Farming

Dan is joined by Kyle Ostenson from Valley Irrigation to break down the new crop monitoring system that Dan just installed on his new pivot. Valley Insights uses aerial imagery and cameras mounted on the pivot towers to scout for crop health concerns related to water application or other issues in the field.

In most of the corn and soybean growing regions, we envision center pivots when we think of irrigation. But in an Ag world impacted increasingly by environmental forces compelling us to till less and drastically reduce resource consumption, we may utilize more drip irrigation. Dan Luepkes explains the Netafim drip irrigation system he uses to set yield records on his Illinois farm. You’ll see command central, the distribution infrastructure, and head in field to see the results.

Dan talks about how he is fending off a case of rootworm beetles that is coming earlier than usual this season.

Kevin talks with the experts at BASF about the right timing for application of Veltyma fungicide in order to maximize protection against the heavy disease pressure in his area. They also address best practices for application and some of the common diseases that Kevin sees in his area.

Kevin talks with the experts at BASF about protecting his soybeans from diseases during the second half of the season and the critical windows of protection that can mean the difference between a healthy crop and a struggling crop.

Soil data and tissue sampling data are used by farmers to make decisions and corrections during the growing season. But, some of the most important factors affecting crop performance are happening under the crop canopy. Kelly discusses the new drone technology from Aker that he is using on his farm this year to look at diseases, insect pressure, nutrient deficiencies, temperature, humidity, pressure, CO2 and O2 levels all under the canopy.

Matt is out early this morning to talk about the phenomenon of atmospheric inversions and his method for making sure the conditions are right for spray applications.

Lee looks at some frost damage in his wheat crop and the difference between the damage in low and high moisture areas of his field. Lee talks about the recipe that he is using in his sprayer to alleviate the damage. He is using a mix of immune elicitors, PGRs and a few other additives to drive increased cell division and growth. Lee talks about his approach and the reasons why he is using the products he is using.

One of the biggest inconsistencies in farming today is something that many farmers overlook - water! As the carrier, it is the most essential component of every chemical application on your farm. Whether you source your water from a treatment facility, or from a well or farm pond, one thing is for sure - water is never just water.