As winter sets in, decisions are being made on what to plant next year, and thanks to U.S. biofuel policy and weather issues in South America, it’s looking like soybeans will be a preferred option. Yes, Real Ag agronomist Peter Johnson’s talking markets to kick off this week’s edition of the Word. Moving from soybean demand to maturity, he answers questions on what to consider when choosing a soybean variety to precede wheat in fall, whether we should be concerned about all the yellow and brown-ish looking wheat out there and highlights new research comparing corn-on-corn and corn-soybeans with more diverse rotations.
Don’t forget to send Peter your questions, comments, plot results, etc! Leave a message at 1-888-746-3311, send him a tweet (@wheatpete), or email him at [email protected].
Highlights
Soybean demand
– the U.S. renewable fuels mandate requires more biodiesel in 2017.
– South American weather market is “on”.
– current soybean:corn ratio in Ontario is 3:1 for soybeans to corn — normally 2.25 to 2.5:1, so favours more soybean acres.
Long vs short maturity soybeans
– long season beans will gain ~4 bushels/acre, but mean planting wheat two weeks later. Rather take extra 15 bushels from planting wheat 2 weeks earlier, says Peter.
Seeding barley into corn residue
– fusarium risk will be high, but will depend on weather. Oats, just by nature of the head, might be a better choice if looking for cereal to harvest early (in this example, to ensure time for tiling next year.)
Brown and yellow wheat
– fall N will make it look greener now, but Peter says won’t make a significant difference on yield. 99 percent sure wheat will be fine.
Cover crops removing nutrients?
– yes, a cover crop will remove nutrients from soil, but as it decays it releases them back and can speed up cycle into usable, organic form.
Corn-corn and corn-soybean costs
– Peter highlights new research from Dave Hooker and Bill Deen comparing continuous corn or corn-soybean rotations — these rotations have highest probability of low yield, lowest probability of high yield, lowest organic matter, less opportunity for cover crop, higher nitrogen requirement, and less profit!
Red clover questions
– fall-seeded clover can be too aggressive.
– question about taking red clover out of wheat to diversify weed control in a rotation with RR sugar beets (replacing with oat/radish mix)? Yes, that should work, and absolutely if needed to manage weed spectrum.
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