Seed Consultants April Newsletter

vol. 19

April 2012

The Seed Consultant A B I - M O N T H LY N E W S L E T T E R N E W S A N D V I E W S F R O M T H E F I E L D

Keep Alert Following Corn Planting in 2012

Seed Consultants, Inc. 800-708-2676 www.seedconsultants.com

Simply, the Best Value in the Seed IndustryTM

Good planting conditions never seemed to materialize in 2011. Last year most of the corn was planted after June 1. No significant injury or stress was noticed in the young corn seedlings as was evident in previous crop years when planted early. This past winter saw mild temperatures from December through February. Our areas saw very

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few days and nights where it was truly cold. In addition, very little snow accumulation throughout the sales area made for a mild winter, something we haven’t witnessed in some time. Just as we have enjoyed the mild winter, university officials at various continued on page 2

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GLS AND NCLB IN 2012 Will it be a problem?

AS YOU SOW, SO SHALL YOU REAP Correct spacing can increase yields

SCI REPLANT GUIDELINES Your guide to replant

BULK BIN PROGRAM Bulk bins can add savings and safety

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Keep Alert... continued from page 1 conferences have said to be prepared for higher than normal

treatment will not have control over this pest. Should you not

insect and disease issues after planting of corn and soybeans.

have Herculex within the corn plant and the possibility exists for

As corn planting winds down, growers should take some time and walk their fields looking for issues that hamper seedling establishment and growth. Identify any injuries and insects that may be present and apply a treatment, if needed. This will help protect the field’s yield potential.

Seed treatments on corn usually include an insecticide for protection and it is effective with mild winter conditions and possible early higher insect populations.

Scouting fields for insect issues should be considered. A seed treatment including PonchoÂŽ 1250 will give better protection against Seedcorn Maggot, Wireworm, and White Grub, compared to the 250 treatment especially in higher insect pressure.

With warmer than normal temperatures and wind movement from the south from March weather patterns, we tend to find more issues with Black Cutworm feeding on corn plants as the seedling is breaking the soil surface. Any corn hybrid having Herculex HX1 and Herculex HXX for trait protection will also benefit for Black Cutworm control. The insecticide in the seed

cutworm issues, adding an insecticide to the burndown or preemerge herbicide mix will aid against cutworm feeding on young corn plants. Since cutworms must feed to die; if conditions predispose the field to heavy BCW feeding; then an insecticide would still be warranted.

Symptoms of other injury to corn after planting include: No Emergence: Seedcorn Maggot attacking the seed.

No Emergence/Dead Early Whorl: Wireworm injury.

Stand Reduction/Plant Defoliation: Slugs Above Ground Cutting/Below Ground Injury: Black Cutworm Stalk Bored Above Ground: Stalk Borer These are just some of the pests that cause stand reduction or damage to young corn plants.

Every corn plant has the potential for good ear formation, higher yield potential. As long as these insects continue to reduce corn stands after planting, yield potential drops. Walking fields early will give us good information about our stands, what needs to be done to keep on track for the high yield potential in our corn fields come fall.

By Bill Mullen, CCA SCI Director of Agronomic Services Phone:740-505-2022 bmullen@seedconsultants.com

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“If GLS and NCLB developed in 2011, the fungus will be present on residue in 2012.”

Will Gray Leaf Spot and Northern Corn Leaf Blight Be a Problem in 2012?

During the 2011 growing season Gray Leaf Spot (GLS) and Northern Corn Leaf Blight (NCLB) developed in some corn fields, affecting yield and stalk quality.

You might ask; “Will these diseases be a problem next year?” The answer to this question depends on several factors.

The fungi that cause the development of these diseases overwinter on crop residue. If GLS and NCLB developed in 2011, the fungus will be present on residue in 2012. The development of these diseases also depends on environmental factors. Warm, humid weather favors growth of GLS and NCLB. Periods of heavy dew, fog, or light rain will provide the needed conditions for these leaf diseases to develop. For either GLS or NCLB to become a problem in 2012, the fungi need to be present in the field in addition to favorable weather conditions.

Fortunately, producers can make some management decisions to hinder the growth of GLS and NCLB and lessen their impact should they develop:

3. Till Crop Residue: Clean tillage will help break down crop residue, reducing the chance GLS or NCLB will become a problem.

