Peanut grower march 2018

The

PEANUTGROWER ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

MARCH 2018

THE PEANUT PRODUCER'S MARKETING & PRODUCTION MAGAZINE www.peanutgrower.com

Soil Matters: Waiting On Warmth Hit The Range

Market Outlook: A Look At The Numbers

THE INOCULANT GUIDE SPONSORED BY VERDESIAN LIFE SCIENCES

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higher

Yields YIELDS from your peanut

FIELDS

Why settle for seeds of unknown quality when Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts offers a variety of quality-tested peanut seeds? Our high-quality products help optimize planting—and ROI—success so you can feel confident this growing season.

See the value that comes in every seed by visiting Grower Resources at goldenpeanut.com to find your local buying location or calling 229-336-0785.

Serving NUTrition to the World™

The

MARCH 2018

PEANUTGROWER ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

MARCH 2018

THE PEANUT PRODUCER'S MARKETING & PRODUCTION MAGAZINE www.peanutgrower.com

Soil Matters: Waiting On Warmth Hit The Range

Volume 30 • Number 3

Market Outlook: A Look At The Numbers

THE INOCULANT GUIDE SPONSORED BY VERDESIAN LIFE SCIENCES

Departments 4

Editor’s Note The rapid decline was odd to say the least

6

News Briefs Decision calculator available for planning

8

Market Watch Supply/demand balance still years away

24 New Products New seed treatment, other peanut products 25 Peanut Pointers The hope for a return to longer rotations

10 Features

10 Market Outlook

Changes may be on the horizon, but for now an oversupply makes for a stagnant market.

11 The Inoculant Guide

IN O C U

SPO N SO R ED B Y

L ANT G U ID E MARC H

2018

V ERDES I A N LI FE S CI ENCES

The Incentive To Use An Inoculant: Yield  Ask The Experts: Inoculant Q & A  N Fertility 

Supplement Nutrient Management

CornSouth ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

Southern Production & Marketing Strategies

March 2018

VER DE

SPON SORE D B

Y SIA N LIF E SC IEN CE

S

20 Worth The Wait

A few degrees in soil temperature can mean a double-digit increase in germination percentage.

A Supplement to Cotton Farming and The Peanut Grower Magazines

Look for the Corn South supplement following page 26 in the Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi versions of The Peanut Grower.

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22 Don’t Forget About Soil pH

Although it can be overlooked, proper soil pH is critical to high-yielding peanuts.

Cover photo by Amanda Huber

MARCH 2018 • THE PE ANUT GROWER /

3

EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION Editor Amanda Huber ahuber@onegrower.com Copy Editor Carroll Smith csmith@onegrower.com Art Director Ashley Kumpe

ADMINISTRATION Publisher/Vice President Lia Guthrie (901) 497-3689 lguthrie@onegrower.com Associate Publisher Carroll Smith (901) 326-4443 Sales Manager Scott Emerson (386) 462-1532 semerson@onegrower.com Circulation Manager Charlie Beek (847) 559-7324 Production Manager Kathy Killingsworth (901) 767-4020 kkillingsworth@onegrower.com

For circulation changes or change of address, call (847) 559-7578

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD John Beasley Extension Agronomist Auburn University Dell Cotton Peanut Growers Cooperative Marketing Assn., Franklin, VA Kris Balkcom Agri-Program Associate Auburn University Craig Kvien Coastal Plain Experiment Station,Tifton, GA

Jason Woodward Extension Plant Pathologist Texas A & M University David Jordan Extension Agronomist North Carolina State University Glen Harris Extension Agronomist University of Georgia Jason Ferrell Extension Weed Specialist University of Florida

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC Mike Lamensdorf President/Treasurer Lia Guthrie Publisher/Vice President The Peanut Grower (ISSN 1042-9379) is an agribusiness magazine for U.S. peanut producers. Published in eight monthly issues, January through July and November. Annual subscriptions are $40.00. Single Copy price is $5.00. Annual overseas subscriptions are $70.00, including Canada/Mexico.

Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, TN. Copyright © 2018 One Grower Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved except where otherwise noted. The Peanut Grower ® is a registered trademark, which reserves all rights granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in association with the registration. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO OMEDA COMMUNICATIONS, CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, P.O. BOX 1388, NORTHBROOK, IL 600651388. All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim.

The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claim as its own, and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. Printed in the USA.

Put It In T he Rearview Mirror

I

saw it happening, but I didn’t know what I was looking at. It turns out that neither did anyone else. What am I talking about? The collapse of peanut fields in Florida late in the 2017 season.

It was a strange thing to behold. The field is one I pass on my way to town.

Being that I’m a peanut editor, I’m always going to look at the peanut field instead of our local small-town race track on the other side of the road.

One day the peanuts were a little Amanda Huber yellow, but it had been raining. I didn’t Editor, The Peanut Grower give it another thought because peanuts can look that way in water-logged soils.

“When the soil dries out, they’ll be fine,” I thought. They weren’t. They got more yellow and started to die back. What in the world? Was it a deficiency? A toxicity? A spray tank cleanout issue? Maybe it was a deficiency that led to severe leaf spot disease? Whatever it was, it was happening quickly.

In 20 years at this job, I’ve looked at a lot of peanut fields, but I’m not an expert. It was only later that I learned that even the experts, long-time Extension agents and the university researchers, didn’t know what was causing the decline either. The symptoms, late-season yellowing and leaves with distinctive marginal leaf necrosis with stunting of plants, were happening in fields across several counties in Florida. Although not all fields; fields closer to our farm were normal.

In December, peanut scientists met to discuss possible reasons for the sudden decline, and although the various explanations were plausible, it was agreed that there were no definitive conclusions. However, it did provide ideas that can be tested in an effort to find the answers.

As 2018 gets underway, about all we can do is hope for a more normal year with good crop conditions and put the 2017 collapse in the rearview mirror, knowing that we’ve still got some of our best people working on it.

One Grower Publishing, LLC, also publishes Cotton Farming, Rice Farming, Soybean South and Corn South.

One Grower Publishing, LLC 6515 Goodman Rd., Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654 Phone: 901-767-4020

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THE PE ANUT GROWER • MARCH 2018

PE ANUTGROWE R .COM

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Technology

UNLOCK THE NUTRIENTS IN YOUR SOIL Increase nutrient uptake to help maximize yield potential in your peanuts with TagTeam® LCO biological seed treatment. This triple-action technology helps enhance nodule formation, increase nitrogen fixation and make phosphate more readily available to the plant.

“The peanuts with TagTeam® LCO technology outyielded the untreated check by about 350 lbs.”

– James Bookhart, South Carolina Peanut Grower and Monsanto Employee

Hear more from James at MonsantoBioAg.com/Peanuts Follow us @MonsantoBioAg *Individual results may vary, and performance may vary from location to location and from year to year. This result may not be an indicator of results you may obtain as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible.

Monsanto BioAg & Design™ and TagTeam® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. ©2018 Monsanto Company. All rights reserved.

Generic Base Eliminated

Congress cleared a budget agreement and disaster-aid package that has a significant impact on farmers for the 2018 crop year. The budget agreement passed the House by a vote of 240 to 186 and passed the Senate by a vote of 71 to 28. The President has also signed the legislation.

The legislation includes $90 billion in disaster assistance for communities impacted by storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires and flooding. The legislation also includes provisions for cotton farmers by making seed cotton eligible for Title 1 Agriculture Risk Coverage and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs.

