Volume 20 Issue 4 July 2010

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CROP QUEST AGRONOMIC SERVICES, INC.

Cus tom ized Ben Ser efit Har s, Cus vice Dive vester tom a rsif ied nd Ope r a t i Fa r m ons
Manhattan, KS, farmer businessman Larry Wickstrum begins harvesting wheat in Oklahoma for his custom harvesting customers in early June, working his way westward to Colorado as the wheat crop matures. He makes a similar run with a custom forage harvesting crew later in the summer. In addition to his custom harvesting business, Larry and his wife Sharon own and operate a large cattle production and feeder operation. They grow more than 1,500 acres of corn and alfalfa all to feed their livestock. Needless to say, combining wheat and cutting corn silage for most of the summer doesnt leave much time to run a large, diversified farm. So, from June 1 until mid-to-late September, he is gone most of the time. Sharon is an active partner in the farming operation, and I have some good hired labor, but we simply couldnt run the farm and the custom harvesting operation without someone to make critical management decisions while Im gone, Larry says. Working for what is an absentee farmer for much of the cropping season is a bit different for Larry Wickstrums Crop Quest Agronomist Chris McInteer. Larry turns over far more responsibility to me than my other Crop Quest farmers. I pick the varieties of corn and alfalfa and decide where they need to go. Even basic decisions, like how many Chris McInteer bags of seed are needed in each variety and on which land to plant them, are left to me, McInteer explains. Once the crops are planted, McInteer checks the crops on a regular basis and turns in crop spraying recommendations to the Coop while ensuring it is taken care of in a timely manner. Larry is pretty hands-off once he begins his custom harvest operation, McInteer says. As part of the more conventional side of the job, McInteer does weed and insect scouting and is responsible for managing these pests. During the summer months, he monitors two large circle irrigation pivots and manages the soil moisture levels on each crop. Ive worked with Larry now for about three years, and we have a good business relationship. Its a little more challenging than working with farmers who are there all the time. Knowing hes depending on me while hes gone helps keep me motivated to stay on top of all the new technology, new varieties and pest management products, McInteer concludes. Wickstrum makes no bones about his reliance on the Crop Quest team. Before I leave to go out on one of these custom harvest runs, I sit down with Chris and we go over what we are planning to do on the farm. Once Im gone, he knows making the cropping decisions are up to him. He does an excellent job. If something unusual comes up, he knows he can call me or check with Sharon, but with Chris, those calls dont come very often, Wickstrum concludes. Although the working relationship with Crop Quest has proved to be efficient and successful, Wickstrum recalls that things werent always so good in the early years when starting the partnership with Crop Quest. I came back from one of my harvesting trips and found that our Crop Quest consultant was gone left the company. Too many things around the farm hadnt been done, and it took us a while to clean up the mistakes. I finally talked with the president of Crop Quest. Continued on Page 4
Crop Quest Perspectives 1

