIS SOYBEAN EXPERT.
potential?
Wiebold: Soybean yield is
a product of the number
of days of seed fill and the

C
rate of fill. The vegetative
onfused by soybean maturity groups? You’re not alone.
Don’t make it complicated, says Bill Wiebold, a
plant science professor at the University of Missouri
1 Why are soybean
maturity groups
important?
growth – the leaves – are the
plant’s factory. The more
leaves, the greater the fill. So
and director of the Missouri Soybean Center (https:// Wiebold: Soybean plants as you go up the maturity
soybeancenter.missouri.edu/center/). His research respond to photoperiod – the scale, from a group 1 to 2
shows that, in most locations, there’s a fairly wide margin of day length. Because of the and 3 and so on, you further
acceptability of maturity groups to maximize yield. earth’s tilt on its axis, day delay the signal to start
Following are Wiebold’s answers to four common questions. length in the Midwest varies flowering. Each whole

Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Gil Gullickson

 c r o p s Continued

Summer
Scouting Tips

S o it’s midsummer and you or

your agronomist is scouting
your soybeans. What should be on
your lookout list?
Aborted pods for starters,
says Jon Zuk, a Winfield United
agronomist. “In mid- to late
summer, soybeans live day to day.
If there is any stress in mid- to
late season, you will find pods
dropping on the ground, because
the soybean plant isn’t able to
feed itself,” says Zuk. “When you
think about managing for higher
Scouting in mid- to late summer can
reveal maladies like white mold or
yields, applications mid- to late
SDS, says Jon Zuk, a Winfield United season can help mitigate some of
field agronomist. those pod abortions.”
For example, a fungicide
application – particularly in the
number as you move up adds about 10 days. Our soybean variety test- presence of fungal disease –
The significance of this is that as you move up the matu- ing program in Missouri could curb some of the mid- to
rity groups, the plants have a bigger factory before flowering also sheds some light on this. late-season pod abortions, he
begins. That should maximize yields. Regardless of how you break points out.
out this data, groups 3 and Other maladies to scout for

3 What is the yield response?

Wiebold: “I can speak for Missouri, but the principles are
the same anywhere. Within certain maturity groups, we have
4 yield nearly the same in
central and north Missouri.
Some seed companies
a fair amount of leeway to get top yields. A few years ago, we break down maturity
did tests with three soybean varieties in maturity groups 1, 2, 3, groups more precisely, such
and 4 and three planting dates of April, May, and June. as 3.7 or 4.1. I don’t get
Groups 3 and 4 yielded almost identical and significantly too carried away with the
better than groups 1 and 2. decimal points. What one
More recently, we’ve done similar studies with groups 3, 4, 5, company calls a 3.7 might
and 6. The average yields were 63.6, 61.7, 54.7, and 38 bushels be a 3.9 somewhere else.
per acre, respectively. Again, the 3 and 4 groups were about Many other things can
the same. The group 6 soybeans suffered frost damage because impact this anyway, such as
they flowered too late. They don’t belong in central Missouri. weather and disease.
My bottom line is that you
have a pretty wide range of
maturity options, and plant-
I ing a range may be a good
II thing in terms of adding
III some yield stability.”
IV
during this time are sudden death
syndrome (SDS) and white mold.
“There’s not much you can do
to save yield potential, but you can
make a note of what’s going on in
the field for future years,” he says.
Options include planting
soybean varieties in problem fields
that tolerate white mold and SDS.
Ilevo is one planting treatment tool
that can be used to target fields
with SDS histories.
groups from 3.4 to 4.8. It was
a good year for late planting,
and they all yielded between
54 and 57 bushels – essen-

V
4 What about
delayed planting
due to double
tially no difference. It’s just
one year, but it leads me to
recommend the same
cropping or varieties and maturities that
VI weather? are normal for your area. If
Soybean group
Wiebold: We did some late it is ultra-late planting in
maturities fit in a
wide range across planting last summer, at the mid-July, maybe you drop
the country. end of June, in maturity that by 0.5 group.

Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Illustration: HS3RUS,iStockphoto.com

GROW A HEALTHIER

Win back the 4 billion pounds of annual oil demand you lost to canola and other crops. High oleic
soybeans produce oil with zero trans fat and less saturated fat. That’s why the food industry wants it,
and processors and elevators are willing to pay a premium for it. Grow it now and grow your bottom line.
New delivery locations are being added every year, and current programs are expanding their offerings.
Ask your seed rep for the best varieties in your area. — S OY I N N O VAT I O N . C O M

©2017 United Soybean Board

 l i f e IN AG
By David Ekstrom, Producer, Multimedia & Custom Solutions

Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

 OFF TO WORK

J ack Crawford, 2, son of Chase and Betsy

Crawford from Sherburn, Minnesota,
heads out for a busy day of “work” on the
farm with his dog, Rhubarb.

Behind the Camera

While visiting the Crawfords (Chase is a
Fighter to Farmer Contest winner featured on
page 58), I had the opportunity to meet one of
the cutest farm kids ever.
When photographing children, it’s best to
let them do their thing instead of trying to tell
them what to do. Jack was a busy kid, so there
wasn’t much time to capture his image. I sat
on the ground in front of him just before he
took off in his Gator. My favorite aspect of this
picture is the look of excited determination in
this future farmer’s eyes.

November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com Bonus

 t o p SHOPS
By Anna McConnell, Digital Content Editor

John Russell used Russell also built a custom
mostly recycled metal overhead bridge crane from
already on hand
to build a custom
mostly bits and pieces he had
overhead bridge crane on hand. It’s a cross between
in his farm shop. a bridge crane and a gantry
crane, and it spans 34 feet
across the shop. It has 42 feet
on each side to travel across
the shop to reach the main
work space and most of the
welding center.
under the welding table. A
wire welder sits right next
to the table with ground
clamps already clamped onto
the table for convenience. 
An exhaust system that
takes care of fumes above
the welding table is next on
Russell’s list. 
Strategically Built

A Custom Welding
Table
R ussell tactically placed
eight 220-volt outlets
around the shop to handle

T he welding table is made

up of 1.25-inch steel plate
that was ground down to
be perfectly flat and 4-inch
square tube legs. To make
using the plasma cutter
handy, a 12×18-inch hole
was cut on the table’s surface
for scraps to fall right into a
steel drawer. A cover plate
hides the hole when not in
use.
“Both the air and electri-
cal service to the table are
welders and a plasma
cutter. Air lines are hid-
ing inside all four walls,
and each wall has outlets
every 12 feet around the
shop. The overhead and
walk-through doors have
110-volt, 220-volt, and air
outlets right outside.
To reduce noise, Russell
stuck the air compressor in
the utility room along with
the boiler and hot water
heater. The shop includes a

JUST THE RIGHT SIZE OHIO

PRODUCER BUILT HIS SHOP TO ACCOMMODATE
hooked into receptacles on
the support post next to
the table. That way, I can
bathroom and a 12×15-foot
office, as well.
The 6-inch concrete floor
THE EXACT EQUIPMENT HE NEEDED TO STORE. unplug the two lines, pick up of the building is hot-water
the table with the overhead heated but also has

J
crane, and move it to the Styrofoam insulation below
ohn Russell of Pemberville, Ohio, makes his living as a work bay for larger projects the cement. Each wall has 9
hay and straw producer, so having a gigantic farm shop when necessary,” he says. inches of fiberglass insula-
had never been his goal. He did, however, want a shop Tools not in use are tion, and the ceiling has R-40
that could be used for storage and also as a work space.  housed on a pull-out shelf blown fiberglass.
Russell’s 48×68-foot shop can hold four balers, two
tractors and balers, or two bale stackers at once with room to
spare. A 12×50-foot loft is his go-to storage spot with space for
parts as well as other farm tools.

Room to Repair

H aving space for repair and maintenance work was a priority

for Russell, who regularly works on cars, trucks, semi-
trailers, and balers. To optimize those repairs, he installed a sal-
vaged car hoist from a gas station. It’s ideal for him because it
can be completely retracted into a 4-inch pit with a cover over
it when it isn’t needed.
“When the hoist is not in use, I don’t even know it’s
there,” Russell says. “I ran a 2-inch drain pipe under the
floor from my floor drain to the hoist pit in case I get water Having room to repair was a priority for John Russell, who created a
spilled in the pit.” custom welding table for the shop and installed a salvaged car hoist.

Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Dave Mowitz

 about it. Do you catch them
l i v e s t o c k and tie them so you can
take a temperature? Can
By Jodi Henke, Multimedia Editor you administer an aspirin if
needed?” she says.
Learn all you can about
the species that interest

RAISING ALTERNATIVE LIVESTOCK

SHAKE UP THE BARNYARD WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
you. Subscribe to breed
journals, join the breed
associations, and attend

B
shows and sales. Network
eef, cattle, sheep, and hogs are considered traditional Whom will you call if with other owners to
livestock. There is another group of animals that goes your alternative livestock observe facility designs and
beyond what’s commonplace in the barnyard. Bison, get sick? Myers says finding daily care regimes.
elk, alpacas, llamas, and donkeys are examples of veterinary care for specialty Keep in mind that
alternative livestock. animals can be a challenge, alternative livestock often
Ginger Myers is the Extension marketing specialist for ag so it is smart to learn their fall outside the regulations
and natural resources at the University of Maryland. She says basic medical care. for conventional animals, so
before you venture into exotic animal ownership, think about “You’ll want to be able there may be special licenses
special stewardship considerations and whether you have the to take their temperature, that you need to obtain.
ability to properly care for them. for instance, and know the
“You certainly need to take a look at whether you can meet normal range. Or, you may Learn more
their nutritional needs or if you’ll have to buy feed. Will they need to administer medica- • https://afsic.nal.usda.
need special fencing? Sometimes you need a high-tensile fence tion,” Myers says. gov/grazing-systems-and-
with tight wires at the bottom so animals can’t crawl through “If you haven’t had alternative-livestock-
or just a higher fence,” says Myers. “How are you going to experience with handling breeds/raising-alternative-
water these animals? Is there water on your property?” livestock, you need to work livestock-breeds
Myers says all animals need some sort of shelter. Even that out. It’s good to visit • https://extension.umd.edu/
hardy bison should have somewhere to get out of the weather someone who has this par- sites/default/files/_docs/
if they want to. ticular animal to fully learn Alternative%20Livestock.pdf

GET WITH THE

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ALL-SEASON
V.I.P. PROGRAM.
FMC is honoring Very Independent Purchasers
with exclusive agronomic and economic incentives
that offer you more freedom in the field.

Program Dates: September 1, 2017-August 31, 2018

Talk to your authorized retailer or visit FMCAGUS.com/FMCFreedomPass to learn more.

Always read and follow label directions. FMC is a trademark of FMC Corporation.
©2017 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved. 17-FMC-0806 09/17
BEYOND PROTECTION,
NURTURE PRODUCTION.
Now labeled for soybeans as well as corn, Ethos XB ®

Insecticide/Fungicide from FMC provides the broadest

spectrum of protection on the market.

If you’ve seen positive results with Capture® LFR® Insecticide,

look closely at Ethos® XB Insecticide/Fungicide. This innovative,
broad-spectrum biofungicide offers unparalleled protection
against soil pests and diseases like Pythium,
Phytophthora and Fusarium. And unlike
synthetic chemistries, the protection builds over time as spores
colonize and create a biofilm barrier around plant roots.

Establish an environment where seedlings emerge more

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of Production™. The proof is in fuller stands, stronger growth
and higher yields.

Ethos XB Insecticide/Fungicide is eligible for FMC Freedom Pass

Agronomic Rewards, Performance Assurances and Product
Financing.1 See your authorized retailer for details.

1
Offer ends July 31, 2018 and is subject to approved credit on a Multi-Use Account, a service of John Deere Financial, f.s.b. For
agricultural/commercial use only. Offer requires a $5,000 minimum purchase of at least one of the qualifying products listed. After
the promotional period, interest charges will begin to accrue at the regular Multi-Use Account rate. Available at participating
merchants. Multi-Use Accounts are a service of John Deere Financial, f.s.b.

Ethos XB Insecticide/Fungicide and Capture LFR Insecticide are Restricted Use Pesticides. Always read and follow label
directions. Ethos XB Insecticide/Fungicide is not registered for sale or use in California. FMC, Ethos, Zone of Production, Capture and
LFR are trademarks of FMC Corporation or an affiliate. ©2017 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved. 17-FMC-1064 09/17
m a c h i n e r y
By Laurie Bedord and Tharran Gaines

to the windrow, the picking

up process can be completed
up to 35% faster.
“Today, with the current
tractor/baler combination,
you have to go through
up to nine steps to stop the
tractor, wrap and dump the
bale, and start again,” Core
relates. “With this machine,
you only have to push one
button. The baler does ev-
erything automatically.”
Simple machine mainte-
nance is also another objec-
tive. In a matter of minutes,
the bale chamber can be
removed for maintenance to
optimize productivity.
While the current

ZR5 SELF-PROPELLED ROUND BALER

VERMEER MORPHS TWO MACHINES INTO ONE.
prototype forms a bale that
is 5 feet wide and 6 feet
in diameter, Core says it’s
possible other sizes will

A
be available in the future,
few years ago, Vermeer assigned a special engineer- uniquely positioned over the particularly since 4×6-foot
ing group within the company a simple assignment. suspension. bales are popular with those
Its task was to develop machines that don’t currently “You can also spend less who load them two wide on
exist in the marketplace. The team unveiled its first time turning in the field and a semi for shipping.
innovation – the ZR5 self-propelled round baler pro- more time baling. The zero- “Farmers and ranch-
totype – the first of its kind in the hay and forage industry. radius turning can eliminate ers are facing one of the
Pulling expertise from the lawn care industry, the ZR5 fea- skipping a windrow to make same challenges they did in
tures zero-radius turning for better maneuverability and driv- the turn or swinging out 1971 when Gary Vermeer
ing efficiency than seen in a conventional tractor-baler combo. wide to get into the next introduced the round baler:
Hydraulic drive on the baler drive, as well as the rear wheels, windrow,” adds Vrieze. labor,” he continues. “As
also provides you with the ability to automatically make real- “When it’s time to head to access to labor in rural areas
time adjustments based on field, crop, and operator inputs. the next field, zero-radius becomes more limited, we
“I firmly believe that someday we’ll look back and say, ‘I turning can be disengaged.” believe the type of innova-
can’t believe for that long, we drove balers through a gearbox tion needed to design the
and that everything turned in the same correlation to each other benefits ZR5 will continue to pave
other based on the PTO rpm,’ ” says Mark Core, Vermeer ex-
ecutive vice president. “Combines haven’t done that for years,
and other harvesting equipment doesn’t do that. Yet, balers
T he prototype’s features
aren’t just about ride
quality and maneuverabil-
the way for more efficiency,
productivity, and an eventual
reduction in labor while
still operate that way.” ity. Automating the baling producing the same amount
Hence, he believes as this machine continues to be refined, process was another goal for of feed. Vermeer is proud to
you will be able to adjust the baler to match different crops the ZR5. Integrated quarter- be making this investment in
and conditions. In the meantime, the ZR5 promises to increase turn technology is part of the innovation and is dedicated
productivity through greater comfort and efficiency. ZR5 baling automation pro- to leading the way.”
“Our patent-pending suspension technology allows you to cess. During the tie cycle, the The company plans
better handle the bumps and jostling that naturally come with machine can automatically to have the ZR5 in the hands
baling hay,” says Josh Vrieze, Vermeer product manager. “If rotate to the left or right, po- of customers for testing in
you think about all those bumps over the course of the day or sitioning the bale parallel to 2018. It will be available for
multiple days, ride quality can really impact you. In the ZR5, the windrow upon ejection. purchase in 2019. Learn
you experience a smoother, more comfortable ride with the cab When placing bales parallel more at Vermeer.com.

bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Manufacturer

 The Commodity Classic
Main Stage, presented by
Successful Farming
Where what’s next in agriculture happens.
For three days, you’ll be motivated by agriculture icons as they
headline the Commodity Classic Main Stage, presented by
Successful Farming. In addition, Learning Center sessions on the
Main Stage will help you Grow Beyond, as industry experts talk
about emerging innovations and groundbreaking products that
could change the way you farm.

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and find out more about the Main Stage.

Be sure to stop by the stage to hear from speakers such as: Brian and Darren
Hefty, Marji Guyler-Alaniz, Dave Mowitz, Ray Bohacz, and Al Kluis
 Y I E L D QUEST
By Gil Gullickson, Crops Technology Editor
Early planting pays, but it takes a you want soybeans flowering
different mind-set, says Ryan Van Roekel. by this date,” he says.
Early planting is the way
to do it. “Early planting not
only intercepts more light,
but also stretches out the
reproductive period,” says
Van Roekel. This spurs
more pods and, ultimately,
higher yields.
Planting full-season vari-
eties can boost early-planting
benefits. “Full-season soy-
beans have more potential
to stretch reproductive and
vegetative periods,” he says.
A 2011-2012 DuPont
Pioneer study across 37
Illinois and Indiana locations
compared full- and early-
season varieties planted in
mid-April to early May
against late-May plantings.
In the earlier plant-
ings, full-maturity soybean
yields bested those of earlier
maturing ones by 7.2 bushels
per acre. The yield edge
wasn’t as wide in the late
HOW TO BETTER YOUR plantings, though. In late
May, full-season varieties
BEAN YIELDS FOLLOW THESE STEPS.
outyielded earlier maturing
ones by 2.7 bushels per acre.
I
“When you plant a full-
t’s easy for farmers to get dreamy eyes and smile when they season bean late, it shortens
read about stratospheric 160- or 170-bushel-per-acre world up the reproductive period,”
record soybean yields. Unfortunately, that’s what they are says Van Roekel. “Even the
on most soils – dreams. best growing conditions
“Those are big, big yields, double or triple most yields,” can’t make up for lack of
says Ryan Van Roekel, a DuPont Pioneer field agronomist in early planting,” he says.
Iowa. Those yields are rare and are often unrealistic.
“There are some fields that will never have the potential to Drawbacks
yield 100 bushels per acre,” he says.
Still, don’t give up. A field that normally yields 40 bushels
per acre might yield 60 bushels with just the right touch. Ditto
E arly planting isn’t always
so rosy. A soybean’s
growing point is above
for a field that often yields 70 bushels per acre. It could be ground, exposing it to frost.
tweaked to go 100 with the right strategies and weather. Here Early frosts are especially a
are some steps from Van Roekel for how to do it. concern in northern states.
Fortunately, killing frosts
look at pods in May in areas like central
“T he one thing I have noticed with 100-bushel soybeans is
that they have more pods than a normal crop,” says Van
Roekel. Prolific pods are fueled by light quality and quantity,
Iowa are rare, says Van
Roekel.
Cold and wet soils are
which peaks on June 21, the longest day of the year. “Ideally, more common. “Every year,
bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
7.2
The bushel-per-acre
yield difference between
full-maturity soybeans
over earlier maturing ones
planted early in Illinois
and Indiana.
Source: DuPont Pioneer
farmers will tell me they’re
nervous about planting
soybeans early,” says Van
Roekel. “Soybeans are really
resilient to cold and wet con-
ditions. Early-planted beans
might sit in the ground two
to three weeks when it’s cold
and wet, but they will come
up pretty well.”
They need help, though.
“Soybeans in cold and wet
soils are at a high risk for
soilborne fungi,” says Van
Roekel. This includes sud-
den death syndrome (SDS),
a fungal malady in which
late-season damage is rooted
in spring infections.
Meanwhile, bean leaf
beetles will go to the first-
emerged fields in an area.
Thus, an insecticide/fungi-
cide seed treatment is often
recommended for early-
planted soybeans, says Van
Roekel.
Variety selection can
help fend off such stressors.
“Finding a variety with high
yield potential is important,
but you also need to consider
defensive traits. In my area
(central Iowa), SDS is a
huge factor. White mold can
be another factor in more
northern areas.”
If you don’t need defen-
sive characteristics, though,
aim for yield potential.
Defensive characteristics can
chip away at yield potential,
says Van Roekel.
Photography: Gil Gullickson
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 Y I E L D QUEST Continued

top: If your field doesn’t have

white mold potential, narrow
rows (on the left) are a great way
to boost yields over wider, 30-
inch rows (on the right).
bottom: Ideally, soybeans should
be blooming by June 21.

yield potential.” Narrowing

rows from 30 to 15 inches
has consistently boosted
soybeans 2 bushels per acre
in University of Illinois trials.
Still, narrow rows can sink
a soybean field with a white
mold history.
Wide rows help circulate
more air to curb white mold.
One compromise may be 20-
inch rows, Van Roekel says.

hidden hunger

S oybeans typically require

fewer inputs than corn.
That’s not true in all cases,
though.
“Soybeans take lots of
potassium (K),” says Van
Roekel. “There’s a hidden
hunger where you may not
see a deficiency, but it will
Weed control also is key, and several herbicide-tolerant Unlike corn, soybeans surface in tissue tests. An
systems are available for farmers. “We sometimes see yield dif- haven’t been proven to 80-bushel crop can take up to
ferences among maturities, where one herbicide-tolerant tech- respond to uniform spacing. 250 pounds per acre of K20.”
nology might be strong in earlier maturities and another one Minor gaps or doubles aren’t Soybeans also consume
might be stronger in late maturities,” says Scott Beck, Beck’s critical either. “Beans have a lots of N, at a 5-pound-
Hybrids president. “As a whole, the platforms are comparable. lot of room to flex, he says. per-bushel rate. More good
We see parity among yields.” news: Soybeans fix their
Good drainage also helps soybeans get off to a good start. narrowing rows own N.
“With no (water) ponding stress, roots are able to breathe,”
says Van Roekel.
You also need to plant early-planted soybeans thicker.
N arrowing rows can help
soybeans glean more
sunlight.
“Adding nitrogen to
soybeans can be self-
defeating because it inter-
“It is not uncommon to lose 10,000 to 20,000 plants per acre “Soybeans planted at a rate feres with nodulation,” says
in a normal spring,” he says. “A tough spring can knock off of 150,000 plants (per acre) in Van Roekel. “There is no
30,000 plants. So you want to plant 15-inch rows intercept nearly consistent way to profitably
thick enough to have a final harvest 100% of sunlight,” says Van add N to soybeans, especially
stand of 120,000 plants per acre.” Roekel. “In 30-inch rows, with high organic levels. It
“Lodging is Planting soybeans early often coin- the 150,000 plants in 30-inch can sometimes decrease yield
a drawback
with high-yield cides with prime corn planting time. rows intercept just half of the rather than increase it.”
soybeans,” says Planting them simultaneously requires light, with the other half hit- Not so with sulfur. “We
Ryan Van Roekel. another planter and operator. ting the soil. Thus, each plant are getting to the point in
“You should The good news is that a second in 15-inch rows receive more Iowa where sulfur should be
select varieties
that are not prone planter or drill for soybeans doesn’t sunlight, which equals more standard in a fertility
to lodging.” have to be fancy, says Van Roekel. photosynthesis and more program,” he says.

bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

 S H O W B o U N D
By Laurie Bedord, Advanced Technology Editor

The Vickreys – Bret, Owen, 14,

Dalaney, 16, and Carin of Warren,
Indiana – have shown pigs as a
family for more than a decade.

should in his first show. “She

was mad,” recalls her mom,
Carin Vickrey. “She came
home and spent hours upon
hours in the yard working
to get that barrow broke
to drive exactly how she
thought he needed to. Every
win that pig had was a testa-
ment to her hard work.”
It’s that same determina-
tion Dalaney has used to
cope with CF for so long and
to take her every breath.
“In people with CF, a
defective gene causes a thick,
sticky buildup of mucus in
the lungs, pancreas, and oth-

JUST BREATHE LOVE OF LIVESTOCK HELPS INDIANA

TEEN COPE WITH A LIFE-THREATENING DISEASE.
er organs,” explains Jennifer
Milewski, executive director,
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation,
Indiana chapter.

E
In the lungs, mucus clogs
ach day the average person takes about 20,000 breaths. breathing treatments, feed- the airways and traps bacte-
As air flows effortlessly in and out of the lungs, it’s an ing tubes, and more than a ria, which leads to infec-
act most of us take for granted. For Dalaney Vickrey, dozen medications taken tions. “This limits the ability
those breaths come much harder. Diagnosed when she daily to keep the disease at to breathe over time and
was a little more than 1 year old, the now 16-year-old bay. inevitably causes extensive
lives each day managing cystic fibrosis (CF). “I live with cystic fibrosis lung damage and respiratory
Yet, the Warren, Indiana, teen doesn’t let it hold her back. every single day of my life, failure,” she adds.
With the help of her family, she is determined to live a life but when I’m with my pigs, Mucus also hinders the
without limits. That includes being a part of something she has I forget I have it,” Dalaney release of digestive enzymes
been drawn to since she was a small child – showing pigs. says. “My favorite part about in the pancreas that allow
“Dalaney has been working with pigs since she was 4 years having pigs is how different the body to break down food
old,” says her dad, Bret Vickrey. “She has raised and shown each of their personalities is. and to absorb vital nutrients.
more than 150 pigs.” It’s fun to see that come out The result is malnutrition
Doing this is no easy feat, given the countless hours it takes as I spend time with them and poor growth. The thick
to ready an animal for the show ring, the unsavory mixture of and get close to them. They mucus can also block the bile
particles floating through the air that accompanies life in the are basically my friends ex- ducts, which can lead to liver
barn, and the long days she puts in once her pig finally reaches cept they can’t walk on two disease.
the ring. legs and talk.” “What that means is
“The dust in the barn and the extra energy it takes to care for Dealing with a diverse constantly watching Dalaney
and show an animal are definitely concerning because it is hard mix of personalities has also and knowing when to
on her,” says Bret. “There are times we have had to step back ignited a determination to ignore a symptom and when
and say we are done for the day because of how it affected her.” bring out the best in every to head for the hospital,”
animal she raises. says Carin. “A good year is
Temporary escape “In 2013, Dalaney’s bar- one without a hospitalization

S till, the time she invests provides an escape – if only tem-

porarily – from the reality of a life filled with vest therapy,
row, Danger, didn’t perform
the way she thought he
of seven to 14 days.”
When the Cystic

Photography: David Ekstrom November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com bonus

 S H O W B o U N D Continued

Diagnosed with
cystic fibrosis at a
young age, Dalaney
Vickrey, now 16,
is determined not
to let the life-
threatening disease
limit her ability to
show pigs.

