Over time I have viewed a lot of video around and about soil health. Occasionally you run across a jewel. Recently I came across the 'Merit or Myth series'. These are a series of short videos (≈3min each) produced in South Dakota through cooperation between ARS-USDA, various researchers, and growers around the state. < Merit and Myth website >
These videos do a good job of explaining what goes into improving soil health. This series is also a good introduction to Dr. Elaine Ingham's, 'The Soil Food Web', --the need for improving the biology of the soil. Her video links can be found at: < Dr. Ingham's video link > Some of the venues are hard to hear.
These videos are compelling discussions on principals of no-till and soil health, but they don't tell us how to apply them in the Palouse. The Principles are sound, but we have to figure out how to apply them in our climate conditions.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Sunday, July 16, 2017
2017 CROP YEAR --- RAINFALL
The total rainfall shows this to be a great year. The crop does have potential but there are caveats. We had a long period where the ground was frozen, and a lot of moisture ran off the fields. We had a later than normal start for spring planting which has put those crops behind. This spring we had our usual random low temperature nights. The extent of the damage, if any, is not known. We have had two short periods (3-4 days) of high temperatures (98-100+). These have shortened our canola bloom. What other damage the heat may have caused is unknown to me.
St. John / Ewan, Rainfall (including a lot of snow) record on our farm for 2017 Crop Year.
August 2016 ---> 0.16", September 2016 ---> 0.45", October ---> 4.86", November ---> 1.92", December--->1.02", January 2017 ---> 1.40", February ---> 3.91", March --> 3.81", April ---> 1.58", May ---> 0.84", June ---> 0.72", July 2017 ---> 0.00,
[ Crop year 2017 (Aug/July) = 20.67"]
At Thornton, the business that was keeping a loose record of the rainfall quit December 2016.
[update June 2018] For the calendar year 2017: August = 0.00, September = 0.69", October = 1.98", November = 2.96", December = 3.16".
[ Calendar year total 2017 ---> 21.05"]
St. John / Ewan, Rainfall (including a lot of snow) record on our farm for 2017 Crop Year.
August 2016 ---> 0.16", September 2016 ---> 0.45", October ---> 4.86", November ---> 1.92", December--->1.02", January 2017 ---> 1.40", February ---> 3.91", March --> 3.81", April ---> 1.58", May ---> 0.84", June ---> 0.72", July 2017 ---> 0.00,
[ Crop year 2017 (Aug/July) = 20.67"]
At Thornton, the business that was keeping a loose record of the rainfall quit December 2016.
[update June 2018] For the calendar year 2017: August = 0.00, September = 0.69", October = 1.98", November = 2.96", December = 3.16".
[ Calendar year total 2017 ---> 21.05"]
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Low Disturbance vs High Disturbance DS drills
All DS drills can seed and grow an excellent crop and improve soil health. Farming too efficiently use the moisture we are provided, and the pace too improving soil health is the difference I see between high and low disturbance drill designs.
High disturbance drills (the term I use for all hoe, double disc, and some single disc openers) all share a similar problem, --they move or disrupt too much soil which exposes the soil surface. As a result they break infiltration channels, they accelerate decomposition of cover, they plant unwanted seed, and they damage the soil food web if any is present. There are places in our field where even the CrossSlot fits into the high disturbance category, --on steep slopes where side pressure causes a wider slot, and where we turn.
I distinguish between DS drills by the amount of soil surface they disturb. They range from disrupting nearly the entire surface down to a narrow slot of <1.5 inches. I would say that most hoe drills fall in the high disturbance category, and most single disc drills would fall in the low disturbance category and the CrossSlot in the ultra-low disturbance category. Others may have their own scale. By the numbers:
High disturbance drills: Their configuration disrupts a large percentage (>70%) of the soil surface and most or all of the surface residue.
Low disturbance drills: Their configuration disrupts (<30%) of the soil surface and about 60% of the residue.