1. Crop Rotation: Research shows that crop rotation is one of the most effective ways to mitigate problem diseases.

4. Fungicides: Fungicides are recommended for GLS on susceptible hybrids where the disease pressure is high.

2. Plant Resistant Hybrids: Hybrids with stronger disease resistance will not be affected as much as those susceptible to disease—talk to your seed salesperson or agronomist about resistant hybrids.

The best way to determine if disease is developing is to scout fields; recognize the environmental conditions that will contribute to disease growth/spread and know how to identify diseases. NCLB symptoms are brown or tan cigar-shaped lesions, ranging from one to six inches in length. GLS symptoms are tan or gray rectangles with parallel or straight sides, ranging from half and inch to four inches in length. When scouting, make sure to take a pocket field guide along—they are a great resource for identifying problems and determining management options.

By Matt Hutcheson, CCA Associate Agronomist Phone: 937-414-6784 matt@seedconsultants.com

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As You Sow, So Shall You Reap!

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Take the planter out and check the bearings for wear and tear.

Even at an early seedling stage, crop plants know what kind of competition they will have from their neighbors, whether weeds or other crop plants.

Their leaves or roots can’t touch each other, so how do they know about the presence of other plants? Now that we are getting closer to another planting season, it is very important to understand what goes on in the field.

As is well known, sun light is essential for the synthesis of carbohydrates by the chlorophyll in the green tissue in the leaves. In full sun, plants see relatively equal amounts of red and far- red light. However, red light is absorbed by vegetation, while far-red is reflected. If plants are bombarded with reflected far-red light, they know they’re surrounded by other plants, and they take action to avoid shading, including producing fewer branches, growing taller and flowering earlier. In the corn field, if the plants are not crowded, the corn plants produce multiple ears, add extra rows and may even produce a couple of extra rows or grow longer. It explains why corn plants along fence rows put on big ears. There is less competition for sun light. That also happens with big gaps within the row. It is all about competition for sun light and nutrients. If they are crowded, they produce nubbins or go barren.

How do you make sure you are providing equal opportunity to each corn plant to prosper so they can produce the best ears for their genetic potential? Unless you have irrigation, you have no control over water availability, sunshine or temperature. There is a lot of emphasis these days on precision planting and equidistant spacing. However, at planting time, farmers are in such a rush to beat the weather fronts and to get the seed in the ground that they forget about the need for accuracy, lack of which can hurt their yields. These corn plants are like your employees. If you give them equal opportunities and treat them well, they will reward you with high yields!

Before heading out to the corn field, use the 10 steps at right and you should have better spacing and greater potential

By Dave Nanda, Ph.D. for higher yields no matter Director of Genetics and Technology what planter you are Phone: 317-910-9876 using. nanda@seedconsultants.com

Early Cash Discounts Available Through April

Seed Consultants offers opportunities to maximize seed cost savings through its early cash discount schedule. SCI offers the following early cash discount schedule for the 2012 planting season. If you have any questions, please call the office at 800-708-2676.

Spring Seeding Cash Discounts: April = 2.0% Accounts Due Paid in Full: July 1, 2012

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Check all the gauge wheels and make sure they are properly aligned.

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Pull all the seed tubes and make sure all the dirt is out from behind them.

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Make sure the seed tube guards are within specs and tubes are clean.

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Check the fertilizer openers.

Check periodically to make sure they are putting out fertilizer.

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Put fertilizer two inches to the sides and two inches deep.

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Make sure the transmission tires and the drive tires are properly inflated.

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Don’t plant too fast; plant at 4.0 to 5.0 miles per hour.

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Plant in moisture but not too shallow or too deep.

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Check the planter every day and every two hours while planting.

SCI Seed Financing Program

Prime +4.25% or 0% Fixed

This financing program is only available to Farm Plan Preferred Customer. To apply for a Farm Plan Preferred Account or to increase your Farm Plan line of credit, contact your SCI representative, so the necessary paperwork can be completed with Farm Plan.

Purchase & Approval Date

Variable Interest Rate

April 2012

Prime +4.25%

In Season

Prime +4.25%

2.0% 0.0%

Farm Plan® is a service of FPC Financial, f.s.b. All purchases are subject to Farm Plan approval and are subject to the terms of the Farm Plan Credit Agreement.

