Spring Malting Barley Seed Availability 2014

This article was originally written for and distributed to farmers and other members of the agricultural industry in western New York.

A PDF file of this article is available here.

Farmers interested in purchasing spring malting barley seed in 2014 have a number of varieties available in New York. The 2013 Cornell Small Grain Variety Trial results are available here. All varieties should be drilled at about 2 bu/A (~100 lb./A) and about 1 inch deep. Planting after April 15th will result in reduced yields. See the Growing Malting Barley in NY bulletin for information about malting barley production practices. Both 6-row and 2-row malting barleys are being used in New York to make high quality beers and whiskey. The 6-row varieties generally have better agronomic traits (yield, disease resistance, resistance to lodging, etc.) than 2-row varieties under the climatic conditions of the Northeast. Historically 2-row varieties were preferred by brewers, but breeding advancements in the past 20-50 years have essentially eliminated the previous gap between 6-row and 2-row varieties for the needs of the craft brewing industry in the United States. For more discussion of 6-row vs. 2-row malting barley see these articles from Oregon State University and the Brewers' Market Guide.

Quest is a 6-row spring variety certified by the University of Minnesota and is available through Seedway representatives and their affiliates. Quest has been bred specifically to have partial resistance to Fusarium head blight. Fusarium head blight is the major disease of malting barley in New York and the source of DON (deoxynivalenol a.k.a vomitoxin) in all small grains. In the 2013 Cornell Variety Trial, Quest was ranked 3rd in yield, 3rd in malting quality, and had low lodging and disease incidence ratings. Contact your local representative or Adam Robertson by phone: (585) 435-7165 or email: arobertson@seedway.com. 

Conlon is a 2-row spring variety certified by North Dakota State University and is available through Preferred Seed representatives and their affiliates. In the 2013 Cornell Variety Trial, Conlon was ranked 12th in yield, 1st in malting quality, had low disease incidence ratings, but had moderately higher lodging ratings than other varieties. If growing this variety put on a lower amount of spring nitrogen (maximum of ~40 lb./A) compared to other varieties (maximum of ~60 lb./A). Contact your local representative or Garrett Coleman by phone: (814) 381-6809 or email: garrett@preferredseed.com.

AC Metcalfe, CDC Copeland, CDC Meredith, and Newdale are all 2-row spring varieties of certified seed from Canada and are available through FICO Farms out of Rochester, NY. In the 2013 Cornell Variety Trial, AC Metcalfe was 15th in yield, 16th in quality, and had moderately higher lodging and disease incidence ratings. CDC Copeland and CDC Meredith were not entered in the 2013 trial. Newdale was 4th in yield, 17th in malt quality, had lower lodging ratings, but higher disease incidence ratings in the 2013 trial. Contact Paul Filippetti by phone: (585) 770-4702 or email: FICOfarms@yahoo.com.

Lakeview Organics can supply organically certified spring malting barley seed out of the Midwest. For more information about seed availability contact Mary Howell-Martin by phone: (315) 531-1038 or email: sales@lakevieworganicgrain.com.

Evaluating Small Grains for Winter Injury

This article was originally written for and distributed to farmers and other members of the agricultural industry in western New York.

A PDF file of this article is available here.

The late fall planting dates combined with the extreme cold this winter have made winter injury a real possibility for a number of small grain crops grown in northwestern NY. Areas where there was little-to-no snow cover during the cold spells have the highest risk of crop loss. Good planting practices can go a long way to reduce the risk of winterkill to barley, wheat, triticale, spelt, & rye but the weather also plays a large role in the winter survival of these crops.

Figure 1: Winterkill Patches in Wheat

Source: University of Minnesota

Effects of Management

Shallow planting depths (less than 1 inch) lead to shallow crown development. These plants may literally be “thrown” out of the soil as the field freezes and thaws. Planting with a drill usually eliminates this risk. However shallower planted small grains can develop an adequate root system if planted early in the fall (usually September in our region). Some varieties and some small grain species are more susceptible to winterkill than others. Rye is the most hardy winter small grain, followed by triticale, wheat, spelt, and finally barley. Placing phosphorous fertilizer with the small grain seed, having adequate amounts of other nutrients, and the proper soil pH also increases winter hardiness and yield. Parts of the field that are lower and wetter will have poorer stands than the better drained areas. Damage from ice sheeting is also common in low, wet areas. If the small grain has 2 or more tillers and a well-developed crown root system there is a much greater chance of the crop surviving the winter with little-to-no damage. A small grain crop can also be too large going into winter. If the top growth is greater than 6-8 inches there is an increased risk of snow mold killing the small grain as it smothers itself under the snow.