Ultra-low disturbance drills: Their configuration disrupts (<15%) of the soil surface and maybe 40% of the residue.
Whether the numbers accurately describe the drill type performance is not the point here. What is important is that they represent the concept that the more soil and residue that is disturbed, the more moisture you lose from evaporation, the less moisture your field can absorb from later rains because of disrupted channels, the more biological communities in the soil you disrupt which effects plant food production, and the more unwanted seed that will be planted grow and compete with the crop.
To maximize moisture retention and absorption, you will want to minimize disturbance of the soil surface, grow and maintain the maximum amount of residue possible, and leave it as tall as possible in the absence of a growing crop. (see other posts for the reasoning behind this statement). It's my belief as well that this statement is valid for all rainfall regions whether 7" or 70".
High disturbance drills (the term I use for all hoe, double disc, and some single disc openers) all share a similar problem, --they move or disrupt too much soil which exposes the soil surface. As a result they break infiltration channels, they accelerate decomposition of cover, they plant unwanted seed, and they damage the soil food web if any is present. There are places in our field where even the CrossSlot fits into the high disturbance category, --on steep slopes where side pressure causes a wider slot, and where we turn.
I distinguish between DS drills by the amount of soil surface they disturb. They range from disrupting nearly the entire surface down to a narrow slot of <1.5 inches. I would say that most hoe drills fall in the high disturbance category, and most single disc drills would fall in the low disturbance category and the CrossSlot in the ultra-low disturbance category. Others may have their own scale. By the numbers:
High disturbance drills: Their configuration disrupts a large percentage (>70%) of the soil surface and most or all of the surface residue.
Low disturbance drills: Their configuration disrupts (<30%) of the soil surface and about 60% of the residue.
Ultra-low disturbance drills: Their configuration disrupts (<15%) of the soil surface and maybe 40% of the residue.
Whether the numbers accurately describe the drill type performance is not the point here. What is important is that they represent the concept that the more soil and residue that is disturbed, the more moisture you lose from evaporation, the less moisture your field can absorb from later rains because of disrupted channels, the more biological communities in the soil you disrupt which effects plant food production, and the more unwanted seed that will be planted grow and compete with the crop.
To maximize moisture retention and absorption, you will want to minimize disturbance of the soil surface, grow and maintain the maximum amount of residue possible, and leave it as tall as possible in the absence of a growing crop. (see other posts for the reasoning behind this statement). It's my belief as well that this statement is valid for all rainfall regions whether 7" or 70".
Monday, June 26, 2017
WHY WE HAVE GONE ULD
A recent post referenced to why our operation has gone ULD (ultra-low disturbance) direct seed system. I didn't elaborate on this because, although the two mentioned subjects of that post connected in my mind, the Richard Mulvaney article was my main interest. On reflection I've decided that our reasons for going ULD should be posted.
On our quest to improve our soil we have encountered many obstacles, mistakes, disappointments, questions on how to proceed, and yet, having enough success to continue the quest.
Soil EROSION, and removing fallow from our rotation was the initial driving force. Any operation that reduces soil disturbance compared to what we are doing with conventional tillage will have a positive impact on the soil. Direct seeding is a big jump in reducing soil disturbance. Past history of direct seeding shows that the soil surface is left, more or less in a state of nakedness, and channeled. Nakedness is correctable; however, I can't envision how you can 'drill' a crop and not channel, whether it be double disc, hoe, or a single disc, including the CrossSlot drill. In the Palouse channeling can be a serious erosion issue if not considered when drilling the field.
As we progressed, saving MOISTURE became the driving force. Although we still have some erosion at times it was mostly contained, --at least visually. As time passed and information gathered it became clear that we needed good soil structure, more soil organic matter, and more cover on the surface, to maximize the retention of moisture. WSU-OSU research back in the 70-80's indicated moisture was used in four ways, -----1% to deep percolation, 4% to runoff, 12% to plant transpiration, 83% lost through evaporation off the soil surface. Research is clear that a soil profile with a cool surface temperature and a calm surface, retains more moisture compared to a hot surface with air moving across it. The more we reduce soil disturbance, the more residue we keep on the surface, and the calmer we can keep the air at the surface the better our soil moisture will be. Taking these parameters to the maximum create a serious challenge for drill design.