Fibrosis Foundation was founded in 1955, children with CF commodity and to make comes to identifying a pig
rarely lived long enough to attend elementary school. “Today, the most of every moment. that will place. She was able
people with CF are achieving milestones like attending col- “We want to give Dalaney to put that talent into practice
lege, getting married, and having children – goals that used to as many opportunities as we as part of her Make-A-Wish
seem impossible,” says Milewski. “This is due, in large part, to can, because we don’t know request to be an honor-
research the foundation has conducted and funded through how long we are going to ary judge at the Houston
support from the amazing CF community.” have her,” says Bret. Livestock Show and Rodeo.
However, there is still no cure. “We have made incredible Those opportunities have “Dalaney not only under-
progress in the fight against CF, but people with this disease helped develop her talent in stands showmanship and
are still dying far too young every day,” she adds. the ring and beyond. Dalaney how to show to win, but also
This encourages the Vickreys to see time as a precious has an innate sense when it understands selection,” says

What are my best options for

Every herbicide works differently to do its job
controlling weeds. To help farmers manage weed
resistance, best practices recommend using a
herbicide program with multiple sites of action.
No longer is a single mode of action adequate to
protect your yields and profitability. Simply put,
resistant weeds can more easily escape one method
of control than they can two or three methods.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS.
Genuity® and Roundup Ready® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. ©2017 Monsanto Company. traits8049c2-P214CH
Whether it’s in a corn or soybean field, the
Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System will utilize
herbicide-tolerant trait technologies to help
maximize yield potential, weed control and quality.
With tolerance to glyphosate and dicamba,
farmers will have multiple tools to help control
glyphosate-resistant broadleaf weeds such as
Palmer amaranth, waterhemp and marestail, along
with other tough-to-control broadleaf weeds such
as lambsquarters and velvetleaf.
Looking for local weed management
recommendations supported by research?
Check out the Herbicide Recommendation Tool
from Roundup Ready PLUS®
Crop Management Solutions
 Choose the yield advantage of DroughtGard® Hybrids technology corn products, and be prepared for drought when it happens.
There’s no need to sacrifice yield potential for drought tolerance with DroughtGard® Hybrids, which contain
the first and only drought tolerant biotech trait.

See how the science works at DroughtGard.com/Video

Growing conditions can be defined as those in which temperature, light and water, among other inputs, are suitable for plant growth.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS MAY VARY. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW IRM, WHERE APPLICABLE, GRAIN MARKETING AND ALL OTHER STEWARDSHIP PRACTICES AND PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS.
Details of these practices can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. ©2017 Monsanto Company. drogrd7475c1-P214A

Follow us @GenuityTraits
 Trait and Stewardship Responsibilities
Notice to Farmers

Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence S H O W B o U N D Continued

Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products
are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product
Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance
with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of
Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity
Crops. This product has been approved for import
into key export markets with functioning regulatory
systems. Any crop or material produced from this Nick Mauck, who is a Sunglo
product can only be exported to, or used, processed
or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory Feeds show feed specialist
approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and judged with Dalaney at
and international law to move material containing
biotech traits across boundaries into nations where
the 2015 Houston Livestock
import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their Show and Rodeo. “She has
grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their as keen an eye as most adult
buying position for this product. Excellence Through
Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence judges. It was fun to watch
Through Stewardship. how she handled herself. She
B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. looked like a seasoned pro as
Check with your Monsanto representative for the she helped place the Poland
registration status in your state. China barrows and talked
IMPORTANT IRM INFORMATION: RIB Complete ® about the reasons why a pig
corn blend products do not require the planting of a placed where it did.”
structured refuge except in the Cotton-Growing Area
where corn earworm is a significant pest. SmartStax®
RIB Complete® corn blend is not allowed to be sold for What’s in a name

planting in the Cotton-Growing Area. See the IRM/
Grower Guide for additional information. Always
read and follow IRM requirements.
Individual results may vary, and performance may
vary from location to location and from year to year.
This result may not be an indicator of results you may
obtain as local growing, soil and weather conditions
may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple
locations and years whenever possible.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL
DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready technology contains
genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, an active
ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides.
Agricultural herbicides containing glyphosate
will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate.
DroughtGard ®, RIB Complete ®, Roundup Ready ®,
Roundup ®, SmartStax ® and VT Double PRO ® are
trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. LibertyLink®
and the Water Droplet Design ® is a registered
trademark of Bayer. Herculex ® is a registered
trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Respect the
Refuge and Corn Design® and Respect the Refuge ®
are registered trademarks of National Corn Growers
Association. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners. ©2017 Monsanto Company.
A
s new four-legged friends
come and go, it’s clear
each holds a special place in
this barely 100-pound young
woman’s huge heart. So do
the people who have touched
her life because of CF.
“Dalaney named Danger
after a gentleman we know
who ran from Washington
to Florida to raise awareness
about CF,” says Carin. “This year, she
named one of her pigs Carson after a
little boy who has CF that she admires the path to a cure
and is close to.”
Between pigs and people, Dalaney
is surrounded by an incredible support
T he Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation is a
donor-supported nonprofit organization
founded in 1955 by parents of children with
system in her fight against CF. cystic fibrosis and leads in the search for a cure.
“My parents do all they can to make Based in Bethesda, Maryland, it funds more
living with cystic fibrosis easier for me,” CF research than any other organization, and
she says as she fights back tears. “It’s all nearly every CF drug available today was made
about ensuring that I’m having fun and possible because of the foundation’s support.
enjoying life.” “In 2016, it spent $160 million on research
and care awards, more than in any previous
year in the foundation’s history,” says
“We want to Jennifer Milewski, executive director, Cystic
give Dalaney Fibrosis Foundation, Indiana chapter. “This
includes laboratory research, preclinical drug
as many
development, clinical research, and high-quality
opportunities specialized care.”
as we can, There are now two FDA-approved therapies
because we that treat the basic defect in CF for more than
don’t know half of the population. These therapies, Kalydeco
and Orkambi, have transformed the lives of
how long we thousands of people, including Indiana teen
are going to Dalaney Vickrey.
have her.” There is still more work to be done. “We don’t
just want to treat CF, we want to end CF,” says
– Bret Vickrey Milewski.

bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

 m a c h i n e r y
By Dave Mowitz, Executive Editor, Machinery & Technology INSIDER ™

Stagnant bidding and lack of buyers on

dealers’ lots have depressed the prices of
late-model four-wheel-drive tractors.

4WD BEST BUYS LATE-MODEL

FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VALUES ARE STILL SOFT
BUT HAVE REACHED THEIR PRICE BOTTOM.

T
he consensus among dealers and auctioneers is that a
solid bottom has been reached in the recent downward
decline in late-model machinery values. Much like
commodity prices, the value of large equipment such
as combines, high-horsepower front-wheel-drive trac-
tors, tillage implements, and grain carts has been established
and will likely hold at current levels for this year and into 2018.
“This is the new normal,” says Tim Meyer of Steffes upcoming on the successful Farming Show
Auctioneers (steffesauctioneers.com). “Everything is a bargain
compared with a couple of years ago. But that was then.
Today’s prices are the new normal, where horsepower is as
F uture episodes of the Successful Farming Show provide repair
and maintenance tips from Engine Man Ray Bohacz (shown
above). In addition, Jessie Scott honors soldiers who have returned to
cheap as it has been for well over a decade.” the farm in a special feature that airs November 9, 10, and 13. The
The poster child of this new normal is the four-wheel-drive following week, November 16, 17, and 19, Successful Farming
(4WD) tractor. Durable to a fault, 4WDs often don’t rack up magazine’s advanced technology editor, Laurie Bedord, covers the
as many hours as high-powered front-wheel-drive tractors. unique AgBot event, a competition between field robots.
Struggling with depressed grain prices, farmers have held The show airs every Thursday at 9 p.m., Friday at 1 a.m., and Sunday
back replacing their 4WD workhorses since 2014. at 10 p.m. (all times are Eastern). Go to rfdtv.com to find satellite or
“Relative to age, four-wheel drives often don’t carry as cable providers carrying RFD-TV.

22 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Mitch Kezar; Dave Mowitz
Continue to next page
m a c h i n e r y INSIDER™ Continued

upcoming auctions of note

NOV. 8: Weeks Farm Equipment
(weeksfarmmachinery.com) will hold its
monthly consignment in Moultrie, Georgia.
NOV. 16: A wide range of farm
and construction equipment including
semitrucks and trailers will be sold by
Ritchie Bros. (rbauction.com) at the Tipton,
California, location.
NOV. 17: A tractor, truck, trailer, and
farm construction equipment auction will be held
by Schminke Equipment (schminkeequipment.
com) in Shellsburg, Iowa.
NOV. 25: Sullivan Auctioneers
(sullivanauctioneers.com) will offer an
outstanding line of equipment at a farm sale near
Homer, Illinois.
NOV. 29: Steffes Auctioneers
(steffesauctioneers.com) will hold its largest
consignment auction of the year at West
Fargo, North Dakota.
DEC. 8: The annual Eltopia auction
by Booker Auction Company (bookerauction.
com) will be held in Eltopia, Washington.

many hours as high-horsepower front-wheel drives,” says Rick

Vacha of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (rbauctions.com). “Right
now, the marketplace is loaded with a lot of low-hour four-
wheel drives being sold at very favorable prices.”

late-model 4wd inventories are healthy

T hat fact is born out by this issue’s Pocket Price Guide (on the
opposite page). This listing, based on current dealer invento-
ries, focuses just on 2012 and 2013 models in the 525-hp. to 560-hp.
range. John Deere’s used equipment site, machinefinder.com,
alone listed 113 4WDs fitting this description at press time, testify-
ing to their abundance.
Extending the horsepower range to include all 2012 and 2013 prices begin to tires (you can invest $15,000 or
model year 4WDs, machinefinder.com reports 334 such machines rebound on 4WDS more on new rubber) and whether
on dealers’ lots. Open up that search to include all used 2012 and Two decades old they’re equipped with a PTO or a
newer 4WDs, and that number jumps to 807 machines.
Little wonder that 48% of dealers feel their used equipment
inventories are too high, according to a recent Association of
W ith Tim Meyer calling the
sale, two Deere 8970s
(shown above) sold at a recent
three-point hitch will have a huge
influence on their values.
Below are dealer and auction
Equipment Manufacturers survey. Steffes event. prices for 70 series Deere 4WDs.
“The thing is, we are not selling nearly as many new four- The first tractor, a 1995 model • Model 8570
wheel drives these days,” notes Steffes’ Meyer. In fact, sales of with 7,426 hours and a three- Dealer average: $39,800
new four-wheel drives in 2016 were just over 2,300 units. This point hitch, brought $39,000. The Dealer range: $29,500-$49,950
represents a 23% decline in sales compared with 2015, when sales second 8970, a 1994 model with Auction average: $28,500
were far less than 2014. 10,720 hours and a PTO, sold for Auction range: $11,900-$39,000
This sets up a situation where there will be far fewer late-model $31,000. Otherwise, they were • Model 8770
4WDs on the used market in the future. That could certainly equipped the same, including Dealer average: $41,100
incite a price run-up on late-model 4WDs similar to the one agri- Michelin 710/70R38 duals that Dealer range: $32,900-$52,900
culture experienced with combines in 2009 and 2010. “That could were rated new. Auction average: $27,500
well mean that the used four-wheel drive you buy today could be The difference in hours Auction range: $19,500-$57,500
worth as much, if not more, in several years,” Meyers speculates. impacted these tractors’ final • Model 8870
price. Meyer says bids for this age Dealer average: $51,700
there is change in the wind of tractor are on the increase. Dealer range: $36,750-$79,500

A lready, the marketplace is seeing a rebound in 4WD in regard

to 20-some-year-old machines such as the pair of Deere 8970s
shown at right. This group of tractors has seen a solid 15%
“They offer an opportunity to
buy a lot of horsepower at a price
a banker finds affordable,” he
Auction average: $28,500
Auction range: $18,500-$47,700
• Model 8970
increase in auction bids or dealer asking prices, according to a says. “I expect values for this age Dealer average: $51,400
Successful Farming price trend analysis. That trend is certain to of four-wheel drive will continue Dealer range: $36,500-$68,500
continue into 2018, as farmers seek out cheaper horsepower for to increase this winter.” Auction average: $24,900
primary tillage chores. The condition of such tractors’ Auction range: $15,200-$43,410

24 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

 POCKET PRICE GUIDE: Dealer Prices for 2012 and 2013 4WDs
MAKE &
MODEL YEAR HOURS STATE* PRICE SPECIFICATIONS**
Cut along this line

CASE IH 550 HD 2013 867 ND $275,000 Deluxe cab, HID, high-flow hyd., power beyond hyd., Pro 700, 372 receiver

2013 1,200 IL $259,000 Deluxe cab, 4 hyd., high-flow hyd., diff. locks

2013 1,572 MN $214,500 710/70R42 tires, deluxe cab, high-flow hyd., front & rear diff. locks, HID, cold-weather pkg.

2013 1,922 NE $212,554 710/70R42 tires, deluxe cab, high-flow hyd., front & rear diff. lock, HID, cold-weather pkg.

2013 2,335 TX $199,000 800/70R8 tires, 4 hyd., ag drawbar, deluxe cab, 22 front wgts., rear wgt. bracket, tow cable

2012 635 SD $217,500 800/70R38 tires, deluxe cab w/leather interior, 4 hyd.

2012 1,595 SD $214,500 800/70R38 tires,4 hyd., front & rear diff. locks, deluxe cab, HID

2012 2,274 IL $179,000 800/70R38 tires, Pro 700 display, deluxe cab

2012 1,440 IL $229,500 800/70R38 tires, full rear wgt. rack, 4 hyd., HID, deluxe cab, cab susp.

CHALLENGER MT965 2012 1,550 MN $155,000 710/90R42 tires, 5 hyd., 30 wgts., HID, trans. & rear ends rebuilt spring 2017

2012 1,994 NY $259,000 710/70R42 tires, lease return, Ag Pro four-way blade

JOHN DEERE 9560R 2013 337 TX $299,000 800/70R8 tires, GS3 display, StarFire receiver, 5 hyd., HD drawbar support, HID

2013 736 MN $296,900 800/70R38 tires, GS3 display, Greenstar receiver, 4 hyd., HD axle

2013 862 ND $300,000 520/85R46 tires, high-flow hyd., 5 hyd., GS3 display, StarFire receiver, PTO, Cat. 5 drawbar, HD axle

2013 909 MO $319,000 800/70R tires, high-flow hyd., 5 hyd., GS3 display, StarFire receiver, PTO, Cat. 5 drawbar, HD axle, HID

2013 930 WA $288,700 800/70R38 tires, GS3 display, Greenstar receiver, 5 hyd., HD axle,

2013 1,043 ND $279,900 520/85R6 tires, GS3 display, Greenstar receiver, high-flow hyd., 5 hyd., Cat. 5 drawbar, HD axle, HID

2013 1,233 MN $252,900 800/70R38 tires, GS3 display, Greenstar receiver, 4 hyd., HD axle, Cat. 5 drawbar, HID

2013 1,328 IL $229,000 800/70R38 tires, GS3 display, Greenstar receiver, 4 hyd., Cat. 5 drawbar, HID

2013 1,482 IL $269,900 800/70R38 tires, GS3 display, Greenstar receiver, high-flow hyd., 4 hyd., deluxe cab

2013 1,553 WI $235,900 800/70R38 tires, deluxe cab, GS3 display, 4 hyd., Cat. 5 drawbar, mid-frame wgts.

2013 1,727 KS $252,905 800/70R38 tires, 5 hyd., Cat. 5 drawbar, HID, front axle support, deluxe cab

2013 1,979 IN $229,900 800/70R38 tires, Greenstar receiver, 5 hyd., deluxe cab, HID, front & rear wheel wgts.

2012 861 IN $289,500 800/70R38 tires, GS3 display, Greenstar receiver, 5 hyd., HD package

2012 1,217 SD $249,900 800/70R38 tires, triples, deluxe cab, 5 hyd., high-flow hyd.

2012 1,342 IA $279,000 800/70R38 tires, high-flow hyd., 5 hyd., GS3 display, Greenstar receiver, HD axle, HID, Cat. 5 drawbar

2012 1,445 KS $243,000 710/70R42 tires, GS3 display, Greenstar receiver, high-flow hyd., 5 hyd., full wgt. pkg.

2012 1,690 ND $253,600 800/70R38 tires, high-flow hyd., 5 hyd., 10 drawbar wgts. and support

2012 1,722 IL $244,900 800/70R38 tires, 4 hyd., diff. lock, HID

2012 1,795 SD $239,900 800/70R38 tires, GS3 display, Greenstar receiver, 4 hyd.

2012 1,848 MN $215,800 800/70R38 tires, 4 hyd., Cat. 5 drawbar, HID, HD frame

2012 2,489 IL $189,900 800/70R38 tires, 4 hyd., deluxe cab, HID, 12-month PowerGard warranty

2012 3,601 IN $179,900 800/70R38 tires, high-flow hyd., 4 hyd., deluxe cab, Cat. 5 drawbar
NEW HOLLAND
T9.615 2013 535 IL $149,000 710/70R42 tires, 6 hyd., deluxe cab, cab susp., diff. lock, warranty until 02-2019
Cut along this line

2013 600 MI $245,000 Deluxe cab, GPS, HID, leather interior, cab. susp., cold-weather pkg.

2013 774 MN $260,000 700/70R38 tires, cab susp., deluxe cab

2012 600 MI $245,000 Deluxe cab w/leather interior, HID, cab susp., cold-weather pkg.

2012 1,850 ND $189,200 710/70R38 duals, high-flow hyd., 6 hyd., deluxe cab, HID
VERSATILE 550 2013 1,250 MT $259,000 800/70R38 tires, 6 hyd., ¾" return line, front/rear/middle wgt. pkg., HD axle
2013 2,427 ND $251,588 800/70R38 tires, PTO, 6 hyd., rear and front wgts., deluxe cab
2012 417 MT $289,000 800/70R38 tires, HID, HD axle, 4 hyd., high-flow hyd. pump, front and rear diff. locks
* ND = North Dakota, etc. ** Cat. = category, diff. = differential, HD = heavy duty, HID = high-intensity discharge lights, hyd. = hydraulics, pkg. = package, susp. = suspension,
trans. = transmission, wgt. = weight, X hyd. = number of hydraulic outlets
Sources: machinerfinder.com, fastline.com, tractorhouse.com

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S e r v i c e TEAM
By Ray Bohacz
KEY TO A FAST-STARTING DIESEL
CHECK THE PERFORMANCE OF GLOW PLUGS.
he heat source that starts a
diesel may be compression of the
fuel-air mixture in the bore. As
a general rule (this will vary by
engine design and displacement),
the cylinder pressure during crank
needs to reach a minimum of 450 psi.
This will then heat the air in the bore to
around 1,300°F. from compression of the
molecules. Depending on the ambient
temperature, that will not be hot enough
for the diesel fuel to self-ignite.
Enter the glow plug, which typically
(there are many designs in use) will have
a tip temperature of just under 1,900°F.
A common misunderstanding is that
the glow plug heats the air in the cylin-
der or prechamber (in a direct-injection
engine). Instead, its purpose is to provide
a high temperature area (the tip) so when
the atomized fuel comes in contact with
it, ignition will occur.
In contrast, many newer diesel engines
employ an intake air heater (IAH) that
raises the incoming air temperature
that, when aided by the heating from
compression, allows for combustion. In
some applications, a combination of glow
plugs and an IAH is used. The benefit
of an IAH is that it doesn’t need to be
fitted to the limited space in the combus-
tion chamber like a traditional glow plug
does, and it’s usually easier to service.
For the glow plugs to function, they
need a supply of electricity. That supply
may consist of a relay, wiring, buss bar, or
a glow plug controller. If any of these is
not working, the engine will be hard to
start when cold or may not even run.
When it comes to the electrical portion
of the system, the voltage supply to each
glow plug needs to be confirmed along
with the resistance of each individual
unit. Often, an engine is only starting
on as little as one glow plug. Once the
weather turns colder, it will be extremely
difficult to get running.
Some newer glow plugs are designed
to keep heating once the engine runs
26 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
until reaching a specified engine cool-
ant temperature or running time. This
design limits cold-start smoke and
combustion noise, and allows immediate
application of load.
It is important to understand that if
the glow plug is good electrically but
the engine is still hard starting or has an
excessive amount of white smoke when
cold, the glow plug may be electrically
intact but physically damaged. For this
reason, it is important to examine each
glow plug when removed for replace-
ment. The following is a condensed
diagnostic guide.
• Tip dented or creased: The relay is
stuck on, the wrong glow plug was
installed, or the engine was jump-started
wrong (in series instead of parallel).
• Tip melted or broken off: This could
be caused by the injection pump timing
being set too early; worn, carbon-laden,
or leaking nozzles/injectors; or seized
piston rings.
• Heat damage/discoloring: This may be
caused by the injection pump timing be-
ing set too early or overtightened during
previous installation.
If the engine is running correctly but
the glow plug has failed, it will have
the heating element burned out from
thermal cycles and use, but there will be
no physical external damage.
An obstacle with glow plugs is gain-
ing access to removing them and their
propensity to break off in the cylinder
head when being changed. It is best to
try to remove them when the engine is
warm and after soaking the glow plug
threads with good penetrating oil. Still,
be careful, since the shear torque on an
8-millimeter glow plug is only about 15
foot-pounds. If the glow plug breaks off
in the head and it can’t be removed, then
the head needs to come off the block.
Before installing new glow plugs,
always use the proper dedicated thread
chasing tap and coat the threads with
antiseize compound.
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 Exceptional
Extension
Meet 10 superstar
specialists who are
making a difference in
ag Extension.

outlived its usefulness. Bigger farm operations, private business experts,

budget cuts, and cyber communications have passed it by, they say.
Well, not so fast! Here are 10 examples of Extension specialists (of the
10,000 Extension employees) and the programs they lead across the country.
In most cases, no one else is doing the work they do, and no one is doing it
independently – no biases, nothing for sale.
It is still exceptional Extension. By Gene Johnston | Illustrations by Chad Jewell

28 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

 The Biggest Issue
T he biggest issue in agriculture? It might
be water quality, where rural and urban
meet and sometimes clash.
“Through a partnership of farmers
and the city, we minimized those spikes
by implementing best-management
Ron Graber sees that one close up. practices from Extension. The city
The Kansas State University provides funds to help the farmers,
Extension watershed specialist and that saves thousands in treatment
educates on the topic to both rural and costs,” he says.
urban audiences and provides technical Extension remains the primary source
assistance, as well. of unbiased, science-based solutions to
He and Kansas State Extension issues affecting people
and their livelihood, he
says. “We don’t tell
atrazine in the watershed around anyone what to do. We
Wichita. “Sometimes, atrazine spikes only provide facts
enabling them to make Ron Graber
watershed
standard,” he says. informed decisions.” specialist

Save Our Youth Ojibwe traditions.  in their lifetimes,” says Zak. 

Tribal leaders from the White
Earth Nation in northwest
Minnesota had a simple request
for Deborah Zak and her
University of Minnesota Extension
colleagues: Help us lower our
high school dropout rate. The
tribe asked Zak to use the natural
resources of the reservation to
teach tribal youth that math and
science have always been in the
That was in 1998, and they’ve In 2017, the Minnesota College
offered the White Earth Academy of Veterinary Medicine shared
of Math and Science for 4th career possibilities in that field.
through 8th graders for the past “Extension’s future is bright as long
19 summers. Students measure as we keep current
forests and trees, test lake water, with changing
inspect for invasive aquatic demographics and
species, and keep nature journals issues that are
to record changes they observe. important to our
“They also record podcasts of citizens,” Zak Deborah Zak
regional
tribal elders talking about changes believes. director

Extension in the City

T
his is Extension like you’ve never imagined it.
Zach Grant is an urban agriculture Extension
specialist for Cook County. Yes, that’s
Chicago, with 5.28 million people, six University
of Illinois Extension offices, and 75 employees!
“The transition to urban agriculture has been
spearheaded by major cities,
Chicago included,” says Grant
of his specialty. “We help entre-
preneurs establish urban food
systems.”
Zach Grant Most city farmers grow fruits and
urban ag
specialist vegetables on vacant lots and less-
than-acre parcels of land tucked among buildings.
Some use high-tunnel greenhouses; others use
storage containers to grow micro-greens (small
vegetables) for specialty markets.
One of Grant’s initiatives is connecting urban
food growers and bankers, a link that hasn’t ex-
isted before. He’s also launched a Master Urban
Farmer Training Program, patterned after the
Master Gardener Program.
“There aren’t enough of us in Extension for the
population we serve,” he says. “So we concentrate
on underserved needs and areas of real food
insecurity.”