Due to the new provisions for seed cotton, the generic base acres for farmers are eliminated for the 2018 crop.

Growers will have to choose whether or not to move generic base acres to seed cotton base only or using the 2009-2012 crop year history and moving generic base acres to other covered commodities such as peanuts and seed cotton.

Additional details will be forthcoming as the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency publishes details on how this will function for the 2018 crop.

Decision Calculator Available

To assist farmers in planning, the Nationa l Center for Pea nut C o m p e t it i v e n e s s ( N C P C ) h a s launched the “2018 Seed Cotton Generic Base and Payment Yield Updating Calculator.”

The calculator was developed after reviewing the text of the seed cotton provision in the recently passed budget agreement and disaster aid package.

The contents followed the procedures outlined in the 2014 Farm Bill for the other covered commodities payment yield updating and base reallocation provisions. Thus, the NCPC was able to utilize their previous decision aid 6 /

THE PE ANUT GROWER • MARCH 2018

built in 2014 that was based on the 2014 Farm Bill.

St ate g rower checkof f f u nd s, t h r ou g h t he S out he r n Pe a nut Farmers Federation, helped with the development of the decision calculator. Funding also came through the Southeastern Peanut Research Initiative of the National Peanut Board and farmer checkoff dollars from Texas.

A fact sheet and the decision calculator is available for download on the Georgia Peanut Commission’s website, www.gapeanuts.com.

GPC Farm Show Awards More than 1,300 producers had an opportunity to view products and services of more than 109 exhibitors, as well as gain production information from University of Georgia researchers at the 42nd annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference on Jan. 18, 2018, at UGA’s Tifton Campus.

The show is sponsored by the Georgia Peanut Commission.

T h e G P C p r e s e n t e d s e v e ral awards, including the following: Distinguished Service Award – Jeff Johnson, retired president of Birdsong Peanuts; Research and Education Award – Albert Culbreath, University of Georgia plant pathologist; Media Award – Craig Harney, video producer of special projects at WTOC; and Georgia Peanut Special Award to Matt Baldwin, professional bullfighter who promotes Georgia peanuts.

The Outstanding Georgia Young Peanut Farmer Award, sponsored by the GPC and BASF, was presented to Elton Baldy of Norman Park. He received a sign to display at his farm and a trip to the Southern Peanut Growers Conference in July.

The GPC and Agri Supply presented the Outstanding Georgia Peanut Farmers of the Year Award to individuals from the commission’s five districts. Winners included: District 1 – Ike Newberry, Arlington; District

In Brief: • Generic base eliminated; decisions on base still to make.

• Use the NCPC’s decision calculator to aid in planning.

• Georgia Farm Show recognizes hard work of farmers, others on behalf of industry.

• Production research critically important to NPB; $1.7 million in funding this year.

• International networking opportunity at the April IPF meeting in Greece.

• USA Peanut Congress brings all of the industry together.

• Florida Federation peanut butter.

donates

2 – Chip Dorminy, Fitzgerald; District 3 – Charles Smith Jr., Wadley; District 4 – James “Roy” Malone Sr., Dexter; and District 5 – Marvin and Dania DeVane, Cuthbert. These farmers received a sign to display at their farm and a $100 gift card from Agri Supply.

The Grand Door Prize, donated by Kelley Manufacturing Co., was presented to Lamar Merritt of Wray, Ga., and Shane Pridgen of Broxton, Ga. Merritt received one season’s use of a new KMC combine and the option to purchase it at $15,000 off the list price. Pridgen received one season’s use of a new KMC digger shaker inverter or dump cart and the option to purchase it at 10 percent off the list price.

Amadas Industries provided the Grower Door Prize to Stanley Corbett of Lake Park, Ga. Corbett received one season’s use of a new Amadas peanut digger/inverter or a certificate good for the amount of $10,000 towards the purchase of a new Amadas self-propelled combine or $5,000 towards the purchase of a pull-type peanut combine.

PE ANUTGROWER .COM

NPB: $1.7 Million For Research

T he Na t ion a l Pe a nut B o a rd reviewed funding for FY-18 state peanut production research projects during its qua r terly Boa rd meeting in Atlanta in Februar y.

Recommendations for 55 project proposals totaling $1,741,411.16 million were reviewed and approved.

Each year, NPB allocates funding for state and regionally identified research programs to maximize value for the dollar, eliminate duplication, encourage collaboration and eliminate gaps.

Since 2001, NPB has invested $31 million in production research and $13 million over the past five years.

Funding groundbreaking production research to improve the economic condition of America’s peanut farmers and their families is a core part of the Board’s mission.

International Meeting Planned

The International Peanut Forum is a popular worldwide networking event with peanut farmers, shellers, exporters, brokers, dealers, manufacturers, testing laboratories and equipment suppliers from around the world participating. The theme of the 2018 con-

ference is “Peanuts – the Protein for Tomorrow’s Champions” and session topics range from nutrition and allergy research to new product launches and supply & demand. Whether you are a supplier, buyer, QA manager or in marketing, the IPF has something for everyone.

The event will start with a Welcome Reception on the evening of April 11 and conference sessions will run during the mornings of April 12-13.

Afternoons have been kept free so that delegates can organize meetings with suppliers/buyers and the coffee breaks, lunches and the two Receptions allow for plenty of time for networking and visiting with the exhibitors.

For additional information, go to www.peanutsusa.com.

USA Peanut Congress Set Registration is now open for the 22nd Annual USA Peanut Congress, a joint annual meeting of the American Peanut Shellers Association and the American Peanut Council on June 23-27, 2018, at The R itz-Carlton Amelia Island. More than 400 peanut industry leaders are expected to attend this meeting.

The host associations plan a com-

Grant To Help Alleviate Hunger The University of Georgia has received a $14 million grant from the U.S. Agency of International Development to manage the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Peanut Research, known as the Peanut Lab, a global peanut research program that works to alleviate hunger by helping farmers in developing countries grow healthy crops. The agreement builds on UGA and USAID’s long-standing partnership on global peanut research dating to the 1980s.

“For nearly a century, the University of Georgia and our partners have focused tremendous research and Extension resources toward developing advanced peanut varieties, improving production methods and increasing yields to create a steady supply of high-quality peanut protein,” says Sam Pardue, dean and director of UGA’s

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prehensive and informative business program with speakers from government and industry who will address current issues and topics of interest to all industry segments. For registration and hotel information, please go to www.peanut-shellers.org.

PB From Florida Peanut Federation In honor of National Peanut Butter Day, the Florida Peanut Federation donated 6,480 jars of peanut butter to Food4Kids Backpack Program of North Florida, which serves dozens of schools in Alachua and Levy Counties.

This is in addition to the 2,700 jars of peanut butter given to Suwannee County’s backpack program and 500 jars to IFAS Wakulla Extension’s Peanut Butter drive in December.

In March, National Peanut Month, the Florida Peanut Federation will give away an additional 6,480 jars of peanut butter to several regional food banks and county back pack programs in Florida.

“With over 3.3 million Floridians facing hunger, including 1.1 million children and 700,000 seniors, our members want to do their part in combatting this epidemic,” says Deborah Tannenbaum, FPF executive director.

College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“With our partnership with USAID, we are committed to continue those efforts to ensure food security at home and around the world.”