In 2012 we moved to ULD by buying a stripper header and hiring our seeding done by a CrossSlot drill. Now, our ULD direct seed system consists of a Shelbourne stripper header, GVM 90' suspended boom self propelled sprayer and the CrossSlot drill.
Shelbourne stripper head: --maximizes vertical intercept of snow and wind. The taller the stubble the more snow catch (very effective in the winter of 2016-7), and the taller the stubble the calmer the air at the soil surface. (measurements are showing that to be very effective also. The only down side is that we can't harvest every crop type with this header.)
GVM 90' suspended boom self propelled sprayer: --it's value is in reducing tracking in the field. It's very evident that tracks of any type promote weed emergence compared to the untracked portions in a field. We regularly see this in our fallow fields.
CrossSlot drill: --the machine that makes ULD possible. The header and sprayer are the supporting cast. When we were evaluating drill technologies, and our operation, trying to match a drill to the specifications and limitations that we faced, the CrossSlot opener was the obvious choice. The CrossSlot has the ability through its depth and pressure related sensing capability to place seed in good earth at the assigned depth while passing through complex soil types and textures, residue types and amounts whether standing or laying down, without stopping for adjustments. It's a remarkable technology, and we have learned not to move unless it is all working. Until the residue became too heavy to manage, our other hoe or double disc drills, could start a good fall crop; however, we never had a very good producing spring crop because of voids left by hair pinning or clumps of residue that shed off the drill, or seed not being placed at the proper depth.
We are now set up to do ULD, and with the CrossSlot we are ready for the next stage which is building soil health. (which is becoming a whole new story)
On our quest to improve our soil we have encountered many obstacles, mistakes, disappointments, questions on how to proceed, and yet, having enough success to continue the quest.
Soil EROSION, and removing fallow from our rotation was the initial driving force. Any operation that reduces soil disturbance compared to what we are doing with conventional tillage will have a positive impact on the soil. Direct seeding is a big jump in reducing soil disturbance. Past history of direct seeding shows that the soil surface is left, more or less in a state of nakedness, and channeled. Nakedness is correctable; however, I can't envision how you can 'drill' a crop and not channel, whether it be double disc, hoe, or a single disc, including the CrossSlot drill. In the Palouse channeling can be a serious erosion issue if not considered when drilling the field.
As we progressed, saving MOISTURE became the driving force. Although we still have some erosion at times it was mostly contained, --at least visually. As time passed and information gathered it became clear that we needed good soil structure, more soil organic matter, and more cover on the surface, to maximize the retention of moisture. WSU-OSU research back in the 70-80's indicated moisture was used in four ways, -----1% to deep percolation, 4% to runoff, 12% to plant transpiration, 83% lost through evaporation off the soil surface. Research is clear that a soil profile with a cool surface temperature and a calm surface, retains more moisture compared to a hot surface with air moving across it. The more we reduce soil disturbance, the more residue we keep on the surface, and the calmer we can keep the air at the surface the better our soil moisture will be. Taking these parameters to the maximum create a serious challenge for drill design.
In 2012 we moved to ULD by buying a stripper header and hiring our seeding done by a CrossSlot drill. Now, our ULD direct seed system consists of a Shelbourne stripper header, GVM 90' suspended boom self propelled sprayer and the CrossSlot drill.
Shelbourne stripper head: --maximizes vertical intercept of snow and wind. The taller the stubble the more snow catch (very effective in the winter of 2016-7), and the taller the stubble the calmer the air at the soil surface. (measurements are showing that to be very effective also. The only down side is that we can't harvest every crop type with this header.)