November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 29

 Something’s
Fishy
After petroleum, what’s
the next greatest natural
resource deficit of the U.S.?
If you said seafood,
bingo! Matt Smith, the
Extension aquaculture
specialist for Ohio State
University, is changing that
by bringing his aquaculture
experience from Alabama
and Arkansas (both fish-
farming leaders) to the
Midwest.
Ohio State just launched
a three year USDA-funded
project called Aquaculture
Boot Camp for beginning
aquaculture or aquaponics
(fish combined with
soilless plant production)
farmers. Applicants
Technology Wizard
dedicate one day a month
for a year to learn the
business.
W hen Missouri corn and
soybean growers wanted to
implement a technology-based, on-
results. Technology does the work,”
says Shannon.
“This is an Extension niche in
“Students come to our farm research program, they found providing unbiased, research-based
South Centers for hands-on the perfect partner in Extension ag- information. I like helping farmers
learning opportunities and ricultural engineering specialist Kent see what works on their farms.”
even farm tours and Shannon. He’s been helping farmers Shannon has also worked with
internships. This will assist harness technology throughout his farm drones since 2013 to get in-
aquaculture 25-year Extension career. season crop images to verify ground
expansion in The two-year-old Missouri Strip cover and crop stands.
the Midwest Trial Program brings together There’s much more
and, hopefully, GPS technology, yield monitors, to come, he predicts.
reduce our variable-rate controllers, and “New multispectral
seafood drones. “Once you program the cameras will tell you
deficit,” Matt Smith strip trial instructions into the when a field is under
aquaculture
Smith says. specialist equipment, then you just plant stress from lack of Kent Shannon
ag engineering
and harvest and get a printout of nutrients or pests.” specialist
THESE FARM-RAISED FISH
ARE ON THE RISE

Largemouth Bass Perfect Storm
for Business
Melissa O’Rourke spent 20
years as a private attorney,
Yellow Perch working with Midwest
farm families on estate
and succession planning,
litigation, and other issues.  Estate and succession
“I did some contract
work for Iowa State
University Extension, and
then I had the opportunity
to join them full time
as an Extension farm future, solve problems, mend
business management relationships, and start on a
specialist,” she says. “It good path to the future, that’s
was the perfect storm of very satisfying,” she says. 
combining my background “I have no monetary gain
in agriculture, education, from the work I do,” she
and law. I help farmers plan says in support of Extension.
for the future.” “This
service
planning are the bulk of that is not
consulting, but she also helps available to
farmers find and keep good agriculture
employees. “When I can help anywhere Melissa O'Rourke
farm business
a farm family think about the else.” specialist

31 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017


The Hay Barn Man
T
here’s a lot of be said for
finding your niche and
sticking with it. That’s Larry
Moorehead, the County Extension
director in Moore County,
Tennessee, for 40 years. “We’re in
the business of helping people, and
that’s why I’m still doing it,” says
the Extension veteran.  Barn Man in Tennessee.
With his animal science back-
ground, Moorehead helped a lot of
cattle producers use science-based
nutrition to triple daily gains on
backgrounded steers. However,
hay wastage is the issue that made
his reputation.
Take a Farm
to Mars
Yes, Extension reaches
Extension 4-H specialist
at Auburn University in
Alabama and a lifelong
space dreamer, has
led more than 20,000
youngsters from 45 states
through 4-H Space Camps
in Alabama and Florida.
Tony Cook
Extension 4-H
specialist
Extension on
a Snowmobile
I t was a match made in
heaven 10 years ago, when
Stephen Brown signed on as
the new Extension agent on the
Matanuska Experiment Farm
in Palmer, Alaska. The avid
wilderness hiker now works with
many pioneer farmers in the river
valley and travels to some of the
remotest spots in the U.S.
“Teaching people how to be self-
reliant gets me excited,” he says.
“How many Extension agents get to
snowmobile hundreds of miles up a
“When round bales came on, frozen river and camp in the snow
we stored them outside and wast- to teach Arctic gardening to an
ed over a third, proven by a test I isolated Eskimo community?”
conducted here in Moore County,” With the warming climate, some
he says. “We started building think Alaska could become the new
storage barns, and I’ve carried that Midwest, he says, not the least bit
story from one end of this state to in jest.
the other. I’m known as the Hay Early in his career, Brown did a
two-year Extension stint in New York
He believes local City. “People are very
demonstrations of uninformed about how
new farming practices food is produced,” he
set Extension apart. says of the experience.
“We bring the “If I wasn’t in Alaska,
university to the Larry Moorehead I’d go back to New York Stephen Brown
County extension extension
farmers,” he says. director in a heartbeat.” agent
With recent renewed Earth, particularly in urban For him, it’s not
interest in space and environments. happening fast enough.
technology, in general, Cook dreams big about “The technology is here
the potential for science in now!” he says with some
topic, he says. “If we’re 4-H programs. “We can do frustration. “I see so much
going to Mars, we have to a learning program about opportunity for even greater
take a farm with us.” space agriculture with things in Extension.”
He marvels that space- online classes and offline
worthy food technology applications. Access to the
– hydroponics and vertical knowledge is in the palm of
farming, for instance – is our hand,” he says.
leading a food revolution on
November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 34
 The Crop Blogger
N
athan Mueller, a Nebraska last year, they served 3,000 Nebraska answers can be the most impact-
Extension educator for crop- users in the Crop Tech Cafe. ful thing an Extension agent does,
ping systems in two counties of Mueller says helping farm grow- Mueller thinks. He likes to use
northeast Nebraska, opened a café ers interpret research from the the Nebraska On-Farm Research
for farmers in his region.  University of Nebraska and neigh- Network, coordinated by two oth-
His Crop Tech Cafe (croptechcafe. boring state institutions is the most er Extension educators, to evaluate
org) doesn’t have coffee or donuts, as satisfying thing he does. Farmers practices and products locally and
it exists only in the cyberworld as an know how quickly climate and soils to share results with all farmers.
agronomy blog. It’s a place farmers change as you go east to west and “We provide unbiased,
can hear from experts, ask questions, north to south, especially in a state science-based agronomic informa-
and chat with neighbors.  like Nebraska, he says. tion to growers,”
“We post audio recordings “We have 29 distinct ecoregions, Mueller says. “Any
from radio interviews, highlight and that brings lots of additional potential conflict of
upcoming events and university questions, such as ‘Will the results interest is removed.
resources, share presentations, and be the same on my farm, in my Nebraska Extension
much more,” Mueller explains.  fields, with my equipment, and is a great partner
Other Nebraska Extension crop with my management?’ ” for that third-party Nathan Mueller
Nebraska Extension
educators have joined the effort, and Helping farmers find those service.” Educator

36 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

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 C O O L TOOLS
By Dave Mowitz, Executive Editor, Machinery & Technology

METALWORKING ADVANCES

metal
T urn a drill into a met-
al shear with this at-
tachment from DeWalt.
shear
attachment
Capable of slicing metal
up to 18-gauge thick, the
model DWASHRIR fits
most 18- or 20-volt impact drills
Steel blade or drivers, offering a 360° swiveling head
For circular
saws Y
our circular
saw can be used
to cut metal when
for extra working flexibility. Also capable
of cutting asphalt shingles, steel mesh,
vinyl siding, wire, plastics, cardboard, and
teamed up with rubber, the attachment retails for $59.98.
Diablo’s Steel Demon Go to dewalt.com.
blades sold in 8-, 12-, and
14-inch-diameter versions. Ideal for low-
speed metal-cutting chores, the blades are
fashioned from a unique blend of cermet
teeth (with increased hardness to provide
long wear and impact resistance). The
blades also feature Diablo’s Triple Chip
tooth grind for producing burr-free cuts.
A 12-inch blade retails for $89.
Go to diablotools.com.
flexible
welding
ARC AND
tig welder
in one
E
SAB’s ET series of welders give
you full digital control of stick and
TIG welding in either AC or DC
I nfinity
series
helmets from
helmets

modes. The inverter-base systems Miller offer the

in the models ET 220i and ET 330i
provide advanced TIG features like
pulsing the AC or DC output from 0.2
to 2,000 Hz, an AC output frequency
adjustable from 30 to 200 Hz, and the
ability to tailor arc starts and welding
performance based on electrode diam-
eter. Advanced stick functions include
adjustable arc force (dig) control and ad-
justable Hot Start amperage and duration.
Go to esabna.com.
largest viewing
area in the industry at 13.4 square
inches. Four independent arc
sensors provide better lens re-
sponse, and four operating modes
include weld, cut, grind, and
X-mode (which senses the weld to
eliminate sunlight interference and
continuously detects the arc). The
helmet’s retail price is $371. Go to
millerwelds.com.

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Individual results may vary, and performance may vary from location to location and from year to year. This result may not be an indicator of results you may obtain as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary.
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tioxazafen products for application to seeds in your state. Acceleron® and NemaStrike™ are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. ©2017 Monsanto Company.
m a c h i n e r y
By Ray Bohacz
PUT YOUR VOLT-OHM METER TO WORK
• Step 1: Place the VOM
leads across the two primary
terminals. If the reading is
not in specification, the coil
needs to be replaced.
• Step 2: Place a VOM lead
to the connector where the
coil wire attaches with the
other lead touching the
negative terminal. Compare
the reading to specifications.
2. Voltage test
• Supply voltage. Unplug the
component and place VOM
positive lead to the supply
Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part article on wire. Attach negative lead to
employing a volt-ohm meter. Read the first part of this article at a good ground. Turn on the
Agriculture.com/voltmeter. circuit. In most applications
(other than a microproces-
I
t’s crucial that you get familiar with your volt-ohm meter sor-controlled circuit), there
(VOM) prior to having to diagnose an electrical issue on a should be battery voltage
motor. It’s always best to have a schematic of the circuit you present. Most computer cir-
are testing. Don’t assume you know how it’s wired. Armed cuits use sensors that work
with a VOM, you can conduct these three tests. on 5 volts.
• Charging circuit. With the
1. Resistance test engine off, connect the VOM
D isconnect the power source from the component or circuit
being tested. Connect one lead (a VOM has no polarity) to
one side of the component or circuit and the other to the other
lead with the proper polarity
to the battery. Voltage should
be slightly higher than rated
side. Now read the display. battery voltage. (This is
A sensor or solenoid that is being tested will have a specific called surface charge). Start
value that needs to be referenced to see if it is in range, such as the engine with the meter
208 ohms. When checking a switch, there should be continuity attached. The voltage should
(0 ohms) when that switch is closed and out of range (or infin- go up to the alternator
ity) when that switch is off. If it is a multiposition switch (low, output (just below 15 volts in
medium, or high), keep one lead of the VOM on the input most applications).
terminal and then move the other lead to the different poles • Cranking voltage. Disable
after moving the switch to each position. the engine so it does not
When testing a diode, take a resistance reading with the start. Connect the VOM
leads one way and then reverse them. A diode should read leads across the battery.
continuity one way and open with the leads reversed. Crank the engine for 10 sec-
To check continuity in a circuit, place one VOM lead at the onds and record the lowest
end of the circuit and the other at the beginning. If there is battery voltage. The reading
continuity, it should read 0 ohms or very close to that. If the should be above 9.6 volts for
circuit is open, it will read infinity or over range. most applications.
Some meters have an audible continuity test mode that will • Voltage drop test. This is the
allow you to not have to look at the display to check a circuit. most accurate way to check a
This is known as ringing out a circuit. ground. Place the VOM posi-
To check an ignition coil, do the following two steps: tive lead on the ground to be
bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
checked and the negative lead
on a chassis or engine ground.
Activate the circuit. There
should be less than 0.2 volt
on the ground circuit. If the
voltage is 0.2 or higher, the
ground is weak or defective.
3. Amperage test
• Current draw of component.
To check the current draw
of a component, place the
positive lead of the VOM on
the side of the circuit that is
providing the power and the
negative lead going toward
the load. Activate the load
and read the display.
• Current draw when the
engine is off. Disconnect the
negative cable from the bat-
tery. Place one VOM lead on
the battery’s negative termi-
nal and the other on the end
of the ground cable. If the
reading is negative, reverse
the VOM leads.
The draw, if any, will be
on the display. If the reading
is in milliamps, that is the
memory any controller the
equipment has for a radio or
clock. This is normal. The
draw needs to be up near 1
amp for it to kill the battery
over time.
To locate the source of the
draw, start removing fuses
until the reading goes to zero.
The circuit that fuse protects
is the one with the problem.
Also, unplug the alternator as
a bad diode in this compo-
nent will cause a draw.
When diagnosing a
problem with a volt-ohm
meter, stop and think. The
problem is going to be found
by checking voltage, ground,
or amperage.
Photography: Ray Bohacz
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 c r o p s
By Gene Johnston

August. Foxtails usu-

ally emerge in July and
August.

5 Simplify. “Identify the

one weed you want to
control the most and
concentrate on it,” says
Bradley. “You may just
end up controlling some
others in the process.”
Some pasture weeds like thistles
can be effectively and economically
controlled with timely mowing before
seed shedding.

Killer weeds

5 WAYS TO CONTROL PASTURE WEEDS

IDENTIFICATION IS A START. AFTER THAT, MOWING, PROPER
S ome weeds need to be
controlled because they’re
poisonous to animals, says
FERTILIZER, AND HERBICIDE APPLICATIONS ALL PLAY A PART. Kevin Bradley.
• Perilla mint. Many animal

M
deaths, at least in Missouri, from
anage pasture weeds as aggressively as you do weeds The survey correlated pas- poison weeds involve this one.
in corn and soybeans, says Kevin Bradley, University ture fertility to weed density. It tends to grow in shady areas
of Missouri weed scientist. He offers the following As fertility moved closer to and can be controlled easily with
five tips. ideal, weed density declined. most pasture herbicides when
Each one-unit increase in actively growing.

1Know them. Start by identifying your pasture weeds, says

Bradley. “We have a smartphone app and a booklet to help,”
he says. (Order the weed booklet or download the app at
soil pH (going from 5.8 to
6.8 pH, for example) resulted
in 4,100 fewer total weeds
• Poison hemlock. It moves
from roadside ditches into
pastures, says Bradley. A
extension.missouri.edu/p/ipm1031.) per acre, and 2,454 fewer low rate of ingestion can kill
Over the past two summers, Bradley’s graduate student, common ragweed plants. livestock. Several herbicide
Zach Trower, has walked across 46 Missouri pastures every 14 P and K level increases options, including Grazon and
days to record weed species, estimate densities, and sample soil. also resulted in fewer weeds. Remedy, can control hemlock.
“Every pasture had horse nettle, and almost every pasture had • Nodding spurge. It, too, is on
common ragweed,” says Bradley. “Ragweed had the highest
density, at an average of over 5,000 per acre.”
Other common weeds identified were nutsedge, fleabane,
4 Time herbicides correctly. If
you use herbicides to con-
trol pasture weeds, carefully
the increase. Metsulfuron gives
excellent control at emergence
in July and August, and 2,4-D
yellow foxtail, and dandelion. think through the timing, and dicamba give good control.
says Bradley. For instance, • Horse nettle and thistles.

2 Mow them. It may be a low-cost option to reduce weed

populations, says Bradley. Some herbicide programs can cost
up to $30 per acre, and mowing has the bonus benefit of little
metsulfuron-containing her-
bicides (Chaparral) can give
excellent weed control but
harm to desired forages. Make sure you mow weeds ahead of also can suppress tall fescue
seed shedding. yield if used in the spring.
One research project showed that ironweed, found in 72% Weed-growth habits are
of pastures in Trower’s survey, can be 80% to 90% controlled also important, as herbicides
with three timely mowings per year over two years. “That’s are more effective when
good control,” says Bradley. “All you may have to do after that plants are small and actively
is some spot treatment.” growing.
For instance, 43% of
Not poisonous, these prickly
weeds are very undesirable
nonetheless. Several chemical
options will control horse
nettle at the prebloom stage.
Musk and bull thistles are best
controlled at the early rosette
stage, says Bradley.
• Canada thistle. Mostly seen
north of Missouri, it is best
controlled with prebloom

3 Fix fertility. Trower’s survey found that 80% of the pastures

were low or very low in soil phosphorus (P) and 37% were
low in potassium (K). Average soil pH was 5.8, also very low.
pasture weeds are annual
broadleaves, and they tend
to peak in June, July, and
applications of Grazon,
Milestone, or Tordon products,
he says.

bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: University of Missouri

Continue to next page
 c r o p s
By Gene Johnston
MANAGING MANURE
NUTRIENTS, BUT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE PUTTING DOWN.
L
iquid manure is one
of your least expensive
and most beneficial
sources of crop nutri-
ents. Sadly, it’s often
applied to cropland as an
afterthought, something to
get rid of.
John Yoder, vice president
of waste-handling equipment
at Eldon C. Stutsman, Inc., in
Hills, Iowa, offers these five
tips for maximizing the value
of livestock manure for crop
nutrients.
Before
1 Start with storage.
pumping, properly agitate
the manure in your storage
tank to make sure you get it
as uniform as possible.
“Otherwise, you will be
pumping water off the top
and sludge off the bottom,”
Yoder says.
It typically takes four to
eight hours of agitation to
get a consistent slurry before
you’re ready to haul to fields.
bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
This flow controller mounts on top of
the tanker rig, metering manure with a
hydraulic valve that maintains an even
rate of outflow. It can be programmed
from the tractor cab.
IT’S A GOLD MINE OF CROP
“You want it as equal as you
can get it in nutrient quality,”
he says.
2 Have samples analyzed.
Yoder thinks you should
send manure samples to a
testing lab for N, P, and K
analysis.
Ideally, you’ll take three
samples: at the beginning of
hauling out, in the middle,
and at the end. That will tell
you how well you agitated it
into a consistent slurry.
The N, P, and K analysis
will help you at the next haul
out or next year. (You may
not get results back in time to
help immediately.)
Yoder
3 Place it correctly.
advises putting the liquid
manure 6 or 7 inches deep.
If you can’t do that, at least
cover it on the surface. That
helps prevent evaporation
and runoff, and it puts it
closer to the root zone, where
it’s most efficiently utilized.
Use GPS guidance to elimi-
nate overlap in application,
Yoder recommends.
4 A flow-
Control the flow.
control system can even
out application of the manure
to a uniform rate.
If you only let gravity control
the rate at which the manure
slurry flows through the injec-
tors, you’re not going to get
even application rates,” Yoder
says. “When the tank is full,
it flows out faster due to head
pressure, compared with when
the tank is almost empty.”
A flow-control device takes
care of this issue by using a
flow meter and a hydraulic
valve. “The valve opens as
needed to keep the applica-
tion rate even,” he says.
Flow-control meters and
valves are not inexpensive.
Yoder’s company sells one
that mounts on the outflow
line of the manure tanker.
Biggest mistake:
no control
J ohn Yoder of Eldon C.
Stutsman, Inc. doesn’t
hesitate for a moment when
asked about the biggest mistake
he sees in applying liquid manure
to cropland. “It’s no control,” the
waste-handling equipment expert
says. “People don’t know what
rates they are applying.”
It happens for a variety of
reasons, he says.
“Maybe they don’t get a tank to
empty out completely on one load.
Or they have a lot of foam on a load.
Or for some other reason, they just
don’t get the tank completely full.
They apply as if it’s a 5,000-gallon
load, but they actually only put out
4,000 gallons. They’re 20% off from
the nutrient level that they thought
they applied.”
That’s where a flow control
device on the tanker really pays off,
Yoder says. With the device, the rig
will always run with the same
manure rate flowing out to the
applicator bar.
It adds about $12,000 to the
cost. “It’s worth it,” Yoder
says. “You’ll use that tanker
10 years or longer, spreading
the cost over hundreds and
hundreds of loads.”
Apply
5 Pick a nutrient.
manure at a rate that
achieves the full, desired rate
of your most limiting
nutrient – N, P, or K – with-
out overapplying the others.
Say your goal is 50 units of
P per acre. When you apply
at that rate, you only get
about 50% of the N and 25%
of the K that are needed.
“Apply for the full P rate,
then balance the N and K
with other fertilizer sources,”
Yoder says.
Photography: Gene Johnston
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38 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
FARM GROUPS FEAR CUTS TO CROP 1 “Farmers must be al-
lowed to reelect and reenroll

INSURANCE, DAIRY, AND COTTON

on a crop-by-crop basis,”
say eight of the largest farm
groups in a joint statement.

SUPPORTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION ARC/PLC “We’re hearing a lot

of pressure to raise some

OF THE 2018 FARM BILL.

BY CHUCK ABBOTT of the reference prices
for PLC,” says National

M ost farm policy experts

believe the next Farm
Bill will have a commodity
Farmers Union’s Roger
Johnson. The Farm Bureau
suggested a 5% increase.
arket prices are down steeply from title that continues an ARC The Corn Growers say
their peaks during the commodity (Agriculture Risk Coverage) ARC “has worked as de-
boom that ended in 2013. USDA and a PLC (Price Loss signed to provide producers
says net farm income will stabilize Coverage). sufficient protection against
this year after a long tumble, Also a certainty: Farmers the risks of falling prices
landing at one half of the record will have a chance to choose and significant crop losses.”
set four years ago. Ag bankers between ARC and PLC The revenue program
are charging higher interest rates again. A stampede from has created plenty of tur-
and setting longer repayment ARC to PLC on corn and moil due to the occasional
periods on farm loans in the face wheat is likely. wide county-to-county
of rising – but still historically low The Congressional disparity in payments,
– delinquency rates on farm loans, Budget Office (CBO), which which led to complaints of
according to the Federal Reserve. estimates the costs of farm inequitable treatment of
The outlook is dreary for any programs to the govern- farmers near county lines.
great improvement in commodity ment, expects a big change. The Corn Growers say
prices in the near term. In the federal fiscal year payments should be based
“Because of low commodity prices, many of America’s of 2018, about 93% of corn on the location of a farm,
farmers and ranchers are struggling,” Farm Bureau president acres will still be locked in rather than yields in a
Zippy Duvall wrote in a midsummer letter to lawmakers. U.S. to the county-level ARC farmer’s FSA “administra-
farm groups are in chorus with NFU and Farm Bureau in program under the old farm tive county.”
calling for a strong safety net in the 2018 farm bill, in both crop bill, CBO projects. The The Soybean Growers
supports and crop insurance. following year, it expects say “yield data from RMA
Although the 2018 farm bill is expected to focus more on 82% to be in PLC. Wheat should be used, where
revisions than a wholesale overhaul of the 2014 law, a handful acres in PLC would almost available, rather than the
of salient issues demand resolution; the dairy and cotton pro- double, from 42.5% cur- current policy of using
grams may be the most prominent. The bill could be affected rently to 82% in 2019. NASS data.”
by outside issues such as NAFTA renegotiation, a fall drive The reference price that Both grower groups
for tax reform, President Trump’s infrastructure package, and triggers PLC payments for asked Congress to strength-
deficit control. corn is $3.70 a bushel, mak- en ARC to make it more
There’s never enough money for a farm bill or much else, it ing PLC payments likely. attractive in a low-price era.
seems, in Washington. “It won’t be easy to meet all the needs,” The soybean reference price “Adjusting the ARC
says a farm lobbyist. Following are six areas of top concern. is $8.40, making a shift to benchmark revenue guar-
PLC with beans less likely. antee or lengthening the
In fact, CBO looks for about year span for the Olympic
a 50-50 split between ARC average price could improve
CONTRIBUTORS and PLC on beans. the choice given producers
“CBO assumptions on between these two pro-
future participation don’t tie grams,” says Kevin Scott of
Congress’ hands at all, but South Dakota, a Soybean
these are very informed peo- Growers board member.
ple,” Ohio State University ARC uses a five-year
economist Carl Zulauf says Olympic average. A longer
Chuck Abbott Mike McGinnis Dan Looker of the CBO. time span could reach back
An Illinois farm boy, Markets editor for Now a contributing Since Congress is expect- to the high prices of the
Abbott has covered Successful Farming editor, Looker served
U.S. food and magazine and as Successful Farming ed to retain ARC and PLC, commodity boom.
agriculture policy in Agriculture.com, magazine’s farm farm groups say the 2018 The 2018 farm bill, like
Washington for more McGinnis also covers business editor/policy farm bill must give produc- its 2014 predecessor, could
than three decades farm business topics. writer for two decades
and seven farm bills. Email: Mike.McGinnis before recently retiring. ers their first chance since allow growers to update
@meredith.com. 2015 to switch programs. their crop bases.
Photography: Linjerry, iStockphoto.com;
Portraits: Provided by Chuck Abbott; Meredith Corporation November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 39
2 Farmers Rely More on Payments
CROP INSURANCE
BY DAN LOOKER
T he top goal for farm
groups is defending
the current crop insurance
program in the next farm
bill. Already it’s under bom-
bardment.
In late 2016, the nonparti-
san CBO suggested cutting
subsidies for farmers’ insur-
ance premiums from the
current 62% average to 40%,
as well as lowering support
for insurers.
In May, President Trump’s
2018 budget proposal offered
different cuts: eliminating
the popular harvest price op-
tion, limiting the premium
subsidy to $40,000, and end-
ing all premium subsidies to
people with adjusted gross
incomes above $500,000.
Last summer, the
Government Accountability
Office (GAO) of Congress
recommended that USDA
negotiate a lower rate of
return for crop insurers.
None of this has hap-
pened. The House and
Senate Agriculture
Committees who write the
next farm bill will resist such
changes, believes NFU’s
Johnson. “I think there will
be very strong support on
both agriculture committees
for crop insurance,” he says.
The risk comes when the
bills are debated in the full
House and Senate. “In both
houses, almost certainly
there will be amendments
from the floor,” Johnson
says. He worries that the
recent GAO report will
make it easier for members
of Congress to vote for
amendments that cut crop
insurance.
Kansas State University
economist Art Barnaby
labored through the summer
to show just how Trump
40 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
Federal government payments comprise a larger share of net cash income for the
farm sector during low net cash income years.
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0 0
2008 2009
Note: F = forecast. Net federal indemnities are the total amount of insurance payments received by farmers minus the amount farmers pay in premiums.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Farm Income and Wealth Statistics
budget cuts would hit crop
insurance. Ending the har-
vest price option makes crop
insurance less appealing in
Corn Belt states, he says.
Also, the number of in-
sured acres needed to bump
against the $40,000 limit
on premium subsidies isn’t
that high.
“When you’re going
to hit the limit with 1,500
to 2,000 acres, that’s your
commercial-size farm,” he
says. (Barnaby’s county-by-
county estimate of acres
needed to hit the limit is on
AgManager.info. Click on
the crop insurance page.)
Illinois is a state with some
of the highest participation
in crop insurance. Most of
the time, including the first
three years of the current
farm bill (2014 through
2016), farmers there paid
more in premiums than
they got in indemnities, says
Adam Nielsen, director
of national legislation and
policy development for the
Illinois Farm Bureau. The
exception was the drought of
2012, when crop insurance
paid more than $3.5 billion
2010 2011 2012 2013
on crop losses. “Everybody
still remembers 2012 quite
vividly,” Nielsen says.
Barnaby says most of
those 2012 payments in
Illinois were made due to the
harvest price option, which
covered the rising prices of
insured crops that suffered
drought losses.
Nielsen agrees with
Barnaby about the risks
of changes sought by crop
insurance critics.
“All of that has the po-
tential to drive good black
dirt out of the program and
increase premiums for ev-
erybody else,” Nielsen says.
3 more accurately reflects
DAIRY
BY CHUCK ABBOTT
T he insurance-like Margin
Protection Program for
dairy farmers is one of the
failures of the 2014 farm
law, working so poorly that
USDA is allowing producers
to opt out of its final year.
MPP was intended to
20
15
Net cash
farm
income
Net federal
indemnities
10 share
Federal
government
payment
5 share
2014 2015 2016F
shield dairy farmers from
low milk prices or high feed
costs by making a payment
when the spread between
milk revenue and feed costs
narrowed. “The way the pro-
gram was enacted ... does not
meet the needs of America’s
dairy farmers today,” says
the National Milk Producers
Federation (NMPF).
The feed-cost formula
was weakened during farm
bill negotiations as a cost-
cutting measure, says NMPF.
Former House Speaker John
Boehner refused to allow sup-
ply controls in the farm bill.
“I guarantee if Congress
alters the MPP so that it
the actual costs of produc-
tion for businesses like
mine, participation in the
program will increase,”
NMPF officer Ken Nobis
said during a Senate Ag
hearing. The 10% cut in
the feed formula should
be restored, he suggested.
Some dairy-state lawmak-
ers say a regional feed price
formula would give a fairer
result than the national
formula now in use.
4 REAP funds. Vilsack found
other monies from the com-
modity credit corporation to
keep blender pump assis-
ENERGY tance going.
BY DAN LOOKER There’s even more
pressure. Last July,
6 at which they have to operate
at this point,” says economist
Vince Smith of Montana
State University. The budget
FARM BILL and appropriations tussles
FUNDING COSTS could persist for months.
BY CHUCK ABBOTT