Effects of Weather

When the fall temperatures quickly drop-off to the teens or lower from above 40°-50°F, small grains are at a higher risk of winter injury than years where the change in air temperatures are more gradual. Most areas in northwestern NY had a gradual change in fall temperatures, but some pockets saw the temperatures fall quickly. During the winter, snow cover and soil moisture are critical to keep the soil temperatures warm enough to protect the crowns of small grains. When temperatures are -10°F or colder and there is no snow cover winterkill risk of small grains increases. Many areas in our region, especially east of Rochester, experienced these conditions this winter. Fields that had even an inch or two of snow are at much lower risk of sustaining damage to the small grain crowns. Soil temperatures increase with deeper soil depths—fields drilled at 1-1.5 inches will have deeper crowns (at warmer temperatures) than small grain fields that were broadcasted and packed into the upper 0.5 inch of the soil. The soils in NY generally have adequate moisture in the winter to reduce the risk of injury to small grains compared to the dryer soil conditions of the Great Plains. However high winds, in combination with low temperatures and little snow cover, can also cause significant damage to small grains from drying out the plants & damaging vascular tissue despite higher soil moisture levels.

Evaluation of Small Grain Crops

An easy way to test for winter damage in small grains is to bring in a few plants from each field, place them in pots and watch them. If the plants do not green up after a week with warm temps and water, they are dead. If the small grain greens up a little, but then slowly dies back there is damage to the xylem and phloem. These tissues move the water and plant sugars through crop similar to how veins and arteries work in animals. Extremely cold temperatures, especially with high winds can fracture the crop’s vascular tissues, much like breaking a straw, which leads to a slow plant death. If the crowns are white then they are not damaged, but brown crowns will not recover, Figure 2. A more detailed method of evaluating small grain crowns for winterkill is available from the University of Nebraska.

Figure 2: Dead, Damaged, & Healthy Crowns of Winter Wheat

Source: Washington State University

Contact your crop consultant, myself, or Mike Stanyard if you have a question about small grain stand evaluation.

Mapping Management Zones with Soil Conductivity

This article was originally written for and distributed to farmers and other members of the agricultural industry in western New York.

A PDF file of this article is available here.

By measuring differences in conductivity across the field in combination with GPS data, management zones can be identified for variable rate management. Currently the NY Corn and Soybean Growers Association is in the early stages of conducting on-farm research across the state of New York using the Veris system in conjunction with variable seeding rates and fertilizer rates in corn and soybeans across many soil types. Additionally mapping soil conductivity can enable variable herbicide rates corresponding different in organic matter levels and soil types. Many consulting companies and individual farms are also exploring soil conductivity in northwestern NY.

What is Soil Conductivity?

It is a measurement of how well the soil conducts electricity.  Two types of technology are available for measuring electrical conductivity in the soil. The sensors are either contact (Veris) or non-contact (Geonics Limited and Geophex). Both types measure the ability of the soil to conduct an electrical current. The output is usually recorded as units of milliSiemens per meter (mS/m) or deciSiemens per meter (dS/m) (1 dS/m = 100 mS/m). Contact sensors have at least one coulter sending electrical current into the soil (transmitting electrode) and at least one other coulter (receiving electrode) which measures the volt­age drop between the electrodes. Veris units operate with this technology, are the mostly widely used, and a schematic is pictured in Figure 1. Often multiple sets of sensors will run at multiple depths to better examine the variation in soil composition across a field.

Figure 1: Contact Soil Conductivity Unit

Source: Veris Technologies

Non-contact sensors use elec­tromagnetic induction and do not come into contact with the soil relying on a transmitter and receiver coil mounted on a non-metallic frame. A metal frame would interfere with the elec­tromagnetic induction readings. The EM38 (Geonics Limited) and GEM-2 (Geophex) sensors utilize this technology. Often these non-contact sensors are used in smaller scale research plots, but some commercial scale equipment is available.

Incorporating Soil Conductivity Data on Your Farm

Soil electrical conductivity will vary with soil moisture, temperature, soil type, organic matter, manure application, & salinity. Soil conductivity decreases in dry soils compared to wet soil and as the soil temperature falls. While the actual soil conductivity numbers change with varying moisture and temperature conditions, the management zones that are calculated from the relative differences often are the same. Unless a field has a patch of pure sand, the soil electrical conductivity usually only varies by 5 to 10% across soil types.

 

Data can be gathered under many field conditions for these units. For more operational information on measuring soil conductivity, soil OM, and soil pH mapping equipment, check out these videos on the Precision Ag section on www.nwny.org.