GVM 90' suspended boom self propelled sprayer: --it's value is in reducing tracking in the field. It's very evident that tracks of any type promote weed emergence compared to the untracked portions in a field. We regularly see this in our fallow fields.
CrossSlot drill: --the machine that makes ULD possible. The header and sprayer are the supporting cast. When we were evaluating drill technologies, and our operation, trying to match a drill to the specifications and limitations that we faced, the CrossSlot opener was the obvious choice. The CrossSlot has the ability through its depth and pressure related sensing capability to place seed in good earth at the assigned depth while passing through complex soil types and textures, residue types and amounts whether standing or laying down, without stopping for adjustments. It's a remarkable technology, and we have learned not to move unless it is all working. Until the residue became too heavy to manage, our other hoe or double disc drills, could start a good fall crop; however, we never had a very good producing spring crop because of voids left by hair pinning or clumps of residue that shed off the drill, or seed not being placed at the proper depth.
We are now set up to do ULD, and with the CrossSlot we are ready for the next stage which is building soil health. (which is becoming a whole new story)
Thursday, June 22, 2017
N is burning the Carbon Pool
Two recent events have triggered this post. I recently gave a presentation on why our operation has gone to a ULDDS (ultra-low disturbance direct seed) system along with sharing our cover crop experience (as limited as it is) to a group of NRCS trainee's from across eastern Washington, and, an article that came out in the July issue of NO-TILL Farmer, titled "Excessive 'N' Application Burning the Carbon Pool (vol. 46, #7).
The first event had fertility on their minds as part of the general discussion on soil health. the article authored by Richard Mulvaney, a University of Illinois fertility specialist, had specifics. His position is based on mining documents on fertility, and data sets, going back 100 years. His comments helped me to link pieces of a foggy puzzle about crop fertility and how it will react on soil health. His recommendations are going to be a challenge for us to address. The following is what I found engaging: (most will be paraphrased)
---soil is an important source of N.
---applying N does not build organic matter.
---you can not bank N by adding N. Soil microbes use it to burn the carbon they find in residues and soil organic matter. This results in less C and less SOM. (my thought: --this may be why we struggle to move SOM above 3%)
---"You can never decouple carbon and N --not on this Earth....". Microbes use N to make enzymes so they can burn the carbon that supplies their energy. Every enzyme has N.
---crop rotation is best. Corn yields are better in rotation than with continuous corn, and done with much lower fertilizer inputs. The data tells me that fertilizer cannot replace rotation for highest yields. (my thoughts: Follows Beck's principal, rotation-rotation-rotation)
---Mulvaney's best short-term option for growers would be to increase efficiency by putting more of the fertilizer N, "into the crop" when it is needed. --by:
---Use tests to determine what the soil can provide.
---Don't apply NH3 in the fall. There is no crop (corn in this case), and there is a lot of microbes that will use the N. (my thinking: --our fall wheat does not need all the N that we customarily place with it.)
---Sidedress N to synchronize fertilization with crops N demand. Ideally, shift from ammonia to nitrate fertilizers despite the greater risk of N loss through leaching and denitrification. Mulvaney & colleagues base this idea on scientific evidence that plants have an edge in taking up nitrates, whereas microbes are better competitors for ammonium.
---the 1947 book, The Soil and Health by Sir Albert Howard, claims that there will never be sustainable agriculture until animals are put back on the land. It's a cycle. Do we need to rethink the big picture. (my thought: --several people heavy into covers are going this route)
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Residue protects the field
This post has sat as a draft for more than a month. It has enough information that I decided to finish and publish rather than delete. It's been a unique year. I could visually compare--(heavy residue vs no residue, contour seeding vs vertical seeding)
In February I scouted our winter wheat fields mostly for erosion, and comparing drilling patterns and ground cover. It was consistent across the region, --on our fields as well as the neighbors. This year, all of our winter wheat is planted on either, spring or winter pea stubble. One field has full ground cover and the other has a lot of dirt showing. There are so many potential variables(slope, aspect, micro-climates, etc), that frequently it is difficult to see a consistent pattern. This year was different because of the type of winter. Most of the region received about the same weather over a long period of time. The whole region experienced abnormally high rain and snow fall this winter. Erosion followed the book where direct seeding showed significantly less erosion than cultivated fields. Also, the more surface cover, the less the erosion in direct seeded fields.
