Corn South January 2023

Planting Tips

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

Southern Production & Marketing Strategies

A Supplement to Cotton Farming and The Peanut Grower Magazines

January 2023

Farm Economics

Ag Has So Many Answers Given time and investment, many of the world’s biggest problems can be solved through agricultural research. One such issue is the prolific use of synthetic, nonbiodegradable plastics that are dumped on Amanda Huber the world daily. SciEditor entists are currently working to develop plant-based, biodegradable polymers to replace these synthetic versions from corn waste.

Dr. Jingyuan Xu, a physical scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, and his team are using leftover byproducts—corn and sorghum stover, fruit peels and other agriculture waste —to produce cellulose and nanocellulose, a biodegradable product. Even the manufacture of ethanol has a cellulose byproduct.

The stalks and leaves left over after crops such as corn, sorghum and soybeans are harvested are often kept in the field to degrade and protect the soil. However, researchers say more waste is left in the field than is needed for those benefits. This extra waste could be made into a value-added product, says Xu. The nanocellulose from corn waste that is turned into biopolymers by Xu and his team can be used as a replacement for popular synthetic products, including pharmaceutical gel caps, hair gels and polymers for treating wastewater. This adds value to an agriculture waste product and is better for the environment because it is biodegradable.

Synthetic polymers are cheap and easy to manufacture. Making the conversion of corn waste into usable, biodegradable polymers more cost effective is a next step in the research process.

Overall, Xu says the most important factor now is demonstrating the long-term benefits of producing biodegradable materials from agriculture waste.

ON THE COVER: Photo by Bernd Juergens/ Dreamstime.com

2

CORN SOUTH

|

JANUARY 2023

Farm Share Of U.S. Food Dollar Reaches Historic Low

U

nited States farm establishments received 14.5 cents per dollar spent on domestically produced food in 2021—a decrease of one cent from 15.5 cents in 2020—to the lowest recorded farm share value in nearly three decades. The remaining portion of the food dollar, known as the marketing share, covers the costs of getting domestically produced food from farms to points of purchase, including costs related to packaging, transporting, processing and selling to consumers.

One contributor to the 2021 decline in farm share was a shift to foodaway-from-home (FAFH) spending.

Farm establishments typically receive a smaller share of FAFH spending because of the large amount of value added by FAFH outlets such as restaurants. As a result, the farm share generally decreases when FAFH spending increases faster year-over-year than food-at-home spending. FAFH spending increased markedly in 2021 after a sharp decrease early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, the farm share returned to its pre-pandemic downward trend in 2021 after an increase in 2020. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service uses input-output analysis to calculate the farm and marketing shares from a typical food dollar.

The data for this chart can be found in ERS’s Food Dollar Series data product, updated Nov. 17, 2022.

Try USDA ERS’ Charts of Note Mobile App In today’s world, keeping up with the latest news and research can feel like a full-time job.

Fortunately, USDA’s Economic Research Service launched a new Charts of Note mobile app designed to deliver digital snapshots of research straight to your mobile device.

The app mirrors the popular ERS Charts of Note series, which highlights economic research and analysis on agriculture, food, the environment and rural America. Each week, this series highlights charts of interest from current and past ERS research.

Filter charts by topics that are important to you and tailor notifications to your own personal preference. Best of all, the app is free and available on most mobile devices.

Download the Charts of Note mobile app in Apple's App Store or Google Play to begin receiving ERS research data in an easy, dependable way.

Corn South: Covering Southern Corn Production Corn South is a supplement to the Mid-South and Southeast versions of Cotton Farming magazine and to The Peanut Grower magazine for producers in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. To receive Corn South, visit www.CornSouth.com and click on “Subscribe to Corn South.”

CORNSOUTH.COM

2023 Planning Resources

Clemson Fertilizer Blend Calculator Released in 2022, this web app calculator was developed to help evaluate different fertilizer blends for meeting nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium requirements in a cost effective and accurate manner.

Calculator outputs depend on user-indicated nutrient application rates as well as fertilizers available. Nutrient requirements are input as nitrogen, phosphorus (P2O5) and potash (K2O). Clemson University Extension recommends using a standard soil test to support the agronomic recommendation of application rates. Fertilizers available are input as a percent composition of N, P2O5, and K2O. To determine recommendations for a specific crop, visit the NPK Recommendations Calculator. You can also use the South Carolina soil code, which can be used in conjunction with this web app.

Blend outputs are sorted, beginning with those that best meet the required application rates. If the application rate of any given nutrient fails to meet the target rate, it is flagged for under- and over-application, and the user is alerted. Optionally, if the user provides fertilizer prices, blends that equally satisfy nutrient requirements are sorted by price, beginning with the least expensive, on a per-unit area basis.

The calculator supports two modes of entry. Direct NPK entry allows the user to evaluate blends for a specific application rate.

Guided entry provides a worksheet to calculate rates required for a specific application, based on total (seasonal) NPK needs and after deducting other credits, such as litter/manure application, pre-plant application, etc.

