It has been quite a relief to some local farmers, with the grain markets heading upwards and corn mostly past the dent stage, that we will pull off harvest of this corn crop. Corn silage harvest is well underway, and in just a few weeks grain combines will begin harvest. They tell me that the escaped …
Corn is an important crop grown in the Suwannee Valley to meet the needs of the dairy, poultry, and beef industries. Farmers report that at current fuel and fertilizer prices, over 50% of a corn grower’s budget is spent on fertilizers and fuel for irrigation. Increasing the efficiency of this large production expense would …
Continue reading ‘Researchers Help Farmers Fine-Tune Fertilizer and Irrigation Management’ »
Do you ever feel like you missed a week of your life? I’m beginning to wonder where time has gone as this corn crop is quickly wrapping up for the season in North Florida. There has been some chatter about Growing Degree Days (GDDs) well ahead of last year. I recently found the coolest tool yet …
The corn growing season has been near ideal so far. If we have had a fertilizer leaching rain event since the first of March, I can’t remember it. We know that the high rates of sunshine (and photosynthesis) in dry years typically lead to our best corn yields with good irrigation management. Except in minor cases, …
Continue reading ‘Southern Corn Rust – Check Your Hybrids’ »
April and May are traditionally dry periods for farming in North Florida. Unfortunately, this coincides with rapidly increasing water requirements by the crops we grow. Corn is particularly challenging this time of year with rapidly increasing plant water demand and large yield impacts of drought stress. The warm dry conditions throughout May have done little to assist …
Corn is a major crop in Columbia County and North Florida. The primary use of locally grown corn is feed for livestock; particularly dairy, beef cattle, and poultry. Farmers depend on high quality corn seed and hybrids adapted to the challenging soils and climate of North Florida. Following a record national corn crop, an average …
One of the most important decisions farmers can make is selecting the appropriate variety for their conditions. “Conditions” is a broad way of saying soil type, fertility, irrigation, cultural practices, and weather. Farmers in Columbia County have long been leaders in sharing their farms with UF/IFAS Extension to install variety trials. In these trials, many …
Most people know the “telephone game” or a game the world calls Chinese Whispers. In the grade school version, the teacher tells a secret to the first student, and the student take turns sharing the secret with each other. Sometimes the end message matches the original, and other times they are almost unrelated. This week, my life …
The USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service released their 2015 Planting Intentions Report this week. There is always room for debate about reliability, and this report certainly has the web buzzing. I don’t have much to add beyond what is in print, but wanted to share the highlights as they might relate to our markets. You …
Wait! Not so fast! Even though March is National Peanut Month, local farmers are still waiting for the right conditions to begin planting their peanut crop. Recent research at the University of Georgia has cautioned farmers to wait until soil temperatures reach 68 F at the 4” depth. This work has shown that peanut seed …