BCR_Ag Matters_032622 by Shaw Media

Ag Matters FARMER FILLS NEED AS COACH, TEACHER See story on page 2

Spring 2022

INSIDE

• 3 ways to maximize corn yields in 2022 • Cutting cow comfort hurts bottom line • Conserving nitrogen with technology and more...

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A publication of est. 1851

When he returned to the family farm after graduating from the University of Illinois, coaching high school girls basketball was a natural next step for Aaron Book of Lee County, a self-described “sports nut.” When fellow coaches who also teach at Dixon High School encouraged Book to apply for his substitute teaching license, to help out during the COVID-19 pandemic, Book had some doubts. But he did some research and applied and received his substitute teaching license. Now, the farmer turned coach is also a substitute teacher.

Shaw Media/ March 2022

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Farmer ﬁlls need as coach, teacher By Jeannine Otto

AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS

DIXON, Ill. — For Lee County farmer Aaron Book, coaching a local high school basketball team was a natural next step. “I have always loved sports, I’m a sports nut,” said Book, who farms with his parents, uncle and brother on the family’s grain farm between Amboy and Dixon. As a student at the University of Illinois, Book coached a co-ed track and cross country team at University High School in Urbana. He returned home to farm after graduating from the U of I in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in ag business. It wasn’t long before a friend called asking Book to coach at the local high school level — but with a bit of a twist. “He said, would you be interested in being the freshman basketball coach? He said it’s the girls team. I thought about it and I said I’ll give it a try,” Book said. More than a decade later, Book is a ﬁxture in Dixon High School girls basketball, still in the role of the DHS Duchesses junior varsity basketball coach. And as a coach, Book has seen the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the school, on teachers and students up close. “In January, we had a lot of teachers out, we had a lot of students out sick, we were just trying to keep the schools open. We had principals teaching. We had other teachers who were using

their planning periods to go cover other classrooms,” Book said. The other coaches on the DHS basketball coaching squad urged Book to add another credential to his coaching résumé. “They were joking with me, saying you farm and it’s cold outside, would you ever think about getting your substitute teaching license?” Book said. Book, a decade away from college and his classroom days, had doubts. “I thought — I haven’t done algebra in a while, and all the other subjects I haven’t done since college,” Book said. But he did some research into how to obtain a substitute teaching license and what, exactly, substitute teachers are expected to do. Book applied via the Illinois State Board of Education website, sent in his U of I transcript, paid a fee and in a few days he had a substitute teaching license. “I’m a big fan of supporting my local community and helping out as much as I possibly can. I think it’s important to help out and whenever there’s a need, to ﬁll it if you can,” Book said. With a few days of teaching now under his belt, Book said his fears about not knowing how or what to teach were put to bed by the teachers whose classes he’s covered. He’s substituted for classes including choir, band, a study hall and special education. “The teachers I substituted for were very organized. They had templates made out of speciﬁc directions, with what to do. The students all have Chromebooks and they do their work

on those or they have packets of worksheets and they keep themselves busy with those,” Book said. One thing he enjoys about the coaching and, now, the substitute teaching, is that both jobs leave him the ﬂexibility to devote time to his family and the family farm. Book and his wife, Kathy, have two young sons. Working with young people and giving time to the local community is something that runs in their family. Kathy Book is the 4-H Youth Program coordinator for U of I Extension in Lee County. “With the substitute teaching, you don’t have to do it every single day. I want to work around my schedule and be ﬂexible. I still need to be at the farm a lot of days, but when it’s cold and

snowy, I can take a day and go help out,” Aaron Book said. From the basketball court, now to the classroom, one of the most important things Book said he wants to do is to be a strong, positive role model for young people. “A big reason I coach is to be a good role model. I want to be someone they can come to for support, if they need to. It’s about more than basketball or agriculture, it’s about showing up and being a mentor and a positive role model for these kids, to be someone who is here for them as they are growing up in our community,” he said. Jeannine Otto can be reached at 815-410-2258, or jotto@shawmedia. com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Otto.

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3 ways to maximize corn yields in 2022 By Erica Quinlan

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AMES, Iowa — Agronomists at Golden Harvest recommend three corn management practices to maximize yield potential. According to research, optimizing corn seeding rate, implementing narrow row spacing and enhancing nutrient management are ideas to consider this planting season. SELECT THE OPTIMUM CORN SEEDING RATE FOR YOUR FIELDS. When thinking about planting density, the goal is to maximize the number of ears per acre while maintaining kernels per ear and kernel size.

