Volume 17 Issue 1 January 2007

Upswing in Commodity Prices Offers Cautious Optimism

Current commodity pricing structures are the field and choose the best seed technology looking better than they have for the past possible. We are totally focused on making several years. This will certainly change the sure that every dollar spent yields a solid dynamics of how farmers are going to return especially in years where commodity approach the new cropping season. Some prices are good. may look at this rise in commodity pricing Crop Quest agronomist John Reh isnt as an opportunity while others may caulooking too far in the future for the optiously approach the markets and continue portunity for producers to make good to downsize inputs in hopes for a good money right now. This is especially yield with minimal input costs. For true where wheat is already in the Crop Quests team of agronomists, its ground. business as usual during this marketWe have planted more wheat ing shift. this year than in any time since While we may proactively alter Ive been in the area, Reh some of our recommendations to recalls. My fear is that econoinclude a few more inputs, our goal mists will see all of this wheat John Reh is to help our customers get the most in the ground and adjust the out of every acre, regardless of the price of price downward. For those who have taken a the crop, says Dwight Koops, Regional Vice pricing position, this could be a good move. President, Ulysses, Kan. Our role with our For those who have not, now is the time to customers has not changed, make sure and do whats needed to bring in a he adds. Were still there to good yield. collect data and help inform The veteran agronomist strongly recomour customers to whats the mends taking care of the crop in the ground best value for their dollar. right now. If you took a position and locked That focus may have shifted in your wheat price higher than it has been in more toward an offensive the past, lets take care of it rather than waitapproach, but it is still ing for the last minute to put on our nitrogen important to focus input or our herbicides, he advises. Take care of dollars on getting a the weed pressure now while it is small and Dwight Koops return. not causing a problem. Koops points to seed technology as an Another item Reh recommends espeexample. There are a lot of new hybrids and cially if the wheat price stays strong is biotechnology traits that will be available in a fungicide treatment in the spring if war2007. However, some of that biotechnology ranted. This will be especially important for is not necessary on some fields. We want to any irrigated wheat or dryland wheat were make sure that our customers are not spendtaking for seed, he notes. In addition, if in ing the money for certain technologies just the past youve skipped the winter nitrogen because they sound good. We want to analyze application due to costs, this may be the year to reconsider and get that nitrogen in the ground to push your yields. Greensburg, Kan., Crop Quest agronomist Farrell Allison agrees with Reh and adds, I would suggest that weed control take a priority in your planning. I would liked to have seen some Farrell Allison post-emergence herbicides put out last year that were not due to input restrictions. Id like to see those budgeted in this year. This would certainly go a long way in making a better harvest yield. On wheat, he adds, dont wait until you think you have a crop before you apply your fertilizer treatments in January and February. Now is the time to protect that wheat investment. Rising commodity prices will allow our customers to reap a profit on more marginal ground as well. We will see a return to more traditional crops. In our territory, that is wheat, corn and grain sorghum. Grain sorghum will be a major player on dryland acres that may still lack sufficient subsoil moisture. Reh adds, Im working with my customers to develop two to three cropping options per field so they can have all the information when planting decisions need to be implemented. Regardless of the markets, moisture is the deciding factor and needs to be a huge part of any cropping decision. Our business is still all about timing, Koops concludes. When prices are low, you cant afford to make a mistake because your risk is very high. The same holds true in good pricing years. You need to take advantage by getting the most bushels per acre.
Crop Quest Perspectives 1

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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CROP QUEST AGRONOMIC SERVICES, INC.

When several ranchers asked Crop Quest agronomist Craig Koehn to help them find a heartier, more drought-resistant grass for summer grazing, Koehn recommended Red River crabgrass. The results have far exceeded clients expectations and more ranchers and farmers are leaning on Koehns management programs to raise crabgrass on an annual basis. We see crabgrass as a newly emerging crop in a lot of our areas, says Koehn. We have found that crabgrass can use up to 400 lbs. of actual nitrogen and 100 lbs. of actual phosphorus in one growing season in a high management situation. However, this past summer, most producers put on approximately 200 lbs. of N and 50 lbs. of P and it could support about 500 head of yearling calves on a 120-acre circle for about 90 to 120 days of grazing. The best part about this was that we were still getting the 2.0 to 2.2 lbs./head/day gains we expected. Red River crabgrass is among the most palatable summer forages. Steer and heifer performance trials have averaged daily gains of 1.8 lbs. on medium-quality crabgrass. Optimum conditions have increased daily gains to 2.5 lbs. Koehn quickly adds, Red River crabgrass isnt the kind of crabgrass you find and kill in your yard. On the contrary, Red River crabgrass is an excellent source of nutrition that is extremely drought-resistant and provides a high level of nutrition for grazing cattle. It is a preferred grass in many of our dairy herds because of its nutritional content and palatability. For example, the Montezuma, Kan.-based agronomist notes, a hay harvest of crabgrass during the first growth can have 15% to 20% crude protein and 65% to 75% digestibility. Red River crabgrass is a runner grass that spreads by stolons. The plant roots down wherever the stolons joints touch moist soil. It has very competitive regrowth and grows well in hardiness zones 6 to 10. It also thrives in warm weather (80F to 100F), warm soils, moist conditions and well-drained soils that do not crack when dry.