Variation of conductivity across soil types is the one of the main advantages of using this technology. While the maps are often very similar to the NRCS soil maps, soil conductivity maps have a finer resolution. They can also correct the border areas between soil types that are not accurately depicted in a soil survey. Soil conductivity increases with increasing organic matter, and will make a more detailed map than grid soil sampling alone. Targeted soil samples should still be taken on a regular basis within management zones. Soil samples will still require wet chemistry analysis as in-field measurements of minerals are still in the early stages of development.

Care must be used when mapping fields after manure applications. Manure contains relatively high levels of salts compared to soils. Soil conductivity measurements will increase as the amount of manure applied increases. It is best to measure fields prior to manure application. Soils from the Great Plains often contain high salt levels and mapping salinity values for management zone creation is valuable on the high plains, but not in NY.

The information layer from soil conductivity should be used in combination with the NRCS soil layer, traditional soil test data, and multiple years of yield map data to form management zones on farms. Any one of these pieces of information in isolation is not as valuable as combining them together to plan for variable rate management of seeds, fertilizers, lime, and herbicides. 

Variable Rate Fertility Management

This article was originally written for and distributed to farmers and other members of the agricultural industry in western New York.

A PDF file of this article is available here.

Fertility is the foundation of high forage and grain yields. With the large variation in soil types in many crop fields of the Northeast, variable rate fertility management is a natural step to take to improve crop yields. Defining management zones with significant differences in fertility requirements and applying the inputs most likely to respond to variable rate management are for essential success. In northwestern NY grain and forage crops will most likely respond to applying variable rates of lime, potassium, & nitrogen. Variable phosphorous and sulfur rates also have potential for inclusion in fertility programs.

Defining Management Zones
The first step in variable rate management is identifying separate areas of each field that will receive different rates of nutrients. These management zones often use some combination of traditional soil tests (grid or zone sampling), data from a Veris unit or similar machine that measures soil conductivity (and in some cases pH and organic matter), the NRCS soil type maps, satellite or aerial images, and multiple years of yield data. Currently yield maps are easiest to generate during grain harvest, while forage yield monitoring is still in its infancy. Most farms have at least three management zones (low, medium, and high yield potentials) across their farm, though it’s possible to have many more.

In some cases there may not be enough difference between management zones to justify variable rate applications. For example if the fertilizer recommendations for potassium were 80 lb./acre, 90 lb./acre, & 100 lb./acre of K2O in three different management zones in the same field variable rate management would not be very beneficial. Another field with potassium recommendations of 50 lb./acre, 100 lb./acre, and 150 lb./acre in different management zones would probably worth the effort and added expense of variable rate management. Another factor to consider before going down the road of variable rate management is what rates are possible to apply with the equipment available. Having management zones requiring 15 lb./acre difference in fertilizer does not do a farmer any good if they can only vary their application rate by 25 lb./acre increments.

Prioritizing Variable Rate Fertility Inputs
Before any variable fertilizer is applied, variations in soil pH should be determined within each management zone. Different soil types have vastly different liming requirements in order to change soil pH. A sandy soil would only need 0.5 ton/acre of lime to raise the pH from 6.0 to 7.0, while a loamy soil would need 1.5 tons/acre and a clay soil would need 3.0 tons/acre of lime (100% effective neutralizing value). With the cost of lime and the wide range of soil types within fields, variable rate liming will be a sound investment on many farms. While variations in soil pH have traditionally been determined by grid sampling and wet chemistry analyses, on-the-go sensors now have the ability to reasonably measure soil pH directly in the field at a much finer resolution than traditional soil sampling. These in-field units also greatly reduce analysis costs, making them an attractive option for farmers. It’s important to note that in-field measurements of crop nutrients are still in the early stages of development, and targeted soil sampling within management zones will still be necessary for the foreseeable future.

While there are 16 essential plant elements for growth, the focus of fertility programs has traditionally been on the big three—nitrogen, phosphorus, & potassium. Crops remove higher amounts of potassium and nitrogen than other any other nutrient, Table 1, making them the most likely candidates for increases in yields and profits from variable rate management. Additionally the increases in nitrogen and potassium fertilizer prices in recent years have made variable rate management of these nutrients a very attractive option to farmers. Soil types vary considerably in their ability to supply potassium to crops. When growing corn a very-low testing clay only requires ~50 lb. K2O/acre, but a silt loam would need ~80 lb. K2O/acre and sand ~120 lb. K2O/acre. In addition to potassium supply differences based on soil type, crops also removed different amounts of potassium, Table 1. Alfalfa, soybean, corn silage, and possibly grass fields are great candidates for variable rate potassium management given their high demands for this nutrient.


