BENTON AG Plus
Serving rural Benton, Morrison, Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties
Sauk Rapids Herald | Saturday, May 1, 2021
Alfalfa stand Cyan’s assessments
cattle
FFA member receives grant to expand herd BY ELLARRY PRENTICE STAFF WRITER
MILACA – In rural Milaca, 16-year-old Cyan Steinbrecher pulls on a pair of cowgirl boots, dashes out of a white farmhouse and skips to her favorite spot: the pasture, smiling all the way. The smiles continue as a calf walks to her, and she affectionately pets the new member of her herd. If home is where the heart is, then Cyan was destined to live on her family’s S Lazy K Ranch. Cyan’s parents, Shawn and Kerri, know where to find her if she is not in the house. She is most likely inside the fence with Disney characters that moo. Her little red calf is one of four bovines named after some of her favorite animated movies. Just under 40 acres, the
Spreaders
•
PHOTO BY ELLARRY PRENTICE
Cyan Steinbrecher stands with her Shorthorn cow Moana April 24 in rural Milaca. Steinbrecher was awarded a $1,000 grant from the National FFA Foundation and plans to use it to expand her cattle herd.
Steinbrecher farm is also home to horses, donkeys and dogs, all adored by Cyan. The feelings are mutual. “The animals just love her,” Kerri said. “That’s really something to appreciate.” For Cyan, her parents and her brother, Rollie,
there is plenty of love to go around. “They seem to capture everybody’s hearts,” Shawn said of their livestock, which also includes free-range chickens. A sophomore at Milaca High School, Cyan is a member of the FFA chapter and proudly wears
the blue-and-gold jacket she earned from the Milaca FFA Foundation. Cyan was recently awarded a $1,000 grant from the National FFA Organization for her Supervised Agricultural Experience, or SAE, beef entrepreneurship project. Cyan page 2B
TEDDERS • RAKES Miller Pro 1100 rotary rake
TEDDERS
$5,995
10’-26’ On Hand
Tonutti 8 wheel cart rake
& up to 56’ Units Available
WHEEL RAKES ALSO ON HAND!
FLUEGGE’S AG
ROD FLUEGGE “the boss” 2040 Mahogany St., Mora, MN 320-679-2981
$2,500
1960-2021 Celebrating 61 years!
BA-17-1-B-BL
Rubes Sponsored by Fluegge’s Ag
Despite colder temperatures, alfalfa stands appear to be looking nice heading into May. However, there can be differences between nicelooking fields and fields that will produce decent yields. This is why all stands need to be assessed University of each spring for winter MN Extension injury to make sure that by Nathan Drewitz winter injury issues are not going to surprise you. For stand assessments, focus on two parts: stem counts and root and crown health. With stem counts, we usually measure this as stems per square foot. The relationship between stem density and yield is constant; making this method reliable in estimating yield. The steps of the procedure are as follows: First, mark off a 2-square-foot section in each area you take a count. Next, count only those stems that are 2 inches or taller. Then, divide your count by two and average across all sections. This will get you to the necessary stems per square foot needed to check yields. Typically, stem counts over 55 stems per square foot indicates a good stand. In that condition, we would expect you could lose some plants and still produce good yields. Whereas, with stem densities of 39 stems per square foot or less, we would expect yields in those stands to be low enough to consider replacing. When it comes to assessing stands visually, typically, we start from the top down. Looking at the tops of alfalfa plants, we look for symmetry of the buds coming from all sides of the crown. Asymmetrical plants indicate winter injury occurred and yield potential may be lower. At this point, you will also want to check to see if the root system is up out of the ground. Alfalfa page 3B
Farm Material Handling Specialist WWW.FLUEGGESAG.COM