T he farm bill has an Energy

Title, which isn’t nearly
as important to biofuels as a
Representative Andy Biggs
(R-AZ) introduced the
Farewell to Unnecessary F arm-state lawmakers, after
a long-shot request last FOOD STAMPS
2007 energy law that makes Energy Lifelines (FUEL) spring for additional money BY CHUCK ABBOTT
oil companies blend ethanol Reform Act of 2017. It for the farm bill, may write
into gasoline.
The Energy Title has
helped the struggling cellu-
would repeal the entire
Energy Title.
the 2018 farm bill with no
new funding. That would
mean a tight squeeze for farm
W hile the folks in the
Farm Belt debate
details of the safety net, for
losic ethanol industry with
programs like the biomass
crop assistance program
5 supports, given the desire to
tweak ARC/PLC and to make
the cotton and dairy programs
most lawmakers, the farm
bill is a much broader piece
of legislation, including
(BCAP), which pays farm- more attractive to producers. international food aid, ag re-
ers growing cellulosic crops COTTON FARMERS’ “We are going to have search, and food stamps, the
up to $20 a ton for two DEMANDS to be judicious with scarce largest U.S. public nutrition
years. BY MIKE MCGINNIS resources,” said Senate program, which accounts for
Scott Irwin, a University Agriculture chairman Pat 75% of the price tag for the
of Illinois economist who
follows the ethanol indus-
try says, “I would not be
T he National Cotton
Council (NCC) has listed
getting a policy that provides
Roberts at a farm policy sum-
mit in Kansas. “We must ask
tough questions and reexam-
farm bill.
The Democratic leader
on the House Agriculture
surprised at all by a push to fixed support levels equitable ine programs to determine Committee, Collin Peterson
use more of our Energy Title with those of other crops into their effectiveness.” of Minnesota, says food
funds to help the domestic the Title 1 section of the 2018 They may get some stamps may be the biggest
ethanol industry.” farm bill as a main priority. breathing room if Congress hurdle to passage of the bill
That could be a heavy lift. The industry is reeling follows through on a Senate because fiscal conservatives
The Rural Energy for from a regional revenue appropriations bill that want cuts of at least $10
America Program (REAP) insurance program, known would boost cotton and dairy billion – and possibly much
was used by former as STAX, that proved to programs this year. The more – in the program.
Secretary of Agriculture have lousy enrollment with bill would have the indirect “Singling out food stamps
Tom Vilsack to help rural a low payout. Also, NCC effect of enlarging some- will kill the farm bill,”
co-op gas stations put in would like to see strong crop what the farm bill baseline warns Peterson. The House
blender pumps to sell levels insurance products and a for those programs, which and Senate Agriculture
of ethanol above 10%. Then fully functioning marketing have low enrollment. The Committee leaders,
members of Congress from loan that does not impede cotton and dairy industries Representative Michael
oil states killed that use of the flow of cotton. have suggested revisions Conaway (R-TX) and
that could cost a combined Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS),
$2 billion annually. The say their goal is passage by
CBO estimates commodity year’s end in each chamber
supports will cost around $8 of a farm bill, if possible.
Time Line of New Farm Bill billion this year. Even if action slips into
On the other hand, the early 2018, it will “give us
• 2017 – Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts is less than House budget panel proposed the time ... to make those
optimistic about the chances of getting a farm bill through the $10 billion in cuts in USDA hard, difficult decisions we
Senate before the end of the year. He has told reporters that mandatory spending pro- will have to make to get this
moving a bill this fall would be a “high hurdle.” grams over the next decade. thing done on time,” says
The cuts are aimed at food Conaway.
• 2017 – The Democratic leader on the House Agriculture stamps, rather than com- Once the House and
Committee, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, says food stamps modities, and would be fairly Senate pass their versions of
may be the biggest hurdle to passage of the bill because fiscal negligible for a farm bill that the farm bill, a bicameral
conservatives want cuts of at least $10 billion. could total $900 billion for committee of negotiators
10 years. Yet, they set a tone will draft a final compro-
• 2018 – Once the House and Senate pass their versions of the against farm bill increases. mise bill. “I am driven to
farm bill, a bicameral committee of negotiators will draft a final, The Senate and House get it done, before the 2014
compromise bill.  Agriculture Committees law expires” next September
“don’t really know the figure 30, says Conaway.

November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 41

 b u y e r s’ GUIDE
By Laurie Bedord, Advanced Technology Editor

via Bluetooth, you can go off

exploring without worry. If
you lose service, you can still
text through the goTenna
app for up to 4 miles in the
woods. If you’re in an urban
area, the device’s antenna
reach is 1 mile. It doesn’t
just text; you can save offline
maps on the app.
goTenna is water resistant
and has a strap so you can
attach it to anything. Choose
from five colors: black, blue,
green, orange, or purple.
Cost: $124 for two goTennas
Where to find it: gotenna.com

goTenna
g oTenna is an antenna

GET YOUR GEEK ON

THE LATEST TECH GADGETS LET YOU DO
device that lets you text
without needing WiFi or cell
service. It simply requires Belkin Conserve
EVERYTHING FROM SET UP A PERSONAL that you and a friend have Socket
FIREWALL TO CONSERVE MORE ENERGY. the device and the app (free
in the App Store and Google
Play). Once you’re connected
M any of the electronics
and appliances around
your home use electricity
Here One

D ubbed the headphone tech of tomorrow, Doppler Labs’

Here One earbuds let you control the way you hear the
world due to onboard microphones and sound processors.
These wireless three-in-one smart earbuds offer premium au-
dio for music and phone calls, smart noise cancellation to tune
out noise, and speech enhancement so you can hear better.
Cost: $299.99 includes earbuds and connected app
Where to find it: hereplus.me

CUJO

B illions of connected devices are increasingly exposed to

virtual threats. Traditional security solutions are outdated
since cybercriminals create new ways to reach into your home
every day. CUJO is a smart firewall that keeps your connected
home safe. From smartphones to laptops, CUJO secures all
devices against hacks and web threats. An added bonus is that
it lets you control what your kids access online to help keep
them safe.
Cost: $249 includes free subscription
Where to find it: getcujo.com

42 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Manufacturers

 b u y e r s’ GUIDE
even when not in use, which later by words, location,
means you’re wasting energy time, hashtags, etc.
and driving up your electric Cost: $145 plus shipping
bill. The Conserve Socket Where to find it: senstone.io
Power Timer automatically
shuts off power, including ePMP Bridge-
standby power, to your elec- in-a-Box
tronics after a period of time
that you select to help you
save energy.
T he ePMP
Bridge-in-
a-Box wireless
Cost: $9.99 ethernet
Where to find it: belkin.com bridge is an
easy-to-deploy
Senstone
W ith this AI-powered
pendant, you no longer
solution that
provides 200
Mbps high-
have to pull out your smart- speed con-
phone to take notes. With a nectivity in the
simple tap, Senstone lets you unlicensed spec-
capture the things in your trum that spans up
daily life that you don’t want to 10 miles. The solution
to miss. It automatically con- includes two ePMP Force
verts your voice memos into 180 Subscriber Modules
text and organizes them for preconfigured and packaged
easy access. Once you stop together, enabling plug-and-
dictating, it transcribes your play operation in almost all
speech into text. scenarios.
It provides data rates
capable of supporting a
variety of services like
security camera feeds,
Wi-Fi access points,
or simply extend-
ing the local area
network. It also
includes ePMP
Quality of
Service features
and high inter-
ference resiliency
to ensure superior
link quality. The
system operates
in the unlicensed
All 5 GHz frequency
recordings and text band. Designed and
notes are synced into the packaged for easy
Cloud and stored on your installation, the ePMP
smartphone. The Cloud Bridge-in-a-Box can
software platform extracts provide remote access
keywords and to-dos, ana- in a matter of hours
lyzes your speech patterns, with no trenching or
and more so you can easily permitting required.
search through your notes “Many enterprises
44 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
Continued
or home users have a need to extend connectivity,” says Sakid
Ahmed, vice president of ePMP business for Cambium
Networks. “The Bridge-in-a-Box makes it easy to install a link
that can deliver up to 200 Mbps of throughput for video sur-
veillance, data transfer, or Wi-Fi extension. With a quick-start
guide that comes included with the field-proven ePMP Force
180 Subscriber Modules, people with little or no wireless
networking experience will be able to extend connectiv-
ity right out of the box.”
Cost: $349
Where to find it: cambiumnetworks.com
X-Cap Rechargeable Lighted Hat
T his one-size-fits-most knit hat is designed to keep
you warm while the four LEDs with 120 lumens
of light help guide you in the dark. Simply push the
light in
to turn it
on. Choose
from three
different
intensity levels to
get just the right
amount of light.
The X-Cap’s
rechargeable
lithium-ion bat-
tery lasts for four
hours on a full charge and easily charges via USB. When the
light is in the hat, a cover over the USB port keeps it protected.
When it’s time to wash your hat, simply pop the light out.
Cost: $25
Where to find it: thegrommet.com
timberland Men’s ribbed-knit
wool-blend gloves with touchscreen
technology
W hen you’re searching for a good pair of touchscreen
gloves, finding the right combination of warmth,
dexterity, and grip can be a challenge.
The Timberland Ribbed-Knit
Wool-Blend Gloves are a nice
solution. These well-made
gloves aren’t bulky, yet they of-
fer the warmth needed
in colder weather.
Features include
touchscreen-friendly
fingertips and a tex-
tured palm for extra
grip.
Cost: $26.99
Where to find it:
amazon.com
 c r o p s
By Gil Gullickson, Crops Technology Editor

mended herbicide rates. the harder they are to

What often results, though,
are wounded weeds that
survive the initial post-
emergence application then
bounce back and set seed for
the next year, says Leusink.
For waterhemp, its 250,000
or so seeds that may ger-
minate is akin to 250,000
upraised middle fingers in
your field that you have to
deal with in future years.
control.”
5 Remove rogue stray
waterhemp or Palmer
amaranth plants.
This can prevent them from
going to seed. Then, haul
them away from the field,
advises Refsell.
In late summer, weed
seeds can potentially germi-
nate if the pulled plant is left
in the field. “Physically re-

3 Read the herbicide label

– really read it.
With all the adjuvants and
moving them from the field
is the best way to eliminate
weed seed,” says Refsell.
herbicides with multiple
Remove
rogue stray
waterhemp
modes of action going into
spray tanks these days,
there’s a possibility you
6 Be wary of other weeds.
Granted, waterhemp and
Palmer amaranth grab weed
plants prior
to harvest to
could slip up and add them headlines these days. Still,
prevent future in the wrong order. there are some old standbys
infestations. “With the addition of that still infest fields, such as
multiple products, mixing velvetleaf.
order is more important “It just never goes away,”

6 WAYS TO WHIP WEEDS than ever,” says Leusink.

Testing mixing order into
she says. “It doesn’t have the
prolific seed production of

IN 2018 PREEMERGENCE RESIDUAL

HERBICIDES, RECOMMENDED APPLICATION
a Mason jar can save you
headaches later. After all, it’s
a lot easier to clean a gelled
RATES, AND TIMELY APPLICATIONS ARE mess out of a Mason jar than
TIME-TESTED WAYS TO MANAGE WEEDS. it is a sprayer tank.
waterhemp or Palmer, but it
just never goes away.”
University of Missouri
weed scientists note that
preemergence herbicides are
the most effective at manag-

L ooking to sharpen your 2018 weed-management strategy?

Here are six recommendations for the coming year.
4 Make postemergence
herbicide applications
in a timely manner.
ing velvetleaf, which allows
a crop to gain a competitive
advantage.
Yes, those tiny Palmer Most two- or three-way

1 Use preemergence residual soybean herbicides.

“If you are looking for ways to cut costs, I highly recom-
mend taking a look at where you can get the most return on
amaranth seedlings that just
emerged in your field really
can grow 2 to 3 inches per
prepackaged combina-
tion products that contain
atrazine (Corvus, Callisto,
investment,” says Dawn Refsell, Valent field market develop- day. “You can go from being Hornet, Python) and where
ment manager. “Preemergence residual herbicides have the on label to off label in a mat- velvetleaf has not resisted it
highest and greatest return on investment. So that ought to ter of hours,” says Refsell. yet provide good preemer-
be the last area you should look at cutting when evaluating “The taller the weeds are, gence control in corn.
weed-management strategy.” In soybeans, most of the
It’s tempting to think you need to see a weed before you kill Authority products (Canopy,
it with a postemergence herbicide. A preemergence residual By the numbers Envive, Fierce, Fierce XLT,

5
herbicide, though, can knock it out before that stage. The labeled maximum Firstrate, Gangster, Pursuit,
“Killing a weed is always easier before it comes up,” says waterhemp height in Python, Sencor, Sharpen,
Joel Leusink, a Winfield United agronomist. inches for control to Trivence, and Valor XLT)
occur by glufosinate are all effective preemer-
(Liberty) at a 29-ounce-

2 Don’t make a weed mad.

Sure, it may be tempting to cut costs by slashing recom-
per-acre rate.
Source: Bayer CropScience
gence herbicides for
velvetleaf.

bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Gil Gullickson

 Getting your B wrong is frustrating.
®
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every granule for uniform nutrient distribution. Fields applied with Aspire are
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 l i v e s t o c k
By Jodi Henke, Multimedia Editor

SNOWSTORMS AND CATTLE CATTLE ARE

TOUGH ANIMALS IN WINTER CONDITIONS – UNLESS THOSE
CONDITIONS BECOME EXTREME.

A
2017 late-spring snowstorm blanketed the Plains Unfortunately, Hawkins livestock during extreme
with up to 30 inches of snow and howling wind. says cattle can also suffocate conditions. They resist
Thousands of cattle fell victim to hypothermia, when the snow is howling being moved from an area
suffocation, and other causes. The fall of 2013 will around them. with limited protection, and
also be remembered in South Dakota for the freak “Especially when they they also resist being moved
October blizzard that killed thousands of cattle, leaving stag- get together huddled in a into the face of a storm.
gering losses for farmers and ranchers. group. One puts its head Young cattle are espe-
Cattle that are larger and in good body condition can down as others move close cially at risk because they
handle winter weather, but their intuition takes over in to it. Next thing you know, have less physical strength
extreme conditions. it can’t raise its head back and tolerance for extreme
Larry Hawkins is a senior technical services veterinarian up. The snow blows in cold. Move the young ones
with Bayer Animal Health. He says when cattle are in a bliz- around their legs, and the first; the older livestock will
zard, their instinct is to walk with the wind. animal can suffocate in follow by instinct.
“They’re blinded by the snow; it’s blowing around and those conditions,” he says.
swirling around them. They come to a ravine or a small ditch “It’s rather tragic, but it’s Learn more
along a road and they tumble down and fall in the snow something that happens.” • http://extension.colostate.
that’s there. Then the one behind is on top of the one before,” When a storm is ap- edu/topic-areas/agriculture/
says Hawkins. “That’s really what happens. It’s just the rou- proaching, plan to move the severe-cold-weather-
tine of how they walk.” animals to a protected area rangeland-and-livestock-
When bad weather is expected, give cattle extra feed and as soon as you can. Keep in considerations/
provide a windbreak. It may be as simple as a grove of trees, mind that animal survival • http://smallfarms.
a ravine, or a draw. You can even park some vehicles to offer instincts might affect your oregonstate.edu/sfn/
protection and to stop the cattle from moving with the wind. ability to herd or to move w08livestock

bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: GerardoBrucker, iStockPhoto.com

 m a c h i n e r y
By John Dietz

The entire Versatile tractor line, including high-horsepower row-crop

and tracked four-wheel-drive tractors, was showcased during the
50th anniversary celebration the firm held last summer in Winnipeg.

REJUVENATING VERSATILE
AFTER ITS ACQUISITION BY A RUSSIAN MANUFACTURER, THE VERSATILE
NAME HAS BEEN REBORN AND ITS PRODUCT LINE GREATLY EXPANDED.

B
acked by a Russian bear, the Versatile brand has “They brought real solid Redball self-propelled
returned full throttle with more horsepower and more knowledge of big agriculture sprayers that are made in
product lines. The firm may not be up there with and what customers need for Willmar, Minnesota.
Deere, AGCO, or CNH in ag history, but it is ready to equipment in big agricul- • 2010: Versatile an-
challenge them, according to Adam Reid, marketing ture. They also brought a nounces a precision farming
director and spokesman for the Winnipeg-based company. real will to do business. They partnership with Raven
Fifty years ago, Versatile was the first North American wanted this company to be Industries and introduces a
manufacturer to mass produce and to market the articulated successful on a global level.” high-horsepower row-crop
four-wheel-drive tractor. The company fell on hard times, tractor, the 305.
however, and the brand disappeared in 1987 when the fac- Versatile expands • 2011: Versatile acquires
tory was sold to Ford New Holland. In 2000, it was resold to
Buhler Industries.
In 2007, it changed
R ostselmash made invest-
ments in Versatile both
in marketing and research
an Alberta-based preci-
sion seeding and till-
age company, Ezee-On
hands again, this to expand the staff. “We Manufacturing.
time going to Russia’s expanded significantly, • 2012: Versatile debuts a
“We started Combine Factory almost immediately hiring new rotary concave combine
hiring more Rostselmash Ltd. more engineers and R&D manufactured in Russia.
Rostselmash opted (research and development) • 2013: Versatile enters the
engineers to brand its tractors teams. We really started tracked tractor market and
and R&D with the Versatile to push the product line introduces a new line of
teams.We name and returned forward,” Reid says. row-crop products.
really started to tractors being built Not long after the
in the Winnipeg Rostselmash acquisition, 50th anniversary
to push the
product line
forward.”
factory.
“The ownership
in Russia had made
the Versatile brand was
expanded with additional
equipment beyond tractors.
L ast year, Versatile released
50 Legendary Limited
Edition tractors, all with
a commitment to Here’s a brief time line. tires or tracks adorned to
– Adam Reid
Versatile,” Reid says. • 2009: Versatile purchases commemorate the 50-year

Photography: John Dietz November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com bonus

IT’S NOT THAT WE DON’T
CHEMICAL CONGLOMERA
WE’RE MAKING BETTER

When you focus on just one thing, you tend to get pretty good at it. Like
seed corn. Wyffels Hybrids is completely focused on creating the best seed
corn you can find. Which probably explains why Wyffels is the primary
brand on more and more farms in your area. Wyffels Hybrids. Do one thing.
And do it better than everyone else. WYFFELS.COM | 800.369.7833

©2017 Wyffels Hybrids Inc.

 LIKE THE BIG SEED AND
TES. WE JUST THINK
SEED THAN THEY ARE.
m a c h i n e r y Continued
A Versatile 260, part of the row-crop
tractor line introduced by the company
in 2013, awaits final inspection prior to
leaving the factory floor in Winnipeg.
history of the name. The company’s management is deter- developing a mechanical-
mined to hold on to that reputation – simple, reliable, easy to link drill that was quite
service – while extending it to a full line of machinery with an different from anything else
expanded sales territory. on the market. It made the
“Our customers wanted more products with that Versatile acquisition very attractive
philosophy. We began to respond to that immediately,” Reid because that mechanical-
explains. link drill fit with our
philosophy.”
birth of the versatile sprayer Since 2012, the Versatile
T he acquisition of the Redball sprayer factory and partner-
ship with Raven Industries put Versatile down the path
of diversifying its product lines. Since 2010, factory-installed
brand was placed on a
Russian-manufactured rotat-
ing concave combine and
precision ag control has been available on Versatile tractors a Canadian tracked four-
and sprayers. “We kept the key features of the mechanical wheel-drive tractor.
drive Redball sprayer (reliable and simple to operate). We put a
Cummins engine into it to match the rest of the Versatile line. Dealers, Service
Then we put a Versatile cab on it, which is the largest cab in
the industry,” Reid points out. “The first Versatile sprayer, the
SX275, appeared in 2010.”
“P articularly in the last
five years, our focus
is on dealer development,”
That same year the Winnipeg factory started turning out a Reid says. “On average, we
new four-wheel-drive tractor that was a “new platform tractor sign up 10 new dealers a
with the biggest cab in the industry, a much more modern look year in the U.S. and Canada.
and more modern feeling,” Reid says. The northern U.S. is where
the big horsepower is, and
the company enters the tillage market we have a fairly solid dealer
C oncurrently, Rostselmash took over ownership of the
Ezee-On product line.
“The Ezee-On product line put us into the tillage game
network there now.
“We try to put a Versatile
dealer in the neighborhood
with disks, chisel plows, and cultivators, as well as their air so that customers – and po-
carts and hoe drills,” Reid says. “The company had been tential customers – can find
bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
a full-line Versatile dealer
within an hour to 90 minutes
from home,” he says.
As the dealer network
has grown, the company has
expanded training, service,
parts, and parts coordina-
tion for the network. In that
regard, Versatile has set up
a major parts distribution in
Nebraska.
“We can deliver parts
to customers within 24
hours, and we are provid-
ing regular parts service to
the dealers. The purpose of
that warehouse is to have it
stocked with as many parts
as Versatile has located in
the main distribution center
in Winnipeg.
“We’ve really evolved the
type of dealership we have,
and that has paid dividends,”
Reid points out. “Most
dealers we sign up do not
support or have a main line
of machinery. Now, they are
using Versatile as one of the
pillars of their business.”
Versatile also expanded its
staffing to make expansions
in the marketing, engineer-
ing, and financial services
sides of the business.
“When I started in 2006,
the marketing department
had two people,” Reid
recalls. “We now have 13 in
marketing. Every depart-
ment has experienced some
influx of human resources.
There was exponential
growth between 2008 and
2012, and our growth is
continuing. When we make
decisions, it’s with a strategic
look ahead three to five
years.”
w i l d l i f e
By Jodi Henke, Multimedia Editor
BRUSH PILES FOR WILDLIFE
PUT DEAD TREES, BRANCHES, AND BRUSH ON
YOUR PROPERTY TO GOOD USE.
A
huge brush pile in the field,
a back corner of the yard, or
along the edge of a timber can
provide shelter and quality
habitat needs for small animals
and birds.
Scott Shalaway is a wildlife biologist
in West Virginia. He says it’s perfectly
fine to toss your trees and other her-
baceous materials in a heap and call it
good. If you really want to cater to the
critters, start with a foundation of con-
crete blocks and PVC pipe.
“That provides little tunnels and
escape avenues for small mammals and
reptiles. Once you get that in place,
build a tic-tac-toe board arrangement
of branches. Build that up four to five
layers high,” says Shalaway.
Then, put a cover on it. Something
like an old sheet of plywood or sheet
metal will prevent the pile from getting
waterlogged in the rain, and it will
offer extra protection in snow. On top
of that, add a few more logs and brushy
material.
Shalaway says you don’t have to build
the pile all at once. Add to it as the ma-
terials become available. The brush pile
Photography: kievith, iStockPhoto.com November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com BONUS
GET WITH THE
ALL-ACCESS,
ALL-SEASON
V.I.P. PROGRAM.
FMC is honoring
Very Independent Purchasers
won’t decompose, but gravity will pull
with exclusive agronomic and
it down over time. economic incentives that offer
“It’s a good idea to get in the habit of you more freedom in the field.
once a year, perhaps in the fall, gather-
ing up material that has presented itself Program Dates:
and just adding to the pile. Bigger is September 1, 2017-
better. You can’t make a brush pile too August 31, 2018
big,” he says. “You can add to it over
time, and the bigger it is, the longer it
will last.”
A loosely formed brush pile allows
sunlight penetration and will encourage
plant growth. The grasses and forbs will
become intertwined with the tangled
network of dead branches, resulting in
excellent resting and escape cover.
Evaluate the success of your brush
pile simply by observing it. Early in the
morning, watch for songbirds leaving.
If predators are patrolling the area,
you’ll see critters dashing inside to
escape danger. When it snows, look for
tracks around the perimeter.
Learn more
• http://www.in.gov/dnr/
fishwild/files/Wildlife_
Brushpile_Jobsheet.pdf
• http://www.drshalaway.com/
Talk to your authorized retailer or visit
FMCAGUS.com/FMCFreedomPass
to learn more.
Always read and follow label directions.
FMC is a trademark of FMC Corporation.
©2017 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved.
17-FMC-0803 09/17
GET IN-FURROW PROTECTION
SO ADVANCED, IT’S SIMPLE.
There’s an easier, faster, lighter way to make quick
work of soil pests and resistant rootworms. The
3RIVE 3D® application system applies continuous
3D insect protection directly into the furrow
with an amazing 50X volume expansion rate that
saves you water, fuel, labor and time. Capture®
3RIVE 3D® Insecticide is just the beginning for
this innovative new platform from FMC.

As part of the FMC Freedom Pass Application

Innovations program, you can get your 3RIVE 3D
application system at no cost when you commit
to three-year purchase minimums of Capture
3RIVE 3D Insecticide. See your authorized retailer
for more details.
 “THIS SYSTEM FITS THE WAY
WE FARM AND EASILY
KEEPS UP WITH OUR
HIGH-SPEED PLANTER.”
BILL VOORHEES, Maroa, IL
Grower and Early Adopter

Capture 3RIVE 3D Insecticide is a Restricted Use Pesticide.