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLANNING

A yearly farm plan to account for all the N, P and K a farmer puts on his land is a routine part of every growers annual farm plan. In recent years, Federal agencies have ramped up nutrient management guidelines, significantly affecting dairy, beef cattle and swine operations. As the need for precise and often detailed nutrient planning has evolved, so has the involvement of Crop Quest agronomists. For some, like veteran Crop Quest Agronomist Randy Waldren in Dodge City, KS, nutrient planning has become a big part of his professional life. Waldren explains that Crop Quest works on nutrient management plans at three different levels individual farmer; dairy, cattle and swine operations, and commercial facilities. At the individual level, the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) 590 nutrient management plan is required for farmers participating in selected conservation programs. Basically, all NRCS wants a producer to do is account for N, P and K that is applied to fields. And, these must be based on soil samples. If a grower has been accepted into the CSP (Conservation Security Program) the 590 form is required on every piece of ground they enroll. They are then Randy Waldren eligible to receive money from the Federal agency. Though every farmer knows how much fertilizer they put on their land and though virtually all farmers do some type of soil sampling, not all farmers participate in the CSP program. When Crop Quest agronomists sit down with farmer customers to put together a farm plan, helping farmers apply for and receive funds via the CSP and doing the soil sampling needed to comply with guidelines, is becoming a routine part of their job. Waldren takes nutrient planning to a whole different level working with feedlots and commercial operations. A small percentage of our Crop Quest clients are affiliated with, own or manage a feedlot. These folks have to deal with solid waste and liquid waste. Up until three years ago, these producers were required to follow state guidelines for waste disposal. At that time the EPA instituted Federal requirements for any operation larger than 1,000 head of cattle, Waldren explains. In Kansas, the nutrient management plan for livestock operations has to be renewed every five years. In that plan a producer has to account for all the solid waste produced by livestock and all the liquid waste collected in retention lagoons. A producer cannot land-apply either liquid or solid waste to land in excess of what the crop grown on that land can use. This includes N, P, and K, but primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, Waldren says. One thing Ive found in doing these nutrient management plans for our producers is that you dont want to put solid waste on any ground that you may even consider applying liquid waste. Once P levels get above 200 ppm, then the regulatory people begin to take a close look and get involved in what you can and cant do, based on the crops that are being grown, Waldren notes. The normal P levels on farmland that doesnt get manure is 20 ppm to 35 ppm. Over the past 20 to 30 years, fields that get manure from these livestock operations every year have P levels 200 ppm to 300 ppm and even higher. The problem is that for all these years producers applied manure at levels high enough to meet most of the nitrogen needs of the crops they planted in these fields. At those levels, the P content is too high, Waldren explains. In addition to updating their overall operations permit every five years, producers in Kansas are also required to update the nutrient management plan each year. Annual updates need to be made on any field that has an application of manure in that years cropping season. Annual manure and liquid waste samples are also required. Soil sampling protocol is different on fields on which manure from large livestock operations is applied. In fields that get synthetic fertil2 Crop Quest Perspectives

CRITICAL TO FARM PLANS

izers, Crop Quest agronomists typically pull 8-inch to 10-inch soil samples. In these regulatory fields, it is required to pull soil samples 0-6 inches for phosphorus and down to 24 inches for nitrates on an annual basis on any field that receives manure applications, Waldren stresses. Managing solid waste is time-consuming, but not so difficult to calculate. A producer knows how many head of livestock they are running through their operation in a year. They can calculate how much waste each animal produces and have a reasonable ideal of how much solid waste they have to dispose. Managing liquid waste is a whole different challenge. How much runoff is going to occur is highly determined by rain and snowfall and snow melt in some regions. The variability in managing liquid waste, Waldren says, is why producers need to keep application ground available and not use it to dispose of solid waste. Waldren has also been working with nutrient management planning at a different level - working with a large commercial packing plant. The guidelines are similar but sometimes different from feed lot operations, he notes. In addition to Federal guidelines, more and more states are adding their own restrictive state-regulated guidelines. Crop Quest Agronomist Lee Nolden in Central Wisconsin works with a number of dairy operations and a part of their nutrient management plan includes state guidelines different than the state guidelines that producers in Kansas must follow. For starters, Wisconsin requirements for certification in nutrient management planning stipulates that individuals complete one of four courses of study: Conservation Planning Boot Camp sponsored by the NRCS National Employee Development Center. Attendance of other training recognized by Wisconsin NRCS or NRCS Tech Regulation as an acceptable source of conservation planning training. Formal Wisconsin conservation planning certification training. CCA (Certified Crop Advisor), CPAg (Certified Professional Agornomist) or NAICC (National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants) certification

