Septoria Tritici Blotch is considered the 2nd ranking global pathogen of wheat. This disease persists from infected seed, residues, and cereal crops that are overwintering. It quickly develops resistance to fungicides. Read more about symptoms, conditions that favor Septoria Tritici Blotch infection and management considerations.
Applying nitrogen at a uniform rate on wheat in the spring can help maximize yield. Scouting for pests and weeds and adding necessary treatments also can help optimize yield. Review management recommendations and growth stages according to the Feekes scale.
Some of the significant drawbacks associated with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer have led to a renewed interest in leveraging biological nitrogen fixation to provide plant-available nitrogen for crop production.
As growers strive for greater corn yields, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) National Corn Yield Contest provides a benchmark for yields that are attainable when environmental conditions and agronomic management are optimized.
Numerous studies have documented yield reductions when corn follows corn rather than soybeans, even when all yield limiting factors appear to have been adequately addressed. Better understanding of factors that limit continuous corn yield can help to improve management of this production system.
Environmental stresses during ear development can significantly affect the number and weight of harvestable kernels and subsequent grain yield in corn. The size, placement, and amount of kernel set on the corn ear documents when the ear was subjected to environmental stress and the severity of the stress. Understanding how corn ears respond to stress can help determine what stress was present, when this stress occurred, and how to mitigate this stress in the future.
Review forage alternatives to corn when introducing rotation into a feed production operation, including small grain fall cover crops, forage sorghum, sorghum sudangrass and summer-seeded alfalfa.
Review a Michigan case study to assess potential nutrient and economic losses from prolonged oxygen exposure on the silage sidewall.
Corn is the predominant source of energy in the beef cattle diets of Michigan feedlots. Starch typically represents 68-72% of corn grain dry matter and is the primary energy contributor. Reducing undigested starch excreted in manure may represent a significant opportunity to improve feed efficiency and farm profitability.
BMR silage genetics consistently offer higher NDF digestibility compared to standard (non-BMR) silage hybrids but this advantage currently comes at the cost of poorer agronomics and upwards of a 15-20% yield reduction. Find out about managing different considerations.