The story is a little more complicated for nitrogen variable rate management compared to potassium. Given the dynamic nature of nitrogen, methods that include in field measurements of organic matter, NDVI, and crop biomass are being adopted to fine tune nitrogen application rates beyond simple management zone assignment. There is some debate how much nitrogen to apply to the low, medium, & high testing areas of the field. Should the low yielding areas be pushed with more fertilizer? Should the high areas be given an extra boost? According Josh McGrath of the University of Maryland when discussing variable rate nitrogen management in corn,"When we side-dress corn at V6-V8 using NDVI and reference strips (a strip with more than sufficient N applied at planting and a strip with no N applied before side-dress) we can apply based on responsiveness and yield goal, applying the lowest rate to the low yield potential areas, medium rates to the highest yielding, highly responsive areas, and the highest rates to the areas that have high yield potential, but perhaps less soil supply. This approach accounts for yield potential and N responsiveness." We will be evaluating Professor McGrath’s method during the 2014 season and are currently seeking farms to participate. Besides corn, variable  nitrogen management is a great fit in small grain fields and potentially pure grass stands. However fields with long-term manure histories may not be as responsive to variable rate nitrogen applications compared to those without manure due to the long-term build-up of nitrogen from the manure’s organic matter. However manure fields have not always received uniform levels of application, presenting another opportunity for variable rate management.

Table 1:Crop Nutrient Removal

Source: Adapted from Table 9-1, pp. 299-300 in Soil Fertility and Fertilizers 

1 Nutrients removed from corn grain (200 bu corn at 56 lb./bu corn) plus 6 tons of corn stover

Responses to variable rate management are also common for phosphorous in grain crops, but fertilizer placement is as important as the rate of phosphorus fertilizer applied. Work from Ontario has shown a larger yield response from placing MAP near the wheat seed compared to broadcasting 4 times as much MAP on the surface. Similar to nitrogen, fields with a history of manure applications may be less likely to respond to variable phosphorus rates.

Prior to the Clean Air Act, the sulfur in the acid rain across the Northeast also supplied most, it not all, of the sulfur needs of the crops in the region. Now most crops respond to sulfur applications in the 15-25 lb./acre range. While less work has been done with variable rate sulfur fertility than other crops, using soil organic matter levels to define low, medium, and high management zones is a good place to start if the field does not have long-term manure history. It may difficult to vary sulfur applications due the relatively low levels of application and the type of application equipment available. Variable rates of lime based on correcting soil pH will likely supply the variable rate calcium and magnesium needed by crops that is not already supplied by the soil. All liming materials contain very high levels of calcium (and some supply magnesium), many Northeast soils contain high amounts of calcium and magnesium, and crop removal of calcium and magnesium is relatively low compared to other nutrients for most crops, Table 1. If soil Mg tests are low, dolomitic lime should be instead of a CaCO3 (high calcium) lime to replace the Mg removed by the crops. However balancing soil for Ca:Mg:K ratios has not been demonstrated to consistently improved crop yields, quality, or other parameters in University research trials. Additionally it is difficult to document a change in soil base saturation independent of soil pH. Variable rate liming to manage soil pH with a high calcium lime or dolomitic lime (if soil Mg is low) will supply the needed calcium and magnesium needed by the crops commonly grown in NY in most, if not all, situations.

The likelihood of micro-nutrients responding to variable rate management is very low. In most cases uniform application will provide the needed nutrient across the entire field. Zinc applications are becoming more common in corn, manganese in soybeans, and boron in a variety of crops. Additionally applying very small variable rates of micro-nutrients will likely be more difficult than other nutrients applied at much higher rates. If foliar applications at variable or uniform rates of these or other micro-nutrients are attempted they should be based on tissue tests. Sandy & muck soils, soils without manure history, and soils with extreme pH levels (<6.0 or >7.0) are most likely to respond to micro-nutrients.

Making multiple applications of nitrogen and potassium will also improve fertilizer crop uptake and yield on many farms. Nitrogen losses can be greatly decreased with multiple applications to corn, wheat, and grass fields. Applying all of the nitrogen at the beginning of the season greatly increases the risk of nitrogen loss due to yearly spring rains. As potassium application rates increase on haylage fields spreading the total fertilizer application across multiple cuttings becomes necessary to keep forage K at desirable levels while allowing for more efficient use of potassium throughout the growing season.