This pic shows early drying of an eroded field. The "sponge" top soil has been eroded off the ridges and well down the slope. The dark areas are still showing surface moisture that hasn't evaporated off yet. These areas are benefiting from water moving from the low water holding capacity areas of the field along with the fact these areas probably have more OM (sponge layer). There is no surface protection on this field.
This picture shows two different fields. The typical cultivated field is at the top the picture, and a direct seeded field at the bottom. The aspect is north and the pic shows where deep snow drifts lingered in both fields. The field at the top had no surface cover other than a nice stand of small wheat. The field in the lower part of the picture had enough residue (wheat and pea) that very little dirt could be seen and was seeded with a cross-slot drill. The lower field did not have visible soil erosion, but it did lose water.
This picture shows the amount and type of residue that is protecting the soil surface of the direct seeded field pictured above. This is a combination of winter wheat and spring pea stubble. This year, our heavy residue fields are showing rodent damage where the drill left piles. It appears that those areas are recovering. We have seen this once in the past where piles of loose straw sheltered rodents under the snow.
This picture shows a winter wheat field on winter pea ground. This field had two years of low residue and seeded late to winter wheat. The field history was (chem fallow seeded to winter canola that failed, then seeded to spring wheat, then dormant seeded to winter peas, and now seeded very late, do to the fall rains, to winter wheat). It looks like there is no crop, but the crop has come through fine. Even though we use a ULD system and have direct seeded for 20+ years, if there is little or no cover on the ground there will be visual erosion. Seeding vertical down the slope accentuates the issue. This field also shows the value of seeding on the contour rather than vertically. The extreme left side of the picture shows the contrast between contoured and vertical seeding. The contoured seeding had some soil movement, but you have to look closely to detect it. Most of the field had some cover. The corners with multiple tractor/drill passes (as shown above) were the most vulnerable areas. This area has very light soils and regularly gets beat up with any field operation.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
2017 Wheat College
This year's Washington Association of Wheat Growers "Wheat College" was held in the Three Rivers Convention Hall, Kennewick, WA., 4/28/17. The Three Rivers facility is a great venue. I found the program interesting. Attendance was low. I counted ≈55 total (staff, speakers, producers). I'm guessing most producers are still in the fields trying to get crops seeded. The weather has provided an abundance of moisture and a late start for field work.
CHEMICAL APPLICATION: The key note speaker was Greg Kruger from North Platte, NE, a professor/researcher. The organizers should have extended the day by 1-1.5hrs and gave him a second session. He didn't tell us anything that a licensed applicator shouldn't already know; however, he did emphasize drift issues, their causes, that resulted in lawsuits. I am listing a few of the points he made about spray applications and off target drift potential.
----Spray crops at the right height. A good rule of thumb is one inch above the targeted plant for every inch of spray nozzle spacing. 20" spacing means 20" above the target plant. The information below, where appropriate, is taken 90 feet downwind and at the appropriate tip height, as the base measurement being compared.
----Wind speed should be checked at application height, not 12' off the ground from a self-propelled rig. ( Well, in Nebraska or other flat land areas, maybe that caution has merit; however, in our steep rolling terrain, I don't see that as a useful factor.)
----Drift has two facets: one, is particle, where particles are physically carried off target by wind. The second is vapor. Vapor is controlled by chemical structure and is out of the hands of operators to manage.
----Each herbicide has a preferred application droplet size. You should choose the proper tip for the application speed, and related pressure range to maintain that droplet size.