“But optimizing seeding rates can be complicated,” said Bruce Battles, technical agronomy manager for Syngenta. “Optimum seeding rates vary with soil productivity levels and hybrids can respond differently to population increases, making seeding rate selection difficult.” To help determine seeding rates, Battles recommends starting with seeding rate trial data. The Golden Harvest seeding rate trial data is used to update the Corn Seeding Rate Calculator on the Golden Harvest website at tinyurl.com/5azpmcrj. “The calculator is a great tool for applying specific seeding rates to Golden Harvest hybrids when building variable rate planter scripts this spring,” Battles said. Battles encouraged far-mers to consider the agronomics of corn hybrids

before locking in ﬁnal seeding rates. For some hybrids, increased seeding rates can lead to greater risk of root and stalk lodging and may not realize any gain in yield potential. Meanwhile, some ﬁxed ear hybrids are extremely population driven and consistently respond to increasing seeding rates. DETERMINE THE RIGHT ROW SPACING FOR YOUR CORNFIELDS. “If a grower wants to adopt higher seeding rates, then the evaluation of row spacing becomes more important every year,” said Steve Wilkens, Golden Harvest agronomy manager. “We’ve found consistently that narrow rows allow for greater yield potential.” Like seeding rate, row spacing re-

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sponse in corn is heavily dependent on the environment and hybrids planted. As corn farmers adopt higher seeding rates, narrowing row spacing may be a way to see additional yield beneﬁts while minimizing lodging risks. “Narrow rows allow for an increased seeding rate without crowding plants closer together within the row, resulting in less interplant competition,” Battles said. “Since the average corn seeding rate in the U.S. is increasing by an average of 400 seeds per acre per year, implementing narrow rows will be a necessary management practice to accommodate growing plant populations somewhere in the near future.” Row spacing less than 30 inches wide is considered narrow rows. Battles noted that switching to narrow row spacing requires signiﬁ-

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BALANCE YOUR FIELDS’ SOIL NUTRIENTS. Soil fertility is a crucial component of high yield potential corn production. But more isn’t always better. “It’s not about just adding more nutrients,” Wilkens said. “It’s about careful nutrient placement and timing to make sure we can grow good corn, even on a conservative nutrient budget. We want to be as eﬃcient as possible and see a return

AG MATTERS | Shaw Media/ March 2022

cant commitment to change in wheel spacing and narrow row headers that will take time to recoup. He also reiterated that narrow row spacing may not make sense for every farmer and every acre. “Hybrids in diﬀerent geographies respond diﬀerently to changes in row spacing,” Battles said. “I suggest farmers contact their local seed adviser to select a hybrid that performs well in narrower rows in their yield environments.”

on our investment.” Wilkens recommends farmers place nutrients in a concentrated area around plant roots to enhance nutrient uptake and ultimately make the plant more efficient in producing kernels. Understanding the correct amount of fertilizer to apply is also important, as excessive levels of one nutrient will affect the uptake of others. For example, inadequate potassium soil levels may reduce the effectiveness of adding more nitrogen, which can, in turn, harm late-season stalk integrity. “Oftentimes, nutrient imbalances show up in late-season standability and stalk integrity, which slow down the combine, increase fuel use and decrease efficiency at harvest,” Wilkens said. “These are costs we can avoid when we understand nutrients and where they’re needed.” Erica Quinlan can be reached at 815410-2070, or equinlan@shawmedia. com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Quinlan.

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SCIENCE

Give soil a jump-start with cover crops Right about this time of year, depending on where you are in the Midwest, the soil is just starting to be workable, or soon will be. This is an exciting time for most farmers because it foreshadows the full-blown growing season. It’s also the perfect time (depending on Nick your crop plan!) for Frillman something else — a cover crop. If your University soil was not planted of Illinois over winter, giving it Extension a spring jump-start with a cover crop is advisable, especially if you won’t be planting until late May or early June (soybeans, tomatoes, peppers, and more). Like defrosting a chilly truck in the morning, a cover crop of oats and ﬁeld peas jump-starts your soil for a productive cash crop. In winter, the microbiology in our soil slows way down, just like most

of us do. This is especially true if they are not being fed by the root exudates of living plants. If your soil was bare over winter, its microbiology could do with a jump-start from a spring cover crop (like oats and field peas). The plant sugars released from cover crop roots will stimulate soil microbes and turn your soil “on” for the season! They’ll also hold onto more of your soil and any soil amendments through all the spring rain than bare ground. Finally, cash crops seem to do better in soils with high microbial activity, no matter if your cash crop is soybeans or tomatoes, sunflower, or pumpkins. Oats and field pea are selected as a common spring cover crop for four main reasons: • Both are frost-tolerant; hardiness is important when establishing an early spring cover crop • A thick mat of green biomass is developed by both species, smothering weeds until cash crop planting • At approximately 10 weeks (late May/early June) both cover crops are