As the leader of this Feed the Future Innovation Lab—one of 24 such labs across the U.S.—UGA will manage and coordinate a range of research projects by researchers at U.S. universities and partner institutions abroad. In the past, peanut research supported by this program has helped reduce post-harvest losses and boost plant productivity, food safety, and maternal and child nutrition. The new program will build on many of the successes of the previous Peanut & Mycotoxin Innovation Lab by developing new varieties and focusing on pre- and postharvest management, and will also work on new research projects in the areas of peanut-based nutrition, gender and youth.

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MARCH 2018 • THE PE ANUT GROWER /

Still A Couple Years From Supply And Demand Balance

T

he 2018 peanut market for farmers was already weak because of a large carryover from the 2017 crop. The cotton amendment in the recent U.S. budget resolution has jolted the peanut market and changed the dynamics for 2018.

Generic base, which after the last Farm Bill could have been planted in peanuts, is gone. Farms will revert to the established peanut base on the farm for any PLC (Price Loss Coverage) payment. Leaders knew the cotton generic base would likely be lost in the next Farm Bill, but not one year early.

Market Dynamics Change The recent base changes will cause a reduction in planted acreage in cotton producing areas, especially cotton producing states outside the normal peanut belt. Last season, over half of the Georgia peanut acreage was planted as generic base.

What does this mean for the peanut market for farmers? It really depends on the board price of cotton. If cotton can be contracted for $.80 per pound or higher, peanut contracts will have to increase to compete. How much depends on each farmer’s farm situation.

Down on the farm, financing is risky.

Few farmers can finance 100 percent of the farm’s operating capital. A profitable signed contract will get the attention of the financial institution.

More Consumption, Export The 2017/18 U.S. peanut crop was reduced 405 million pounds this month to 7.234 billion pounds (3,617,000 tons).

U.S. peanut production in 2017/18 benefited from an all-time high planted acreage while the estimated peanut yield at 4,074 pounds per acre, the second

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THE PE ANUT GROWER • MARCH 2018

J. Tyron Spearman

Contributing Editor, The Peanut Grower

Leading Marketing Indicators (As of Feb. 9, 2018) 2017 Acreage Planted up 12 % ...................................... 1,870,000 acres 2017 Production Est. (4,074 lbs/A)...................................... 3,616,800 tons 2017 FSIS Inspections (2-1-18)............................................. 3,528,774 tons 2017 Market Loan ............................................................... 2,732,902 tons 2017-18 Domestic Usage (5 Mo.) ................................................ Up 3.6 % 2017-18 Exports (4 Mo.) ............................................................ Down 9.8% NATIONAL POSTED PRICE (per ton) Runners -$424.43; Spanish - $409.00; Valencia/Virginias - $429.97

highest ever.

Despite a slow start for peanut use in 2017/18 because of a decline in the August-November crush, forecast demand for the season is expected to expand 3.6 percent. At that level of demand, season-ending stocks may stay relatively high at nearly 2.5 billion pounds (1,250,000 tons), considerably above the 2016/17 carryout of 1.442 billion pounds. It’s clear, the United States must consume or export more to balance supply and demand.

China Waits On Reduced Price Karl Zimmer of Premium Peanut, LLC recently said, “When trying to determine the future of the peanut market, understanding what is happening in China, India and Argentina is critical.

Combined, these countries grow up to 10 times as many peanuts as the United States. Most of the production of China and India is consumed domestically, mainly for oil, but each exports 800,000 to 1 million tons annually, so they are key competitors for U.S. peanuts in markets such as Europe and Japan.”

China’s crop continues to grow, even

though precise numbers are difficult to determine. Even with a large crop, China is a potential, significant buyer of U.S. peanuts, both shelled and farmer stock.

The price needs to be right, though.

With a large portion of the 2017 U.S. crop contracted at $475 per ton, the price is simply too high for the Chinese. China will wait for the price to come down — either through purchasing of potential forfeitures or lower-priced 2018 crop.

Continued Low Prices With China not making purchases of 2017 crop, the U.S. may have a surplus of over 800,000 tons of the 2017 crop remaining in October 2018, creating issues for storage. Because of this, prices have fallen to levels seen in 2010 and 2015 and you can expect option contracts for 2018 crop to be close to loan.

The good news for peanuts, peanut growers and the market is that after the 2018 crop, we should see a reduction in supply. Cotton is expected to gain some type of price support for the 2019 crop in the new Farm Bill — if not before.

Combined with rotation pressure and a bullish cotton market, expect a signifiPE ANUTGROWER .COM

cant reduction in peanut acres starting with the 2019 crop.

In the short-term, expect larger crops, excess supply and low prices – globally.

The good news with the 2017 crop is that because of the high quality, it can likely be shelled and sold longer than a traditional crop. If we can then find outlets for excess 2018 U.S. peanuts, for example through sales to China, U.S. producers could enter 2019 harvest with a balance between supply and demand.

If cotton gains price support, and with a reallocation or elimination of generic base, in the new Farm Bill, expect fewer acres of peanuts and a more bullish market starting with 2019 plantings.

cotton legislation was settled. Now what?

Weigh your options. Plan your rotations for maximum production and quality. Examine your costs and cash flow. Get with your buying point and sheller to make certain you can plant peanuts that have a profitable market and a storage location.

The peanut program guarantees a minimum $355 loan. If acreage is down, negotiate a contract over the next nine months. If bad weather, such as drought, persists or fewer acres are

planted, prices will likely go up….it is a gamble, but you have some protection.

Shellers and manufactures take note that after about June 10, the peanut crop is planted and acres planted to peanuts or cotton cannot be changed. Peanuts are needed for shelling and making peanut products and all segments have to make a profit to continue the business.

Don’t let cotton be the downfall of a good peanut industry. PG

Plan For Rotation, Storage Contracts opened at $400 per ton for 2018 runners, $440 per ton for Virginias and $425 per ton for high-oleic runners. Many farmers were waiting until

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MARCH 2018 • THE PE ANUT GROWER /

9

Market Outlook Changes may be on the horizon, but for now an oversupply makes for a stagnant market.

By Amanda Huber

D

espite the fact that Congress passed a budget agreement and disaster aid package that eliminates generic base, it doesn’t negate the fact that there is an oversupply of peanuts going into the 2018 planting season. Dell Cotton, Peanut Growers Cooperative Marketing A ssociat ion, a nd Nat ha n Sm it h, Clemson University Extension ag economist, offer a more complete look at the economic picture.

“The last few years have been the highest acreages planted to peanuts,” Cotton says. “There was a 12 percent increase this year for 2017 from 2016.

So that’s about 200,000 more acres planted this year versus last year.”

The states that planted their highest acreage since 2005, when Cotton began keeping up with the numbers, were Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

“All three V-C states planted more acres than they have since 2005.”

Average Yield Declines Average yield figures are more difficult to pin down because it seems to depend on the source, Cotton says.

The average yield in the Southeast, Southwest and V-C was 4,008, 3,524 and 3,944 pounds per acre, respectively.

The U.S. average total yield was 3,798 pounds per acre.

“Yields were trending upward in 2012-2014, but have come down since then. Some of that is weather, given the storms we had, and some is lack of rotations,” he says.

Although yield was down, with acreage up, it was another year of tremen10 /

THE PE ANUT GROWER • MARCH 2018

dous production.

“We’ve had three years where we have gone over 3 million tons of production and this is the largest. We made more than 24 percent more in production

than last year with an increase of about 700,000 tons,” Cotton says.

