Drones and the Future of Farming

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., the world’s largest corn processor, received regulatory approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones that will locate and assess crop damage.
Using drones will help expedite the processing of crop-insurance claims, the Chicago-based company said in a statement Wednesday.“We are on track to have this technology in the air for our customers next year,” Greg Mills, president of ADM’s Crop Risk Services unit, which offers insurance, said in the statement.
Drones are one of the latest tools in precision agriculture, in which data is collected by satellites and sensors and analyzed to maximize farm yields.
While the FAA bans commercial drone use, it has granted exemptions to operators who track crop yields, monitor oil and gas facilities, and inspect power lines and smokestacks. To get an exemption, companies must certify that their drones will be operated by licensed pilots and that a second person observe the flights.

Farming Near an Urban Enviroment

Adversity comes in many different forms for our nation’s farmers. From unpredictable weather patterns and fluctuating commodity prices to seemingly ever-increasing input costs and pest complexes that can keep even the most seasoned consultant guessing at times, adversity seems to be a word synonymous with farming.

For one Mississippian who farms just south of the Tennessee/Mississippi state line where Olive Branch (Desoto County) meets the southern boundary of Memphis (Shelby County), In a recent interview with Delta Farm Press, Wes Hoggard, owner of Hoggard Farms (and Stateline Turf and Tractor, a John Deere dealership), has to keep his eyes on farm land replete with a very specific kind of adversity with which more and more farmers are having to deal — urban encroachment.

From 1990 to 2000, the population of Olive Branch exploded from around 3,000, to over 21,000. From 1990 to 2010, Olive Branch was the fastest growing city in the United States with an astounding growth rate of 838 percent. Mississippi Highway 302 (known by most in the area as Goodman Road) is a major transportation corridor running thru Olive Branch, with its most western point ending in Walls, and the most eastern point terminating just west of Mount Pleasant.

Urban Movement

Hoggard has been farming in this area for over 20 years — long before urban encroachment veered its multi-faceted commercial head. “I’ve been lucky in one respect when it comes to proximity to warehouses, semi-trucks and subdivisions…,” he says, “…because the fields that I farm are, for the most part, linked together with suitable access roads which greatly reduces the number of times I have to move my equipment.”

But Hoggard not only has to deal with changing pest complexes each year, he also has to deal with what he calls “an encroachment complex.” It’s easy to understand his “personally-coined” term as we both turn our heads toward the highway, where a steady stream of cars, trucks and school bus traffic screams by at 65 mph — while we sit in his John Deere 9670 Bullet Rotor Combine just 50 feet from the east-bound shoulder of the four-lane highway.

The fields Hoggard has been farming in this area vary in their relationship to traffic density. “Some fields are still tucked away from most urbanization but some, especially in the last five years, have become neighbors to more and more warehouses, subdivisions and commercial real estate developments,” he adds.

When it comes to making applications on whatever crop he’s currently producing, his only option is a ground rig sprayer. “Ag pilots won’t even consider flying in this area due to the number of roof tops (single unit family dwellings), but even with a ground rig — if there’s a slight breeze, I have to delay spraying, especially if the wind is blowing toward someone’s backyard,” Hoggard says.

And he can’t even think about burning off a wheat field. “That gets people, and the local fire department, way too anxious,” as he shakes his head, pointing to a subdivision that rests adjacent to a set of massive power lines — both of which are juxtaposed along one of the larger fields he’s currently farming.

“Not knowing what land will (or will not) be available to me each year also makes it impossible to forward contract any of the crops I produce,” he adds.

Making it Work

Hoggard is a 30-year veteran producer who grows soybeans, wheat, corn and milo on fields that range in size from 5 to 120 acres. Any given year, Hoggard may farm anywhere from 1,200 to 1,800 acres of land on which he rarely drops down a plow thanks to advice from his long-time friend, John Bradley.

“Dr. Bradley and I have been friends for a long time, and his advice has helped me be successful at no-till farming for as long as I can remember. It saves me time and labor, but the number one thing it’s done for me is, it has preserved so much land from erosion,” says Hoggard.