Spring 2012 SCI Replant and Return Guidelines Deadline to issue replant credit is July 1, 2012

Grower must contact & allow the Area SCI Seedsman &/or Agronomist to access the stand & follow reasonable agronomic guidelines established by universities &/or the seed industry. SCI must approve all replant to qualify.

General Guidelines •

• • • • •

No replant credit, if seed is planted prior to county’s insurance guidelines.

Replant seed must be planted in 2012; NO credit for 2013.

Replant of replant…same guidelines as first planting Delivered replant seed is subject to a $1/unit delivery charge.

Subject to availability Subject to change without prior notice!

Soybeans

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• • •

Grower must allow sufficient time for planted beans to emerge; so final stand may be assessed.

TURBO TREAT................................................ 100% replant Standard Treatment........................................... 75% replant Untreated............................................................. 0% replant

Corn

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VOTiVO 1250; AMX; AM1; AQ; HQ; AGT; AXX; HXX; RR;GT; &/or HR hybrids.................................. 100% replant Conventional hybrids w/o VOTiVO 1250........... 75% replant Competitive replant.......................................... ½ of list price

Spring 2012 SCI Soybean Returns Guidelines

NO RETURN ON TREATED SOYBEANS Growers may return untreated beans to the Sabina warehouse; no soybean returns will be picked up by SCI trucks.

Contact your Area Seedsman; so he may visit your warehouse and complete a dump sheet for all extra untreated soybeans. The Area Seedsman will verify brand number, unit count, & lot numbers.

• Untreated Soybeans with the RR Trait Account credited $25/unit & grower then dumps beans for the difference.

• Untreated Soybeans with the LL Trait Account credited $25/unit and grower then dumps beans for the difference.

• Untreated Conventional/STS Soybeans Account credited $12/unit and grower then dumps beans for the difference.

CAUTION…soybeans claimed as “Unsold” cannot be kept & used the following spring, or as double crop. Please remember that if a grower plants soybeans with the LL or RR trait, he claims as “Unsold”, the beans would be considered “Pirated-Bin Run.”

Bringing You More knowledge FOR the best service...

In mid-March, several members of SCI’s sales and agronomy staff toured Bayer Crop Science in Chapel Hill, NC. Special thanks to Dave Case and Jeff Perry from Bayer Crop Science for making this trip possible.

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The SCI Bulk Soybean Bin Program SCI began the bulk soybean bin program eight years ago for several reasons. For starters, bulk boxes cost $700+ each. This price translates to more than $14/unit of soybeans stored, assuming 50 units per box.

(Actually $17/unit if there are only 40 units per box.)

Bulk boxes must be returned, cleaned and nested. And growers must provide a covered structure for storage, unload, and load boxes. The bulk boxes eat up growers’ storage space (equipment must be moved outside or to other buildings).Growers are also liable for damages to boxes.

An even bigger headache can be bulk bags.

The benefits of bulk soybean bins stack up. SCI currently has more than 150 bulk soybean bins on customers’ farms. The majority are 521- bushel GSI bins with bean ladders. We are pleased with the bulk bin program, but believe many growers are missing out on the benefits.

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Safety.

Bins eliminate the need to climb in and out of seed tenders and seed wagons, untying bulk bags. Bins also eliminate the risk of straps tearing or bags teetering over. You cannot put a value on injury to a family member or yourself, especially at this time of year.

Convenience.

You can set the conveyor, pull under, turn on conveyor, open the bin door, and fill your seed tender.

Labor Saving.

One person can unload bins and fill seed tenders with little effort. Bulk bags, on the other hand, require at least two workers. Bulk bag pallets must also be returned and bags disposed of, and bulk boxes must be nested for return, stored, and loaded.

Cost Effective.

The bins eliminate the need for additional storage buildings by growers, reduces manpower requirements at planting and the conveyor can also be used for other loading/unloading chores.

Grower Friendly.

100% satisfaction by growers. While not an official survey, we don’t receive complaints about the bulk bin program.

How can you participate?

Contact your area seedsman and sign an agreement.