Field pea cover crop in flower. mature and suitable for termination — just in time for cash crop planting • Leguminous cover crops like ﬁeld

PHOTO BY NICK FRILLMAN

pea have the capability to capture atmospheric nitrogen and aﬃx it to their roots; a mature ﬁeld pea crop

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ORGANIC FARMS The primary termination method for organic production is mowing. Mowing may function as an initial termination approach for no-till and conventional crops, as well. • Mow cover crop to the ground when 50-75% of field pea is flowering, or oats are at milky stage. • Mowed residue should dry out on soil several days to assist with breakdown; flail mowers decrease drying time when compared to chop and drop implements. • Repeat mowing biweekly until

planting, this will eventually kill the plants, or proceed with additional termination techniques. CONVENTIONAL FARMS Based on acreage, burn-down termination of a cover crop would be most suitable for a conventional practice. • Spray cover crop at maturity stage listed above (50-75% field pea flowering, oats at milky stage). • Allow plants to brown and die off. • Mow plant residue after one week. Note: Take care to follow best practices regarding safe re-entry period NO-TILL FARMS No-till farms follow a range of production practices depending upon size. A no-till farm may follow termination steps detailed for an organic farm or it may incorporate the burndown method similar to a conventional farm. SMALL, DIVERSIFIED FARMS (TYPICALLY ORGANIC) Occultation of a cover crop via the two-step approach of mowing and silage tarping is a termination method suitable for very small farms (less than 150,000 square feet). I serve quite a few small farmers who like the silage tarp as an option; some of these folks only have a few hundred to a thousand or so row feet of cover crops, and they are organic or follow-

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ing organic practices. • Plan to plant cover crop earlier (first week of March) to account for tarping time. • Complete mow down as directed under Organic Farms (above) with a flail mower for best results. • Cover the mowed area after at least two days of dry weather with silage tarp. • Seal edges every several yards with bricks, sandbags, cinderblocks, etc., to maintain good tarp to soil contact. • Keep covered for a minimum of three weeks (preferably four weeks) during spring or fall. • Upon removal, your partially decomposed cover crop is ready for planting. • The decomposed area can be topdressed with compost for direct seeding or transplanting. Note: Occultation is technique that disrupts growth by blocking photosynthesis (via an opaque tarp) and kills young or injured plants. This technique is most effective for small operations (less than 150,000 square feet). Because of cool weather in spring, tarping at least three weeks prior to planting date is recommended, and 4 weeks is better. Regardless of the technique used, the main concern is regrowth potential of the oats: it’s a grass! Like your front yard’s grass, it wants to grow back. If you address re-growth by the

techniques listed above, you will be successful. Contact Illinois Extension with any questions. More resources: Cover Crops as a Nitrogen Source — For more on the nitrogen-fixing potential of peas and other covers: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/ cover_crops_as_nitrogen_source. The Midwest Cover Crops Council Decision-Making Tool — To see where cover crops fit in your rotation: https://mccc.msu.edu/covercroptool/. Cover Crops: What a Difference a Few Weeks Makes! — A publication from Cornell University showing data on biomass accumulations above/belowground and comparisons of different cover crop options; go to pages 3-6 for information on the oats/field pea mix: http://www.hort.cornell. edu/extension/organic/ocs/reports/ Cover%20Crops%20Planting%20 and%20Termination.pdf. Consider Cover Crops This Fall — An article where I advocate the same covers mix, discuss the 101 cover crop basics for good germination, establishment and more if you are new to the cover crops game: https:// extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/ consider-cover-crops-fall. Nick Frillman in a University of Illinois Extension local foods systems and small farms educator.

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can increase soil-available nitrogen up to 150 pounds of N per acre, according to Michigan State University Extension. For eﬀective cover cropping in Zone 5, follow this timetable: • Mid-March (week 2): Plant cover crop. • Late May (week 3 or 4): Terminate cover crop. • Mid-June (week 1 – 3): Direct seed or plant transplants. Note: if you have extra time until planting, let your cover crop grow more (but not to maturity, lest you create a weed problem)! I get a lot of questions about cover crop termination. To terminate a successful oats and ﬁeld pea cover crop, there are quite a few options, and they all depend on your philosophy and approach to farming:

LIVESTOCK

Cutting cow comfort hurts bottom line

DULUTH, Ga. — As the cost of doing business goes up, the natural reaction is to increase efficiencies and decrease expenses. In doing so, dairy producers may unknowingly impact cow comfort, which could lead to a reduction in profitability. “We know that a comfortable cow makes more milk,” said Linda Tikofsky, Boehringer Ingelheim senior associate director of dairy professional veterinary services. “We want cows to stay in the herd longer so there’s a better return on the heifer investment. Making sure cows are healthy and able to rest and avoid stress will benefit a producer in the long run.” One area where producers may choose to cut back is parasite prevention. It’s easy for a problem like lice or mange to go unnoticed in the herd, but this can impact a cow’s performance. “Even a little bit of itching or scratching takes away from the cows’ time budget of lying down or eating,” Tikofsky said. “If they are spending time rubbing on things, it means they are uncomfortable, which in turn

means less milk. We know that every additional hour of rest results in 3.5 pounds of milk per day, so we want our animals to be as comfortable as possible.” Tikofsky recommends employing a program in the late fall or early winter using a dewormer that kills multiple species and stages of parasites with a high eﬃcacy rating. If additions are made to the herd, it’s important to pour a dewormer onto the new animals before putting them in with others. “It’s important to treat the whole

herd and not just those that have the physical, clinical signs of parasites,” Tikofsky said. “Producers should also look at the weight of the animal w h e n pouring on a deworm er to ensure they are dosing accurately. It’s not a one-sizefits-all type of application, so they should adjust the pour as needed.” Another area where a producer may skew from the norm is at dry-oﬀ. To put as much milk in the tank as pos-

sible, producers may be tempted to abruptly dry off cows that are still producing high amounts of milk. This not only makes it uncomfortable for the animal, but can also lead to mastitis and other health problems down the line. “We know high-producing cows are less likely to form their own keratin plug and may have teat ends open, which makes them susceptible to mastitis infection during the dry period,” Tikofsky said. “Using a nutritional supplement that helps reduce milk production at dry-off will help reduce udder engorgement and milk leakage.” Research shows that cows should be producing 33 pounds or less at dry-off to improve udder health. In the past, this was done through diet or reducing the number of milkings. However, by using a nutritional supplement of two boluses at eight to 12 hours before the last milking, milk production is reduced, and cows can focus on rest and preparing for their next lactation.

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TECHNOLOGY

Less is more

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Dave Murphy was on hand at the 2022 Quad Cities Farm Show to talk to farmers about 360 Yield’s new products — but it was a product that has been in the 360 Yield lineup that was getting the most interest. The 360 Yield Bandit, which bands nitrogen fertilizer next to the seed row and within reach of where a corn plant will need it at the appropriate growth stage, has been in the 360 Yield lineup for three years. This year, with prices and supplies of nitrogen fertilizer at high levels of uncertainty, the equipment that can reduce nitrogen rates by up to 30% has been a popular item.

Conserving nitrogen with technology By Jeannine Otto

AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS

MOLINE, Ill. — In a time when nitrogen fertilizer supplies are expensive, and obtaining the physical quantities are uncertain, farmers are turning to technology to help conserve fertilizer. Some of that technology was drawing interest from farmers recently at the Quad Cities Farm Show. The 360 Yield Bandit positions nitrogen fertilizer in a band next to the row of seed and the 360 Yield Wave delivers fertilizer in the furrow. “With farmers facing nitrogen costs that are double or triple or more this year, by taking what was once a broadcast application over every square foot of the acre and banding that next to the row, you have a tremendous eﬃciency gain. Most growers can either use less or get more fertilizer into the plant by putting it next to the row,” said Dave Murphy, 360 Yield regional agronomist for northern Illinois. Murphy said both products have been popular items in the 360 Yield

lineup, but it was the 360 Yield Bandit that was drawing the bulk of farmer interest at farm shows. The Bandit has been in the product lineup for around three years. “If you traditionally apply nitrogen in any form, whether that’s broadcast or dry, anhydrous or broadcast liquid, you are fertilizing every square foot. Now, by utilizing your planter, you are already making that pass across the field,” Murphy said. While installing the technology can require a bit more labor, Murphy said the company offers technical assistance with that. “It’s a little bit more effort to outfit tanks, pumps and plumbing on a planter, but we have tools to make that as simple as possible,” he said. In terms of ROI and yield, 360 Yield plot results show success in reducing nitrogen rates and costs. “If you are using liquid nitrogen as a carrier for your spring herbicide and you are spreading it that way, a common practice, if you eliminated that and started banding it next to the row,

yield results would say you could reduce your rate by 30% immediately,” Murphy said.

Jeannine Otto can be reached at jotto@shawmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Otto.