“We exceeded demand of both runners Continued on page 19 PE ANUTGROWER .COM

INOCUL ANT GUIDE MARCH 2018

SPONSORED

BY

VERD ESIAN LIF E SCIENCES

T H E T H E

P E A N U T P E A N U T

G R O W E R G R O W E R

2018

INOCULANT

GUIDE

2018

INOCULANT

GUIDE

Seed Treatments & Inoculants Seed Treatments & Inoculants

It's all about growing peanuts — MORE It's all about growing peanuts — MORE peanuts peanuts As a peanut grower, you know how important it is to generate as much yield as possible. In these times, when every tonyou counts, to be itsmart precise your decisions.

In order to As a peanut grower, know you howhave important is to and generate as with much yield as possible.

In these maximize every plant’s potential, need a product thatprecise can help deliver nitrogen your times, when every ton counts, youyou have to be smart and with your the decisions.

Inthat order to peanuts need. the best and most economical waythat to deliver that nitrogen?

An inoculant.

An maximize everyAnd plant’s potential, you need a product can help deliver the nitrogen that your ideal inoculant can make all and the difference in moreway peanuts.

And that theynitrogen? only cost An “peanuts.” peanuts need. And the best most economical to deliver inoculant. An ideal inoculant can make all the difference in more peanuts. And they only cost “peanuts.”

Verdesian Life Sciences is proud to once again sponsor the 2018 Inoculant Guide. We place great valueLife in this key tool, and we will, too. Guides like this are important in helping Verdesian Sciences is proud tohope onceyou again sponsor the 2018 Inoculant Guide. We place you inoculant planand for we your farm.

In will, this too. issue, we willlike cover such asin how an greatcreate valuean in this key tool, hope you Guides this topics are important helping inoculant your plant getyour off tofarm. a great start.

We we alsowill dive into topics a discussion bacteria you createcan an help inoculant plan for In this issue, cover such asofhow an in the soil, why more nodules root is better, liquid inoculants.

We are inoculant canhaving help your plant get offontothe a great start.

Weand alsogranular dive intovs. a discussion of bacteria in alsosoil, excited offer a list of inoculant practices.

Alland of this information is included withWe one the why to having more nodules on best the root is better, granular vs. liquid inoculants. are idea excited in mind:totooffer helpayou your peanut yields.All of this information is included with one also list maximize of inoculant best practices. idea in mind: to help you maximize your peanut yields.

When it is your time to make that very important inoculant decision, please talk to your local dealer itabout nitrogen-fixing Power CL. With specially selectedplease strainstalk of rhizobia and a When is your time to makePrimo that very important inoculant decision, to your local proprietary plant health promoter, designed to boost yieldselected potentialstrains by improving plantand health dealer about nitrogen-fixing Primo it’s Power CL. With specially of rhizobia a right from the start. proprietary plant health promoter, it’s designed to boost yield potential by improving plant health right from the start.

At Verdesian Life Sciences, we are The Nutrient Use Efficiency People™. We take this role seriously.

If you’re looking towe boost peanut yields by maximizing nitrogen, contact At Verdesian Life Sciences, are your The Nutrient Use Efficiency People™.

We take thisarole Verdesian Sciences www.vlsci.com/find-a-specialist.

We’d be happy seriously. IfLife you’re lookingspecialist to boost at your peanut yields by maximizing nitrogen, contacttoa find an inoculant that for you and your field.

Verdesian Lifeworks Sciences specialist at www.vlsci.com/find-a-specialist.

We’d be happy to find an inoculant that works for you and your field.

All the best, All the best,

STAN DEAL Technical Sales Representative STAN DEAL Verdesian Sales Life Sciences Technical Representative Verdesian Life Sciences www.vlsci.com www.vlsci.com Important: Always read and follow label use directions.

The Nutrient Use Efficiency People is a trademark of Verdesian Life Sciences. © 2018 Verdesian Life Sciences. All rights reserved.

Important: Always read and follow label use directions.

The Nutrient Use Efficiency People is a trademark of Verdesian Life Sciences. © 2018 Verdesian Life Sciences. All rights reserved.

123 N. Third Street

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123 N. Third Street

Suite 400

Minneapolis, MN 55401

P: 612-623-8000

www.broadheadco.com

IN O CUL A NT GU ID E SPONSORED BY VERDESIAN LIFE SCIENCES

What Is The Incentive To Use An Inoculant? One Word: Yield

V

aluable yields are waiting in each peanut seed. The yield potential of each seed is at its maximum when it is put into the ground. Decisions such as crop rotation and field selection help that seed reach its full potential. Irrigation and pest management help protect that yield potential. However, stresses, such as disease pressure and drought, lower the bar on what yields can be achieved.

Peanut profitability is maintained through high yields or by reducing production costs. Unfortunately, at Ensure A Good Start times, reducing inputs to • Use a fresh, high quality cut production costs can inoculant specific to negatively impacts yields, peanuts. thereby reducing the profit • Read and follow product margin. A better plan is to label instructions. focus on giving the crop • Know the compatibility every possible opportunity of the inoculant with to achieve that maximum other pesticides prior to yield possible. tankmixing.

• Calibrate equipment to ensure proper delivery at the recommended rate.

• Plant into moist soil at a depth to protect the seed and inoculant from harsh weather.

• Set planting speed and equipment so the furrow is properly recovered to prevent it from drying out.

• Do not use chlorinated water to apply liquid inoculants.

Protect The Potential One critic a l component to peanut growth is the inoculation process.

Researchers agree that peanuts respond better to the nitrogen fixation provided by a high concentration of vigorous rhizobia bacteria than it does to direct application of nitrogen fertilizer.

While there may be peanut-specific rhizobia residually in the soil from past crops, modern inoculant products provide much more than those leftover bacteria.

Placing a fresh, high quality inoculant in a concentrated area around the seed where it can enter into the root quickly

will give that emerging peanut plant the best start and protect the potential yield that can be made from a good beginning.

At the earliest opportunity, the beneficial bacteria can enter the roots and begin multiplying, making nitrogen quickly available to the plant. From here, vigorous growth is achieved and canopy closure is attained more rapidly. IG

CONTENTS I-4

Ask The Experts: Inoculant Q&A From Specially Selected Strains To Maximum Yields

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I-6

N Fertility Follow These Simple Tips For Inoculant Use And Application

MARCH 2018 • THE PE ANUT GROWER /

I-3

ASK THE EXPERTS:

INOCULANT

Q

What is the benefit of applying an inoculant in-furrow if there may already be rhizobia bacteria in the soil?

“That’s a big ‘if ’ for a farmer to risk on his peanut crop,” says Stan Deal, Verdesian Life Sciences technical sales representative. “If the field had a crop of peanuts in the last few years, there is likely a population of bacteria in the soil. But what if the bacteria are not a significant population near where the seed is placed? What if the rhizobia were affected by field conditions, such as drought, and are sluggish in colonizing the root?”

How much crop progress are you willing to risk, when a quick and strong start is best for the peanut plant to withstand stresses and make a maximum yield?, Deal asks.

“Applying an inoculant product, such as Primo Power CL, an in-furrow liquid with billions of active rhizobia per gram, right on the seed at planting ensures that the bacteria are in the right place at the right time to give the growing peanut plant the best chance to nodulate and fix nitrogen quickly.”

Q

Should I be concerned with the amount of bacteria in the inoculant? Aren’t inoculants all about the same?