Nolden jokes, Here in Wisconsin the first thing you have to know is whether the farmer WANTS to do a nutrient management plan, SHOULD do one, or is being FORCED to do a plan. All three scenarios can require a little different action, he says. If a Wisconsin producer determines they need a nutrient management plan, Nolden says he generally sits down with the grower for one to two hours gathering such information as animal numbers, physical properties on landscape like surface water, where they have wells, crops they grow, long-term rotation of crops and any other information that can be gathered to help put together a comprehensive plan. Then, several days are spent compiling maps to show where the producer can Lee Nolden apply manure / fertilizer at various times of the year. In Wisconsin, livestock manure cannot be spread within 50 feet of a well at any time of the year. In the fall and winter, they are not allowed spread to within 300 feet of surface water, he explains. Regardless of the type nutrient management plan, or which end of Crop Quests service area plans are needed, the consensus is that the agronomic input and expertise needed to produce a nutrient management plan is going to be in greater demand for the future. Saving a producer from regulatory fines is one aspect, but a much bigger aspect is helping livestock producers and growers turn nutrient management planning from a cost item to a profit item on their bottom line.
www.cropquest.com

Cotton acreage is likely to be up in 2010 across the cotton belt mainly due to prices in excess of 70-cents a pound. In the High Plains of Texas and into Oklahoma and Southern Kansas, a secondary reason to plant cotton is water. Not only is the overall availability of water becoming an increasingly critical issue in agriculture, but when the water is available, it is also becoming a management issue farmers contemplate as they plan their crops. Dimmit, TX, Crop Quest Agronomist Kyle Aljoe says all the cotton he consults on is grown under irrigation. Still, water is a big issue when he sits down with farmers to help plan their crops. How and when to use irrigation water on cotton is critical to both yield and quality, Aljoe stresses. Before he advises growers to plant cotton, Aljoe says he has to consider whether or not the crop is being grown on a half pivot with other crops, primarily corn or milo. You have to know which chemicals have been used in previous crops several factors need to be considered in addition to water use. I urge my growers to stay away from cotton if they have a history of verticillium wilt. The fungusdriven disease has become a real problem in the High Plains, Aljoe says. Verticillium wilt of cotton is caused by Verticillium dahliae, a soil borne fungus that enters the roots and grows into the vascular system of the plant. Once it gets in the soil, its tough to grow cotton on that land, Aljoe explains. The primary water consideration for cotton versus other crops depends on yield goal. If yield goal is higher on cotton, then we know the grower is going to need more water. If water is going to be low, especially when cotton is fruiting, then I lean toward planting grain sorghum (milo), he notes. Milo can handle more stress than cotton. However, if we are going to have adequate water for the cotton throughout the growing season, then cotton may be a better option if the price stays good, Aljoe adds. For the past three years, he notes, cotton growers in the high altitude around Dimmit, TX, have not produced high quality cotton. August and September have been cool and our growers have had poor micronair ratings. Cotton just cant handle the cool weather during the critical fruiting season, Aljoe explains. About two hours north of Dimmit, Crop Quest Agronomist Mark Hatley has a little different set of criteria when it comes to growing cotton. Hatley says, If cotton prices are good, the next decision is whether we have ground that requires less water. There are times when our growers dont get wheat planted for one reason or another so a decision is made to let the land stay fallow over the winter, and plant cotton the next spring, he says. Sometimes, because of the lower nutrient cost for cotton, it is a better choice on good ground than wheat. If the price of cotton is 70-cents a pound or better, it competes well with wheat, Hatley explains. From a water standpoint, he says when we have a

