Renewable Farming

April 2018

One of the wisest bits of economic advice I’ve ever heard

One of the most widely followed ag market analysts in the early 1970s was Jim Gill of Illinois. Toward the conclusion of his corn and soybean outlook presentations, he frequently offered long-term views into the future. With 20-20 hindsight, I’ve realized these  “megatrends” are the most momentous signals for farming’s critical decisions.  April 18, 2018 Weekend essay by […]

One of the wisest bits of economic advice I’ve ever heard Read More »

Day 22: More root growth, top growth in corn with biologicals and WakeUP Spring

Root and top growth in our test-tube experiment remains consistent, now passing the three-week mark after planting. Total height of the seed treated in-furrow with SP-1, LigniSeed and WakeUP Spring is 35 inches from root tip to leaf tip, and a fifth leaf unfurling. The untreated comparison is 25 inches from root tip to leaf

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The big droplet poses a challenge for uniform leaf coverage

A coarse spray to cut drift calls for WakeUP to assure coverage and absorption

A TeeJet ad in the April Wallaces Farmer says chemical producers recommend the “Turbo TeeJet Induction Spray Tip” for “ultra coarse droplets” allowing only 2% “driftable fines.” A coarse droplet intensifies your need for WakeUP Summer, so big droplets clear-coat the leaf and absorb immediately. April 16, 2018 — We’ve presented the same point many times: A coarse foliar spray droplet reduces drift

A coarse spray to cut drift calls for WakeUP to assure coverage and absorption Read More »

14 days after planting, lateral roots are proliferating in microbe-inoculated corn

We’ve waited two weeks since planting to detect foundational differences in root growth in our test tube corn. Now we’re seeing how seeds given an in-furrow squirt of beneficial microbes, plus a biostimulant, plus WakeUP Spring, are growing hundreds of root hairs laterally from multiple, deep taproots. Corn in both tubes was treated with microbial mixes April 11, 2018

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12 days after planting, corn with in-furrow biologicals shows more green

Our “test tube” trials — germinating corn with an array of in-furrow products — is sending a fairly consistent “signal” indicated by vigor of seedling growth. Inoculating with a mycorrhiza blend apparently helps energize sprouting corn to accelerate leaf development. We haven’t measured roots yet. April 9, 2018 — It would take many replicated trials, using your own soils, to “conclude”

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“Pushing to plant corn early just gives you more time to replant later.”

That quote came from one of our WakeUP clients — one who usually gets everything done on time on 1,300 acres and yet has plenty of time to try a few new ideas every Spring. He plants corn by soil temperatures, realizing how critical uniform emergence is for uniformly high yields across the field.  April

“Pushing to plant corn early just gives you more time to replant later.” Read More »

At end of six days, biologically treated seed outraces untreated control

This is a first of many observations we’ll make of emergence and rooting tests with corn and soybeans, checking the potential usefulness of “test tube” germination and root growth. Purpose: Screen combinations of in-furrow biologicals, biostimulants, nutrients and WakeUP Spring. April 3, 2018 — You can see the array of initial soil-filled “terrarium” tubes in our initial report

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First time we’ve seen a food retailer assure its products are tested for glyphosate

Our researearch agronomist friend Jim Porterfield just sent us a heads-up. An experienced online food marketer, Healthy Traditions, has checked out products to determine which have glyphosate content.  This is a “first” as far as we know among food sellers. Several offer non-GMO products or organic products, but that’s not an assurance that foods are totally glyphosate-free.

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