Hoggard took over some pasture ground and thought it would require tilling before he could put down a seed, but Bradley told him to let the land lay out over the winter. “The winter freeze and subsequent thawing would mellow the soil that was very compacted from years of cattle grazing. Dr. Bradley was correct, it worked,” Hoggard says.

Hoggard also has more than his share of unwanted activity on the land he farms. “I've got great neighbors, and I don’t hear much out of them, but every so often I’ll have a four-wheel drive truck or someone on a four-wheeler come on the land and see how much damage they can do — all in the name of having fun,” he says.

Hoggard also finds an occasional trespasser who thinks just because it is farmland, it’s ok to hunt on it. “The local game warden is a friend of mine. I keep his number handy, but I really don’t have to call him too often,” he adds.

There’s no shortage of wildlife on the land he farms, despite the constant activity from local businesses, warehouses and planes taking off from Olive Branch Airport (which was named the busiest Fixed Based Operation in the United States in 2012). “It’s absolutely amazing…,” he says, referring to the number of deer, turkey and other wildlife. “You would think this urbanization would push them further out. But it’s nothing to see a herd of 15 or more deer on one of the field access roads right next to the highway early in the morning or late in the day.”

Hoggard Farms is pretty much a one-man operation. “I do the majority of the farming myself while my son, John, holds down our John Deere dealership. When I do need help, he, along with my other son, Ben, are both quick to lend a hand,” says Hoggard.

He also has a daughter, Rachel, who is a school teacher (but when Hoggard calls, she gladly comes to the farm and drives the grain cart). “I’m also lucky enough to have a good friend who is an independent businessman and has a very flexible schedule. He just likes driving a combine — so I let him,” says Hoggard.

Looking Ahead

It should come as no surprise that with increased urbanization encroaching on more and more farming operations, Extension Service personnel across the country are receiving higher numbers of phone calls complaining about things like oversized equipment on roads or highways and smells with which the general public are just not familiar.

Desoto County Extension Agent Dan Haire, a 20-year row-crop veteran, moved into the area three years ago. “With the population growing as fast as it is, I find myself working mostly with homeowners rather than farmers,” says Haire. “It’s something I've had to do not out of choice, but out of necessity, to help keep local farmers in the good graces of their neighbors who just don’t know about or understand farming.”

With constant encroachment by numerous warehousing businesses, schools, shopping centers and subdivisions, it’s very likely more of the land around Hoggard’s fields will be sold for commercial development. “It’s disheartening to see beautiful country land turned into a concrete jungle,” he laments.

Hoggard doesn't exactly know what lies ahead for his operation — as far as what land will be available in the next year or two — but he sees the tell-tale signs offering more and more land for sale. He’s hoping to find more farmable land in more remote, less urbanized locations in the near future.

Control Mustards in Your Winter Wheat

Look carefully, and you may notice tiny mustard weeds in your winter wheat fields. Now is the time to take care of them, says Dallas Peterson, weed specialist at Kansas State University's Department of Agronomy. 

Many farmers don't think about controlling mustard species until spring -- when they really begin to take off. "It is still possible to get some control at that time with herbicides, but mustards are much more difficult to control at that stage and often have already reduced wheat yields by then," Peterson says.

To keep yield losses to a minimum, mustards should be controlled by late winter or very early spring, before the plants begin to bolt or stems elongate.

If winter annual broadleaf weeds are present in the fall, they can be controlled with any number of ALS-inhibiting herbicides, including Ally, Amber, Finesse, Affinity, Rave, Olympus, or PowerFlex. Huskie, 2,4-D, and MCPA can also provide good control of most mustards if the weeds are at the right stage of growth and actively growing, and if the wheat is at the correct growth stage. Dicamba and Starane are not very effective for mustard control.

Here are some control tips, based on the species you are after:

• Blue mustard: Pehaps the most difficult winter annual broadleaf weed to control because it bolts very early; herbicides should be applied in late February or early March. Blue mustard is more difficult to control than tansy mustard with 2,4-D because blue mustard has often already bolted by the time 2,4-D can be safely applied to wheat. Thus, 2,4-D often is applied too late to be effective on blue mustard.
• Flixweed and tansy mustard: Treat before they reach 2 to 3 inches across and 2 to 3 inches tall; control thereafter decreases dramatically. Ester formulations of 2,4-D and MCPA are more effective than amine formulations. 
• Field pennycress: Easier to control than other species, herbicide applications made before the pennycress bolts are usually effective. Wheat should be fully tillered before applying 2,4-D, or tillering will be inhibited and wheat yields may be decreased.