Always read and follow label directions. FMC, Capture and 3RIVE 3D are trademarks of
FMC Corporation or an affiliate. ©2017 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved. 17-FMC-0832 09/17
 c r o p s
By Raylene Nickel

choices because they’re not

Excess soil moisture dissolves
subsoil salts and brings those salts
to the soil surface.
salt-tolerant,” says Augustin.
5. Plant a salt-tolerant cover
crop. The beauty of plant-
ing barley in relatively
high-saline areas is that its
late-July or early-August
harvest affords a window
of opportunity for plant-
ing a salt-tolerant cover
crop. During the months
of August, September, and
October, the cover crop
uses soil moisture that
would otherwise evaporate
and accumulate more salts
on the surface.
One option is a per-
acre cover crop mix of 25
pounds of barley, 5 pounds

MANAGE SOIL SALINITY SITE-SPECIFIC

MANAGEMENT CAN REDUCE SALT IN YOUR SOIL.
of sunflowers, and 2 pounds
of sugar beets. “These crops
winterkill,” says Augustin.
“Because the plants are young

W
when they freeze over, the
ith site-specific management, those white spots 2. Make a site-specific man- residue has a lot of nitrogen
in your fields that show high soil salinity might agement plan. Test for EC in it, causing the residue to
be reclaimed. in zones radiating out from decompose quickly.”
“Soil salinity is caused by excess soil moisture the bull’s-eye of the problem 6. Plant salt-tolerant alfalfa.
that dissolves subsoil salts and brings those salts area, where the soil is crusted “As you get farther out from
to the soil surface,” says Chris Augustin, Extension soil health with white. Plant species of the bull’s-eye (where the EC
specialist at North Dakota State University’s North Central crops or forages with the salt tests 4 or 5), you might try
Research Extension Center. “The water evaporates, and the tolerance to adapt to various one of the varieties of alfalfa
salts are left. They accumulate and cause the white spots that zones. Choosing deep-rooted selected for salt tolerance,”
limit plant growth.” species will help to manage says Augustin. “Because
Taking stock of the landscape is the first step in reclamation. soil water. alfalfa is deep rooted, it uses
The spots in fields that are crusted in white typically show 3. Plant salt-tolerant perennial a lot of moisture.”
places where water is pooling. As the water evaporates, the grasses in the bull’s-eye. In Reclamation of saline
salts remain and accumulate. areas where the EC tests 8 areas can take five to 10
“These areas tend to expand,” says Augustin. or higher, try planting for years, with periodic moni-
Rising water tables tend to cause salinity problems over a hay or forage species such toring and management
more generalized area. “As the water table moves up, the wa- as tall wheatgrass, western modifications needed to
ter evaporates, but the salts don’t,” he says. “They leave white wheatgrass, beardless wild minimize salts in the soil.
spots in the field.” rye, NewHy hybrid wheat- “By making some
Dry weather and open winters worsen the problem. “When grass, or Garrison creeping management changes, you
snow melts, it leaches the salts downward,” says Augustin. “If foxtail. can improve saline areas and
there is no leaching, the salts move up to the surface.” 4. Choose salt-tolerant crops. have an opportunity for
Tillage also makes matters worse. While tilling the saline In the zone radiating out growing a successful crop,”
area temporarily darkens the soil, the tillage speeds up from the bull’s-eye (where says Augustin.
evaporation, worsening the soil’s problem with salinity over the soil EC tests more than
the long term. 2), plant salt-tolerant cash LEARN MORE
Managing soil water is the key to reducing salt content in the crops such as barley, sun- Chris Augustin
soil. Augustin suggests the following six strategies. flowers, or canola. “Corn 701/857-7682
1. Test soil for electrical conductance (EC). Salt raises the EC. and soybeans are poor chris.augustin@ndsu.edu

bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Raylene Nickel

 GET WITH THE
ALL-ACCESS,
ALL-SEASON
V.I.P. PROGRAM.
FMC is honoring Very Independent Purchasers
with exclusive agronomic and economic incentives
that offer you more freedom in the field.

Program Dates: September 1, 2017-August 31, 2018

Talk to your authorized retailer or visit FMCAGUS.com/FMCFreedomPass to learn more.

Always read and follow label directions. FMC is a trademark of FMC Corporation.
©2017 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved. 17-FMC-0804 09/17
 Matthew Fortner’s grandfather began farming the Mississippi Delta near
Sumner, Miss., in 1946. Now Matthew, his brother, Jonathan, and father,
Paul, are farming it, too. Each year, the Fortners grow 3,000 acres of irrigated
soybeans, and the pre-emergent herbicide they use to stop pigweed, morning
glories and other tough broadleaf weeds is Authority® Elite herbicide. Learn more about the soybean growers who farm
with Authority herbicides at FMCAGUS.com/Authority.

Wherever your farm is located, Authority Elite herbicide qualifies for FMC Freedom Pass Agronomic Rewards and Product
Financing1. See your authorized retailer for more details.
 F A R M HACKS
By Dave Mowitz, Executive Editor, Machinery & Technology

TOOL ENHANCEMENTS CREATE

THESE SHOP AIDS USING PARTS ON HAND.

auto-
opening
pliers

air gun
extension
for deep
filters T here are repair jobs that sometimes require a third hand
to open a pair of pliers while your two hands are occupied
with a task. If you don’t already own a spring-loaded pair
of pliers, you can make one instead by cutting a length of tub-

C reate an extension to fit on an existing air gun to reach

inside filters. Remove the tip at the end of the gun. Next,
use various lengths (depending on the depth of the filter) of
ing (plastic or rubber) and sliding the ends over the handles.
Select a tubing diameter that fits tightly.

¼-inch brass pipe (or an equivalent-size piping), which is

threaded on both ends. Next screw on a ¼-inch elbow topped
off with the tip that was originally removed from the existing
gun or with a pneumatic hose fitting. Be sure to use only a low
pressure stream of air and never use on engine air filters.
I f you have ever scraped your knuckles working with a drill
chuck or need more leverage to tighten the chuck, you can
create this handle from a length of old broom handle or wood-
en dowel. Simply drill a hole in the end of the handle or dowel
to match the chuck key’s handle. You can make this handle
extension any length to fit your hand.

chuck
key
extension

wire nut
keepS caulk
from drying
out
Prevent partially used tubes
of caulk from drying out
by screwing a wire nut on the
tip of the tube. The connector FARM HACKS
will keep the caulk from drying VIDEO
out on a temporary basis. Wire nuts See these mechanical
used in this manner are no guarantee that the caulk make-dos in action at
in the tip won’t dry out over a long period of time, Agriculture.com/
farmhacks.
however.

BonuS Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: David Ekstrom

 i r r i g a t i o n INSIDER
By Joy Powell
30% TO 40% BOOST FROM
FERTIGATION VIA DRIP
DRIP SYSTEMS CAN INTRAVENOUSLY FEED
ROOTS DURING CRUCIAL GROWTH STAGES.
F
red Below views
subsurface drip ir-
rigation (SDI) like an
intravenous feeding of
a corn plant’s root zone.
The impact of that feeding
is huge, the University of
Illinois plant physiologist con-
tends. In experiments with
in-season fertigation, yields
were increased by an average
of 52 bushels per acre for corn
and 8 bushels per acre for
soybeans, he reports.
“We discovered that the
way our system operates,
we’re better able to manage
nutrients late-season to in-
crease yields in a way that we
can’t do otherwise,” Below
says. “Rather than going out
and buying more, improve
the acres you have. After
putting in drain tiles, what’s
the next thing you could do?
You could make sure now
that you can add water and
nutrients as needed.”
69-bushel bump
I n 2015, Below and a team
of researchers found that
corn and soybean yields were
increased by using both ferti-
gation and foliar protection.
Corn yield improvements
by as much as 69 bushels
per acre were achieved after
fertigation throughout the
growing season with nitro-
gen, potassium, phosphorus,
sulfur, and zinc. This was
across five corn hybrids
and four planting popula-
tions grown in Champaign,
Illinois.
bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
The most benefit came
when nutrients were ab-
sorbed after the plant started
flowering, Below says.
“The basic idea is that all
nutrients aren’t absorbed at
the same rate at the same
time. So, as opposed to put-
ting them all on the field at
once and being done with it,
why can’t you adjust their
availability with the drip
system to better manage the
plant needs?” he asks.
Using fertigation at key
growth stages, corn hybrids
reached 246 bushels per acre,
on average, in plant popula-
tions that ranged from
32,000 to 50,000 plants per
acre, data show.
how to go beyond A
38,000 population
C orn populations average
about 35,000 per acre,
Below reasons. Since 1960,
the plant density has been
increasing by a little more
than 400 plants per acre each
year. The maximum plant
density farmers can legiti-
mately get away with in a
30-inch row is 38,000 plants
per acre, Below says.
“In 15 years, the U.S.
average is going to be at the
maximum, and that will
necessitate a shift toward
narrow rows,” he says.
“The future of corn is
going to have to be narrow
rows to manage a higher
density of plants and to
grow high-yield corn,”
Below adds.
Fred Below calculates that fertigation
through subsurface drip irrigation can
create a 69-bushel increase.
The trend toward increas-
ing population to push yield
comes with a caveat, how-
ever. More plants per row
result in weaker plants with
smaller root systems.
“One of the advantages
of going to narrow rows is
that you’ll be able to increase
the population of plants, but
they are still going to have a
smaller root system. Any time
the plant has a smaller root
system, it means that it’s more
subject to water issues and
drought, and it means that
you need to do a better job of
fertilizing,” Below says.
“That’s partly where
the SDI comes in. You can
manage a higher density
of plants, and you can also
overcome this issue that each
plant will have a smaller
root system,” he says.
He foresees the increasing
use of drip irrigation to off-
set the drawbacks of greater
plant density.
fertilizing earlier
“D rip irrigation is an ef-
ficient way to mitigate
the risk, manage more plants,
and increase yield and farm
profitability,” he says.
The Illinois experiments
also taught a hard lesson.
“The disadvantage is that,
depending on where the
SDI lines are buried, you
might not be able to deliver
the amount of nutrients you
need early,” Below said.
At the 10 acres of test
plots in Illinois, drip lines
are 14 to 16 inches under-
ground so researchers can
do a shallow tillage. “The
roots don’t get 14 to 16
inches deep until almost
reproductive development.
When it comes to nutrients,
we’ve discovered that if we
have a young plant that’s
deficient, we have a very
difficult time correcting it
because our system’s drip
lines are too deep.”
What can farmers do in
that case? “You have to
supply a certain amount of
nutrients to the soil in
addition to the fertigation.
You can’t just add every-
thing through the irrigation
system. You need a starter
fertilizer or something to get
the plant off to a good start,”
says Below.
Photography: iStock
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 i r r i g a t i o n INSIDER
By Dave Mowitz, Executive Editor, Machinery & Technology
2-INCH SAVINGS
THAT’S THE SAVING GAINED BY EMPLOYING
SOIL WATER SENSORS THAT SPECIFY
IRRIGATION APPLICATIONS FOR CROP NEEDS.
A
savings of $10
to $30 per acre is
possible through
the use of soil water
sensors and ETgage
installations, University
of Nebraska research has
found. “One of the main
benefits of using sensors to
better manage irrigation is
the reduced costs of pump-
ing. When surveyed, sensor
users from the Nebraska
Ag Water Management
Network and industry have
indicated water savings of 2
inches per acre,” says Aaron
Nygren of the University of
Nebraska.
“The cost of applying an
additional 2 inches of water
is going to vary depending
on your depth to water, sys-
tem pressure, and equipment
costs, but it could easily run
from $10 to $30 per acre,”
Nygren says. “To determine
the actual cost, I recom-
mend using the IrrigateCost
app developed by Nebraska
Extension.”
You can download the
IrrigateCost and other
irrigation apps for free by
going to croptechcafe.org/
agtechnology/irrigation/.
calculating costs
“W hen we plug these
numbers into the
IrrigateCost app, we end up
with operating costs of $7.31
per inch of water applied
and ownership costs of $8.76
per inch, assuming an aver-
age application of 8 inches
per year. Total cost would
bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
be $16.07 per inch of water
applied per acre,” Nygren
calculates. “Therefore, the 8
inches of water applied dur-
ing the year would result in
a total annual cost of $128.58
per acre.”
If using moisture sensors
resulted in saving 2 inches
of water, the same operating
costs of $7.31 per acre would
apply, but ownership costs
would change to $11.68 per
inch since the cost is spread
over fewer inches of water.
The total cost would be
$19 per acre inch. Over the
course of a year, this would
result in a total annual cost
of $113.97 per acre, Nygren
explains.
The difference in cost
between the two scenarios
is $14.61 per acre. With 130
acres irrigated, the total
annual savings from using
sensors would be $1,899.30.
From this total, subtract the
cost of the sensors.
A typical range for sen-
sor prices is as low as $175
for systems with cost share
(if available in your area)
up to $1,500 per year for
subscription-based services.
Therefore, the net savings
from using sensors for a
130-acre center pivot could
range from $400 to $1,700
per year.
install early
W hile other tasks may
seem more pressing,
early installation of sensors
is critical to ensure their
proper operation during the
later critical growth phases,
Nygren notes.
“Early installation helps
to minimize root damage,
allows time for sensors to
acclimate to read actual soil
water conditions instead of
water within the sensor or
slurry, and gives a better
chance for proper soil con-
tact,” he says.
As plants mature, later in-
stallation can lead to poorer
readings as a result of root
damage, residual water in
the sensor or slurry, and
more challenging installa-
tion given soil conditions.
Because of these disadvan-
tages, early installation of
sensors is recommended.
installation video
A University of Nebraska
video offers more infor-
mation about how to assem-
ble and prepare Watermark
sensors. Get more tips on
sensor installation in the
University of Nebraska
CropWatch article, Irrigation
Sensor Installation Tips.
University of Nebraska
irrigation specialist Suat Irmak
installs water sensors early in
the season in soybeans.
Find both the article and
the video at youtube.com/
watch?v=jpEsjVO497A.
As with soil sensors, early
installation of atmometers or
ETgages is important.
“By installing early, you
can make sure that every-
thing is working properly
before the crop reaches
critical growth stages, plus
you’ll be able to build a habit
of reading the ETgage every
week,” Nygren points out.
“Remember to use distilled
water when you are setting
up your ETgage,” he adds.
“If you need a refresher on
how to prime the ETgage,
please view the assembly
video. It is a good idea to
replace the green covers and
white wafers on a regular
basis to ensure accurate
readings. If you don’t have
any on hand, check with
your local supplier.”
Photography: Tharran Gaines
 c r o p s
By Gene Johnston
This drone image, taken in
the fall after the cover crop
has begun to establish itself,
shows a field with a replicated
strip trial laid out. Mapping
technology recorded where
the wheat and rye cover crops
were planted. When the final
corn yield map was overlaid,
the farmer could see the effect
of the cover crops vs. no cover
crop in the strips.
come from an aerial image
or one that you create with
a handheld GPS unit to
map field borders. It lets
you see if a replicated strip
TECHNOLOGY SPURS trial will fit inside the field.
For the most reliable results,
ON-FARM STRIP TRIALS
NEW MISSOURI PROGRAM USES GPS
Shannon likes strips that are
at least 500 feet long.
Shannon shares an
TECHNOLOGY TO DO SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISONS example. A farmer planted
WITH IMMEDIATE ON-FARM APPLICATION. corn with a 16-row planter
equipped with two variable-
H
rate drives, one controlling
ow can farm technology actually pay for itself? each half. He planted half of
One way is to make it easier for you to do your the planter with a variable
own on-farm research. An example is under way in
Missouri, where the Extension service is partner-
seeding rate and the other
half with the whole-field
ing with corn and soybean growers to do on-farm rate of 28,000 plants per
research. Called the Missouri Strip Trial Program, it draws on acre. GPS data was col-
the experience of the long-running Iowa Soybean On-Farm lected on the variable-rate
Network, where farmers have tested everything from planting side with the antennae in
date to row space to nitrogen rates on their farms. the middle of that side. At
The Missouri program, launched in 2016, has already helped harvest, the yield map was
a few farmers look at cover crop alternatives and in-season paired up with the planting
nitrogen applications. An on-farm trial works best, say leaders, map to compare the seeding
if you keep it simple and only compare two or three agronomic rate effect on final yield.
practices. At least three replications add to the validity of a In-season aerial imag-
strip trial. ery, usually from a drone,
They emphasize that their goal is immediate application in is also part of the strip-
the following growing season. trial program, explains
Technology can make on-farm research more farmer- Shannon. The images can
friendly, says Kent Shannon, a University of Missouri verify ground cover and crop
Extension agricultural engineering specialist. He provides stands throughout a field,
technical assistance to help farmers use the GPS, variable-rate, and they may eventually help
and yield-monitoring technology already on their equipment. in nutrient management.
“My ultimate goal is to eliminate as much time as possible New multispectral camer-
from the setup of a field trial,” says Shannon. “Once you pro- as carried from a drone will
gram the instructions into the equipment, then you just plant tell you when a field is under
and harvest and get a printout of the results. The technology stress from lack of nutrients
does the work.” or from pests, he says.
It all starts with a field boundary map, he explains. It could The Missouri Strip Trial
Photography: University of Missouri November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com bonus
Program, partially funded
by the corn and soybean
checkoff programs in that
state, wants more par-
ticipants. The tools and
personalized summary
report will be available at
no cost for Missouri grow-
ers. Farmers work with an
Extension specialist or other
crop consultant of their
choice to guide the planning
and implementation of the
trial. Sign-up information is
available at striptrial.
missouri.edu/.
While individual results
will be held confidential,
farmers will have access to
aggregated results across the
state.
Comparing
Cover Crops
O ne of the early projects
in the Missouri Strip Trial
Program involved fall-seeded
cover crops in 2016. In several
counties, participating corn and
soybean farmers compared side-
by-side strips of rye and wheat
cover crops with no cover crop.
Then they saw the yield impact.
Greg Luce, a University of
Missouri plant science instructor
and also Missouri Soybean
Association research director, says
so far the yield effect of cover
crops is inconclusive. Some strip
trials favored them, others didn’t.
“We are sorting out the causes
of the differences – positive
or negative – to help answer
growers’ questions,” he says.
On-farm strip trials also
compared a mid-April cover
crop kill date with an early May
kill date.
“Earlier termination seems to
have some advantage on the
following crop yields,” Luce says.
 VGR® Soil Amendment
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growing corn roots.

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maximum water use efficiency. Field trials show Capture LFR Insecticide can help increase yields an average
of 11 bushels per acre1. Adding VGR Soil Amendment helps boost yields an extra 3 bushels per acre2.

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Based on grower comparisons from 2006 – 2014. 2 Based on 2015 grower trials.

Capture LFR Insecticide is a Restricted Use Pesticide. Always read and follow label directions. VGR Soil Amendment is not a pesticide.
FMC, Capture, LFR and VGR are trademarks of FMC Corporation or an affiliate. ©2017 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved. 17-FMC-0843 09/17

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©2017 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved. 17-FMC-0805 09/17
w i l d l i f e
By Jodi Henke, Multimedia Editor
WHO’S EATING MY SWEET
CORN? LOOK FOR SPECIFIC SIGNS OF
DAMAGE TO PINPOINT THE CULPRIT.
I
t’s frustrating when you go to harvest sweet corn and you
find that some wily animal has beaten you to it. Birds,
deer, raccoons, squirrels, and even black bears will help
themselves to your sweet corn patch. But how do you know
which critter is eating it? Becky McPeake is an Extension
wildlife expert at the University of Arkansas. She says the
first thing to do is to look for animal tracks on the ground.
Following are other things to look for.
Birds: Obviously, birds aren’t going to leave tracks, but there
are telltale signs that they’ve flown in for a meal. “Compared
with these other species, the cornstalks are not knocked over.
You’ll find that the corncobs have what I call a firecracker
look – they look like the birds have pecked away those missing
kernels,” says McPeake. “Of course, the husks themselves are
shredded open so the birds can get access to those corncobs.”
Deer: Deer will bite off the tip of the cob. They’re also able
to take the entire corncob in their mouth and run off into the
woods with it.
Raccoons: Raccoons will knock over the stalks in a variety of
different directions, and the husks will be stripped off the cob.
Squirrels: Squirrels are messy, so you’ll find scattered pieces
of corn all over the ground. They’ll nibble on the corn closest
to a wooded area so they can quickly flee to shelter.
All of the four-legged varmints – except for bears – will
typically eat corn on the perimeter of the patch.
Bears: Bears go for the middle of the field and knock down
stalks at the base. They’re particularly wasteful because most
Photography: UrosPoteko, iStockphotos.com
of the corn will stay uneaten on the cobs.
Electric fences, noises, and scarecrows are some of the tactics
farmers use to keep wildlife out, but McPeake says there’s
another option you might not have thought about: duct tape.
“If you just have a really small patch, you might consider
going to each ear of corn and using some duct tape to wrap
around the husk and the stalk. This makes it difficult for
raccoon or deer to strip that husk off of the stalk,” she says.
November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com bonus
 a g e l e s s IRON®
By Dave Mowitz, Executive Editor, Machinery & Technology
GET A SHOWROOM SHINE
WASH, USE PROFESSIONAL POLISH, AND INVEST
IN A PROFESSIONAL BUFFER.
I
f the paint on that family heirloom or a recently purchased
tractor has faded to the point of changing shades, don’t be
too hasty to reach for the paint pot. Much can be done to
bring paint that has oxidized back to life. This also provides
an opportunity to amaze your friends who claim that the
tractor’s finish is finished.
Begin the revitalization process by giving the tractor a com-
plete wash job. For your tractor’s bath, always use a car wash
product – never dishwashing soap or detergent.
After the tractor has dried, set to work compounding,
polishing, and finishing the paint. The supplies listed in this
article can be purchased at any auto body supply store.
While you are at the store, you may want to invest in a dual-
action automotive polisher-buffer. This tool operates using
a random, oscillating motion. A dual-action polisher works
more slowly at removing oxidation than a rotary buffer. Its
Subscribe to
Ageless Iron
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antique tractor values, and
more in every issue of Ageless
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subscription is just $20. To
order, call 855/218-8153.
bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
oscillating action makes the tool safe to use even for an inexpe-
rienced refinisher. A dual-action polisher will create a beautiful
finish, and your arms will thank you for buying the tool after
the first hour of work.
Minor surface oxidation can often be removed by polishing
the sheet metal with a mild polish such as Menzerna Final
Polish, Meguiar’s No. 9 Swirl Remover, or 3M Swirl Remover.
After polishing, finish the surface with a high-quality wax
or paint sealant. Severely oxidized paint, on the other hand, re-
quires a compounding stripping agent. The paste literally rubs
away the top layer of dull, oxidized paint while also removing
most swirls, scratches, and minor blemishes. Compounding is
typically applied using a yellow foam compounding pad or a
lamb’s wool leveling pad.
dealing with surface haze
D on’t be alarmed if, after compounding, the paint’s surface has
a pronounced haze. Compounding haze is typical, and it’s
removed by the next step in the restoration process: polishing.
Polishing creates a glossy, reflective surface that is ready for
waxing. Again, use a high-quality automotive polish applied
with a white foam polishing pad attached to the polisher.
After polishing all the sheet metal, take stock of the results.
You may notice areas that are still oxidized or dull. These
will require a second course of compounding followed by
polishing. In worst-case oxidation situations, you may have to
resort to using abrasive cleaners like Comet or Bar Keepers
Friend. Be leery of such drastic action, but if the compound-
ing paste doesn’t work, you might test these cleaners on an
inconspicuous spot. When using abrasive cleaners, it is crucial
not to rub too hard and to keep the surface wet at all times.
After restoring gloss to the sheet metal, you need to protect
that surface from the elements by applying a paint sealant or a
high-quality carnauba wax. Applying either is usually accom-
plished with a gray foam finishing pad. Find a great step-by-
step explanation of this process at properautocare.com.
what about oxidized paint?
P utting a shine on dull but not oxidized paint can be accom-
plished in just three simple steps.
1. Begin the process with an automotive rubbing-polishing
compound, since wax alone often won’t restore paint and
remove surface swirls. Be careful working around corners and
high spots in the sheet metal to not burn through the paint
with a rubbing compound, particularly if you’re using a dual-
action buffer-polisher. It’s best to use an oscillating buffer, as
it delivers a more even application of compounds and waxes,
provides deeper cleaning, and safely removes swirls.
2. Apply an automotive haze and scratch remover. You can
also apply a finish restorer like Color Back or NuFinish. These
products are formulated to polish the surface and to remove
slight oxidation.
3. After you’re done polishing, protect the surface with a
coat of wax or paint sealant.
Photography: Ron Van Zee
 WILL FINDING THE IDEAL CORN HYBRIDS FOR
YOUR SITUATION BOOST PROFITABILITY? ASK KIRK.
KIRK KOBERG | KOBERG BROTHERS FARMS | WALCOTT, IA

Just as we helped Kirk choose a

mix of go-to hybrids that would
perform best in his area, we’ll work
with you to find the corn hybrids
that work best on your farm.
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DAIRYLAND SEED
REPRESENTATIVE TO LEARN MORE.
www.dairylandseed.com

110 years and GROWING

©2017 Dairyland Seed Co., Inc. All rights reserved. ®Dairyland Seed and the Dairyland Seed
logo are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of
Dow. Dairyland Seed is a seed affiliate of Dow AgroSciences. DSC06172275-3
w o m e n IN AG
Photography by Marji Guyler-Alaniz

Bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

special delivery

R achel Asher of Asher Family Farms in Adams County,

Illinois, backs her four-wheeler closer to the barn.
Asher is getting ready to load up a newborn calf to move
it to another pasture with its mother.

FarmHer is a project that combines Marji Guyler-Alaniz’s

love of photography and her passion for promoting
women in agriculture. “FarmHer started as a photogra-
phy project to show that women are an important part of
ag,” she says. “I realized that people in urban areas may
not know that.”
The idea was to photograph women doing their work
and to share those images online at farmher.com.

November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com Bonus

 t e c h n o l o g y
By Laurie Bedord, Advanced Technology Editor

LINKED TO THE LAND

NEW APPS PROVIDE SOIL, LAND, AND CLIMATE DATA.

F
ood production based on well-matched farming tech- “The current version of it will provide a rapid way
niques that protect the environment, public health, and LandPKS provides you with for you to learn about
animal welfare is the foundation on which sustainable simple tools for document- innovative management
agriculture is built. Yet, matching the best farming prac- ing your soils (LandInfo systems developed in other
tices with specific soil types and weather conditions can module) and monitor- countries with similar soils
be a challenge for farmers and land managers. ing changes in pasture and climate.”
“There is a massive amount of knowledge and information and rangeland vegetation For example, he says,
available on the internet that farmers could be using. Most of us, and crop residue cover Namibian ranchers face the
however, lack the time and ability to figure out which informa- (LandCover module),” ex- same challenges of brush in-
tion is relevant to our particular soils and climate,” says Jeffrey plains Herrick, who is based vasion (including mesquite)
Herrick (pictured above), Agricultural Research Service soil in Las Cruces, New Mexico. under very similar soils and
scientist. “NRCS Soil Survey reports provide some soil-specific “The next major version climate conditions as do
information, but they are static. Public and private Extension will provide information on ranchers in southern New
and consulting services can provide more knowledge, but access relative potential produc- Mexico and west Texas.
to these services is often limited, especially for small farmers.” tion and erosion risk. From “We look forward to
A team led by Herrick hopes to change that with a cloud there, we’ll begin to link to learning from them so we
computing platform and suite of mobile apps. “By creating the management options.” can build on their successes
Land-Potential Knowledge System, or LandPKS open-source This system, he adds, is and avoid their failures,
platform, to share knowledge about the conditions in which one of many examples of just as the rest of the world
new production systems do and don’t work, innovations devel- how a system supported by looks to adopt successful
oped to protect and increase the productivity of land resources U.S. development assistance technologies such as mini-
can be shared more quickly and efficiently,” he says. funding (through USAID) mum tillage and avoid the
provides benefits to farmers, errors that led to the Dust
tapping the land’s potential ranchers, and researchers. Bowl,” says Herrick.

