Planting Depth 5

Seed Placement = Yield Potential!

Importance of Seed Placement

I want to re-emphasize the importance of seed placement and its impact on corn yields. I can’t tell you how much difference a half an inch can do for your yield potential. In particular, I was in several fields in 2007 where another half an inch deeper seed placement would have put another 40 to 50 bushels per acre into the bin. Regardless of market prices, this leads to a significant loss of income that could had been avoided. By simply understanding the impact seed placement plays in season-long crop performance for all hybrids, we have a chance to increase yields at a no-added cost! All you have to do is adjust your depth and use Earthosils® of course!

Adjusting Seed Depth

For adjusting your seed depth, I have provided pictures that should be very familiar to you. In a field study, a corn planter was set at various planting depths and yields were compared between these depths. Personally, I would like to see everyone try to achieve a planting depth of 2.25 inches and a yield result of 224.5 bu/acre!

Financial Impacts

How important is planting depth in your farming operation based on this research? Here, I’ll do the math for you. The difference between 224.5 bu/acre and the 165.36 bu/acre is 59.14 more bushels of corn per acre because the planter was adjusted to the proper planting depth for maximum genetic potential of your chosen hybrids. In today’s market at $3.25/bu, this calculates to $192.20 more net dollars generated per acre no added cost! I do not know where in agriculture you can generate more net profit for your time invested then at planting time. At this point, it’s all a matter of multiplication. Whether you have a 100 or 1000 acres of corn, this would be equivalent to an additional net income of $19920.00 or $192,200.00, respectively!
Just for fun, divide this extra-generated income by the amount of time it would take you to set your planter to the proper depth to get your new hourly wage. Not too bad for a days work! I sincerely hope you begin to understand why I continue to stress this one simple procedure. Every effort makes a difference and your attention to detail will be rewarded through bountiful crops!

From Residue to Revenue

Fertility Foundation

The foundation for excellent fertility is still based on usability of the nutrition offered to your crops.  Earthsoils® provides the nutrition needed for top crop performance.  At Earthsoils® we understand that crop genetics have been compromised and changes must be made to accommodate current crop production. We will not compromise product quality, change our formulations or abandon our intent to help your soils become productive.  However, timing and application procedures will be changed slightly to adapt to the “new technologies” based on the insights received through our infield comparisons and independent scientific research evaluations.  Conversion of crop residue is the key to soil fertility.

For example, today’s hybrids do not break down or decompose in a timely manner. Their physiological composition is different from natural corn or soybean varieties.  Evidence of this is appearing in new equipment designed to handle crop residue. What ever happened to all the awesome decomposition done free of charge by biologicals? Oh, that’s right.  They can’t survive in the residue created by the seed giants! Now you buy the equipment that will hopefully break them down instead of the no-cost system provided by nature when there is natural food to break down! No extra cost savings here!

Therefore, we are recommending that a fall application of ES-CAL at a rate of 2.5 gallons per acre on all GMO crops be incorporated into your program. This application will increase your ability to break down the crop residue.  ES-CAL will feed the biological system that is responsible for organic matter break down. Aerobic bacteria need high levels of food energy to help break down the new food sources. Without a head-start in the decomposing process in the fall, the next years’ supply of nitrogen intended for crop production will be used by biological systems as their protein energy source to decompose stock residue instead of feeding your crop the “N” you purchased to be used for it. Residue is now competing for your production dollars intended for next years’ crop.

Organic Matter

Rule number one in nature; organic matter and toxic residue must be converted into humus first before a successful crop can be grown! This has been occurring for quite some time. Simply stated, help the breakdown of the residue in the fall to ensure healthy and abundant crop production in the next growing season.  The biotech crops tie up a tremendous amount of trace elements, especially manganese, iron and zinc. However, potassium enters the equation, because it is mobilized with the manganese via enzymatic reactions through the specific chemistry exchanges.  Systemic herbicide applications greatly reduce the uptake and mobilization of all of the above components.

Based on soil samples, we are recommending a foliar application be applied 14 days after any systemic herbicide application. More specifically, the application of Micro-Mix, Manganese, and ES-CAL.  Independent research has provided a 38 bushel per acre increase on corn and eighteen bushel gain on soybeans after foliar applying trace elements.  Yes, this involves another pass over the field. However, the benefits are more than paying for themselves. The trace elements cannot be combined with a one pass application of systemic herbicide. It doesn’t work effectively in combination. When used in combination, the trace elements lessen the effectiveness of some systemic herbicides. The later application of Earthsoils® essentially cleanses your crop while at the same time replaces displaced or immobilized trace elements and potassium.

Please note, we are not asking you to place all of your trace elements with the seed at time of planting as we have in the past. Place our products according to your choice in crop genetics the next year. In addition, you will not spend any more money on our program than what soil samples are revealing.  You will be given an opportunity to make better use of our products through more effective applications.  Nitrogen is a very essential element in a lot of different exchanges that occur in soil profiles.

Conventional Genetics

Conventional genetics and Earthsoils® work very effectively together to balance nitrogen needs in all types of soils.  Over the past several years we have reduced the amounts of nitrogen to produce a crop and our rates and products continue to prove its effectiveness. The continued use and rotation of GMO crops are revealing that they may not have the same utilization abilities as conventional crops. I know that iron and nitrogen are mobilized together through plant chemistry exchanges. I know manganese is essential to create enzymes necessary to feed biologicals responsible for uptake of nitrogen transfer into the plant and the relationship between K and N are inseparable. This means we may have extreme deficiencies in the uptake and proper utilization of nitrogen. It is now becoming a question of how much nitrogen is enough when the plant you are trying to feed is basically dysfunctional. Plants in a normal genetic format are synergetic. All parts of the plant should be working together for the good of the whole plant. Nitrogen rates will be adjusted according to the genetics you have chosen.
Please indicate your choice of genetics when submitting soil samples for a program for 2010.  I have at this time provided you with contrary information and I know you have all probably gone into brain overload. This is an incredible amount of information to digest in one sitting. I will not apologize for bringing this information to your attention. You have to make decisions concerning your farming operations and you can do this more effectively if you have information that is not only backed by scientific research but nudged along with some good old common sense. Hopefully the information gives a better insight into the choices you make as a steward of your soils. That’s all I have to say about that!