Boots In The Field Report

Ken loves it when a plan comes together. In this week’s Boots In The Field Report he covers what operations should think through and document as part of their crop plan to have it all come together for 2021.

Ken loves it when a plan comes together. In this week’s Boots In The Field Report he covers what operations should think through and document as part of their crop plan to have it all come together for 2021.

Ken covers switching crop rotations and herbicide carry over in this week's Boots In The Field Report.

In this week’s Boots in The Field report Ken covers conversation points for a landlord and a farmer to cover before signing a lease with a fertility clause.

Making adjustments in your crop rotation due to the market? In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers things to think about when making the switch and advises to have a goal in mind when making equipment upgrades.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken shares plot data to help illustrate major factors in choosing the right nitrogen program for a field and a hybrid. He demonstrates how interconnected population and N rate should be and how hybrid characteristics play into timing and placement.

Think of reviewing your yield maps like reviewing game day footage. You have to know what went right and what went wrong in the last game if you hope to improve for the next one. Check out this week’s Boots In The Field report as Ken breaks down how to do a yield map review.

Ken warns that blanket populations across an entire farm is not how you mitigate risk. He walks through how to pick the right population per farm and per zone in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. Ken recommends starting with the usable water holding capacity of the soil under your current management practices to help set a realistic yield goal. Then he recommends looking at the hybrid flex and leaf structure to determine the right population.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers an opportunity the dry winter is offering growers to set themself up for success next season. Current abnormally dry conditions are allowing growers to get some of next spring’s leveling done this winter. Getting level this winter has the added benefit of helping to maintain uniform waterfronts to plant into, minimizes putting in wheel tracks, and protects having to risk next spring’s moisture if water is tight for planting 2021.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken talks about how to evaluate if you need to treat your beans, why early season scouting reports have value now, and he warns growers not to throw hybrids out of their line-up for next year just because of a disappointing yield in 2020.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken encourages growers to make use of the dry fall weather for field work, but warns it could create issues for applying anhydrous. He also list options for taking care of the increased weed seed from major weed escapes this year that can haunt growers for the next several years.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken sits down with Matt Duesterhaus, Crop-Tech research agronomist in Quincy, IL, to talk over how the season went in his area and some of the preliminary plot results.

In this week’s podcast Ken covers the crop report, adjusting for header loss and dives deep on results coming in from the Fixed/Flexed plots. He shares the consensus locally is that the crop looked bigger from the combine than it did in the elevator and reminds growers doing vertical tillage that they are making sure to get full width shatter, especially after this rain.

In this week's Boots in The Field Report Ken covers yield reports, including 245 bu June corn, as well as some interesting bean plot results. He also warns about watching stalk quality and increased header loss in the dry areas.

When your yield isn't where you expected it to be, take time now to figure out why. Easier to find answers now than trying to figure it out from a yield map this winter. It helps grow your crews knowledge and strengthens an operation.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers how yield and moisture are swinging within a single field in the drought stricken areas. He also describes the ideal "photo finish" we are shooting for in corn, recommends growers check harvest lost in every field, advises when to use a harvest aid, and stresses the importance for scouts to stay on top of recording things like tar spot, kernel counts and rootworm resistance even as we approach end of the season.

In this week's Boots in The Field Report Ken recaps what he saw during farm visit for growers in the path of the derecho, how to tell the difference between southern rust and common rust, why it is important to know whether it is northern leaf blight or Goss's wilt in your fields, and why you should write down your yield estimates now to check against your yield maps this fall.

In this week’s Boots in The Field Report Ken covers Bean Leaf Beetle and Aphids, reasons for dropped or tipped down ears, the importance of starting to make your harvest order now, and what you need to consider when making decisions about weed escapes for this year.

In this week's Boots in The Field Report Ken covers the status of crops across the state and what to be on the lookout for as the season heads towards the finish line. He also reminds growers of the importance of getting out into the fields and knowing their ear count.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken does a conference call with three growers in and near the storm path in Iowa to get a live update of the damage and harvest outlook.