----You can visually see a 25 micron change in droplet size. Learning the proper spray pattern will help you keep the spray pattern within the preferred droplet size.
----Air inversions are common in early morning and evening with still air. The Pacific Northwest has more air inversions than any other part of the US. Avoid spraying during periods of air inversions. Chemistry can be carried a long way off target with inversions.
----Chemistry can be carried 7 times farther with wind speed that has been doubled.
----Chemistry can be carried 3.5 times farther when booms are raised double their appropriate height.
----Doubling the distance to a susceptible crop will reduce the damage to that crop by 80%.
----Check tip specification and replace any that are more than 10% off rate. Worn tips will dramatically effect droplet size, and coverage.
----AI tips are used to increase droplet size by introducing air into the solution stream. With AI's, you are sacrificing potential coverage, depending on target weed, for a coarser droplet. The presenter likes the AI-XR's for an all purpose tip. They have a droplet size of 400/450. The standard AI's are 500/600 micron.
----To maximize the use of any given tip, keep your pressure at least 10psi above the low end recommendation, and 15/20psi below the high end recommendation.
----Dry herbicide products come with their own measuring cups. They are accurate within 7-15% depending on the chemistry. Always use the cup that comes with the box of chemistry. These calibration marks change with the manufacturing source of the chemical. For real accuracy a calibrated scale should be used. Suitable scales can be purchase for ≈ $80.
----The first agricultural applied herbicide was 2-4D (dry) in 1947.
----The last "mode of action" for plant protection herbicides was discovered in 1986. All the new herbicides are reformulations of old ones. Any new "mode" would take 8-10 years before it could be on the market. Protecting the effectiveness of our current chemistry is paramount, and managing to reduce potential plant resistance should be a priority for your farm.
----Chemical specific crops (roundup ready, liberty link, ect.) limits the interest and financial ability to discover new chemical control for weeds in crop cultivars.
----Any type of cultural practice used over a long period of time will promote resistant bio-types regardless of whether it is through the use of a chemical, cultivation, hand weeding, or is "organic". The first resistant bio-type, for the culture of the time, can be tracked back ten thousand years. A rotation of crops, chemistry, and practices, is the best method of reducing resistant bio-types in agriculture.
Dana Herron & Jay Atchison gave a Wheat Commission report:
----Heaven forbid a kernel of GMO wheat reaching an export terminal. Trade would be disrupted for a year or more.
----Buckwheat: Be careful if you use buckwheat as an alternate crop. Manage so that there will be no buckwheat show in your wheat sample. Japan treats buckwheat like we do peanuts. If you do find buckwheat in your wheat fields, let it be known. There is no trade issues other than with Japan for buckwheat. The contaminated wheat/buckwheat lot can be directed to other buyers.
Drew Lions:
---Rattail fescue control. Zigua (brand name) has shown good control of rattail fescue. The active ingredient is Pyroxisulphome (sp).
---Mixing two chemicals with the same mode of action does not increase the effectiveness over using either chemical. --there is a slight chance that using two chemicals with the same mode of action, but are from different families of chemistry, may improve control of a specific weed, but that's not very likely.
---All chemical applications are better and more consistent when spraying with more solution, except Glyphosate. With Glyphosate more water means more chemical will be tied up with the mineral content in the water. Ammonium nitrate is used to buffer the water, filling the sites that would be filled with the glyphosate molecule. This means that is very important to put nearly all the water along with the ammonium sulfate into the tank before adding in the glyphosate. WSU website has a calculator for the amount of ammonium sulfate to use for a specific hardness of the water being used.
----Spray crops at the right height. A good rule of thumb is one inch above the targeted plant for every inch of spray nozzle spacing. 20" spacing means 20" above the target plant. The information below, where appropriate, is taken 90 feet downwind and at the appropriate tip height, as the base measurement being compared.
----Wind speed should be checked at application height, not 12' off the ground from a self-propelled rig. ( Well, in Nebraska or other flat land areas, maybe that caution has merit; however, in our steep rolling terrain, I don't see that as a useful factor.)
