April 10th, 2012 we had a come and go Open House at our Stettler facility. We were showcasing your new nutrient shed and our products. We also had on offer our special Garden Blend. There was quite a bit of interest in our Garden Blend from both agriculture and local residential people. All around we had a very successful day, and it was really nice to see everyone there!
With every passing day we get closer and closer to planting time. That being said its time to prepare for your fertilizing needs if you haven’t already. With strong grain prices and prospects of a good growing season, some producers are considering increasing their fertilizer programs and taking a more aggressive approach to their fertilizer requirements. One thing to consider when making an aggressive approach to fertilizing is the amount of total volume being placed in the seed row. Some recommendations can call for over 200 pounds of seed placed blend plus seed volume plus nitrogen volume. In the case of cereals such as barley, producers can expect to put down as much as 150 pounds of seed, possibly 200 pounds of seed blend and as much as 150 pounds of urea for a total of 500 pounds of product per acre. Some seed drill manufacturers have addressed the need to apply high volumes of product where others are not capable of pushing so much volume. What is the solution to this problem? Consider floating on some product.
Floating on a portion of your total fertilizer needs can add up to time and money savings. Some examples on saving time would be, not have to pick up, transport and handle extra product as well as saves time not having to apply the product. Some examples of money savings could be transportation costs, handling costs, storage costs, upgrading seeding unit or placement costs. One thing to remember is every time the product is handled it costs money. Floating can be a good option for producers who cannot handle or store large volumes of product. It can also save producers time not having place the product at seeding time because it’s already been placed. I would recommend to producers who are considering higher volumes of fertilizer to be sure their equipment can handle the increased volume. If not don’t hesitate to call McRae Holdings and inquire about floating on some of your product today!
Ramblings from Dan.
Clubroot problem is mainly showing up in the low pH soil of Alberta. Liming has been used as a control measure since the early 19th century. There is a close relationship between soil pH and Clubroot with acidic soils generally favoring Clubroot development.
SuperCal 98G pelletized lime a product which is 98% pure calcitic limestone, breakdowns rapidly and completely, thus raising pH in the first year has a good ft. According to the “Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada bulletin on Clubroot of Crucifers”, the scientific jury is still out on whether liming aids in disease control by raising pH or by increasing the calcium concentration.
We know that calcium is necessary for proper functioning of growing points particularly root tips. Also it forms compounds which strengthen cell walls and aids in cell division and elongation. Clubroot affects these processes in the plant.
Thus more research is needed to understand the effects of liming on Clubroot control and to establish additional recommendation. What is the effect of calcium placed in seed row or close to the seed building up local concentration as calcium is not easily translocated in plants, so a constant supply is required?
From Terry Waddell, Agronomist with McRae Holdings.