By Dave Case
On Fertile Ground
Congratulations! We all have made it almost halfway through winter! And we can all be grateful Spring is just around the corner. What can we be thinking about as it approaches?
I guess the first question is do you need to do anything different in 2024 than you did in 2023? If the answer is no, job well done! You can finish your cup of coffee in peace!
But if the answer is yes, and you would like to make a few changes/need to improve a few things then read on! Probably the number one issue is your grass thickness.
Reseeding/improving thin areas/bare spots
The seed you need to buy needs to be a cool season grass. Kentucky Bluegrass, fine fescues, turf type tall fescues and perennial rye grasses are all good selections as are mixes of these three. Check the seed tag and make sure you are getting a high percentage of grass seed and it is of high purity, very little weed seed, or inert material. Check the seed tag for the date. Most grass seed is grown in Oregon so don’t be shocked when you see that. Whether the area you are seeking get lots of shade, lots of sun, lots of foot traffic, is it prone to dry or stays wet etc. are considerations. Not all grass seed adapts to all these differences.
Next, you’d be well served to do a soil test to check nutrient levels as reseeding an area that has poor nutrition isn’t going to improve things much if at all!
The best times to re-seed are early spring or late summer, so April is a good time.
Once the time comes around, mow the existing grass (if any!) You know I’m going to be recommending a high mowing height again this year, but for this one time, you have my permission to mow short, very short. Helps improve the seed-to-soil contact.
Rake and remove any debris, leaves, sticks and dead grass.
Aerate the lawn if it is compacted. Core aeration is beneficial for improving air, water, and nutrient penetration.
Level the any uneven areas.
The fertilizer needs to be high in phosphorus which is the middle number on the fertilizer bag. 10-10-10, 15-15-15, 20-10-10 would all be fine choices depending on your soil test.
Use a broadcast spreader to distribute the grass seed over your area(s).
How much to use? Around 5#’s per 1000 square feet.
Lightly rake the soil to cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil.
Water somehow either through a sprinkler or mother nature.
Mulch with a thin layer of straw to retain moisture and discourage birds.
Monitor and watch and maintain. Keep foot traffic off with flags or rope the area off.
Enjoy as it emerges which will take 7-21 days then in another 3-4 weeks it will be ready to mow!
Champaign County Ag Sector
#Plant 24 (as it is referenced on social media) will soon be here. Production costs like fertilizer and crop inputs are expected to continue to drop for their Spring 2020 pandemic levels. However, labor costs, finding labor and parts for equipment will be a challenge as well as
interest rates.
Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN)
A “game changing” discovery of new SCN resistant cultivars by University of Georgia and University of Missouri researchers lends us hope to a new soybean resistance source. Next step is rapidly integrating this into new soybean varieties.
The gene is called GmSNAP02. SCN costs soybeans producers 1.5 billion annually in reduced yields.
Herbicide Challenges
Two monumental herbicide challenges face us farmers on the weed control front. First are regulatory challenges. There are 1,200 active ingredients that face uncertainty. Essentially every tool in our toolbox is potentially threatened. Pair this with little to no new chemistry, especially when you think of herbicide modes of action (MOA). Secondly and related is herbicide resistance to what we have out there labeled now.
It’s a numbers game. The more of a given plant species you treat with the same MOA, the more likely you are to develop resistance and lose that tool.
Things you can do:
-Timely herbicide applications
-Use residual herbicides.
-Different modes of action
-Start clean, stay clean.
Good time for planter maintenance
This winter in your heated shop, it is a good time to do planter maintenance. Make sure to go over meters, seed opener disks, seed tubes, seed firmers, depth wheels, row cleaners, closing wheels and all chains and sprockets.
-Meters have to work well or you’ll get frequent skips, doubles and triples.
-Seed opener disks need to have a minimum diameter, or your depth placement will be off.
-Seed tubes, make sure they aren’t worn and curling inward.
-Depth wheels should run tightly against disks.
-Closing wheels, make sure they have an intact spring and check bearings for damage or wear.
-Chains and sprockets. Need to have the appropriate tension and grease them regularly.
Till next month, have a great February!
Question or comments? Email me at [email protected].
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Dave Case majored in Agronomy and Ag Econ with an emphasis in Weed Science. Dave’s career spanned Champaign Landmark, Crow’s Hybrid Corn Company and 30 years with Bayer CropScience. In 2018, Case formed Case Ag Consulting LLC. He is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Agricultural Fraternity. He is on the Board of Directors of the Agribusiness Association of Kentucky, Chairman of the Ohio AgriBusiness Association Educational Trust Foundation and Secretary of the Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni Board. He is on the Board of Directors of the Champaign Family YMCA, Champaign County Historical Society Agricultural Capital Campaign Committee and is a Trustee for the Champaign County Farm Bureau. Dave and his wife Dorothy live on a small farm south of Urbana where they raise goats, cattle, chickens and various crops and they donate all profits to Pancreatic Cancer Research. Dave can be reached at [email protected].