----Drift has two facets: one, is particle, where particles are physically carried off target by wind. The second is vapor. Vapor is controlled by chemical structure and is out of the hands of operators to manage.
----Each herbicide has a preferred application droplet size. You should choose the proper tip for the application speed, and related pressure range to maintain that droplet size.
----You can visually see a 25 micron change in droplet size. Learning the proper spray pattern will help you keep the spray pattern within the preferred droplet size.
----Air inversions are common in early morning and evening with still air. The Pacific Northwest has more air inversions than any other part of the US. Avoid spraying during periods of air inversions. Chemistry can be carried a long way off target with inversions.
----Chemistry can be carried 7 times farther with wind speed that has been doubled.
----Chemistry can be carried 3.5 times farther when booms are raised double their appropriate height.
----Doubling the distance to a susceptible crop will reduce the damage to that crop by 80%.
----Check tip specification and replace any that are more than 10% off rate. Worn tips will dramatically effect droplet size, and coverage.
----AI tips are used to increase droplet size by introducing air into the solution stream. With AI's, you are sacrificing potential coverage, depending on target weed, for a coarser droplet. The presenter likes the AI-XR's for an all purpose tip. They have a droplet size of 400/450. The standard AI's are 500/600 micron.
----To maximize the use of any given tip, keep your pressure at least 10psi above the low end recommendation, and 15/20psi below the high end recommendation.
----Dry herbicide products come with their own measuring cups. They are accurate within 7-15% depending on the chemistry. Always use the cup that comes with the box of chemistry. These calibration marks change with the manufacturing source of the chemical. For real accuracy a calibrated scale should be used. Suitable scales can be purchase for ≈ $80.
----The first agricultural applied herbicide was 2-4D (dry) in 1947.
----The last "mode of action" for plant protection herbicides was discovered in 1986. All the new herbicides are reformulations of old ones. Any new "mode" would take 8-10 years before it could be on the market. Protecting the effectiveness of our current chemistry is paramount, and managing to reduce potential plant resistance should be a priority for your farm.
----Chemical specific crops (roundup ready, liberty link, ect.) limits the interest and financial ability to discover new chemical control for weeds in crop cultivars.
----Any type of cultural practice used over a long period of time will promote resistant bio-types regardless of whether it is through the use of a chemical, cultivation, hand weeding, or is "organic". The first resistant bio-type, for the culture of the time, can be tracked back ten thousand years. A rotation of crops, chemistry, and practices, is the best method of reducing resistant bio-types in agriculture.
Dana Herron & Jay Atchison gave a Wheat Commission report:
----Heaven forbid a kernel of GMO wheat reaching an export terminal. Trade would be disrupted for a year or more.
----Buckwheat: Be careful if you use buckwheat as an alternate crop. Manage so that there will be no buckwheat show in your wheat sample. Japan treats buckwheat like we do peanuts. If you do find buckwheat in your wheat fields, let it be known. There is no trade issues other than with Japan for buckwheat. The contaminated wheat/buckwheat lot can be directed to other buyers.
Drew Lions:
---Rattail fescue control. Zigua (brand name) has shown good control of rattail fescue. The active ingredient is Pyroxisulphome (sp).
---Mixing two chemicals with the same mode of action does not increase the effectiveness over using either chemical. --there is a slight chance that using two chemicals with the same mode of action, but are from different families of chemistry, may improve control of a specific weed, but that's not very likely.
---All chemical applications are better and more consistent when spraying with more solution, except Glyphosate. With Glyphosate more water means more chemical will be tied up with the mineral content in the water. Ammonium nitrate is used to buffer the water, filling the sites that would be filled with the glyphosate molecule. This means that is very important to put nearly all the water along with the ammonium sulfate into the tank before adding in the glyphosate. WSU website has a calculator for the amount of ammonium sulfate to use for a specific hardness of the water being used.
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