In order to have success with variable rate fertility management zones must have differences in fertilizer and lime rates that are worth the investment of variable rate management. The application equipment also needs to be able to apply the desired rates. Money spent on variable rate fertility should be prioritized to the inputs used at the highest levels (lime, potassium, & nitrogen), followed by those with a reasonable chance of a response (phosphorus & sulfur), and only then the micro-nutrients (zinc, manganese, boron, copper, etc.).

Dairy Business East Feb 2014 Articles

Check out a couple of articles I recently authored for Dairy Business East Feb 2014. "Growing triticale silage in the Northeast" on pages 24 and 25 & "Fungicides on forage?" on pages 26 and 27, http://magazines.dairybusiness.com/dbefeb14/.

Growing Malting Barley

• Work very closely with your local malt house or distillery to secure a market for your barley and have a secondary market (feed) planned for your barley planned prior to planting. Work closely with your local Cooperative Extension agent or crop consultant to grow malting barley. North Dakota State has a great summary for feeding barley to beef cows (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/beef/as1609.pdf).

• Plant varieties previously grown in your area in the variety trials. Yield, test weight, disease resistance, malt quality, and other traits should be known. Winter varieties typically yield 70-90 bu/A while spring varieties usually yield 40-60 bu/A in the Northeastern US.

Malting Barley Variety Trial in Monroe County, NY

• Malting barley should be grown in well-drained soils with pH from 6.3-7.0. Winter varieties should receive 10-20 lb/A of nitrogen and 10-25 lbs. of phosphorous at planting. Lower spring nitrogen rates (10-50 lb/A) need to be used to keep barley crude protein between 9 and 12% DM. Long-term manure fields may not need any additional nitrogen. A small amount of nitrogen (10-30 lb/A) should be applied to malting barley following a alfalfa, clover, or a grass sod. For other nutrients see the “Fertilizers for small grains” table in the Cornell Guide for Integrated Field Crop Management. If growing for a distilling market do not apply sulfur fertilizer or grow on manured ground.

• Malting barley should be drilled at 1.5 inches deep and at a rate of about 100 lb/A (~2 bu/A). Winter varieties should be planted in September if possible. October plantings have a higher chance of winterkill. Spring varieties should be planted as early as possible. For every day that planting is delayed after April 15^th spring malting barley will have yield losses of 1 bu/A.

• Broad-leaf weeds have been effectively controlled with Harmony Extra in western New York fields. Using 2,4-D should be avoided as some small grain heads have been observed to not fully come out of the boot stage. Organic systems will rely on summer tillage to germinate weeds prior to planting along with appropriate field operations at the time of planting.

• Cereal leaf beetle will be the major insect pest in malting barley. Thresholds are (3 larvae per stem prior to flag leaf stage, & 1 per flag leaf at or after Feekes 9.0). Insecticides labeled for other small grains should include barley on the label. No organic control options are available.

Cereal Leaf Beetle, Photo by Phillip Glogoza North Dakota State University

• Fusarium head blight is the major disease of malting barley. Production of the mycotoxin DON (deoxynivalenol, a.k.a. vomitoxin) occurs when plants are infested with Fusarium head blight. The best control options in New York for Fusarium head blight are Caramba, Proline, or Prosaro applied from grain head emergence through pollination (Feekes 10.5). An additional earlier application at flag leaf may be necessary in wet years. Management of DON in organic systems is dependent on varietal selection and cultural practices to reduce corn and small grain residue.

 Malting Barley at Pollination (Feekes 10.5)

• Malting barley must be harvested as soon as possible when the kernels are ≥20% moisture to preserve a high quality grain. During harvest, the combine’s ground speed and reel speed must be slowed down as much possible in order not to damage the kernels.  Dry at 5-10° F above ambient temperature to prevent heat damage using an indirect heat source. Malting barley should not be sprayed with glyphosate prior to harvest as reduced germination can result, especially in wet years.

A pdf of this entry is located on the Northwest NY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Team's webpage. (http://www.nwnyteam.org/submission.php?id=292&crumb=grains|3).

 A field of Malting Barley in northwestern NY.

Dealing with Extreme Winter Weather

When the temperatures drop it's important to take extra precautions needed to keep animals, machinery, and yourself warm and safe. 

Image Source

Check out the Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock, & Field Crops Team's webpage (http://www.nwnyteam.org/submission.php?id=311&crumb=livestock|10) for the documents listed below for dealing with extreme winter weather.

Tips on Dealing with Extreme Cold, Kim Morrill Cornell Cooperative Extension

Cold Tractor Operation, Utah State University

Cold Weather Exposure, Ohio State University

Stay warm and safe out there.