T he LandPKS mobile app, which includes the LandInfo and

LandCover modules, taps cloud computing, digital and
traditional soil mapping, and GPS data to provide information
“Even in its early version,
the system has been used in
the U.S. for inventory and
The LandPKS app can be
downloaded for free at
LandPotential.org, the
on the sustainable potential of land under current and future monitoring,” says Herrick. Google Play store, and the
climate conditions. “As it continues to develop, iTunes app store.

bonus Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Provided by Jeffrey Herrick
 p o r k INSIDER
By Betsy Freese, Executive Editor
Daryl Olsen is the senior
veterinarian for AMVC,
Audubon, Iowa, which
owns or manages 117,500
sows in seven states.
AMVC SWINE MANAGEMENT
DARYL OLSEN AND HIS PARTNERS BUILT A NETWORK OF INDEPENDENT
PRODUCERS INTO A PORK POWERHOUSE.
I
n 1987, in the worst of
the Farm Crisis, a farmer
sat in Daryl Olsen’s truck
and unburdened his
financial woes, looking
for advice from this young
veterinarian, just five years
in practice.
“I was still wet behind the
ears, and he asked me for
financial advice on saving
his farm. He had confidence
that I could help him,” says
Olsen. “That taught me an
awful lot. I realized that
people really trusted veteri-
narians, so I had to do ev-
erything I could to maintain
that trust and deserve that
trust. I realized the responsi-
bility I had.”
Today, Olsen is driv-
ing down the same roads
around Audubon, Iowa, and
pointing out sow farms in
the AMVC Management
Services system (AMVC
stands for Audubon-
Photography: Betsy Freese
™
HOW VETERINARIAN
Manning Veterinary Clinic).
Olsen is the senior veterinar-
ian and one of 12 partners in
AMVC. The system owns
or manages 117,500 sows in
seven states.
“We work as a system to
provide oversight for health,
production, and nutrition
for independent producers,”
says Olsen. “We provide
the advantages of a system
approach to pig production
and let everybody maintain
independence.”
The farmer Olsen advised
30 years ago has passed away,
but his sons are still farm-
ing. The advice was taken
to heart. “I told him he was
a heck of a producer, but he
was overextended and inter-
est rates had blown out of
proportion,” says Olsen. “Get
back to what you are good at
and don’t get rid of the abil-
ity to be a great producer. He
let some things go and ended
PORK POWERHOUSES®
See the exclusive 2017 ranking of the 40
largest U.S. pork producers at Agriculture.
com/livestock/pork-powerhouses.
up in a better position than
ever because he was good at
what he did.”
creating a system
T he AMVC Management
Services company started
in 1994 when clients came
to Olsen inquiring about
contract production.
“They asked if we had
ever thought about oversee-
ing a sow unit,” he explains.
“They requested a service
we weren’t providing at the
time. We started providing
that service, and it’s been
growing from there.”
Farmer producers have
a great advantage because
they have labor, equipment,
and a way to use the manure
back on their own ground,
says Olsen. “That is why
independent producers have
a place and will continue to
have a place in the industry.”
AMVC added 2,500 sows
November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com PI-1
this year, which is a slow-
down in growth from past
years. “We haven’t been
pushing growth right now,
because it seems like there
are a lot of extra pigs out
there,” says Olsen. “We’ve
been a little concerned with
all the extra numbers in the
industry, so we have been
cautious about growing.”
AMVC plans to add
12,500 sows in 2018, both ad-
ditional multiplication and
commercial production.
“I never believed 20 years
ago we would be at this
size,” says Olsen. “I remem-
ber thinking if we ever got
to 45,000 sows that would be
the perfect size. Now we are
close to 120,000 sows.”
AMVC manages sows in
Wyoming, Colorado, North
Dakota, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois,
and Indiana. AMVC, like
other large systems, has built
a lot of finishing farms in the
past two years.
Rapidly throwing down
sow farms for the sake of
putting down sow farms is
not what the industry needs
right now, says Olsen. “I
want us to be profitable,
and I want our producers
to be profitable. If everyone
throws down a boatload of
sows, in the end, it makes us
all unprofitable. So let’s be
cautious about it. We haven’t
had a lot of aggressive
growth plans the last few
years, but we are putting out
a lot more pigs.”
Pig production has been
booming in the AMVC sys-
tem and across the country,
says Olsen. Health is good,
so there are a lot of pigs
coming to market.
“We are as productive as
we’ve ever been; total born
alive has been really good.
 p o r k INSIDER
Our approach to production is to look
at whole-herd productivity and not just
sow productivity,” he says.
It has been a quiet year for disease
issues. There was a little PEDv and
PRRS, but nothing they couldn’t han-
dle, says Olsen. “PEDv can be devastat-
ing, but if you have the right protocols
in place, it doesn’t affect you very long.
It’s a one-time affair and pretty manage-
able. You are able to wean some pigs
early and then you can add some weight
on the finishing end.”
PEDv is less of an economic blow to
a farm than PRRS, he explains, because
you never lose performance on the pigs.
“With PRRS, not only do you have the
effect on the sow farm, but also you
have poor-performing pigs all the way
through the system to market. PEDv is
a sow event, and then it’s over.”
Many producers have accepted that
PEDv is endemic, says Olsen. “It is a
pipe dream to think we can get rid of
it. Many producers keep all their gilts
exposed. It’s going to be an endemic
disease issue for the foreseeable future.”
People management
O lsen grew up on a livestock farm
in South Dakota and came to the
Audubon clinic right after graduating
from Iowa State College of Veterinary
Medicine in 1982. He’s been there ever
since. “I’ve had the beautiful opportu-
nity to stay in the same place my whole
career,” he says.
Three years ago, AMVC started a
leadership development program. “Pigs
are the easy part. People are what drive
the business,” says Olsen. “We needed
to make sure we had great talent in
the pipeline. Three years is a long time
for millennials to stay at a job. In my
generation, you gutted it out. Have there
been times that it hasn’t been perfect?
Yeah, but you gut it out and make it bet-
ter. Today, it’s much easier to leave. As
an industry, we have to spend more time
on training and developing, because the
idea that everybody is going to stay with
you forever is a fallacy.”
AMVC is the largest employer in
Audubon and Audubon County. “We
try to give back to the community,” says
Olsen. “If you want these small com-
munities to survive, you can’t count on
PI-2 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
™
Continued
outside money; you have to give back.”
Besides swine management, AMVC
owns mixed-practice clinics in Audubon
and Manning. “We have six vets who
work strictly in mixed animal practice,
and that’s still an important part of our
business,” says Olsen.
looking ahead
O lsen is cautious about 2018 for the
swine industry. “It’s always difficult
when you go through those low com-
modity prices, but we are in the com-
modity business; it’s very cyclical and
you better plan for the lows. Enjoy the
highs, but you better not spend it all.”
The markets are going to give you
ups and downs, he says. “If you think
they aren’t, you are in the wrong
industry. But spending all of our efforts
as producers worrying about markets
doesn’t change anything.”
Make sure you have strong equity
and solid risk-management protocols
in place, Olsen advises. “That doesn’t
mean you have everything hedged,
but it means you understand your risk.
Then just try to do the very best job you
can in production. Great production
trumps great risk management every
day,” he says.
If we have an oversupply of pigs, pric-
es are going to go down, he says. “Pig
producers are notoriously bad at taking
all their profit and throwing it back into
pigs. Maybe we need to learn how to do
something else with it.”
Planned growth is good, says Olsen,
but you have to have the people and the
processes in place. Growth also needs to
be profitable. “Right now, everything
tells us we should be cautious.”
The key for AMVC growth with
independent farmers is making sure
the clients are comfortable, says Olsen.
“They have to fit our philosophy, be-
cause we are kind of like a family. If we
are not comfortable with each other, we
tell them there is probably a better fit for
them other than us. We try to be very
transparent,” he says.
The story of independent farmers/
producers working together in a system
to produce pork is important to share,
he says. “We have to tell our story,
because it’s a great story of agriculture
working efficiently.”
 p o r k INSIDER
By Jodi Henke, Multimedia Editor
REDUCE THE MORTALITY RATE IN
YOUR FARROWING OPERATION
PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAIL WILL SAVE MORE PIGLETS.
T
he industry standard
for preweaning
mortality in piglets,
on average, is 14% to
16%. There’s always
room for improvement.
Keith Bretey is the
director of veterinary
services for Standard
Nutrition Company in
Omaha, Nebraska. When
pigs are born, he says, they
can’t regulate their body
temperature until they’re
about 3 days old. So on day
one, have your best people
making sure the piglets start
out in a dry, clean, and warm
environment.
“Have a cleaned-out area
for that piglet to land as it
comes out. Get it dried off
and to a warm area that’s a
temperature it likes,” says
Bretey. “We can have the lo-
cal microenvironment much
warmer than the sow will
PI-4 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
®
have. That piglet’s going to
have some energy to go get
that first drink.”
If you do day one right,
days two through eight usu-
ally go a lot better. This is
also when you focus on the
fallback piglets that aren’t
getting up and doing what
they’re supposed to – and
determining the reason why.
“Is there mastitis keeping
those piglets from consuming
what they need to consume?
Is there a splay leg situa-
tion? Are they scouring very
quickly? That detailed atten-
tion during days two through
eight is critical,” says Bretey.
“That’s why you want your
best caretakers right there,
because they notice and then
deal with a lot of things that
could be happening.”
Piglets being laid on and
crushed by the sow is a
leading cause of death. Sow
comfort, stall design, and
sensors that detect when pigs
are being laid on will save
more of them.
piglets and prrs
A nother cause of piglet
mortality is porcine
reproductive and respiratory
syndrome (PRRS). It’s a viral
disease that affects pigs of any
age, but in a PRRS-positive
farrowing system, infected
sows can deliver piglets with
the disease. The cycle of
shedding the virus and infec-
tion in a nursery can quickly
spread through the herd,
especially if piglets are nursed
on other sows.
Bretey says needle man-
agement and moving piglets
around are big deals when
you’re trying to squash PRRS
transmission on a farm.
“One of the key things that
you can do that we suggest
most of the time is reducing
or eliminating cross-fostering
during that time period,” he
says. “We know this is one of
those things that will transmit
PRRS from litter to litter in a
farrowing room quicker than
just about anything.”
When humans get sick,
the best thing is Mom’s
chicken noodle soup. Bretey
says PRRS-positive piglets
also benefit from good
nursing care and comfort.
Prevent them from being
chilled and feed them elec-
trolytes.
“Those things become
very important in saving pig-
lets. You can drench products
like that, you can put it in
front of them and let them
drink it, you can do gruel
feeding – whatever it takes to
get it into them,” says Bretey.
“They need the energy, and
they need the protein to
develop an immune system
and fight off infections.”
If your farm breaks with
the PRRS virus at 16 weeks
postbreak, you should have
mostly PRRS-negative pigs
being born.
If your farm is 20 weeks
post-PRRS break and some
animals are still positive for
the illness, either it’s taking a
long time to stabilize or
you’re moving too many pigs
and spreading it around, he
says.
LEARN MORE
• porcilis-prrs.com/clinical-
signs-sows-piglets.asp
• vetmed.iastate.edu/vdpam/
FSVD/swine/index-diseases/
porcine-reproductive
• articles.extension.org/
pages/27050/baby-pig-
management-birth-to-
weaning
• standardnutrition.com/
Photography: kadmy, iStockPhoto.com
 a g r o n o m y INSIDER
By Gil Gullickson, Crops Technology Editor
fats. This morphed into an
FDA ruling – effective July
2018 – that bans partially hy-
drogenated oils that contain
artificial trans fats in food
products.
This negatively
impacts commod-
ity soybean oil. To
create stability or
lasting power, it has
to be hydrogenated.
Unfortunately, the
process creates trans Lawrence
fats that are linked to Onweller
heightened coronary
heart disease risk.
Due to the FDA move,
palm oil and high-oleic
canola oil sliced soybean oil’s
share of the baking and fry-
ing fats market. The United
Soybean Board (USB) esti-
mates the soybean industry
A new horizon for soybeans
lost 4 billion pounds of soy
is on the way via high-oleic oil demand annually since
soybean oil. the trans fat level law took
effect in 2006.
SOYBEANS WITH BENEFITS H
HIGH-OLEIC SOYBEANS HAVE PROMISE FOR
health benefits
igh-oleic soybeans can
turn the tide for soybeans,
FARMERS AND END USERS LIKE RESTAURANTS. though. As an example,
DuPont Pioneer’s Plenish
I
soybeans contain:
f you want to eke out a profit growing soybeans in 2018, • Zero trans fats.
high-oleic varieties may be a way to do it. • 20% less saturated fat than
That’s because farmers can garner a premium ranging commodity soybean oil.
from 20¢ to 60¢ per bushel above conventional soybeans, • An oleic content of more
depending on market conditions. There’s some work in- than 75%. This level is simi-
volved, as farmers must segregate the crop from conventional lar to olive oil, which is the
soybeans at harvest. Farmers must also combine high-oleic darling of dieticians.
soybeans at specific moistures. • A linoleic content of less
Still, high-oleic varieties can give farmers an edge dur- than 3%. The lower the
ing tough economic times. “That can give farmers a $25- to linoleic content, the better
$30-per-acre incentive to plant them,” says Russ Sanders, the oil is for cooking.
DuPont Pioneer food and industry markets director. Benefits like these appeal
There’s another perk, too. “Vistive Gold (Monsanto’s high- to restaurants and food
oleic soybean) is one of the first biotech traits with benefits to manufacturers, says Sanders.
consumers,” says Lisa Streck, Monsanto’s North American High-oleic soybean oil can
soybean launch lead. also be used for nonfood
That’s because they’re a healthier soybean for food in- industrial uses, too.
gredients and cooking oil. In 2006, the Food and Drug Thus, the USB estimates
Administration (FDA) moved to label foods containing trans 18 million acres of variet-
Photography: Gil Gullickson November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 45
ies with relative maturities
between Group 1 and Group
5 will be planted by 2023.
That’s up from 2017 plant-
ings of 625,000 acres. (For
comparison, U.S. farmers
planted 89.5 million
acres to soybeans in
2017.)
This will make
high-oleic soybeans
the fourth-largest
crop behind corn,
conventional soy-
beans, and wheat, says
Sanders.
High-oleic soybeans from
Monsanto and DuPont
Pioneer use transgenic tech-
nology to create high-oleic
varieties. So far, though,
there’s been no pushback
from consumers regarding
them, says Sanders.
“The consumer benefits
of high-oleic soybeans have
outweighed any concerns
about GMOs,” he says.
company offerings
C ompanies offering the
high-oleic soybeans
include the following.
• DuPont Pioneer.
Company officials say
Plenish soybeans have strong
agronomic and defensive
traits, including resistance to
soybean cyst nematodes and
phytophthora and tolerance
to Sudden Death Syndrome
within a relative maturity
range of 2.0 to 4.2. They are
being contracted in 13 states.
• Monsanto. Vistive Gold
soybeans are set for a full-
scale launch in 2018, with
varieties ranging from a
2.6 to 4.1 relateive maturity
range. “The maturity ranges
we offer with Vistive Gold
soybeans give us the flexibil-
ity to partner with processors
in different locations,”
 a g r o n o m y INSIDER Continued
Performance Foodservice
picked Plenish high-oleic
soybean oil to be the main
component in its Brilliance
Premium Oils brand.
One reason is because
high-oleic soybean oil has
two to three times longer the
fry and shelf life that com-
modity soybean oil has.
“It keeps products viable
longer,” says Sanders.
High-oleic soybeans
also have a tasteless flavor.
“Having no flavor enables
the flavor of the food to
come out,” says Seidel.
Premium oil like high-
oleic soybean oil also reduces
labor in restaurants, com-
pared with a conventional
soybean or equivalent oil,
High-oleic soybean oils like DuPont says Streck. “We believe says Seidel.
Pioneer’s Plenish are lighter in in the nutritional Normally, fryers must be
color and saturated fat content than benefit of Vistive Gold cleaned weekly with conven-
commodity soybean oils.
oil, and we are working tional soybean oil. Premium
aggressively to establish oil stretches out cleanout to a
relationships with restaurants and processors.” biweekly basis, says Seidel.
• Calyxt, a New Brighton, Minnesota, firm. The company Restaurant owners also
anticipates commercializing high-oleic soybeans beginning in like high-oleic oil from a
2018. safety factor, says Sanders.
• Schillinger Genetics and the Missouri Soybean “Conventional soybean oil
Merchandising Council. These entities have formed a partner- can break down and give a
ship to bring non-biotech high oleic soybean technologies to gummy feel,” he says. “That
farmers. can make it slippery on sur-
Currently, more than 75 delivery locations accept high-oleic faces. It can also reduce the
soybeans. So far, they are grown in Nebraska, Minnesota, likelihood of a fire, because
Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, grease is not as likely to build
Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia. up as does conventional oil.”
Check soyinnovation.com/location for regions where high-
oleic soybeans are grown. chicken or egg?
why end users like high-oleic soybeans N iche markets have always
struggled with the Which
H igh-oleic soybeans are making inroads in the food service
industry. “It is the clear choice for our restaurant custom-
ers,” says Mike Seidel, director of category/management
comes first? The chicken or the
egg? scenario.
“Processors want enough
for Performance Foodservice, a Richmond, Virginia, firm. soybeans to make the switch,
and farmers question if they
18,000,000
can grow it that much,” says
Sanders. “You have to sell
the farmer first.”
To do that, processors of-
The goal for the number of acres the soybean industry fer premiums to grow them.
has set for high-oleic soybeans by 2023. They can vary from year to
46 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
what farmers
need to do
H igh-oleic soybeans have
no yield drag when
compared with conventional ones,
say Lawrence Onweller, a Delta,
Ohio, farmer who plants Plenish
soybeans.
To garner a premium, though,
Onweller runs his combine
empty when moving between
conventional and high-oleic
soybean fields during harvest.
This helps segregate the two
soybean types. He also harvests
Plenish soybeans below 14% or
less moisture. That’s the standard
processors specify in order to gain
the most oil out of soybeans.
“If Plenish soybeans are over
14% moisture, I could potentially
lose the premium,” says Onweller.
The moisture limitations exist
because the amount of high-oleic
soybeans grown is so small that
blending with higher-moisture
soybeans cannot be done. Still,
blending may be possible as more
are grown, says Russ Sanders,
DuPont Pioneer food and industry
markets director.
year but can range between
20¢ to 60¢ per bushel.
When more acres are
pulled into a niche market,
there’s always the chance
premiums will go by the
wayside as the product
becomes a commodity.
Sanders thinks that won’t
occur, though, because the
market basis will be higher
due to the increased demand
for all types of soybean oil.
“When market prices are
challenging, we think
high-oleic soybeans can
make the difference between
black and red ink for
farmers,” Sanders says.
 {VISIONARY

Successful seasons start long before seed ever meets soil. You have a vision for
your crops with the foresight to prepare for anything Mother Nature might throw
your way. That’s why we invest time and resources into research and development,
to make sure you get the best-in-class solutions you need for lasting success.
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Follow us on Twitter @Bayer4CropsUS

©2017 Bayer CropScience LP, 2 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Always read and follow label instructions. Bayer and the Bayer Cross are
registered trademarks of Bayer. For additional product information, call toll-free 1-866-99-BAYER (1-866-992-2937) or visit our website at www.CropScience.Bayer.us.
CO0917MULTI1C427V00R0 E-28864-2
 a c r e INSIGHT
By Kacey Birchmier, Agronomy & Conservation Editor
CONSIDERATIONS FOR RESIDUE MANAGEMENT
IS TILLAGE THIS FALL REALLY NECESSARY?
H
ow much residue is
too much? What’s
the best way to
manage it? The an-
swers will depend
on what your goals are for
residue management, says
Mark Licht, Iowa State
University Extension crop-
ping systems specialist.
From a soil erosion stand-
point, Licht says 50% to
70% of corn residue should
be left on the field surface.
Before hauling all that iron
into the field this fall, take
an extra minute to ask your-
self if it’s really necessary.
benefits of residue
L eaving corn residue on
your field provides a pro-
tective blanket for your soil.
“Residue increases water
infiltration,” says Licht.
“You’re reducing water
runoff from the field and
erosion.”
48 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
The protective blanket of
residue does more than that.
“Corn residue provides
moisture retention,” says
Chad Watts, executive
director of the Conservation
Technology Information
Center. “Depending on
your climate, that could be a
good thing or a bad thing.”
A wet spring could
delay planting, says Watts.
Another consideration is for
nitrogen needs, he says.
“You may need to
compensate for the residue
breakdown, which ties up
the soil biology, with starter
fertilizer,” explains Watts.
“These are all issues you can
plan for and manage.”
think about
No-till
“Y ou can do no-till on
any soil,” says Watts.
However, he admits it’s not
easy on all soils.
“It’s more challenging
on heavy, clay soils, but
it’s more rewarding if you
do less disturbance,” says
Watts. “It can be done. If
you reduce tillage, often-
times cover crops are a good
transition.”
The cover crop will pen-
etrate through compacted
soil layers. That penetra-
tion results in more air and
water movement.
Worried about cover crop
residue? Relax. Odds are, it
won’t be a problem.
“If it’s a cover crop
grown in the fall that will
winter-kill, it won’t have an
impact,” says Licht.
However, if an overwin-
tering cover crop is selected,
there be can be challenges
because the roots won’t be
decomposed.
“A fibrous root from
cover crops can present
some challenges during
planting,” says Licht.
He suggests dealing with
those obstacles by making
sure your planter row unit
downforce and pressure
on the closing wheels are
adjusted properly. Those
adjustments will ensure
soil-to-seed contact.
Set up your planter so
it can manage the residue,
says Watts.
“Have residue manag-
ers on the front to move the
residue to the side as you go
through the field with the
planter, closing wheels to
make sure the trench closes
behind you, and seed firm-
ers,” says Watts. “That seems
to be a pretty good system.”
Be sure to consider the
slope of the field before
performing tillage. Any
field that has a slope great-
er than 5% shouldn’t have
aggressive tillage passes
made, says Licht.
Photography: Kacey Birchmier
 this is how much we
have to grow
all our food.

Just 0.7% of the Earth’s water is available to grow all of our food.1,2 Farmers and
agriculture professionals face the acute reality of this number every single day.
The Uncharted Waters™ campaign aims to show the public how the agriculture
industry is feeding a growing population and leading the way in protecting our most
precious resource. Discover more at NationalGeographic.com/UnchartedWaters

1. “Feeding Ourselves Thirsty: How the Food Sector is Managing Global Water Risks,” http://www.ceres.org/issues/water/agriculture/water-risks-food-sector. Accessed January 18, 2017.
2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Science on a Sphere, “Blue Planet,” https://sos.noaa.gov/Datasets/dataset.php?id=284. Accessed January 24, 2017.
WinField United and Uncharted Waters are trademarks and WinField is a registered trademark of Winfield Solutions, LLC. © 2017 Winfield Solutions, LLC. Sustain is a registered trademark of Land O’Lakes, Inc. © 2017 Land O’Lakes Inc
 a c r e INSIGHT Continued

Factor Crop Rotation “The planter gets a little The first step to manage

“Y ou can make residue work in about any cropping better seed-to-soil contact residue is with the combine,
says Watts. Look for one that
system,” says Watts. “With a lot of today’s equipment, with this system,” says does a good job chopping and
systems have been created for dealing with heavy residue.” Licht. “The undisturbed ar- spreading residue evenly. Strip-
Because of machinery improvements, residue should be less eas help to build aggregate till is another option for farmers
of an issue than it was even 15 years ago, he says. stability and a healthier who want better seed-to-soil
contact with minimal tillage.
Soybean residue won’t be a problem, says Watts. environment as far as the
If you grow corn following corn, there may be more residue field is concerned.”
that you need to manage. Ultimately, if you’re
In Watts’ mind, residue management starts with the com- wanting to go to a true from the field. Most plant-
bine. It should be viewed as the first tool to manage residue. no-till system, you can use ers today are able to plant
“Get a combine that chops up the residue well, and then strip-till as a transition into residue fairly well,”
you’re already ahead of the game,” says Watts. “You want a stage. You still get some of says Licht.
combine that does a good job chopping and evenly spreading the soil benefits of leaving “Some people will chop
residue.” part of the soil undisturbed. or roll the residue, but with
“I’m hesitant to say you today’s equipment, I’m not
Test the water with strip-till should never do tillage; it’s sure it’s all that necessary,”

A compromise for those curious about no-till, but not ready

for the commitment, is strip-till.
“One option that is a
slightly better alternative
is going with a strip-till
“The more system,” says Licht. “With
residue you strip-till, you’re creating
can leave on a tillage zone of roughly 8
inches to 10 inches. That
the surface, zone will be turned into the
the more seedbed.”
shielding
you get from left
Two thirds of the soil is
undisturbed with strip-
till. This allows you to have
rainfall.” the benefits of tillage in the
seedbed along with the ben-
– Chad Watts efits of no-till, says Licht.
something that should be
kept in the toolbox,” says
Watts. “There could be
times when you’ll need to
do a light tillage pass, but
minimizing tillage will add
soil health benefits. You’re
going to create a more resil-
ient soil.”
Stalk Management
C hopping or rolling stalks
is one option to speed up
the decomposition of stalks.
“If you chop stalks, they
can get caught in the wind
and you lose the residue
says Watts.
“Instead, it’s a systems
approach to managing the
residue. It all starts with
the combine. If you need
to, address the rest with the
planter,” he says.
“CTIC has been in a
position for a long time
advocating for higher levels
for residue,” says Watts.
“The more residue you can
leave on the surface, the
more shielding you get
from rainfall. To the extent
you can leave it, the better
off the soil is.”