While an inoculant product should be able to deliver the required amount of rhizobia to the peanut seed, Phil Shelley, Verdesian Life Sciences technical sales representative based in Dothan, Ala., says that Primo Power CL offers a higher concentration liquid seed inoculant designed to maximize plant growth with specially selected strains of rhizobia.

“Primo Power CL delivers 4.5 billion colony-forming units of rhizobia per gram, one of the highest concentrations in the industry,” Shelley says.

“This higher concentration ensures the highest level of aggressive rhizobia to produce greater amounts of peanut-producing nitrogen, which has been proven to deliver more profit per acre than other inoculant products.”

Because Primo Power CL is a more concentrated product, Shelley says the product is packaged in smaller, more manageable units, which add convenience at planting.

I-4 /

THE PE ANUT GROWER • MARCH 2018

QA &

Q

Why is having more nodules on the roots better for the plant?

Inoculants are designed to encourage the symbiotic relationship between plants and naturally occurring soil bacteria. By adding rhizobia to seed in high concentrations, more bacteria are able to enter the root system and form colonies, which creates the visible nodules on the roots. It’s in these nodules that the rhizobia take nitrogen from the atmosphere and turn it into something usable form for the plant.

“Simply put, more rhizobia mean more nitrogen and more yield potential,” Shelley says. “Peanuts that get a faster, healthier start and develop a larger root mass are able to provide more available nitrogen to increase the potential number of pegs and pods that are set.”

Producers should scout for nodulation using a shovel to dig at least 10 plants among a couple of rows from four different sites in the field about six weeks after planting. Look for evidence of nodulation developing early on the tap root. Active nodules are often pink or red inside.

PE ANUTGROWER .COM

IN O CUL A NT GU ID E SPONSORED BY VERDESIAN LIFE SCIENCES

Q

When would a granular inoculant product be the better choice?

In some areas of the peanut belt, a granular product is the better choice for producers.

“In very hot, dry conditions, such as in West Texas, where the liquid product would dry out and the viability of the rhizobia would be in question, a granular product can deliver the needed inoculant to the peanut seed.

Deal says Primo GX2 is an in-furrow granular seed inoculant from Verdesian Life Sciences that performs well in harsh planting conditions and brings more nitrogen to the plant.

“When used under these conditions, Primo GX2 helps ensure improved water and nutrient uptake for healthier plants by combining high levels of N-fixing rhizobia with an organic biological growth promoter,” Deal says.

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Q

Is yield really in jeopardy without an inoculant product?

University trials have shown time and again what possible yields can be without an inoculant product and how peanuts cannot recover the yield when nitrogen fertilizer has to be used, says Shelley.

“Most farmers have also had a nozzle or hose stop up at times, and you can clearly see the difference in that row from the lack of nitrogen in the plant,” he says. “When good nodulation is achieved, the maximum yield potential is still achievable. A lack of proper inoculation results in the need for a supplemental nitrogen fertility program, but yields will already be affected by the reduced amount of this essential element.”

Based on research by University of Georgia research agronomist Scott Tubbs, it takes approximately 50 pounds per acre of peanuts to pay for an inoculant application. Yield increases of more than 150 pounds per acre to more than 1,000 pounds per acre have been observed over non-inoculated peanuts in a variety of rotations, including short rotations, and in both irrigated and rain-fed conditions.

Verdesian Life Sciences’ inoculant products have been tested in university trials, and Shelley says that farmers should be certain that any inoculant products they use have all been tested through the independent university trial system. IG

I-5

MARCH 2018 • THE PE ANUT GROWER /

N Fertility

A

peanut is a legume and as such can get most of its nitrogen (N) needs from nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Bradyrhizobium) colonizing the plant’s roots. To provide these needed bacteria, all “new” peanut land must be inoculated, and strip-tillage fields and land that has been out of peanut production for three years should also be inoculated.

A liquid in-furrow inocu la nt is recommended.

In-furrow granular inoculants are less effective than liquids and can get clogged in the delivery tube.

Seed treatment inoculants are not recommended due to having much lower bacterial counts. Seed treatment inoculants have been much less effective and consistent than in-furrow liquids.

Inoculants are living organisms; treat them with care.

Make sure the inoculant is not out-of-date.

Inoculant Rules: • Use only liquid in-furrow inoculants particularly on “new” land. Granulars and seed treatments are less reliable.

• Do not expose to heat.

• If an inoculant sits in the tank overnight, treat it as plain water and add a fresh batch.

• Use a minimum of 5 gallons of water/A; 8 gallons is probably better.

• Make sure the inoculant stream hits exactly in the center of the open furrow, not the dry furrow walls. Tips knocked out of alignment cause yellow peanuts. Trash caught in strip-tillage rigs can deflect the inoculant stream.

• Don’t plant too shallow (< 1.5”). Inoculant must hit moist soil or it will die.

• Do not use chlorinated water.

• Apply with a steady stream, not a pulsing pump.

• Twin rows require a full inoculant rate in each row (on new land).

• On “new” peanut land, consider using a backup plan — add a half rate of a different brand liquid inoculant, or add a granular in-furrow inoculant.

Poorly inoculated fields usually will not show any yellowing until about 45 days after planting (DAP). Inoculation can be checked by using a shovel to uproot plants. Simply pulling up plants will cause the lower taproot to break off and result in a low count. The presence of large (1/8 inch or larger) nodules on the taproot indicates successful inoculation. An average of I-6 /

THE PE ANUT GROWER • MARCH 2018

15 large nodules per taproot at 45 DAP is considered good; less than 10 per taproot is marginal and less than 5 indicates poor inoculation. If only small (1/16”) nodules are present and are mostly on the lateral roots rather than on the taproot, the plant has probably only been colonized by native Bradyrhizobium bacteria, not an applied inoculant.

Broadcast ammonium sulfate at 500 pounds per acre of 21 percent to equal 105 N units if the inoculant totally fails, but yield will probably not equal a properly inoculated crop.

Ammonium sulfate typically provides better results than ammonium nitrate.

On new land, an inoculant failure can reduce profit by $200 per acre even when 120 pounds topdress N is applied! If the canopy has not closed, liquid N can be dripped in the row middle. Foliar N applications are not cost effective and often cause unacceptable leaf burn. IG From the “Peanut Money Maker 2018 Production Guide,” by D. Anco and J.J. Camberato, Clemson University Cooperative Extension.

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IN O CUL A NT GU ID E SPONSORED BY VERDESIAN LIFE SCIENCES

INOCUL ANT REMINDERS Apply inoculants in fields that have been out of peanut for more than five years. However, it’s a good practice to apply inoculants each year, especially following years of extreme weather like prolonged hot and/or dry periods, or extended water-logged soils.

HANDLING  Store in a cool, dry place shaded from direct sunlight until used.  Use fresh inoculant of the proper strain.  Do not let unused inoculant remain in hoppers for extended time.  Fungicide seed treatment may be detrimental to adherence of powder inoculants.  Shallow planting may result in the loss of bacteria due to hot, dry soils.  Prepare well-drained fields to reduce risk of water-logging.  If using a liquid inoculant, apply with chlorine-free water to avoid killing the bacteria using at least 5 gallons of water per acre.  If a heavy rain occurs shortly after planting, a liquid inoculant may be diluted or carried away from the seed, reducing efficacy.  Nodulation is delayed or reduced in the presence of excess soil N.  Adequate soil levels of Ca, P and K aid in Bradyrhizobia survival.  Follow all label directions when applying pesticides and inoculants as mixes.

