September 2016

Today, we received an e-mail from Dr. Don Huber, Professor Emeritus of Purdue University with expertise in crop diseases and plant nutrition. He linked to a University of Nebraska field report commenting about stalk rot diseases, specifically naming: Anthracnose stalk rot Charcoal rot Fusarium stalk rot Diplodia stalk rot Physoderma brown spot Dr. Huber’s comment, […]

Since 2008, we’ve been field-testing WakeUP’s effectiveness at translocating foliar-applied nutrients into crops. In general, we’ve found that WakeUP Summer adds a yield “bonus” to a micronutrient blend or NPK package.  Example: Suppose a trace pack or other foliar nutrient formulation adds 5 bu. more yield. Including WakeUP Summer as a surfactant/penetrant/mobilizer typically stimulates another 4

As of Sept. 10, 2016, our soybean research strips in Black Hawk County, northeast Iowa, are among the few bean fields which haven’t yellowed and dropped at least some leaves in broad, irregular swatches. Below is one of our own research patches. This is a non-GMO eMerge Genetics E3192 bean, planted in mid-May.  As of Sept. 10,

We’ve applied a ton per acre of calcium sulfate each fall for the past three seasons — and we’ve seen soils mellow out and absorb rain more readily. This week, we saw one new random-rep corn yield trial indicating that there’s a 10-bu. potential corn yield increase following an application of gypsum from stack scrubbers.

Usually, foliar-feeding the garden which Jill and I raise is a “last priority.”  If something’s left over in the Hagie sprayer from a field trial I’m doing, I swing out a boom and spray the garden crops. That always generated a lot more butternut squash and other produce than we could eat.  This season, Erik and Jeanene’s

Several of our WakeUP clients are making comments like this: “With $2.65 corn, I’ll simply have to cut back or eliminate fertilizer this fall. Maybe cut spring nitrogen rates too.” Here are several ideas our “biological” farmers are using for reducing crop production costs and putting cash into fertility choices which offer highest odds of a positive