50 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

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 e f
INSIDER ®
BULL MAGIC FOR ANGUS SEED STOCK PRODUCERS GREG AND
JEN RATHBUN, THE BEST BULLS AREN’T BORN – THEY’RE BUILT.
I
t is a given in the cattle
industry that behind every
successful commercial
calf producer is an equally
successful bull developer.
For many of the northwest’s
top cattle operations, that bull
developer is Greg Rathbun.
On November 7, for the last
21 years, up to 300 potential
bull buyers crowd around
the Rathbun Ranch’s auction
enclosure in expectation of
viewing – and perhaps bid-
ding on – the 100-plus animals
that will be sold under the
hammer that day. That is
three prospective buyers for
every Rathbun bull, and some
of the larger ranch owners in
attendance will purchase a
half dozen or more.
“Greg and Jen have devel-
oped a very loyal customer
52 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
By Ed Haag
Top Angus bull breeder
Greg Rathbun, Moses Lake,
Washington, knows what it
takes to stay ahead of the herd.
base,” says Rod Wesselman,
regional manager for the
American Angus Association.
“Those who try Rathbun bulls
stick with them.”
He says the beef industry’s
enthusiasm for Rathbun bulls
is reflected directly in the
cattle registration numbers.
“Last year, the Rathbuns were
American Angus’ top registra-
tion producers in the state of
Washington,” he says. “That
says a lot about how they run
their operation.”
Rathbun attributes his oper-
ation’s bull marketing success
to his focusing on three key
elements: genetics, condition-
ing, and customer service.
“You have to have all three
to really make it work,” he
says. “Take away one, and the
other two don’t mean much.”
For Rathbun Ranch’s
foundation genetics, Rathbun
credits his father, Corrin, with
the tenacity and discipline re-
quired to build an exceptional
seed stock herd.
“In the beginning, I remem-
ber Dad hauling trailerloads
of cows off to the sale because
they either had poor bags on
them, they were too big or too
small, or they had bad feet,”
he recalls. “He really had zero
tolerance early on.”
Rathbun notes that today’s
herd is benefitting from his
father’s strict adherence to
selection.
“Our culling rates are now
very low,” says Rathbun,
adding that using proven se-
men in their AI program also
enhances the predictability of
the offspring.
Today, the family spends
much of its time seeking out
genetics that best suit the spe-
cific needs of its customers.
“All year we are watching
the advertisements, attend-
ing the bull sales, going to
semen collection centers,
attending shows, and check-
ing out calves on different
ranches,” says Rathbun.
“We’re very firm on what
we’re looking for.”
Genetics to Serve
the Customer
A t the top of Rathbuns’ de-
sired trait list is low birth
weight for ease of calving and
high weaning weight.
“An important trait to our
customers is performance,”
says Rathbun. “Most of our
clients are commercial calf
producers who are still selling
pounds at weaning.”
Gail Thorton of Cowichi,
Washington, is a commercial
beef producer who sells up to
Photography: Ed Haag
200 newly weaned steer calves every fall. He
has been buying Rathbun bulls for over a
decade. “I really like Greg’s sire selection,”
says Thorton. “He is looking out for the com-
mercial cattlemen, especially guys like me
who are running on range.”
For Thorton, the proof is at the scales.
“The highest weaning weights I have ever
had have been with Rathbun bulls,” he
says. Since switching to Rathbun’s bulls,
the average weight of his 9-month-old steer
calves has climbed from below 700 pounds
to above 750 pounds.
While low birth weight and high wean-
ing weight are critical to his customer’s im-
mediate financial success, Rathbun hasn’t
ignored genetic selections that impact his
foundation stock. “Because we use most
of our own genetics, we can’t be throwing
away our daughters,” says Rathbun. “We
need bulls that consistently produce good
daughters.”
The Rathbuns also look at scrotal
circumference, carcass traits, disposition,
and marketability when they are selecting
genetics.
At any given time, the Rathbuns are
using the semen from a list of eight specifi-
cally selected bulls. Every year, one to two
on their list are replaced by new selections.
Rick Van de Graaf, a commercial calf pro-
ducer who buys 15 to 20 bulls a year from
the Rathbuns, has complete confidence in
their bull-breeding program.
“The Rathbuns are always looking to get
the best breeding lines for the animals in
your herd,” Van de Graff says. “They have
come up with some new ones now that are
as good as – if not better than – any ones
we have had before.”
Bull Development
O ver the years, the Rathbuns have
determined that calving in the early fall
works best for their bull clients. “Most of
our buyers’ herds calf in the spring,” says
Rathbun. “Our bulls are in top form at 18
months – right when they are expected to
go to work.”
After calving, lactating mother cows
are wintered on alfalfa fields that weren’t
profitable enough for a final cutting.
Rathbun animals can be seen grazing on
them through November.
In March, mother cows and calves are
turned out on to the Rathbuns’ native
desert range. At an age when most com-
mercial calves are being weaned, Rathbun
prefers leaving them with their mothers
another three months. “We believe the
mothers teach their calves how to forage
out for feed on the range,” he says. “That
November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 53
is a skill our bulls will need when they are
working.”
It is also an excellent opportunity for the
Great cattle.
young bull calves to develop muscle mass.
Rathbun notes that instead of standing still
in a pen all day, they are out walking and
Great salt.
developing strong feet and legs. “This is a
very important step in the development of
our bulls,” he stresses.
Great beef.
Pete McElligott, a cow-calf operator from
eastern Oregon, has noticed his Rathbun
bulls adapt well to his toughest range.
“When I put them out, they are ready to
work,” he says, adding that they travel well Champion’s
while remaining in good condition.
Bull Boot Camp Choice®
B ull development doesn’t end when the
bull calves are pulled off the desert in
the middle of June. Weaned from their Salt.
mothers, the young animals are weighed,
ultrasounded for confirmation, and then
moved into their bull development center
– a rock-strewn obstacle course known
as The Hill. “It is a long, narrow piece
of ground .3 mile long and up to 300 feet
wide with a steep hill at one end,” says
Rathbun, adding that the elevation change
from the bottom of the hill to the top is
close to 100 feet. “They water at the bottom
of one end and feed at the top of the other.”
He says young bulls will walk the hill
seven to 10 times a day when first weaned.
“With all those rocks, it is just great for
developing their legs and feet,” he says.
For Rathbun, genetics and development
are just two thirds of the winning equa-
tion. “The third thing you need is customer
service because no matter what you do on
genetics and development, you are still go-
ing to have a problem here and there,” he
says. “That is when you have to be there to
back your product.”
That means remaining in contact with
his customers after delivering the bulls and
doing follow-up on their performance. It
also means guaranteeing a new bull for
its first year in the field. If the bull fails to
perform, it is either replaced that year, or
the buyer receives a credit for a new bull
the next year.
“I really like the quality of Greg’s bulls
and, of course, the guarantee that goes with
them,” says Devon Michel of Saddle
Mountain Ranches, Inc. “We have been
buying 10 of his bulls a year for the last 10
years. We have only had to use our
warranty once. One out of a hundred bulls
is a pretty good average.”
Learn More
Greg Rathbun | 509/762-5499 ©2017 Cargill, Incorporated
 b e e f INSIDER ROUNDUP ®

By Gene Johnston

gene is modified Q&A with Alison

(or knocked out) Van Eenennaam
to change how an SF: Is the gene-editing technology
animal performs regulated by government?
and what it passes to AVE: That’s still unclear. If we
offspring. It might edit a gene but have no transfer
add extra muscling, of a new gene, should that be
make cows hornless, regulated? You could argue that
or help pigs resist there is no new protein introduced,
disease. so no regulation is needed.
While it’s con- SF: It took more than 20 years to
troversial to some, introduce the GE salmon. Is that a
Van Eenennaam long time or a short time to study
questions whether something for human food?
gene editing is really AVE: I suppose we should look at
the same as GMO, that case by case. We have had 20
where a gene from years of a genetically engineered
one species is trans- papaya. There has been no
ferred to another. indication of any allergens that
“It’s estimated we would make it unsafe. It all has to
lose about 20% of be looked at in the regulatory

A VOICE FOR GOOD SCIENCE

CATTLE GENETICIST FINDS MANY WAYS TO BE AN
animal production
to disease. What if
these new technolo-
process, but I would ask, after 20
years with no problems, what is
the risk?
ACTIVE SPOKESPERSON FOR AG. gies can change that
and maybe provide

A
an alternative to
lison Van Eenennaam is one of agriculture’s leading antibiotics?” she asks.
voices of reason and persuasion in support of good sci- Van Eenennaam, a native Van Eenennaam’s episode
ence in food production. Australian, has found many was about genetically modi-
The personable and articulate cattle geneticist from avenues to become an active fied food, and she represent-
the University of California-Davis can talk about spokesperson to the general ed the positive and safe role
genetic engineering of animals or GMO corn and soybeans, public about agricultural against other panelists who
and make nearly everyone believe and trust her. Such a trait is science. “It’s not always just opposed it.
sorely lacking in many of our industry experts. about the science. It’s more In her closing statement,
She spoke at the Cattle Industry Convention about the about earning trust. People she told a story about her
future of genetically engineered (GE) animals. The only GE want to know if your mes- own family at a holiday meal
animal that has been approved is AquaAdvantage Salmon, sage is believable, or if you and the safety they felt in
granted FDA approval last November but not yet actively are bought off by someone. consuming food that was a
grown in the U.S. It can reach market size in 16 to 18 months My goal is to get their trust.” product of modern, science-
(rather than the normal 30) and do it on 20% less feed. She shared a story at the based agriculture.
The GE salmon was actually developed 25 years ago, Van 2016 Cattle Convention At the beginning of the
Eenennaam says, and has been fighting its way through the to make her point. A year show, the New York audi-
regulatory process ever since. That journey has cost at least earlier, Van Eenennaam was ence was about evenly split
$85 million, according to the company that developed it, invited to appear on a TV on GMOs: 30% for, 32%
AquaBounty Technologies (aquabounty.com). Lawsuits still debate show in New York against, 38% undecided.
threaten to stop it from proceeding commercially. called Intelligence Squared. By the end of the show, the
“All the genetic engineering science was done 25 years ago, It pits two advocates, one on same audience was 60%
and it’s just been perpetuating from generation to generation each side of a controversial for, 31% against, and 9%
of the salmon since then, waiting for commercial approval,” issue, against one another. undecided.
she says. “To me, at this point, it’s just animal breeding.” They both have a chance to Her believability reso-
Van Eenennaam says the newest wave of animal genetic sway a live audience, with nated with the undecided
engineering involves not a gene transfer process, but rather a the results displayed both viewers and won – at least
technique that is often called knock-out technology. A single before and after the debate. for one day.

54 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: merznatalia, iStockphoto.com

 Deworming with

HELPS KEEP THEM UP TO

BREEDING WEIGHT.
Satisfaction Guaranteed.
I f you’re not deworming cows in the spring,
you’re missing out on big reproductive
benefits strategic deworming can bring. How
Only LONGRANGE delivers up to 150 days of parasite
control in a single spring treatment.2 So you can use it
when you normally work your cows.

big? As much as 40 extra lbs. at weaning.1 LENGTH OF CALVING SEASON 1 140 DAYS 60 DAYS 1
CALVES BORN IN NUMBER WEIGHT NUMBER WEIGHT
Peak lactation comes around 85 days post-calving, 20 DAYS ≥ 25 540 50 540
creating a feed shortfall. This is also the optimum point 40 DAYS ≥ 22 510 30 510
at which to breed back. However, cows that are losing 60 DAYS ≥ 18 480 20 480
weight are less likely to conceive. Deworming can help 80 DAYS ≥ 12 450 vs. --- ---
them stabilize weight. But most dewormers last only 14 to 100 DAYS ≥ 10 420 --- ---
42 days. That means bringing cows back up 2 to 3 weeks 120 DAYS ≥ 8 390 --- ---
before peak lactation. Unless you use LONGRANGE. 140 DAYS ≥ 5 360 --- ---
OVERALL ≥ 100 478 LBS. 100 519 LBS.

Your satisfaction is guaranteed.* Treat your cows

this season with
theLONGRANGElook.com/WTC LONGRANGE.
*As provided in the LONGRANGE Guarantee.

have disappeared without treatment.

1

Merial is now part of Boehringer Ingelheim. and 60-day calving season.

®LONGRANGE and the Cattle Head Logo are registered
trademarks of Merial. ©2017 Merial, Inc., Duluth, GA.
All rights reserved. RUMIELR1707-A (05/17)
2
Dependent upon parasite species,
as referenced in FOI summary and Available in 500 mL, 250 mL and 50 mL bottles.
LONGRANGE product label. Administer subcutaneously at 1 mL/110 lbs.
 ®
b e e f INSIDER PRODUCT
By Laurie Bedord, Advanced Technology Editor
Extended-Release Injectable Parasiticide
5% Sterile Solution
NADA 141-327, Approved by FDA for subcutaneous injection
For the Treatment and Control of Internal and External

PROGRAMMED
Parasites of Cattle on Pasture with Persistent Effectiveness
CAUTION: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed
veterinarian.

FEED
INDICATIONS FOR USE
LONGRANGE, when administered at the recommended dose volume of 1 mL per 110 lb (50 kg)
body weight, is effective in the treatment and control of 20 species and stages of internal and
external parasites of cattle:
SOLAR-POWERED
CATTLE FEEDER DELIVERS
Gastrointestinal Roundworms Lungworms OPTIMAL NUTRITION EFFICIENCY.
Bunostomum phlebotomum – Adults and L4 Dictyocaulus viviparus – Adults

T
Cooperia oncophora – Adults and L4
Cooperia punctata – Adults and L4
Cooperia surnabada – Adults and L4 he legend of producing premi-
Haemonchus placei – Adults Grubs
Oesophagostomum radiatum – Adults Hypoderma bovis
um-quality Wagyu beef cattle
Ostertagia lyrata – Adults was not lost on Dave Barney. “I
Ostertagia ostertagi – Adults, L4, and
inhibited L4
was interested in the intense fla-
Trichostrongylus axei – Adults and L4 Mites vor profile and health benefits,”
Trichostrongylus colubriformis – Adults Sarcoptes scabiei var. bovis says the Wisconsin rancher. (pictured above) or LSF-20 models. Each
Durations of
Parasites
Persistent Effectiveness A Japanese breed originally used as provides the correct levels of nutrition to
Gastrointestinal Roundworms a draft animal, the Wagyu was first your livestock, up to six feedings per day,
Bunostomum phlebotomum 150 days
Cooperia oncophora 100 days
imported into the U.S. in 1975. As using preprogrammed feeding times.
Cooperia punctata 100 days cooks and fine restaurants discovered “Studies show that a balanced diet
Haemonchus placei 120 days the unique taste and tenderness of this throughout the day results in a calmer
Oesophagostomum radiatum 120 days
Ostertagia lyrata 120 days high-quality, intensely marbled animal, animal,” says Barney. “Programmed
Ostertagia ostertagi 120 days it grew in popularity and sold for a grain rationing provides less feed for
Trichostrongylus axei 100 days
Lungworms
premium price. better nutritional value but not loss of
Dictyocaulus viviparus 150 days It is pleasing to the palate, and health growth.”
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
experts have discovered the ratio of Both models are powered by a battery
LONGRANGE® (eprinomectin) should be given only by subcutaneous injection in front of the monounsaturated fat to saturated fat system that is recharged by a solar panel.
shoulder at the recommended dosage level of 1 mg eprinomectin per kg body weight (1 mL
per 110 lb body weight). is higher in Wagyu than in other beef. “Each feeder provides power for at least
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Forty percent of the saturated fat is in a two weeks, even on cloudy days,” he says.
Withdrawal Periods and Residue Warnings
Animals intended for human consumption must not be slaughtered within 48 days version called stearic acid, which is be- The LSF-10 is designed to feed up to
of the last treatment.
This drug product is not approved for use in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or
lieved to have a nominal effect in raising 10 head of cattle; the LSF-20 can feed up
older, including dry dairy cows. Use in these cattle may cause drug residues in milk cholesterol. It is also higher in conjugated to 20 head. Manufactured in the U.S.,
and/or in calves born to these cows.
A withdrawal period has not been established for pre-ruminating calves. Do not use linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid shown to both feeders have a 300-pound hopper
in calves to be processed for veal.
Animal Safety Warnings and Precautions
have fewer negative health effects. capacity, are 100% powder coated for
The product is likely to cause tissue damage at the site of injection, including possible extreme conditions, and can be easily
granulomas and necrosis. These reactions have disappeared without treatment. Local tissue
reaction may result in trim loss of edible tissue at slaughter. nutrition and efficiency moved by a tractor with lifting forks.
Observe cattle for injection site reactions. If injection site reactions are suspected, consult your
at the optimum “These feeders are designed to be rug-

C
veterinarian. This product is not for intravenous or intramuscular use. Protect product from
light. LONGRANGE® (eprinomectin) has been developed specifically for use in cattle only. This ommitted to developing high-quality ged and durable, and they are construct-
product should not be used in other animal species.
When to Treat Cattle with Grubs animals, Barney analyzed ways to ed of heavy-duty 11-gauge steel,” he says.
LONGRANGE effectively controls all stages of cattle grubs. However, proper timing of treatment
is important. For the most effective results, cattle should be treated as soon as possible after
deliver optimally controlled nutrition. Both models can accommodate small
the end of the heel fly (warble fly) season. As the president of Service Line, Inc., he grains or large pellets up to 3½ inches in
Environmental Hazards
Not for use in cattle managed in feedlots or under intensive rotational grazing because the
also wanted to provide a more efficient, length and have been tested on every-
environmental impact has not been evaluated for these scenarios. less labor-intense feeding process for his thing from ground corn to high-grade
Other Warnings: Underdosing and/or subtherapeutic concentrations of extended-release
anthelmintic products may encourage the development of parasite resistance. It is
livestock. That quest led him to develop pellets.
recommended that parasite resistance be monitored following the use of any anthelmintic the Hanen Automatic Solar-Powered “The feeder has replaced labor and its
with the use of a fecal egg count reduction test program.
TARGET ANIMAL SAFETY Programmable Cattle Feeder. associated costs. It has also reduced my
Clinical studies have demonstrated the wide margin of safety of LONGRANGE® (eprinomectin).
Overdosing at 3 to 5 times the recommended dose resulted in a statistically significant
His experience as an equipment energy costs,” Barney notes. “Unlike a
reduction in average weight gain when compared to the group tested at label dose. manufacturer that incorporates pro- creep feeder, programmed feeding is
Treatment-related lesions observed in most cattle administered the product included
swelling, hyperemia, or necrosis in the subcutaneous tissue of the skin. The administration grammable control methods was a main consistent. The hopper is protected, which
of LONGRANGE at 3 times the recommended therapeutic dose had no adverse reproductive
effects on beef cows at all stages of breeding or pregnancy or on their calves.
contributor in building the feeder. results in less wasted feed. This feeder
Not for use in bulls, as reproductive safety testing has not been conducted in males intended “The feeding cycle is completely gives me peace of mind because I know
for breeding or actively breeding. Not for use in calves less than 3 months of age because
safety testing has not been conducted in calves less than 3 months of age. programmable, and animals respond my livestock won’t miss a feeding.”
STORAGE
Store at 77° F (25° C) with excursions between 59° and 86° F (15° and 30° C). Protect from
to the audio signal. You simply fill the
light. hopper, set the timer, and start feeding,” learn more
Made in Canada.
Manufactured for Merial, Inc., Duluth, GA, USA. he explains. Dave Barney | 800/774-7900
® The Cattle Head Logo and LONGRANGE
®
are registered trademarks of Merial, Inc.
You can choose from the LSF-10 automaticcattlefeeder.com
©2015 Merial, Inc. All rights reserved.
1050-2889-06, Rev. 2/2015, 8LON016C
56 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Manufacturer

b e e f INSIDER HEALTH
By Gene Johnston
DNA TESTS TAKE ON CATTLE DISEASE
STUDIES AIM TO FIND BULLS THAT SIRE BRD-RESISTANT CALVES.
T
here are beef cattle DNA mark-
ers for growth rate, marbling,
and even some maternal traits.
But what about disease? Can
a drop of blood or a hair follicle
tell you if one animal is more resistant to
disease than another?
Probably, says a group of animal
geneticists from around the country
involved in a long-term USDA-funded
study on that subject. They’re identifying
DNA markers for resistance to bovine
respiratory disease (BRD), the shipping
and comingling scourge that costs about
$1 billion a year in feedlot losses.
Alison Van Eenennaam, animal
geneticist at the University of California-
Davis, is a collaborator on the project.
She says 1.4% of feedlot cattle die before
harvest, many of them from BRD. “That
number hasn’t changed in 30 years,” she
says in support of the genetic research.
It’s worth trying to find BRD-resistant
animals, she explains, because at least
16% of cattle and calves will have it at
some point in their lives. “One study says
that each BRD-infected steer costs the
producer $254,” she says.
The project researchers believe genetic
resistance could be cheaper than treating
BRD with antibiotics, and it also could
help address consumer demands for
fewer drugs in animal production.
Disease resistance happens to be a
relatively low heritability trait at around
20% (80% of the variability is caused by
environmental factors). That makes it
tougher to sort out the genes that control
it, compared with growth and marbling
traits, she says.
The research partnered with two co-
operating commercial feedlots to identify
sick animals and to compare their genes
to healthy pen mates. They trained cattle
handlers to use objective measures to
identify BRD-infected animals – strict
criteria for rectal temperature, nasal
discharge, coughing, eye drainage, and
head disposition.
After running the DNA blood tests on
November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 57
®
thousands of sick and healthy animals,
they can see some patterns of genes and
gene clusters that are common to both
groups. Then they correlate that back to
specific bulls and see that some tend to sire
more calves with the BRD-resistant genes.
“It won’t be a bullet-proof predictor of
resistance, but it will enable the selection
of cattle that are a little less likely to get
sick,” Van Eenennaam says.
One encouraging fact is that the dairy
industry has had some success using
genetics to reduce mastitis. The pork
industry has done the same in selecting
for pigs that are less susceptible to a
disease called PRRS.
Q&A with alison
van eenennaam
SF: When will the genetic test for BRD
resistance be available to producers?
AV: No guarantees, but within five years,
I hope.
SF: Is it just one gene that determines
this?
AV: No. There are likely a large number
of genes, probably thousands in total.
What we hope to do is identify large-ef-
fect genes for this trait. If we can identify
genes that are responsible for 20% of the
genetic variability in this trait, we can
probably make genetic progress.
SF: Is it possible that the genes that give
BRD resistance could also give resistance
to other diseases?
AV: We don’t have anything to prove
that yet, but it is possible. I get that
question from veterinarians a lot. It is
possible we will select for animals with
improved immune function. Ideally, in
selecting for animals that are not getting
sick, we are also selecting for better
performing animals. If they aren’t
suffering from BRD, they can put that
energy into growth.
Learn More
ebeef.org
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 f i g h t e r TO FARMER
By Jessie Scott, Digital Content Manager

Crawford did his best to

start on harvest early, but
2005 was a wet year. On
October 12, he boarded the
bus for Camp Shelby with
150 acres of corn left in the
field.
Thankfully, as so often
happens in rural areas, his
neighbors stepped up, har-
vested his crop, and took it
to the elevator.

Life in iraq

The Crawford family includes mom Betsy,

holding newborn daughter Finch, and dad
Chase, with 2-year-old son Jack.
A fter six months of
mobilization training in
Camp Shelby, Mississippi,
Crawford’s unit left for
Iraq. The artillery unit was
trained for full-spectrum

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

HE STARTED A FARM FROM SCRATCH AND SERVED IN IRAQ.
combat operations, so they
could handle a variety of
assignments. This training
CHASE CRAWFORD ISN’T AFRAID OF A CHALLENGE. was critical, as Crawford’s

I
platoon got switched from
n 2002, Chase Crawford leased 40 acres, bought a combine a member of the base defense to route clear-
for $1,200, scraped together additional equipment, and national guard ance in the middle of their
decided to try his hand at farming. The recent high school
graduate had farming in his blood – his grandparents were
farmers – but a skip in farming generations meant that
B y October 2003, five of
Crawford’s high school
friends had joined the local
deployment.
“For the first 10 months,
we were on base defense,”
Crawford had to start almost from scratch. National Guard unit. This, says Crawford. “Then,
“It was a fun challenge,” he says, adding that he did have the along with the 9/11 attacks, weeks before we were sup-
opportunity to lease land from his grandparents. inspired Crawford to join. posed to come home, our
At 19 years old, Crawford had no idea of the full chal- “I felt I should join deployment was extended
lenge he was up against. He would build the farm up from because I was around and for four more months.”
40 acres not once but twice; the second time following a tour able to,” says the Sherburn, In 2007, the military had
in Iraq. He witnessed a comrade lose both of his legs when Minnesota, native. “My bud- a troop surge into Baghdad
an Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP) ripped through their dies were going, so I didn’t to fight the growing
Humvee. Crawford would have a hard time transitioning back want to be left behind.” insurgency. Crawford was
to civilian life, suffering from PTSD like many of his friends, For the next two years, stationed at a small base,
one of whom committed suicide last year. Crawford went through convoy support center (CSC)
If you ask him if he’d do it all over again, knowing the diffi- training with the National Scania, located on the main
culties and the loss of limbs and life, he’ll say yes. “In a second. Guard while continuing to supply route from Kuwait
It was important,” says Crawford. “Maybe not in the grand grow the farm. In June 2005, to Baghdad. “There we
scheme of things, as we were little cogs in a huge machine, but Crawford had just finished were on the supply route
it was important. planting his 400 acres when and the military wants to
“With experiences like that, you learn stuff about yourself his unit was given the order. get as many troops into
that you can’t learn any other way,” he adds. “Not having They were being deployed Baghdad as it can. It didn’t
that would be a detriment to myself. I wouldn’t be the same to Iraq, and training would make sense to send us back,”
without it.” start in October. Crawford explains.
For his outstanding service to his country, Crawford was “That was a bit of a chal- To try to stop that supply
one of the winners in this year’s Successful Farming maga- lenge to try to figure out line coming into Baghdad,
zine Fighter to Farmer Contest, sponsored by Grasshopper how to get harvest wrapped the insurgency focused a lot
Mowers. up before October,” he says. of attention on CSC Scania.

58 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: David Ekstrom

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CR0617MULTI1C280V00R0
 f i g h t e r TO FARMER Continued

Chase Crawford inspects a soybean field near the

home farm in Sherburn, Minnesota.