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 Deliver product at labeled rates (1.0 fl oz. per 1,000 linear row feet for most). Twin rows use same furrow rate, which doubles total quantity applied per acre compared to a single row planting.  Addition of biological enhancement should be used with caution and may have an adverse effect on viability of the inoculant.  Nitrogen deficiency is occasionally a problem on peanuts. This could be due to a failure to artificially inoculate peanuts when needed.  In extreme cases of poor nodulation, it may be necessary to apply N fertilizer. If you note N deficiency, apply 60 pounds of N per acre when plant is 40 to 60 days old.

A granular form (such as ammonium sulfate) is recommended.

BENEFITS  Fertilizer savings - N-fixing ability replaces the need to apply N fertilizers.  Residual soil N - 50 to 100 lb N/A may be added to the soil as a result of growing an effectively nodulated peanut crop.  Benefit to rotated crops - Will provide subsequent crops with available N, enhancing yield and reducing fertilizer costs of the following crop.  Improved soil conditions - Legumes decompose rapidly, leaving organic matter in the soil, which improves its physical, chemical and biological condition.

From the 2018 Peanut Production Quick Reference Guide,

by Scott Tubbs, University of Georgia.

MARCH 2018 • THE PE ANUT GROWER /

I-7

Seed Treatments & Inoculants

NITROGEN FUELS YIELD IN PEANUTS.

PRIMO POWER CL MAKES SURE THE FUEL IS DELIVERED. Nitrogen is essential to crop performance, and Primo Power CL inoculant delivers more of it into plants. With more nitrogen-fixing rhizobia applied, Primo Power CL boosts nitrogen intake so crops emerge quickly, grow fast and can deliver more yield. Open the door to more nitrogen, nutrients and growth with Primo Power CL. For more information, contact your Verdesian technical sales representative or visit vlsci.com.

vlsci.com | 800.350.4789 Important: Always read and follow label use directions. Š 2017 Verdesian Life Sciences. All rights reserved. VLS6019

123 N. Third Street

Suite 400

Minneapolis, MN 55401

P: 612-623-8000

www.broadheadco.com

Acres 2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

AL

166,000

219,000

138,000

172,000

194,000

172,640

192,810

FL

157,000

200,000

130,000

160,000

177,000

152,218

188,245

GA

465,000

730,000

426,000

585,000

771,000

714,168

829,942

MS

14,000

49,000

33,000

29,000

42,000

37,000

42,248

802,000

1,198,000

727,000

946,000

1,184,000

1,076,026

1,253,245

NM

6,600

10,000

7,000

5,000

5,000

7,976

8,534

OK

22,000

22,000

16,000

16,000

9,000

11,366

19,158

TX

97,000

145,000

117,000

122,000

168,000

305,000*

270,553

16,000

23,089

29,293

SE Total

AR SW Total

125,600

177,000

140,000

143,000

198,000

347,431

327,538

NC

81,000

106,000

81,000

92,000

89,000

100,355

117,725

SC

73,000

107,000

78,000

110,000

109,000

108,074

120,280

VA

16,000

20,000

16,000

18,000

18,000

20,179

26,333

V-C Total

170,000

233,000

175,000

220,000

216,000

228,608

264,338

U.S. Total

1,097,600

1,608,000

1,042,000

1,309,000

1,598,000

1,652,065

1,845,121

*Only 210,000 acres harvested.

Production SE

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

1,368,500

2,596,665

1,503,040

1,894,475

2,446,736

2,072,690

2,528,434 475,931

SW

158,144

311,520

257,600

253,403

354,420

385,100

VC

293,086

462,622

326,450

442,994

319,003

383,000

515,111

1,819,730

3,370,807

2,087,090

2,590,872

3,120,159

2,840,790

3,519,476

U.S. Total

Continued from page 10

and Virginias by a substantial amount.

USDA anticipates the carryover, the amount needed to get you from one year to the next, it needs to be somewhere around 500,000 tons. That’s good for contract prices. This year, it will be in the range of 1.25 million tons of carryover, about 700,000 tons over or about the same amount over last year’s crop,” he says.

More Dependent On Exports “Exports are an important consideration as about 25 percent of the crop is going for export,” Cotton says. “Canada and Mexico are our best customers, so we need to be aware of any renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). We don’t want to negatively affect amount of peanuts we have going to those two countries,” he says.

The one country not buying as of November, when numbers were last available, was China.

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“For the same period last year, China is down 70 percent and Vietnam is down 88 percent, which it is thought that these peanuts going to Vietnam end up in China,” Cotton says. “These countries have been very important for the last couple of years and will continue to be very important.”

In 2016, China purchased a lot of the excess peanuts in inventory.

“Those were the excess supplies that many times hang over your head come contract time. However, China bought a lot of those peanuts and supplies were cleared out. We’re back to the same situation now.”

What Does 2018 Hold?

Nathan Smith, Clemson University Extension ag economist, says the 2018 cost and return projections for peanuts show a decline in profit potential as costs are expected to rise and prices to decrease given a larger carryover of peanuts.

“Other crops haven’t helped much with corn and soybeans both having large crops and wheat in the doldrums.

Cotton has the potential of increasing in acres in South Carolina and other states with futures prices for 2018 approaching 75 cents per pound.

“The expected price used in the 2018 peanut budget is $435 per ton as a starting point and prices likely will range between $425 and $450,” Smith says.

A Caution On Acres Contract prices will be lower than last year, Cotton says, and he also thinks the number of acres producers will be able to plant under contract will be less than last year.

“I don’t know what percentage they’ll be cut, but I think they will be,” he says.

Cotton urges producers to not just have the mindset to plant the same number of acres as in the past.

“If you do, you are going to end up with additional peanuts and any time you have additional peanuts, you bring down your effective price,” he says. “We could easily find ourselves with too many peanuts again and warehousing will be an issue.” PG 19

MARCH 2018 • THE PE ANUT GROWER /

Worth The Wait Waiting for soil temperatures to warm up by a few degrees can mean a double-digit increase in germination percentage.

By Amanda Huber

F

actors that affect soil temperature and, therefore, peanut planting include more than a ir temperature, says K ris Balkcom, Auburn University Extension peanut specialist. It also includes soil type, soil moisture level, the presence of cover crops or the use of tillage.

Balkcom says the current recommendation is to not plant peanuts until the average temperature in the top four inches of soil has been at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit for three consecutive days. Further, the consistent soil temperature needs to be followed by an extended weather forecast of similarly consistent weather.

Taking The Soil’s Temp “A digital soil thermometer that records high and low temperatures each day can be used or you could just measure the four-inch soil temperature at mid-day, which would closely represent an average soil temperature for the day,” he says.

Alabama producers can monitor soil temperatures through the Agricultural Weather Information Service (AWIS) Mesonet website from research stations across the state.

“It’s important to look at the extended range weather forecast before planting to ensure consistent air temperatures,” Balkcom says. “A cold front can reduce soil temperatures below suitable levels resulting in reduced plant stands and possibly causing a replant situation.”

Consider Soil Type, Other Factors The time needed for soil to warm up or cool down is different depending on 20 /

THE PE ANUT GROWER • MARCH 2018

soil type.