The Clemson Fertilizer Blend Calculator and other precision ag calculators can be found at clemson.edu/extension/agronomy/PrecisionAgriculture/calculators/.

such as less risk of intoxication, increased precision of chemical mixtures, an increased amount of seed treated each time and a better seed cover with treatment. Pesticides add some cost to seeds, and producers often have no control as to which products are included in the treatment from a dealer.

For more information on products to use and their relative efficacy against pests or diseases, consult the Alabama Cooperative Extension Services Integrated Pest Management guides on the ACES website at www. aces.edu/blog/topics/crop-production/ corn-ipm-guide.

Fungicide Efficacy Ratings The Corn Disease Working Group developed ratings for how well fungicides control major corn diseases in the United States.

The CDWG determined efficacy ratings for each fungicide by field testing the materials over multiple years and locations. Ratings are based on the product’s level of disease control and does not necessarily reflect yield increases obtained from product application.

A product’s efficacy depends on proper timing, rate and application method as determined by the product label and overall disease level in the field at the time of appli-

cation. Differences in efficacy among each fungicide product were determined by directly comparing products in field tests using a single application of the labeled rate. For application timing and use considerations, contact your local Extension service.

The Crop Protection Network is a multistate and international collaboration of university and provincial Extension specialists, and public and private professionals who provide research-based information to farmers and agricultural personnel. Find more crop disease resources at CropProtection Network.org.

Seed Treatments: Start Off On The Right Foot Seed treatments is a practice of applying pesticides to prevent insects and disease damage to the seeds or seedlings. It can help the crop thrive in early days, minimizing stand loss and sustaining the recommended plant population.

Seed treatment can be performed on-farm or by the seed dealer, which is convenient to farmers and presents several advantages, TWITTER: @CORN_SOUTH

JANUARY 2023 | CORN SOUTH

3

ACES.AG

Planting Tips

Corn Planting Reminders

W

ater is often the limiting factor for corn production.

The lack of water during key growth stages or an overabundance in stages when the plant doesn’t require as much, or both, can be problematic.

The best idea is to employ some method to plan and optimize irrigation scheduling. The use of volumetric soil moisture probes is becoming popular in Florida’s Suwannee River Basin. These tools are not inexpensive, but they can help growers optimize the amount of water to match corn needs. Talk to your local UF/IFAS Extension agent about the loaner soil moisture sensor program, or contact Suwannee River Water Management District for cost-share information on probes.

Double check to make sure irrigation systems are applying water uniformly from one end to the other. This is especially important since pivot irrigation systems are being used in most cases to apply the nitrogen budgeted for the crop. More uniformity of nitrogen application will increase overall crop health and provide better consistency in yield outcomes. Take advantage of agency cost-share programs to get Mobile Irrigation Lab Evaluations done, and plan to retrofit systems showing less than 80% distribution uniformity.

Seeding Rate Select optimum plant populations for your soil type, which in Florida is mostly sand, and for the amount of irrigation you can reasonably apply during peak corn water use.

In many cases in North Florida, corn may still be planted too thick. There is the potential to yield profitable 250 plus bushels of corn per acre with around 32,000 plants per acre as a field average.

Think carefully about variety selection with your situation in mind, but also remember severe thunderstorms later in the season. High plant populations and certain varieties are at risk to lodge from the high winds that are common with storms that time of year.

Fertilizer Conduct soil tests and/or sample on a grid to use precision application of nutrients. Variable-rate fertilizer and lime applications based on a grid-sampled soil test will save the farmer money and

4

CORN SOUTH

|

JANUARY 2023

reduce wasted fertilizer.

The soil pH for grain and silage corn should be between 6 to 6.5.

Above and below that mark could bring about plant absorption inefficiencies that lead to yield reductions.

If you are applying poultry litter or cow manure, get it tested by the UF Waste Testing Lab or one of the area private labs. Make sure you know what you are getting from the litter source. This will be helpful to account for the expected nutrient content within the litter when developing your target rates of each nutrient.

Apply starter fertilizer by the row to get corn plants growing quickly and developing a good, deep root system. Healthy, deep roots should use all nutrients that have been applied more efficiently. Too much water while the plants are young will limit root expansion and impact plant health later.

Conduct frequent tissue sampling to determine the status of all nutrients in the corn as it moves through vegetative stages and early reproductive stages. This will aid you in making the best nutrient management decisions for your crop throughout the season.

Pests Apply a nematicide to control root knot, stubby root and sting nematodes. With short rotations, or in some cases no rotation, and sandy soils, this should be a priority. Because of these factors, one should assume these nematode species have the potential to hurt root development, which reduces fertilizer and water uptake within the plant.

Try to keep corn healthy all the way to black layer. This means optimizing irrigation, and scout for plant diseases. Soil moisture sensors will show declining moisture use of the corn plant after its peak. Monitor the crop regularly for disease and apply fungicides if needed, from before tassel to brown silk. Later-planted corn will be at higher risk for disease and insect damage.

Good luck with this year’s upcoming season, and contact your local agriculture Extension agent with questions or concerns. CS Article by De Broughton, owner of 6 Gen Ag Services, LLC, formerly a UF/IFAS Regional Specialized Extension Agent, Row Crops, and Joel Love, UF/IFAS BMP Coordinator.

CORNSOUTH.COM