Betsy Crawford family. Their son, Jack, is al-

in 2010.
“It was really
hard,” she says
about his ad-
justment back
into civilian life.
“He was really
uncomfortable
around large
crowds. He’d go
back to being in
a large crowd in
F or the past five years,
Iraq and what
he had to do. It
was scary.”
With the help
of Betsy and
It was about this time when Crawford was assigned to route the friends he served with,
clearance. “At that point, one of our trucks was getting hit Crawford says he learned
every couple of nights,” he recalls. In addition to increasing the how to live with PTSD.
heat, the insurgency had also developed better tactics, switch- “You deal with it, and it gets
ing from improvised explosive devices to explosively formed a little easier all the time. But
projectiles (EFP). “These were manufactured weapons, and it’s always there in a way.”
the armor on our Humvees was no match,” says Crawford. Betsy adds, “He’s doing
One night in April 2005, Crawford was out on a patrol amazing today, so much bet-
when his Humvee was hit by an EFP. “The slug hit the ter than the first year or two
driver’s side of the Humvee and came in through the bottom after he got back.”
of the door,” says Crawford, who was sitting in the passenger At that time, Crawford
seat that night. “It took off both of my driver’s legs and went was also figuring out the
into the transmission that sat between us, belling out the metal. next step for his career.
It would have cut me in half, but I think what saved me is that He went back to school to
it went through his legs.” complete his college degree,
Despite concussions and injuries of their own, Crawford and and he started working as a
his crew sprang into action, putting tourniquets on the driver’s precision ag tech for a data
legs. “He lost both of his legs, but we saved him,” he says. management company. In
Three months later, Crawford had just arrived back in the 2010, he was ready to get
U.S. and was able to see Horse, the nickname of the driver, for back into farming.
the first time. “There he was, sitting in his wheelchair,” says “I rented the 40-acre field
Crawford. “His mother came up and hugged me. She said, I started with the first time
‘You’re the reason my son is alive.’ and started over,” he says.
“It was a different experience coming home.” Today, Crawford farms
1,200 acres of corn and soy-
coming home beans. He’s a one-man team
most 2, and Finch was born
in August of this year.
“Jack will definitely be
a farmer. He’s all about
the tractors,” says Betsy,
adding that Crawford is a
great dad.
giving back
Crawford has served
as the commander of
the Sherburn post of the
American Legion. After
leaving the Guard in 2011,
he felt it was important to
continue serving the country
in this capacity. “There isn’t
as much of an interest in
veteran’s clubs anymore, but
I think they are important to
keep around,” he says.
This role includes
speaking at Veterans and
Memorial Day programs for
small towns as well as cook-
ing meals at the post.
Since 2013, Crawford has
also served on the township
board in different capacities.
“I think the reason that I
do all of these things is be-
cause I feel almost indebted
to the neighbors for helping
me out when they have – and
they have a lot,” he says.
While Crawford may not
admit it, Betsy says he works
too hard. “I have to make
him take time off,” she says.
“Farming is just in his
blood,” she adds. “It’s the
way of life around here, and

S cary. After 16 months in Iraq, that’s the word Crawford

uses to describe what it was like to come back. “It was scary
to come home, because I didn’t know what to expect,” he says,
for the most part, although
he gets help from
Betsy’s father, who
we love it.”

adding that he didn’t sleep much at first. “I slept on the couch is also a farmer. This Successful Farming
because that’s where I was most comfortable.” As the farm magazine contest is
brought to you through
Just a few weeks after he was home, Crawford rekindled a has grown, so has the support of:
high school romance with Betsy Brolsma, who would become Chase and Betsy’s

60 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

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 a i
By Lisa Foust Prater, Family & Farmstead Editor
STAYING ON THE FARM
ACCESSIBLE FOR AN AGING RESIDENT RATHER THAN RELOCATING
TO AN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY CAN BE COST EFFECTIVE.
B
ette Davis hit the nail
on the head when
she said, “Getting
old is not for sissies.”
The transition can
be not only emotionally and
physically challenging but
also very expensive.
Housing is one of the
primary issues that families
have to face when a loved
one reaches a certain age.
Remaining in the home for
as long as possible is the ulti-
mate goal, but that depends
on two things: the health of
the individual and the acces-
sibility of the home.
There’s a movement
called universal design,
which encourages designers
and architects to consider
accessibility for aging or
disabled residents when
62 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017
MAKING A HOME MORE
designing homes. It makes
sense to create a home that
will be livable no matter
what curveballs life throws
your way.
For those living in older
homes on the farm, the prin-
ciples of universal design
can be incorporated through
updates and remodeling.
Look at the books
R ollie Clarkson has been in
the remodeling business
for 40 years, and is the owner
of Remodeling Contractors
in Johnston, Iowa. He is a
Certified Aging-in-Place
Specialist, a designation by
the National Association of
Homebuilders. He says these
types of upgrades will most
likely pay for themselves by
allowing homeowners to
stay in their houses longer.
According to the 2015
Genworth Financial Cost
of Care Survey, the aver-
age cost of assisted living in
Iowa is $3,500 per month,
or $42,000 per year. “If you
put $75,000 into your house
and stay there another five
or 10 years, that’s quite a
return on your investment,”
Clarkson says.
The savings achieved
from staying home will go a
long way toward paying for
outside help – from house-
keeping services, to trans-
portation help, to in-home
nursing care.
Do a walk-through
C
larkson suggests taking a
walk through your home
or your parents’ home to
y
listen to
Successful
Farming magazine
R eaders of Successful
Farming magazine can still
enjoy the articles they’ve come to
look forward to each month, even
if their vision no longer allows
them to read the magazine.
The National Federation of the
Blind’s NFB-Newsline lets blind,
visually impaired, or print-disabled
subscribers in most states access
audio versions of more than
400 breaking-news sources,
newspapers, and magazines,
including Successful Farming
magazine, for free.
Readers can subscribe to this
service by visiting nfbnewsline.org
or by calling 866/504-7300.
Subscribers can access
the recordings via touch-tone
telephone, mobile app, on-demand
emails, a secure website, or a
variety of portable players.
Even using the phone, users
can create favorites lists; skip
articles or sections; start, stop,
skip, and reread articles; and alter
the reading voice, volume, speed,
or pitch.
Anyone who can’t read
traditional newsprint can qualify
for this free service, whether they
are completely or partially blind,
have trouble with reading
comprehension, or aren’t able to
turn pages while reading.
STAYING MARRIED
It’s hard to stay mad at someone
who makes you laugh. As a result, I
have gotten into the habit of
making my wife laugh every day,
even if I’m pretty sure I haven’t
done anything wrong.
– Jerry Nelson
Agriculture.com/family/farmhumor
Photography: Wavebreakmedia, iStockphoto.com
survey what needs to be done. Keep an eye out for these areas.
• Access to the home and vehicle: Wide exterior doors,
handrails, and ramps can make it easier to get in and out of
the house. “You want to do anything you can to minimize or
eliminate areas that could cause a fall,” Clarkson says.
• Bathroom: Adding grab bars to an existing bathroom goes a
long way toward helping aging homeowners care for them-
selves. Clarkson also recommends roll-in showers, which come
in very handy if a family member of any age suffers a broken
leg or other injury. Sinks that allow wheelchairs underneath
are also helpful.
• Kitchen: Lowering counters for easier wheelchair access is
an expensive remodel that may actually decrease resale value.
Clarkson says there are other updates that can make cooking
HEADS UP! FOOTBALL PLAYERS AREN’T
THE ONLY ONES WHO GET CONCUSSIONS.
easier. Microwaves mounted above the stove might be difficult FARMERS AND RANCHERS ARE AT RISK, TOO.
to reach, for instance, and lead to burns. He suggests moving
them onto or under the counter and raising the dishwasher
slightly for easier access. Light-color contact paper in drawers
and cupboards helps those with vision issues see what’s inside.
F ootball season is fun for the
whole community, but with
it comes a risk of concussions for
ings, clumsy, and slow to answer
questions. A victim may also
lose consciousness, experience
• Laundry: Clarkson points out that many older farmhouses players. This may not be the first personality changes, and have
have the washer and dryer in the basement, which is not ideal. injury that comes to mind when trouble recalling events prior to
He suggests moving them to a mudroom or bathroom and you think of farming, but it’s not at or after the injury.
switching to smaller, stackable units or a single unit that both all uncommon. A person who has suffered a
washes and dries if space is an issue. According to Ohio State concussion needs time to heal,
• Floor plan: Unfortunately, older farmhouses don’t usually University Extension, farmers which is a difficult pill for many
have an open floor plan and may have interior doorways that are at a high risk of this form of farmers to swallow.
are too narrow for wheelchairs. The benefit to this type of traumatic brain injury because If another blow to the head
layout, however, is that a parlor or dining room can usually be of falling, working with livestock, occurs before the brain is com-
transformed into a first-floor bedroom without much work. and maneuvering heavy tools and pletely healed, a second concus-
• Flooring: Many older homes have hardwood floors, which equipment. Activities like lying sion is likely, and this can slow
are easier for wheelchairs to maneuver on than carpet. Rugs underneath raised equipment, recovery or increase the chance
may be a tripping hazard and should be secured or removed. squeezing into tight spaces to of long-term problems and brain
• Lighting: “Old farmhouses generally aren’t lit very well,” make repairs, and working in damage.
Clarkson says. “Lamps are often brought in, but the cords can low-visibility conditions can also Just as football players wear
be a tripping hazard.” He suggests adding light to corners, lead to concussions. specialized equipment and prac-
closets, walkways, and work spaces. Motion sensors that au- Even if you feel fine after tak- tice heads-up tackling to avoid
tomatically turn lights on when someone enters the room are ing a blow to the head, be sure to concussions, you can also take
a good option. Don’t forget about outside lighting. Solar and tell someone about the incident preventive steps to reduce the
motion lights help illuminate walkways. and seek medical attention im- risk of head trauma.
• Odds and ends: Clarkson says easy updates like chang- mediately if you think you may • Avoid working on equipment
ing from twist doorknobs to levers can make life easier for have a concussion. with loose parts or tools directly
someone with arthritis. Adding handrails to both sides of stairs A person who has a con- above your head.
instead of just one side helps reduce falls. cussion often experiences a • Be aware of your surroundings,
• Farm shop: Ohio State University Extension offers several headache, nausea or vomiting, especially in low-light conditions,
tips for applying universal design to the shop, like installing dizziness, double or blurred vi- paying special attention to what’s
adjustable height storage and workbenches, placing switches sion, sensitivity to light or noise, beside and above you.
and outlets on the front of workbenches instead of on the wall a sluggish or groggy feeling, • Maintain three points of contact
behind them, clearly labeling storage containers, adding task memory problems, trouble con- (one hand/two feet, or two hands/
lighting, and installing nonslip surfaces in potentially wet areas. centrating, or one foot) when climbing or getting
Find more at ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/AEX-983.1-10. confusion. in and out of equipment.
Others may • Use proper handling techniques
Ask an Expert notice the vic- around aggressive or defensive

C larkson recommends that anyone considering updates to

foster aging in place consult a professional. “I advise home-
owners of all ages to consider accessibility when remodeling
tim is dazed,
confused, for-
getful, unsure
livestock.
• Use personal protective
equipment including head
their homes,” he says. “It just makes sense to be proactive.” Lisa Foust Prater of surround- protection when needed.

Photography: Mitch Kezar November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 63

 f a m i l y Continued

FIGHTING RURAL HUNGER

WHAT CAN FARMHERS DO TO MAKE SURE
RURAL FAMILIES HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT?

By Marji Guyler-Alaniz, FarmHer

A s I look forward to
Thanksgiving and all of the
delicious foods, I think of Callan,
a young woman from northeast
Iowa, who recently graduated
from college as
a dietician.
She chose
this path after
witnessing
to grow their own food to help
themselves, but also to provide
fresh produce for school lunches
or to take home. Still, programs
like this require funding.
Heather Dineen is the FarmHer
behind The Yellow Farmhouse in
Waxahachie, Texas. Her family
of first-generation farmers has
faced plenty of struggles, but they

Marji
food insecurity
in her rural
community,
Guyler-Alaniz
when some
classmates
had to steal food to survive.
The conversation was eye-
opening. When I think of small-
town America, I think of the land
of plenty, filled with FarmHers
working to feed the world. The
reality is starkly different.
The nonprofit group Feeding
America says 2.8 million rural
households face hunger, and 86%
of counties with the highest rates
of child food insecurity are rural.
For these families, food pantries
may be hours away and living-
wage jobs are scarce.
Callan and I discussed school
gardens and how they have the
power not only to teach kids how
donated the time and resources
to build a school garden and a
chicken coop (pictured below).
They named their project The
Chicken Salad.
Working in conjunction with
the science teacher, the Dineens
are sharing their love of farming
and giving kids in their area the
experience of growing their own
healthy and nutritious food.
While this is just one FarmHer
story, it is making a big impact.
One by one, school by school, and
town by town, we all have the
ability to make a difference.
As FarmHers with a passion for
feeding our families, our
communities, and the world, we
each have the ability to share our
talents and help other families
enjoy the delight of a full
Thanksgiving table.
STUFFED TURKEY BREAST
IF YOU’RE COOKING FOR A SMALLER CROWD
ON THANKSGIVING, THIS DISH FITS THE BILL.
1 2 to 3-pound boneless turkey breast with skin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
8 ounces bulk sweet Italian sausage
½ cup thinly sliced green onions (4)
1∕3 cup snipped dried figs
¾ teaspoon fennel seeds
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1Preheat oven to 325°F. Place turkey, skin side down, between
two pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet,
pound lightly into a square of even thickness. Remove plastic.
Sprinkle turkey with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
2 For stuffing, in a medium-size skillet cook sausage over
medium-high heat until brown, using a wooden spoon to
break up meat as it cooks. Drain off fat. In a medium bowl
combine sausage, green onions, figs, and fennel seeds.

3 Spoon stuffing onto turkey. Roll up turkey and stuffing.

Tie at 2-inch intervals with 100% cotton kitchen string.
Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

4 Place turkey in a shallow roasting pan. Rub skin with oil.

Roast, uncovered, for 1¼ to 1¾ hours or until turkey is no
longer pink (170°F.) and an instant-read thermometer inserted
into the center of stuffing registers 165°F.

5 Transfer turkey to a cutting board. Cover loosely with foil;

let stand 10 minutes. Remove string. Makes 10 servings.

Nutritional information: 287 calories; 17 g fat (5 g saturated fat); 87 mg cholesterol;

5 g carbohydrates; 472 mg sodium; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 247 g protein
For recipe questions, contact lisa.foustprater@meredith.com.

66 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017 Photography: Marji Guyler-Alaniz, Blaine Moats
CAN THEIR p r o b l e m BE SOLVED?
By Dr. Donald J. Jonovic
Bear with me. Consider
the following three ques-
tions most parents inevitably
raise when their children
are making business career
choices.
1. Does my son/daughter
have the talent and drive this
career demands?
2. Is the particular employer
financially sound, with real
potential for growth?
3. Will this choice allow for
other career options if it
doesn’t work out?
J.G. believes Meghan has
the ability, so he’s answered
Question #1 positively.
THE PROBLEM:
Good.
The answer to Question
HOW TO DECIDE WHICH CORPORATE ENTITY IS BEST #2 could be more trouble-
FOR A SUCCESSOR WITH OFF-FARM PARTNERS. some. He has doubts about
the farm’s financial stabil-
ity – this is agriculture, after
M
SUBMITTED BY J.G., VIA EMAIL all. More importantly, he’s
y daughter, Meghan, is the only one of my five worried that Meghan’s po-
children who’s ever been interested in farming as a tential partners, her siblings,
career. I’m thrilled she wants to continue the farm. may not turn out to be as
She’s talented and capable, without question. supportive and loyal as they
My wife and I will have enough retirement in- are now in the highly prob-
come independent of the farm, but I don’t know how to make it able event that the cash flow
work for the next generation with 80% of the heirs off-farm. stumbles.
Most of our business value is in soil and iron. We’re farmers The answer to Question
who have good years and bad years. Cash flow has always been #3 is even more concerning.
unpredictable. Can – and should – Meghan
Our off-farm kids love the farm, want to keep it in the fam- take on the responsibility
ily, and enjoy bringing their children to visit. They say they for providing financial re-
don’t want anything else from Meghan or the farm. I believe turn for five families (some-
they mean it now, but needs change with time, and I know
Meghan feels a duty to provide some return to her siblings
after my wife and I are gone. What we need is advice on choos- YOUR TRANSITION TEAM MEMBERS
ing an entity structure that would work best for a family farm Don Jonovic
with off-farm owners. is founder of
Family Business
THE SOLUTION: Management
Services in
G enerally, for situations like this, many choose a structure
that separates the land from the operating business. An ex-
ample, in J.G.’s case, would be putting the farmland in an LLC
Cleveland, Ohio.
He focuses
on management, growth, and
ownership transition issues. His
owned equally by the five heirs, with Meghan leasing acreage farm partnership planning tool,
from the LLC (and maybe from other landowners) and farm- “Ag-Planner/IV” ($68.45); a two-
ing via her own entity. DVD set on farm management
This isn’t his most important question. Instead, it’s this: and succession ($48.95); and
Should J.G. be encouraging his daughter to pursue the family other books are available at
farm as her career? familybusinessmgt.com.
Illustration: Matt Wood November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 67
thing the farm’s only dem-
onstrated it’s able to do for
two)? If the farm fails, will
Meghan be able to change
careers when she’s in her
40s or older?
It is possible to design tax-
efficient ownership struc-
tures that separate asset own-
ership from asset manage-
ment. These structures must
also succeed as businesses to
be good career choices for the
working heir(s).
J.G.’s decision is best
founded on reasonable
confidence that all future
owners can get an accept-
able return AND that the
heirs who manage the as-
sets have a real potential
to build careers that can
provide them both security
and a good career.
J.G.’s dream – to leave the
farm in the form of a sibling
partnership for his heirs – is
possible, yes. But ultimately,
it’s improbable unless he
and his family treat succes-
sion as more of a business
planning challenge than a
transition entity choice.
A succession dream can
easily turn into a nightmare
without a business plan that
realistically anticipates prof-
itability and growth.
Jolene Brown is a speaker,
author, and family business
consultant. Her tested business
tools provide leadership and
management solutions for people
who feed, clothe, and fuel the
world. jolenebrown.com
Myron Friesen is co-owner of
Farm Financial Strategies in
Osage, Iowa. During the past 15
years, he has worked exclusively
with farm families across the
Midwest to develop farm transition
strategies. farmestate.com
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Grain Storage Made Better

Tri-States Grain Conditioning, Inc.
Spirit Lake, Iowa www.TSGCinc.com
 For Advertising Information, call 800-678-5749 • sfadvertising@meredith.com

Turbo Max Owners:

NOTICE TO
®

Did you purchase this machine to do TRUE vertical tillage ... or just tillage?
M A R K E t P L A C E

Either way, we have an alternative for you to improve the operation of your Turbo Max®.
In both cases, the issue is the blade ... NOT the machine or the design.

Vortex® blade, surface & edge views
As is seen in the comparative photos above, the Turbo® blade has a nearly
non-existent wave design. In our experience and through feedback from our
customers, the straight shallow flutes on the Turbo® blade do little effective tillage.
We have found that the deeper more aggressive spherical wave design on
the Vortex® blade moves more soil, crumbles the soil into smaller segments and
Turbo® blade, surface & edge views
covers more cornstalks in the fall effecting better breakdown and less wind mov-
ing the cornstalks. And, in the spring, creates a much more desirable seedbed.
If you are running your Turbo Max® on a blade angle, you are in effect
defeating the purpose of the machine as a true vertical tillage machine. Really,
it has become just another high speed disc.

Did you know that when you have the Turbo Max® blades on an angle instead of straight you:
• Create a soil density change layer that becomes a barrier to root growth for your crop?* • You create a larger chance of soil erosion?*
• You are no longer doing true Vertical Tillage?* • You are using extra fuel per tillage pass?
November & December 2017 only: 20” Vortex $51.00 November & December 2017 only: 22” Vortex $59.00
Here’s an option: Run the blades straight, replace the Turbo® blade with a Vortex® blade. With well over 100,000 blades sold as a replacement blade for Turbo Till® and
Turbo Max® machines we feel pretty secure with offering you our “You’re happy, we’re happy warranty”. We stand behind these blades and their excellent track record to date.
TURBO ® is a registered trademark owned by Osmundson Mfg. Co. and TURBO TILL® and TURBO MAX® are registered trademarks of
Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc. and CFC Distributors, Inc. has no relationsip of any kind with Osmundson Mfg. Co. or Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc.
* Great Plains Agronomy Video: Veritcal Tillage Principles
The Vortex Coulter is manufactured by Bellota.
www.cfcdist.com | CFC Distributors Inc. | 800-548-6633
,!- 0,942533
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For Advertising Information, call 800-678-5749 • sfadvertising@meredith.com

IN, NOT ON,
the machine!

STEEL FARM BUILDINGS

MADE IN THE
25
USA YEAR
WARRANTY

(603) 795-2298 • 343 Dorchester Road • Lyme, NH 03768

©2017 AgriBilt Building Systems

100% USABLE SPACE

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 For Advertising Information, call 800-678-5749 • sfadvertising@meredith.com

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M A R K E t P L A C E

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Prices start at
$2500 per row

The new Schlagel Rapid Till is designed to pull easier, be easier to follow, and perform better at higher speeds due to its
lighter weight and new style shank. The Rapid Till is designed to till up to ten inches deep, apply fertilizer in multiple
zones, make a perfect seed bed, and depending on soil conditions run up to eight miles per hour. The Schlagel Rapid
Till comes in many different configurations from four to twenty-four rows and row widths as narrow as twenty inches on
a single tool bar.
1-888-889-1504 www.schlagel.net
 a l l a r o u n d THE FARM ®

One page written by our readers. Compiled by Paula Barbour, Content Editor

keep firewood high off taller hopper receives

the ground and dry for
burning
I’d always stored my firewood outside
on the ground where it took on mois-
ture and became hard to ignite. So I
made a stand from an unused over-
head fuel tank, lined it with steel cattle
panels, and built a hip roof to cover the
tank brackets on top. The wire mesh
lets the wood dry from all sides. Placed
on the south side of my barn, it receives
full sun for nice, dry firewood.
Ken Miller | Rochelle, Illinois
ken61is@gmail.com
grain faster
To increase the capacity of my
auger hopper, I bolted together two
pieces of poly salvaged from the
skirting of an old round bale feeder.
The extension merely sets into the
main hopper, so it’s easy to take out
when moving the auger. Now I can
run the auger at full capacity.
Gene Smallidge
Hastings, Minnesota

downforce for posthole digger

Here’s an alternative to standing on the three-point arms to help a posthole
digger go deeper into the ground. I hooked a come-along to the top, center
point of the digger, then down to the hitch. With the hitch offset, the
cable doesn’t interfere with the PTO shaft. I give the come-along a few
ratchets for tension every so often. The digger has drilled through frozen
ground with about 15 inches of frost.
Edward Brichacek | Schuyler, Nebraska

measuring tapes in a permanent location

are convenient
To make sure I can find a tape when I need it, I put short lengths
of measuring tape at several intervals on each of my workbench-
es. The steel banding is fastened with self-tapping screws. This
idea also works well in locked cabinets or lockers.
Jeremy Glanzer | Willow Lake, South Dakota

Send us your ideas

transport seed to field during planting
I built a hitch on the rear of my drill and planter to pull my seed
wagon with its self-powered unit behind in between fields. Four
1-inch bolts hold the shop-built hitch to the main 7×7-inch drill
frame beam. The hitch then extends between two row units. To
clear the press wheel, I used ¼-inch wall 2½-inch square tubing at
a 45° angle.
Jay Warner | McPherson, Kansas | jayamy@lrmutual.com
Successful Farming magazine invites you to share ideas with our readers.
Submissions should be precise. Include a sketch or photograph when
needed. If your idea is used in print, we pay $400 for the Idea of the
Month, $200 for ideas that appear with drawings, and $100 for
unillustrated ideas. All material submitted becomes the property of
Meredith Corporation. If your idea is used, you give Meredith the right
to use it in any manner. Enter idea(s), a daytime phone number, email
address, and complete mailing address at Agriculture.com/ideaentry or
mail to Successful Farming Magazine, All Around The Farm, 1716
Locust Street/LS257, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023.

Illustrations: Lant Elrod November 2017 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com 75

 a l l a r o u n d ®

By Paula Barbour, Content Editor THE FARM

IDEA OF THE MONTH

Moines, Iowa, and at additional mailing offices. Successful Farming reserves the right to refuse nonqualified subscriptions. Subscription orders must show farm or ranch connections as owner, operator, or related occupation to subscribe at basic price: $15.95 per year in the U.S.; $27.95 (U.S. dollars) in
Canada; $27.95 (U.S. dollars) overseas. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address corrections to Successful Farming, P.O. Box 37508, Boone, IA 50037-0508. In Canada: Mailed under Publications Mail Sales Product
Successful Farming (ISSN-0039-4432); November 2017, Volume 115, No. 13, is published monthly except for two issues in February, March, August, and November, and a combined June/July issue by Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023. Periodicals postage paid at Des
BURN WEEDS
AT A SAFE DISTANCE BY USING CONTROLS IN THE CAB.

FUELED BY
PROPANE
Shut off both an

Agreement No. 40069223; Canadian BN 12348 2887 RT. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Successful Farming, 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON, N8T 3B7. © Meredith Corporation 2017. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
inline valve and
the safety when
finished.

FLEXIBLE IN
OPERATION
All movement is controlled with
hydraulics. The driveshaft from
the modified pull-type is replaced
with a hydraulic orbital motor.

15-FOOT BOOM
Baskets lower to below ground
level or lift up to 12 feet in the
air. The boom also moves 90° to
the right or left. The three-point
hitch adds even more reach.

B
y recycling his farm’s pull- burner with an orbital motor. RICHARD SCHMUNK
type model and incorporat- “It took us a while to work out Operation: The Schmunk family of Eaton, Colorado,
ing materials from other used the kinks in the hydraulics to get the grows sugar beets, wheat, alfalfa, and silage. In addition
machines, Richard Schmunk, range we needed,” Schmunk recalls. to his father, Gary, Richard Schmunk works with two
Eaton, Colorado, built a A limiter valve keeps the boom from uncles and two cousins.
weed burner that turns the chore turning too quickly. Family: He and his wife, Katie, who provides child care,
into a one-person job. When the Schmunks want to have three children: Jacob, 10; Emily, 8; and Lexi, 5. “We
“Keeping the ditches and cement change from running the baskets are pretty busy with school and 4-H,” he says.
pads clean makes it easier to set our perpendicular to the weeds, the bas- Two-time winner: In September
irrigation tubes,” he says. Besides kets will rotate to a parallel position. 2013, Schmunk’s beet roller was
building a frame that hooks to the “One of my next projects is the Idea of the Month. See that
tractor’s quick-hitch, he modified the building another weed burner so we winning entry and the weed burner,
can do all our property at once. too, in Season 11 of the Successful
The new one will have a worm Farming Show on RFD-TV.
More ideas from readers on page 75.
gear, though,” says Schmunk. Email: schmunk_40@msn.com

76 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com | November 2017

 WHEN NITROGEN STAYS
IN THE GROUND,

$21/ACRE
MORE COMES OUT OF IT. *

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