Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Scouting

Farmers, paid scouts of all kinds and interested suppliers are scouting fields all over the world as I write this.  It's kind of amazing if you think about it.  We invest so much money in a crop, it behooves us to watch its progress to see how it is doing.  Plant stands have been taken now in America so I imagine most are scouting for weeds, insects, and diseases.  Now would be a good time to pull plant tissue for a plant tissue test in flowering corn, soybeans, spring wheat and other crops.

Corn pollination is being closely watched across the midwest.  Pollination is critical to full yield.  There are some problems but overall, pollination seems to be going pretty well.  Many notice some of the longest silks they can remember in recent history.  Excess water and temperature extremes have caused the corn plants to make sure there is enough silk for pollen to fall onto.

I just finished scouting 2,000 acres of soybeans bound for Asian delivery next year.  Overall that crop is in good shape.  The main reason I am there is to ensure the variety the buyer wants to buy is the one planted in the mapped fields.  I only found a couple of problems, probably due to seed mixups.  Clear or yellow hilum soybeans are in demand again around the world to make tofu and various foods containing soybeans.

While I am there, I check crop and field conditions, field borders, and identify every weed, disease and insect problem I find in that field.  Marestail and Giant Ragweed is marked in almost every field.  Most fields have only a light or low population but some are moderate populations and some fields have heavy areas of weeds where weed control failed.  I mark my scouting forms accordingly.

I've enjoyed walking fields since I was able to walk.  I like to teach others what I've learned also so I've trained many scouts.

How do crops look where you live?  The crop looks so good the market has taken $2 off the corn crop for fall delivery and $3 per bushel off the soybean crop.  This is cause for great concern when the farmers budget was predicting a higher price next year.  Extra bushels this year may offset this lost and it may not.

Scouting with the spray rig doesn't count.  You've got to get out and cover every acre of every field all summer if you really want to see what is going on in your fields.

That's the game of farming.

Ed Winkle

3 comments:

  1. Last year harvesting the worste beans i have taken the combine over and getting the highest price sucked......first year I ran the combine on my own when dad was layed up sick we had beans out our ears and the were worth $5. I'd rather have more beans because i grew something....this not growing anything was depressing!

    A neighbor stopped awhile back when I was scouting beans. He didnt know what I was doing. Told him I'm no expert but if I see something funky I'm taking a picture and hitting the computer to figure it out.

    TWH is still the #1 weed here....some fields are clean and i got 2 train wrecks....others just a scattered one here and there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This year will be better Brad, I promise. Price may not be as good as last year but you will have more bushels.

    Scouting is one of the most important skills I learned, right up there with notilling.

    These weeds concern me. We have to get more serious about them.

    Ed

    ReplyDelete
  3. タオバオ代行:http://jpdaikou.rigouwang.com
    タオバオ代行:http://www.86daikou.com
    タオバオ代行:http://www.tbdaikou.com
    タオバオ代行:http://www.daikounabi.com
    タオバオスズキ:http://www.タオバオスズキ.com
    タオバオ代行なび:http://www.タオバオ代行なび.com
    タオバオ代行王:http://www.タオバオ代行王.biz
    タオバオ仕入れ:http://www.タオバオ仕入れ.com
    タオバオ購入方法:http://www.タオバオ購入方法.com
    タオバオ個人輸入:http://www.タオバオ個人輸入.com
    タオバオ使い方:http://www.タオバオ使い方.com
    タオバオ日本語:http://www.タオバオ日本語.com
    タオバオ代行業者:http://www.タオバオ代行業者.com
    タオバオ代行格安:http://www.タオバオ代行格安.com
    タオバオ代行隊:http://www.タオバオ代行隊.com
    タオバオ出品代行:http://www.タオバオ出品代行.net
    タオバオ購入代行:http://www.タオバオ購入代行.com
    タオバオ代行達人:http://www.タオバオ代行達人.com
    タオバオ代行評価:http://www.タオバオ代行評価.com
    タオバオ代行金:http://www.タオバオ代行金.com
    タオバオ代行早い:http://www.タオバオ代行早い.com
    タオバオ代行支払い:http://www.タオバオ代行支い.com
    タオバオ代行センター:http://www.タオバオ代行センター.com
    タオバオ代行送料:http://www.タオバオ代行送料.com
    タオバオ代行なび:http://www.タオバオ代行なび.com
    タオバオ購入:http://www.タオバオ購入.com
    タオバオ代行便:http://www.タオバオ代行便.com
    タオバオ代行新幹線:http://www.タオバオ代行新幹線.com
    中国タオバオ:http://www.中国タオバオ.com
    タオバオ出品:http://www.タオバオ出品.com
    タオバオスズキ:http://www.タオバオスズキ.com
    タオバオ出店代行:http://www.タオバオ出店代行.com
    中国代行:http://www.中国代行.net
    中国タオバオ代行:http://www.中国タオバオ代行.com
    中国ネットショッピング:http://www.中国ネットショッピング.com
    taobao代行:http://www.taobao代行.com
    タオバオ代行:http://www.tbdaikou.com
    タオバオ代行:http://www.daikounabi.com
    タオバオ代行比較:http://www.タオバオ代行比較.biz/

    ReplyDelete