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ILLINOIS BEEF EXPO

Now hear this

Ear tags monitor cattle health By Martha Blum

“The information is fed to an app on your phone so you know which cattle need attention ﬁrst,” explained BenSPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Cattlemen son from the Merck booth at the trade now have the ability to monitor their show during the Illinois Beef Expo. cattle with an app on their phone and “The tag monitors the cattle 24/7 vera new ear tag from Merck Animal sus having someone walk the pens Health. twice a day for 10 minutes.” The SenseHub “Cattle only have Beef tags were so much lung capac“The information is fed ity so if we can get launched during the National Cattletreatment into them men’s Beef Associa- to an app on your phone two days earlier, that tion’s Trade Show. can save that much so you know which “This technology more lung capacity is from our new divito be a productive cattle need attention sion Merck Animal animal,” she said. Health Intelligence,” “When an animal first.” said Sara Benson needs attention, with Merck Animal there is a blinking Sara Benson with Merck Health. “The ear tags light on the tag.” Animal Health read body temperaThe SenseHub tag ture and locomotion also provides heat to help monitor the cattle health when detection. they’re on pasture or in the feedlot.” “It shows when the cows are in heat, The SenseHub tags continuously what stage of heat they are in and the monitor the cattle. best time to breed them,” Benson said. AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS

Matt Greger talks about some of the minerals and custom mixes available from Pike Feeds from his booth at the trade show during the Illinois Beef Expo. The 30-year-old company will work with any livestock operation regardless of size.

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custom mix products at their feed mill located neat Pittsfield. “My dad, Mark, started this business and we celebrated 30 years last year,” Matt Greger said. “We work with all types of livestock producers in Illinois and Missouri.” The mill delivers feed to livestock producers in a 150- to 200-mile radius. “We do custom formulas, show feeds and feedlot balancers,” Greger said. “We work with every operation no matter the size and we offer bag feed to bulk feed.” Pike Feeds operates five tandem trucks and two auger trucks to deliver products to customers. “We provide old-school customer service, so if you call the mill today, you’re going to talk to my dad,” Greger said. From now until June, Pike Feeds is offering a spring mineral promotion. “For every 10 bags, you get one free,” Greger said. “With minerals costing $24 to $36 per bag, that’s a 10% savings.” Lance Ellsworth, co-founder and co-owner of Cattle Visions, was at the expo to help cattlemen make easier breeding decisions. “We are a semen marketing company, we also train people how to artificially inseminate and we have a barn for collecting bull semen,” he said. “We provide the most popular and productive bulls available to give cattlemen a successful calf crop they can market in the future,” said Ellsworth

AGRINEWS PHOTOS/MARTHA BLUM

Merck Animal Health representatives Jake Hlas (from left), Sara Benson and Brian Horning provide information to cattlemen about the proper use of tools to administer products, during the recent Illinois Beef Expo. about his company that is celebrating 20 years in business this year. Cattle Visions strives to provide the most beneﬁcial lineup of bulls to meet the needs of cattlemen. “Some guys look at carcass traits, others are focused on growth traits,” Ellsworth said. “We offer all beef breeds and there are about 2,000 bulls to choose from.” Illinois is a popular state for the company.

“Our goal has always been to have customers happy with the end product,” Ellsworth said. For more information about these companies, go to www.merck-animal-health.com, www.pikefeedsinc. com and www.cattlevisions.com. Martha Blum can be reached at 815410-2254, or mblum@shawmedia. com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Blum.

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“You can set it up to produce a report at any time of all your pens.” Some feedlot operations are putting SenseHub tags in their cattle because they can’t ﬁnd enough people to work at their operations. “And to train the labor to identify sick cattle takes time and it’s not easy to do,” Benson said. “Cattle are prey animals so they’re very good at trying to hide if they are sick, especially if you don’t have a level of stockmanship where they will display it for you,” she said. “I think we’ll see more of these tags get adopted by cattlemen.” Whisper on Arrival is another tool feedlot operators can use to evaluate cattle when they arrive at a feedlot to determine if they are likely to respond to antimicrobial therapy for Bovine Respiratory Disease control. “The wand has six stethoscope readers that measures four pieces of data — heart sound, lung sound, rectal temperature and body weight,” Benson said. “It lung scores cattle to tell you whether they need to be treated or not based oﬀ what they hear on the lungs.” A southern Illinois cattleman told Benson that Whisper on Arrival is saving him $10 per head on antibiotic costs. “That’s pretty substantial to not treat cattle that don’t need it,” she said. At the Pike Feeds booth, Matt Greger and Adam Fritz provided information about the company’s ability to

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