Tight margins and high expenses tempt us to consider managing crop residue with fire, rather than tillage or other alternatives. However, fire will reduce recycling of organic matter and nutrients. Thus, burning produces several negative consequences that can definitely diminish profit.
Economic and Agronomic Considerations for N Applications in Cotton
The fire-starter for 2022 crop input discussions is fertilizer prices. Without getting into the why for the current volatility, first recall this situation is not entirely unique. Potash at the farmgate was about 14 cents per pound for years, if
Calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are essential ‘secondary’ plant nutrients. Plants need less Ca or Mg than nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium, but require more of them than micronutrients. Should Ca and Mg be in the fall soil nutrient management portfolio?
Participating in the soil carbon (C) market requires baseline information about the producer’s inventory to offer potential buyers. This fall is the time for the soil carbon-curious growers to begin establishing their benchmarks. Surveys show the number of farmers participating
Hurricanes harness enormous wind or water energy that uproots or shreds trees, destroys buildings and signs, erodes coastlines, and otherwise creates havoc on the landscape. Safety is the primary consideration following natural disasters. This is a review of what we
Acid pH in many Mississippi soils challenges plant growth regardless of scale, from a 400-acre row crop field to the back yard. While alkaline pH soils present some issues in the Blackland Prairies and some salt-impacted areas in the state,
Title: Lessons learned from on-farm cover crop trials & strategies for planning fall stewardship Location: Webinar Link out: Register Here Description: Learn about managing cover crops in the Midsouth. Reduce risk when getting started with cover crops by learning from the
The best business managers have long-term, pro-active strategies to achieve their goals. Soil carbon (C) may not appear on the top, or even near the top of pressing concerns at this point in the season for growers. But this crop
The recent extraordinary rainfall and flooding has generated substantial concern about nitrogen (N) loss in corn. This year’s event is very unique because it occurred much later in the season than we normally experience. Therefore, we will discuss how this timing affects estimating losses and associated nutrient management.
All photos courtesy of Tucker Miller Flooding is challenging Mississippi families, homes, and farms again, hence, this should be a review for many readers. The first Mississippi Crop Situation post about flooded soils was published in May 2011. There is
Photos courtesy of Dr. Mary L. Tagert The third part of Avoid, Control, and Trap agricultural environmental stewardship practices for nutrients and sediment is trapping them, literally keeping them on the land, reducing excess inputs to water bodies. Best Management
The greatest challenges for agricultural water management are getting water on fields, and then getting water off fields in the warm humid mid-South. Exiting water contains dissolved nutrients and sediments that may pose issues. Controlling the nutrient (or sediment) movement
We studied using ‘programmed decisions’ in a long-ago business management class to streamline responses: if this happens, then do X, Y, and Z. Of course, nothing ever happens according to plan. Planning reduces problems down the road however, we cannot
The ACT, a standardized test used by colleges for admission decisions, covers English, mathematics, reading, and scientific reasoning. These categories may be unfamiliar if you are a little older as they were revised in 1989. Another ACT concept uses Best
Title: Practical steps to improve on-farm soil and nutrient stewardship Location: Webinar Link out: Click here Description: Join Dr. Beth Baker and Dr. Larry Oldham with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, along with Mr. Parker Frew from Delta F.A.R.M.
Corn is very responsive to nitrogen fertilizer, but this is a dynamic situation that can become extremely challenging in our rainy environment, when wet soil restricts field operations and saturates soils. This article gives recommendations to improve corn response to nitrogen fertilizer and reduce risk in our Midsouth environment.
Newspapers were all paper and sometimes quite thick when I was younger. I trained myself to ignore almost all the advertisements in them to speed things along, particularly with Sunday editions. It may chagrin the business community to learn that
Get to Know Your Soil The soils in Mississippi are diverse, reflecting parent material differences, the warm, humid climate, very active soil biology because of the warm, humid climate, and the unique topography. Agriculture in each part of the state
To read and follow pesticide labels is common knowledge and accepted practice in agriculture. It should be practiced more for fertilizers, lime, and soil fertility enhancement products. Fertilizers: Why read these labels? The agriculture sector knows the three numbers
Fertilizer prices are a trending topic of Plant 2021. Many, if not most row crop farmers in Mississippi and surrounding states address basic soil fertility needs either via fall applications of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and/or booking preseason
The presence or amount of various non-nutrient elements in foodstuffs has been in the media recently. What have been called ‘heavy metals’ and their neighbors, the ‘metalloids’, are factors in, and are influenced by soil chemistry, nutrient management, and soil
Wait a minute, aren’t we just now planting the 2021 crop? True, however, some fields being planted now will suffer from soil acidity issues this year. There may be short term band-aids available, but long-term solutions will be necessary. One
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