Pour a pad Purchase a multi use belt conveyor (40ft.)—eligible for Bulk Payback Program Order beans, minimum 400 units/variety/bin Order early and take early delivery

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Seed Consultants Profiles Matt Hutcheson, Associate Agronomist Birthplace: Xenia, Ohio Hometown: Hillsboro, Ohio

Get the Latest News from SCI

The SCI free e-newsletter comes via email every Monday. The newsletter is packed full of current agronomic topics, pictures, information, and regional news. Subscribe by sending your email address to matt@seedconsultants.com or by signing up on our website at www.seedconsultants.com.

Education: Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, The Ohio State University 2007 Agribusiness and Applied Economics Major and Crop Science Minor Keys to Success: Be honest, work hard, and challenge yourself to keep learning.

Hobbies: Watching sports, fishing, reading, concerts, spending time with family and friends.

Years at SCI: Nearly two years What you like most about working for SCI?: Working with great people who have a strong commitment to their work.

Visit SCI’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/seedconsultants and by following SCI’s ‘tweets’ on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SeedConsultants Both are social networking sites.

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Between the Rows

Why? Dan and I started with the idea of providing tremendous value to our customers. We remain committed to providing that value and the continued growth of SCI. I want SCI customers to feel that Dan and I did the right thing by them. Although I no longer own shares in the company, I still have a sense of ownership that reflects in all that I do.

I plan to stay until we hit 250,000 units of corn and one million units of beans; then maybe 500,000 and two million?

Quality seed… our standards have significantly increased.

Strong Agronomic Services… our Agronomy Staff is intact; with additional support from PROaccess.

Avenue to superior seed traits & technologies…

Reasonable pricing… still aggravating our competitors with a performance and price advantage.

SCI Building Blocks

Dan and I are still on a mission to be “Simply, the Best Value in the Seed IndustryTM” Thank you for allowing us that opportunity!

SCI was challenged by PROaccess Genetics to protect our brand identity; and I believe the SCI team has done an exceptional job. Yes, there have been some internal changes; an increased emphasis on safety and some bookkeeping changes. However, those things that touch our customers have not changed.

Extensive replicated testing… has increased with a plethora of new genetics and we are now part of the largest genetics company in the world.

Varietal selection based on an Eastern Corn Belt bias…

SCI continues its STEPP testing, miniSTEPP testing, replicated testing, and now increased local testing.

We have the data to back up our selections.

Chris Jeffries

Matt Hutcheson, CCA associate agronomist 937-414-6784 - Mobile matt@seedconsultants.com

Money? No! Glamorous life style? No! (I’m not really into trips; high dollar meals; etc.) Clothing? Maybe. I really don’t own any clothes that don’t have a SCI logo on them. It’s the same reason many of you farm - you love what you do. It’s also the satisfaction of knowing we did the right things!

Have things changed?

Dave Nanda, Ph.D. director of genetics and technology 317-910-9876 - Mobile nanda@seedconsultants.com

Why is Jeffries still here?

Updates from Chris Jeffries, general manager

Clearfield® is a registered trademark of BASF. Herculex® Insect Protection technology by Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred. ® Herculex and the HX logo are registered trademarks of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Ignite®, LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design are trademarks of Bayer. YieldGard VT Triple®, Roundup Ready®, YieldGard Plus®, and YieldGard® are registered trademarks used under license from Monsanto Company. Cruiser® and Dynasty™ are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Company. The Rapid Inbreeding® Advantage is a registered trademark of PSR Global Research. Agrisure™ is a trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. ® Supreme EX is a registered trademark of Pioneer. Supreme EX® brand seed is distributed by Seed Consultants, Inc. Roundup WeatherMAX®1 and Roundup PowerMAX™ are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Optimum® and AcreMax® are registered trademarks of Pioneer Hi-Bred. Optimum® AcreMax® system available through the Supreme EX® brand. The information provided within this newsletter is not a substitute for advice concerning your specific situation. The information contained herein is general and educational in nature. Because each situation is different and each recommendation is specifically tailored for each customer, the information contained herein should never be used to determine your course of action.

Chris Jeffries, general manager 740-505-0073 - Mobile seedconsultants@seedconsultants.com Bill Mullen, CCA director of agronomic services 740-505-2022 - Mobile bmullen@seedconsultants.com Stuart Yensel, director of sales and marketing 740-505-0889 - Mobile stuartyensel@seedconsultants.com

Editorial Board Seed Consultants Inc. P.O. Box 370 648 Miami Trace Rd. S.W. Washington Court House, OH 43160 USA

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