“Sandy soils warm up faster than clay or loamy soils, but, in turn, it will drop in temperature more quickly,” Balkcom says. “This is because the coarse texture of the sand has a lower water-holding capacity than the finer textured clay soils and moisture is slower to react to soil temperature changes. Therefore, a clay soil with plenty of moisture is slower to warm up, but is more stable and less likely to drop from a cold front.”

Cover crops also keep soil cooler longer in the spring by blocking the sun’s rays from hitting the soil.

“On the flip side, using tillage warms up the soil more quickly by stirring it and exposing the soil to direct sunlight causing it to warm up faster,” he says.

Change Based On Germination Rate Balkcom says the change to the recommendation of a soil temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the top four inches of soil is something that happened in

recent years and for good reason.

“For years, the four-inch soil temperature recommendation for planting peanuts was 65 degrees for three consecutive days. But, because of a recent study conducted by the University of Georgia in cooperation with Auburn University, the recommendation was increased to 68 degrees.

“The study showed only about 70 percent germination after one week when planting at 65 degrees, compared to about 90 percent germination after one week when planted at 70 degrees.”

That’s a considerable increase in germination rate by letting the temperature rise a few degrees. The recommendation was settled on 68 degrees Fahrenheit, but the message is – the warmer, the better.

Balkcom says, “Just remember these factors about soil temperature at peanut planting time to ensure yourself a good solid stand of peanuts and avoid the possibility of a less than desirable stand or forcing a replant situation.” PG PE ANUTGROWER .COM

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Every day, the National Peanut Board works to help Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7,000 peanut-farming families improve production practices and put the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest-quality peanut

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By Growers For Growers For The Future

Don’t Forget About Soil pH Although it can be overlooked, proper soil pH is critical to high-yielding peanuts.

By Amanda Huber

F

or the most part, producers can keep the pH of their soils in optimum range, but depending on uses of the land, soil amendments added or not added, over time soil pH can get off kilter. Unfortunately, when this happens, says Glen Harris, University of Georgia soil scientist, it is often not the first thing farmers think of.

“Several members of the UGA peanut team were called to a field to try to figure out what was happening to some peanuts in a field. Was it a seedling disease problem? Was it injury from herbicide carryover?

“It turned out that the soil pH was around 4.7, and instead of typical zinc toxicity symptoms, which cause f lattened, red and split stems, I think it went straight to aluminum toxicity,” says Harris, who recommends a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5 for peanut fields in Georgia.

At that point, the plants were dead and there was no recovering from the low pH. Test, Test, Test David Jordan, North Carolina State University Extension agronomist has a similar story of a producer in his state.

“A producer was able to gain access to a new field to plant peanuts in, but he found out a little too late that it had high levels of zinc. Of all the nutritional factors and toxicities that we can have in peanuts, zinc toxicity is one thing we can’t correct in the short term and even in the long term, it would be difficult.

“Be careful about fields you don’t have experience with,” Jordan cautions.

In the 2018 NCSU Peanut Information, a soil pH of 5.8 to 6.2 is recommended,

22 /

THE PE ANUT GROWER • MARCH 2018

Crop Response To Soil pH Approximate Soil pH

Percentage of Yield at Lower pH Values Compared with Yield at pH 5.9 Corn

Cotton

Peanut

Soybean

Wheat

Grain Sorghum

4.3

26

24

55

45

41

78

4.9

76

57

62

62

72

83

5.4

99

89

83

90

100

94

5.9

100

100

100

100

100

100

Source: NC State Extension 2018 Peanut Information

provided that other essential elements are in balance and available to the plant.

It Needs To Be ‘Just Right’ But it isn’t always a low pH, sometimes Harris says it can be too high as well.

“A pH that is too high can cause manganese deficiency, which probably doesn’t hurt you too bad, especially late in the season. But what I am concerned with, if you have a high pH and you put out a lot of lime, which also has a lot of calcium, it can cause potassium deficiency.

“This has to do with the cation-exchange capacity of the soil and positive and negative charges on these elements, but if you get your calcium levels really

high, even though the peanuts might look okay, it may be causing the potassium to leach out of the soil.

“Think about it — if you have peanut after peanut and you take the hay off as well, you are taking the potassium out of the soil and not putting it back,” he says.

“A soil test should catch these things.”

Jordan says in the Virginia-Carolina region, soils that are too high in pH may help increase the incidence of Sclerotinia blight. “Also, the use of manure, primarily broiler litter, increases concern regarding micronutrient toxicity. Growers are cautioned not to overload fields with high levels of waste products, as micronutrient levels can build up quickly. PG PE ANUTGROWER .COM

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THE PO POW OW WER WITHIN Learn more at amvac-chemical.com

New Biorational From Valent Va lent rec ent ly a nnou nc ed t he launch of MycoApply EndoPrime for corn, peanuts and cotton. MycoApply EndoPrime is applied in-furrow and uses four unique species of mycorrhizal fungi to help improve nutrient efficiency, drought tolerance and yield potential.

MycoApply EndoPrime colonizes the root system of the plant and creates filaments known as hyphae that attach to root hairs, which extend into areas of the soil that are inaccessible to the roots. In addition to reaching further, the hyphae produce enzymes that release nutrients tied up in the soil and also create vesicles to store resources until they are needed by the plant.

This unique activity is what allows the root system to go where it never has before and give growers the ability to increase yield potential.

Upper Midwest growers evaluated MycoApply EndoPrime in their cornfields as part of a 2017 national trial demonstration and 57 percent of growers saw a fuller/bigger root mass compared to untreated corn. In drought conditions, one producer noted a 15-bushel yield increase in comparison to the untreated side.

For spring of 2018, Va lent ha s

developed an optimized formulation of MycoApply EndoPrime that will pre-slurry more easily. For more information on MycoApply EndoPrime, visit www.valent.com/endoprime or contact your local Valent sales representative.

New Fungicide Seed Treatment From Arysta LifeScience, Rancona V PD is a new seed treatment that protects against key diseases. Rancona V PD contains three fungicides — ipconazole, carboxin and metalaxyl, which provides both contact and systemic activity and leads to broad-spectrum control of key peanut diseases including seed rot as well as damping-off and seedling blight caused by Rhizoctonia, Fusarium and Pythium.

It also may be used for partial control of early season crown rot caused by seedborne Aspergillus niger, early season stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii and early season black rot caused by seedborne Cylindrocladium parasiticum.

Features and benefits include an easyto-use dust formulation. The three fungicides combine to improve germination, seedling vigor and plant health by protecting against key early season diseases.

New Products From Helm Helm Agro US, Inc. announces the launch of four new crop protection products in the first quarter of 2018. In total, Helm now has 19 crop protection products in its U.S. portfolio for the row crop, specialty crop and horticultural markets.

Helm’s latest introductions stem from market demand for high quality formulations that can compete against market leading brands in both performance and economic value.

New Helm offerings include the following: • Argus Ultra herbicide is a co-formulation of metolachlor and mesotrione. Approved on field corn, sweet corn, yellow popcorn and grain sorghum, Argos Ultra combats hard to manage grasses and small-seeded broadleaf weeds.

It also defeats weed biotypes resistant to glyphosate, ALS24 /

THE PE ANUT GROWER • MARCH 2018

New Website Resource Atticus is pleased to announce the launch of a new corporate website to support U.S. row crop, specialty agriculture and professional market communities with convenient modern features and functionality.

The website, www.AtticusLLC.com, offers best-in-class search capabilities to instantly match customer needs with relevant Atticus branded-generic fungicide, herbicide and insecticide solutions based on any term or comparable brand.