Most ALS-inhibiting herbicides control winter annual mustards very well, although there are populations of treacle mustard and flixweed that are ALS-resistant and cannot be controlled by these products.

Alternative control measures will be needed to control these populations. The best approach is to use other herbicides such as 2,4-D, MCPA, or Huskie as an alternative or in a tank-mix with the ALS herbicides. MCPA can be applied after the wheat is in the three-leaf stage; but 2,4-D should not be applied until after wheat is fully tillered -- which often doesn’t occur until spring. Huskie can be applied between the 1-leaf and flag leaf stage of growth. None of these herbicides has much residual control, so the majority of weeds need to be emerged and actively growing at the time of treatment.

Some producers commonly apply ALS herbicides with fertilizer in January or February. Unfortunately, MCPA, 2,4-D, and Huskie are most effective when applied to actively growing weeds, so application when weeds are dormant may not provide good control.  As a result, if an ALS-inhibitor tank-mix with one of these herbicides is applied to dormant ALS-resistant mustards in the winter, poor control can be expected.

ALS-resistant bushy wallflower seems to be present in a number of fields in central Kansas. ALS-resistant flixweed has only been confirmed in the Saline county area, but may start to show up elsewhere. Producers should watch for cases of poor control, and consider alternative herbicides or herbicide tank-mixes to help prevent or manage ALS-resistant weeds. 

Crop rotation with corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, cotton, or sunflowers is a good way of controlling the mustards as long as they are controlled in the spring prior to producing seed. Crop rotation will usually result in a gradual reduction of mustard populations in the future as the seedbank in the soil gradually decreases.

Fertilizer Prices & The 4 R's of Nutrient Application

I hope harvest has been going smoothly for you, though delayed for most in Ohio this fall. This week Agriculture.com has some information that is important as we think about fall and spring input prices.

Fertilizer prices are higher this fall compared to a year ago on seven of the eight common forms.

Some farmers anticipate prices softening between now and spring so they are holding off on purchasing fertilizer inputs. This may or may not hold true as retailers say that the high cost of freight and rail will keep fertilizer prices locked in. Retailers are seeing less fertilizer sales today compared to a year ago.

Fertilizer accounts for over 40 percent of your variable input costs for corn and about 25 percent of your soybean variable input costs. The way this input is managed can have a large effect on your bottom line - yield and cost.
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Remember the four “R”s of nutrient application: the right source, and at the right rate, in the right place, at the right time.

Fall Nitrogen Application Tips

Efficient nitrogen (N) applications can translate into a better bottom line. Here are five tips Agriculture.com came up with to help you efficiently manage your fall N applications.

1. Watch the temperature.“Our guideline is, when it hits 50°F. between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. at the 4-inch depth, it’s time to apply,” says Dave Franzen, North Dakota State University Extension soil specialist. 

Applying anhydrous ammonia before soil temperatures reach 50°F. can lead to ammonium conversion to nitrite, says John Sawyer, Iowa State University Extension soil fertility specialist. He recommends spring N applications and sidedressing instead of fall applications to avoid loss.

2. Consider the soil type.“Soils that have a greater chance for N loss would be less preferred for fall applications,” says Sawyer. Also, avoid applying N in the fall on historically wet fields.

3. Plan split applications.
Franzen recommends applying half of the total N rate in the fall or preplant, and then the other half when the corn reaches V5 to V8.


“That way, if it does become really wet in May and early June, you only have half of your N at risk,” Franzen explains.

4. Use the correct form.
Only certain types of N fertilizer should be fall applied. For fall applications in Iowa, Sawyer only recommends anhydrous ammonia. All other forms should be spring-applied he says. 


“Some states don’t recommend putting on urea at all, but we haven’t found that to be an issue,” says Franzen. However, he doesn’t recommend UAN for fall applications.

5. Follow the guidelines. Franzen recommends checking state guidelines before making N applications. State guidelines will give combinations recommendations for fall N applications, he says.