Red River Crabgrass Offering High Performance Options To Cattlemen

(where Red River crabgrass was first developed) is 3,075 lbs. of dry weight crabgrass per acre double-cropped with 4,285 lbs. per acre of winter pasture. Together, these double-crop forages totaled 7,361 lbs. per acre. Trials show that Red River crabgrass increased yields 25% to 50% more than good native types. First-year production of broadcasted seeded crabgrass averaged 2,260 lbs. of dry forage producing 226 lbs. of beef from 50 lbs. of nitrogen fertilizer. Irrigated crabgrass and rye/triticale produced 250 to 260 cow days of grazing per acre under continuous grazing management near Burton, Kan. Dry matter production averaged 4.2 tons per acre over three years under irrigation. Crabgrass has relatively high digestible dry matter with equal or higher crude protein compared with other grasses, Koehn notes. Red River crabgrass has tested 73% digestible. During the first growth cycle, crabgrass can be expected to have crude protein levels of 25% to 30%. Mid-summer growth lowers crude protein levels to 15% to 20% while late summer regrowth with low rainfall and fertility can drop crude protein below 10%.

Red River Crabgrass Establishment

Forage Yield

Under moist, fertile conditions, Red River crabgrass can yield 125 lbs. of forage/day/acre. A 21-year average at the Noble Foundation

A common method in recent years for crabgrass establishment is, in August or September, to plant 2 bu/acre of wheat for grazing. Apply 25-20-0 N-P2O5-K2O with the wheat seed. Apply additional nitrogen as needed for the winter wheat pasture. In February or March, use a grass drill or small grain drill to plant 20 to 25 lbs./acre pure live crabgrass seed. No-tilling the crabgrass into the field of wheat seems to be the best. Cattle can remain on the field after planting, and can be grazed until mid-April on the wheat. Apply glyphosate to kill the wheat stand after removing the cattle. A fertilizer application 10050-0 of N-P2O5-K2O broadcast should be applied before crabgrass starts to emerge. More nitrogen can be applied through the sprinkler during the summer. The crabgrass should start to germinate by late April or early May. Apply 0.5 inch/acre circles to provide moisture for the crabgrass to germinate. These irrigation applications should continue until crabgrass is established. About three to four weeks

Crop Quest Perspectives

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after crabgrass emerges you can start grazing the crabgrass. Make sure and discuss controlling weeds with your Crop Quest agronomist during the summer grazing phase, Koehn advises.

Crabgrass Program

Koehn outlines a typical program for his Oklahoma clients: Graze crabgrass from early May to mid-August. Allow crabgrass to go to seed (about two or three weeks), then spray crabgrass with glyphosate to stop growth. Plant wheat-barley-triticale mix in late August to early September and start grazing in about three to four weeks on the wheat mix. Graze the wheat mix until mid-April. Repeat the process. They are able to graze all but six to eight weeks out of the year. Estimated Production Costs: 1st year: $250 per acre (includes stand establishment, irrigation, fertilizer and herbicide). Remaining years: $225 per acre (includes irrigation, fertilizer and herbicide).

Crabgrass Requires Good Management

Crabgrass, like any other crop, requires proper management and timing to assure a solid return, Koehn advises. Irrigation scheduling is critical to meet the growing needs of crabgrass. Its important that the crop receives the right amount of water at the right

times to meet the protein levels capable from the forage. A lot of farmers waste money watering crabgrass at the wrong times. The other area of importance is making sure to apply the correct nutrients at the proper time. Good nutrition becomes even more critical in your sandier soils. Weve been experimenting with higher rates of nitrogen and phosphorus and are excited about the returns. According to Koehn, your Crop Quest agronomist needs to analyze your grazing plans prior to deciding on nutrients and irrigation scheduling. I would advise proper soil sampling and profiling before moving forward with crabgrass planting, Koehn advises. This is especially important in areas where soils are sandy or have high Craig Koehn alkaline profiles. Also, it is critical to find out what grazing pressure you are expecting on your fields. This makes a lot of difference when planning nutrients and irrigation scheduling in order to meet your grazing needs. In conclusion, Koehn notes, Crabgrass fits a lot of producers who are looking for a good summer grazing grass that will stand up to a lot of growing and grazing pressure. There are minimum startup costs and, if properly managed, crabgrass never has to be replanted again. It tends to be fairly drought hardy (1 inch every 7 days on average) and offers an excellent forage quality.