The new site introduces current and future customers to the Atticus culture of excellence that brings pesticide professionals and growers the right products, at the best value, with efficacy, availability and service they can trust.

Agriculture and turf professionals can find the latest news on Atticus’ rapid growth at the new website, which plans several focused off-patent product launches across the coming months.

Based in Cary, N.C., Atticus LLC manufactures a growing portfolio of relevant branded-generic fungicides, herbicides and insecticides for the U.S. row crop, specialty agriculture and professional market. American-owned, privately held and personally financed, Atticus is vested in being the off-patent company with the experience and insight to better support customers.

inhibiting, PPO and triazine herbicides.

• Quiz herbicide is a premier single-pass tool for controlling annual and perennial grasses on soybeans, cotton, canola, dry beans, sugar beets, sunflowers and other crops, plus non-crop areas. The product will control volunteer corn in glyphosate-tolerant soybeans.

• Helmet and Helmet SPC herbicides are Helm’s new metolachlor offerings for grass and small-seeded broadleaf control in corn, cotton, sorghum, potatoes, soybeans, tomatoes and other crops.

Available in easy-to-use emulsifiable concentrate formulations, Helmet and Helmet SPC can be applied alone or in a planned two-pass program.

For more information, visit helmagro.com.

PE ANUTGROWER .COM

Spend Early For Protection A hefty crop of peanuts last year has the farmer currently trying to decide over a contract offer of $400 for the first ton. It’s a tough decision this early in the year with so many other variables that could affect acres and in turn price.

Generic base is one of those variables and is gone for the 2018 cropping season. I wantKRIS BALKCOM Auburn University ed to mention this because it Agri-Program Associate seems as if so many producers are unaware of this change.

Generic base off the table will cause you to rethink your cropping mixture and could have a huge impact on your bottom line.

We have seen the last few years how much peanut acreage has increased over previous years. Increased acres coupled with high yields have oversupplied our market. So with some generic base going back to cotton, this will more than likely reduce our peanut acres and help to resolve supply issues.

The shortened rotations over the past few years have caused an increase in disease pressure and in nematode populations. Now is the time to plant on some fresh, well-rotated land. Moving to fresh land or better rotated land and planting early according to the weather will help you in avoiding the nematode pressure. Because of the lower prices, you will need to try and avoid the high costs of nematicides through the cultural practices and not give up any yield. However, don’t think that you can skip out

on certain expenses.

Last year, we had a lot of heavy disease pressure late in the year due to the warm and wet conditions. I see so many producers who try to get by at the end of season and harvest the crop before disease and weather harvests it for you. Sometimes the weather doesn’t allow you to do what you want. Therefore, it is important to stay in the front of disease and spend some money early toward much needed protection because playing catch up is hard to do.

Resistance-Management Strategies Many farmers will have made a rra ngement s w it h shellers for the 2018 crop and will have a contract in place.

With a contract in hand and decisions on fields for peanut plantings, the question is how can yield and more importantly net return be optimized?

How do we get where we want to be at the end of the season?

DAVID JORDAN North Carolina State A wise deer hunter once said, University “The secret to getting the big Extension Agronomist one is to get there one hour before he does.”

Being in the right place requires a lot of planning and effort. If one considers “the big one” as a peanut crop that generates optimum net returns, careful planning, hard work and ability to adjust quickly are critical.

One of our major concerns at the present time for peanut, and other crops too, is evolved resistance to pesticides in insect, pathogen and weed populations. We have several

T WIT TER : @PE ANUTGROWER

MARY JANE BUERKLE

Increased acres coupled with high yields have oversupplied our market. So with some generic base going back to cotton, this will more than likely reduce our peanut acres and help to resolve supply issues, says Kris Balkcom.

MARCH 2018 • THE PE ANUT GROWER /

25

important pesticides across each of these pest disciplines that are suspect when it comes to presence of resistance. We need all of the tools in our tool box to control pests in peanut and protect yields.

The key to managing resistant populations already in place or to decrease the likelihood that pest populations will develop resistance is to reduce selection pressure. One way to do this is to use mixtures or sequential applications of pesticides with different modes of action.

Do we have non-chemical strategies for insects, pathogens and weeds? Yes we do. But incorporating alternative practices into production systems can be a challenge due to expense, logistics and predictability. Control practices other than pesticides can help reduce populations, and while pesticides will still be needed, alternative approaches can eliminate some individuals in the population that may be resistant to pesticides. Pesticides almost always deliver a positive return on the investment – but we need to do other things to help them remain effective.

Our challenge going forward is to make sure we consider pesticides as resources, and these resources are vital for profitable peanut production. This requires developing effective strategies that include a solid resistance-management strategy. Like the pursuit of the big one, planning and working hard are essential to protect resources, including pesticides. This will ultimately help us optimize net returns with peanut.

Plant To Irrigation Capacity With dry conditions persisting across much of the Southwest, now is the time to match up realistic yield goals with irrigation capacity and water quality. The total seasonal water requirement for ma ximum peanut yield is greater than other crops. It is better to plant fewer acres and irrigate adequately, than to JASON WOODWARD Texas Agri-Life Extension plant larger acres that will be Plant Pathologist subject to limited water.

Placement of earlier-maturing cultivars may provide some help in spreading irrigation water out over the season. Spanish and Valencia type peanuts are generally earlier maturing than Virginia and runner types. In addition, splitting fields with crops that require less irrigation, such as cotton or sorghum are also advisable.

Close attention should be paid to the output of irrigation systems, especially as the crop transitions from vegetative to 26 /

THE PE ANUT GROWER • MARCH 2018

reproductive growth and the demand for water increases.

Water quality is important when it comes to growing peanuts. Salinity issues can compound things as salts compete with plants for water. Peanut plants are fairly sensitive to salt damage, which often occurs under dry, arid conditions.

Contact your Extension office for additional information regarding irrigation capacity and water quality requirements for peanut production.

Soil Test A Must “How many peanuts will growers plant in 2018?” This is a question being discussed at peanut production meetings all over the state. Prior to the passing of the budget agreement allowing cotton to be eligible for the Price Loss Coverage and get cotton back into the new Farm Bill, growers were indicating they would SCOTT MONFORT University of Georgia plant similar acres to 2017.

Extension Agronomist This is likely to change as growers learn the details of the agreement and how it will impact peanut acres in regard to the elimination of generic acres. Growers need to pay close attention to the details as they are rolled out over the next month or so.

Even though this is new legislation, growers need to consider a few things to ensure they start the season on the right foot. The number one thing growers need to do is take soil samples, especially in fields planted in a short rotation. A soil sample is the key to correcting fertility or pH issues. Some fertility issues cannot be easily corrected once you plant.

Growers also need to understand their risk of disease before the first seed is planted. The easiest way to receive the latest information, like the Peanut Rx, is to attend Extension production meetings in your county or call your local county Extension office. Peanut Rx is a great resource for determining overall risk for diseases based on your cultural practices. Taking time to assess your potential risk now can save you time and money.

Another reason for assessing your risk now is the likelihood of fungicide shortages this year. Because of manufacturing problems in China, fungicide shortages will be likely for the 2018 growing season. Chlorothalonil (Bravo/generics) is one of the main products affected. The good news is we have several options to offset the shortage of chlorothalonil in peanut. Contact your county Extension agent to discuss the fungicide options available. PG PE ANUTGROWER .COM

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