When Planting Cotton Consider The Water Needs

wet spring like this year - with good soil moisture, cotton can utilize the water better than milo. We also generally do a better job on pest management in cotton on dryland situations than we do on milo. On irrigated land, we can share water between cotton and corn in the same circle, giving us better water utilization, he notes. Quality is an ongoing production challenge for cotton. Getting Kyle Aljoe the crop in early and managing the crop for earliness is an area in which Crop Quest agronomists play a pivotal role for their farmer customers. A first step in managing earliness in cotton is making sure that insect pressure remains low, preventing stress that can slow the crop down. Insect feeding can put the plant under stress and slow down the fruiting process, Hatley says. The biggest challenge, he stresses, is planning how water is used in cotton production. Speeding up maturity may be accomplished by limiting water, but in other cases, applying water can improve maturity. The goal is to manage earliness by managing water and using growth regulators. All the plants energy needs to go into the fruiting process, which is critical to producing high yields and good quality cotton. Even though cotton is a drought-tolerant crop, it responds well to water by producing lint proportional to either irrigation or rainfall. If Texas Panhandle cotton growers get early season rainfall and good stands in addition to subsequent irrigation or rainfall, the plant will normally sustain squaring, flowering and bolls beyond the standard 40% to 50% of fruiting structures capable by cotton plants. On most well drained soils, cotton will use 15-20 acre inches of soil moisture. Managing moisture, both Hatley and Aljoe agree, is critical to getting optimum plant production. Ample moisture at seeding will establish healthy, uniform stands and adequate moisture before the first bloom will provide water for pollination processes. Getting water to the plant between initial boll opening and 50% boll opening can provide key reserves for fiber strength and length development. Mark Hatley Crop Quest agronomists play a pivotal role in cotton production during drought conditions from the planning stage through harvest. Choosing the right variety to take the best advantage of moisture is the first critical choice. With proper earliness management, cotton can withstand drought on coarse, infrequently irrigated soils. Even during peak bloom, cotton typically uses only 0.3-inch to 0.4-inch of water per day. Though there are numerous factors that go into the decision to grow cotton, the critical underlying consideration is always water.
Crop Quest Perspectives 3

Customized Service

Once I explained to him what had happened, he wanted to know what needed to be done to make it right. Ever since that time, Ive worked with several Crop Quest consultants and all of them have been excellent, Wickstrum stresses. The focus on customer service helped build the foundation of trust he now shares with his Crop Quest Agronomist. Ron OHanlon, remembering the conversation with the then distraught Larry Wickstrum, says Crop Quest has been fortunate to have had very few such instances, but notes this case demonstrates the importance of trust between farmer and consultant. Ron OHanlon One of my largest farmer customers is a good example of how building trust pays off in the long run - both for our company and for our farmer partners. Since beginning work with this customer in 1993, their farming operation has grown considerably and now includes multiple feed yards. Over the years, our relationship has evolved to the point that I assist in making many of the management decisions such as what corn hybrids to plant. In fact, I help make most of the variety selections for the farm, OHanlon explains. Its grown to the point that the seed salesmen who sells seed to the operation comes to see me. That in itself frees up a lot of time for the farm owners to do other things, OHanlon says. In effect, OHanlon works very much like a farm manager, making critical decisions on water use and other key management strategies. All the things I do for them is based on trust that has built up over a long period of years, OHanlon stresses. Perhaps no one knows the value of building trusting relationships better than veteran Crop Quest Agronomist John Hecht. He developed a

... Continued from Page 1

business relationship with two Native American tribes in the 4-Corners region of New Mexico and Colorado where he functions more like a farm manager than a crop consultant. Hecht, who was among the first group of agronomists hired when Crop Quest originated, works with the Navajo Tribe near Farmington, NM. This one customer, who is really three or four crop-specific customers, grows nearly 100,000 acres of grain crops. I have to have the complete trust of the CEO of the entire farming operation in addition to each of the individual crop managers that was a long time coming. Our partnership is based upon them trusting me to make the right management decisions. Now, I come in and make recommendations as to what needs to be done. We then tweak the farm plan and everything generally runs smoothly, Hecht says. He has a similar working relationship with the Ute Tribe in Colorado. Building relationships and John Hecht forming mutual trust is the key to establishing successful partnerships. Our customers want more than a traditional crop scout, and our challenge is to find the best methods to help each individual customer, concludes Hecht.

CROP QUEST
Welcomes The 2010 Summer Interns & New Employees To The Crop Quest Team

Crop Quest is an employee-owned company dedicated to providing the highest quality agricultural services for each customer. The quest of our network of professionals is to practice integrity and innovation to ensure our services are economically and environmentally sound.

Mission Statement

Crop Quest Agronomic Services, Inc. Main Office: Phone 620.225.2233 Fax 620.225.3199 Internet: www.cropquest.com cqoffice@cropquest.com

Employee-Owned & Customer Driven

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Crop Quest Board of Directors

President: Director: Director: Director: Director: Director: Ron OHanlon Jim Gleason Dwight Koops Cort Minor Chris McInteer Rob Benyshek