Crop Quest, Inc. began its existence when Rollie Stukenholtz and I met with an attorney 15 years ago. We received our Seal to do business from the State of Kansas on February 27, 1992. As with any new venture, there is always uncertainty when starting a new business, but with 61 experienced agronomists and four experienced office personnel joining the company within a matter of weeks, we were off and running and havent stopped since. Crop Quest continues to rank as the No. 1 employee-owned crop consulting company throughout the world, and our motto remains Employee Owned and Customer Driven. A lot has happened during those 15 years in which our agronomic services (crop consulting) have been used on over one million acres to benefit approximately 2,000 farmers/clients throughout a fivestate area in the High Plains region. Even today, with the extended drought and the declining aquifers, we still service just slightly under one million acres throughout this five-state area. More farmers are utilizing our services on dryland fields and chem-fallow acres as they have experienced what a Crop Quest agronomist can do for them on their irrigated acres. A couple of the most significant changes we have seen during these past 15 years is the introduction of biotechnology traits (GMOs) which have allowed the use of Roundup or other glyphosate products to be used over the tops of growing crops. Not only has this been a less-expensive herbicide program, but it has allowed for the control of weeds that have been very difficult to con-

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trol in the past. However, By: Ron OHanlon, with the continued use of President this program over many of Member, National Alliance our crops, tolerance and/or of Independent Crop resistance is developing Consultants, CPCC-I Certified in the weeds that will force alternative herbicide programs at a higher expense. The insertion of the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gene into corn and cotton plants was also a major breakthrough that allowed plants to produce their own toxins to kill Lepidoptera worms (corn borers, rootworms, boll worms) that have been devastating for corn and cotton producers. As a company, we have also computerized our agronomic field staff which has allowed better report writing, record keeping and the ability to review and analyze information in a timelier manner for the benefit of our clients. We also have the ability to offer our clients precision ag services, which many are using to take advantage of the advanced technology that has come out with new equipment and machinery purchases. It has been a pleasure working with our farmers/clients over these past 15 years and the employees/owners look forward to working with them for many more years to come. We look forward to the changes and the technology that will be coming in the years ahead and helping our producers adapt to these changes as we move forward into the 21st century.
Roundup is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company.

Crop Quest Perspectives

As more farmers realize the economic, quality and management advantages of having a Crop Quest agronomist involved in their operations, there are more opportunities for growth. And with that growth enters the need for additional highly qualified agronomists. Enter Amy Gerdes, Crop Quests new Recruiter and Education Program Coordinator. Gerdes, who grew up on the Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona, attended and graduated from the University of Arizona in 1992. After working with the university for a few years, Gerdes took the position as marketing director for Eagle Milling Company where she promoted the Arizona Feeds brand. Prior to taking the position with Crop Quest, Gerdes worked as a county extension agent in Kansas working primarily with 4-H Youth Development Programs. My main responsibility will be to attend various university job fairs looking for qualified agronomists as well as promoting Crop Quest, Gerdes outlines. There are a lot of people who want to be involved in agriculture and I hope to educate them to the benefits of Crop Quest as a career opportunity. Crop Quest President Ron OHanlon adds, Because of our continued growth with new and existing customers, we wanted to find a well-qualified person who could help us

Crop Quest Welcomes Amy Gerdes

search, recruit and train new agronomists. This has been a position that weve wanted to fill for several years and finally found the right person in Amy Gerdes. Amy comes to us with years of hands-on training experience with the County Extension Service and brings fresh ideas and training experience that will quickly benefit our agronomists and customers. While Gerdes says her job role will change as the position expands, she is clearly focused on finding the most-qualified agronomists available. Crop Quest can only grow as quickly as we can bring on new, highly educated agronomists, Gerdes concludes. Im looking forward to getting in the field and finding and helping train our newest additions. Amy Gerdes can be contacted directly via e-mail at agerdes@cropquest.com or by calling Crop Quest at 620-225-2233.

Crop Quest Honored By National Magazine

AgriMarketing, the nations leading publication for agri-marketing professionals, announced in their Product of the Year annual publication that Crop Quests Paramount Reporting for advanced SST Summit users was selected as a Product of the Year Runners-Up Recipient. Last year Crop Quest upgraded all of its agronomists to the SST software for improved record keeping and field data collection, which now allows all Crop Quest agronomists instant access to field data and critical, time-sensitive production data. Crop Quest precision ag specialist Jason Hooper notes, Paramount Reporting delivers value-added reports and a library of the previously created reports for advanced SST Summit users. This technology is allowing our agronomists to present real-time data thats easy to interpret and plan from. Were honored that Paramount Reporting was recognized as a Product of the Year award winner.

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

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DODGE CITY KS PERMIT NO. 433

Crop Quest Board of Directors

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