Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-01-01, Page 7Red meat stabilization soon available BRUSSELS AGROMART: The Company to Call When you need bagged fertilizer Brussels Agromart is ready for your call. At Brussels Agromart quality is a tradition; you'll get a guaranteed analysis backed by outstanding service. DECEMBER CASH SPECIALS '1'1 V • 1..Y3-V.'," 1 1'.,1.1 .1;;7--(11. Now in effect YOUR CHOICE *Standard analysis OR *Blended to your soil test recommendations 0[110 Agromart" "Helping Things Grow" Brussels Agromart Ltd., Brussels, Ont. 519-887-6273 THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1986. PAGE 7. Soil compaction this fall may affect corn "I'm expecting to see a lot of the tall corn - short corn syndrome in 1986," says John Heard, Soils and Crop Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. This is a 'disease' common in the United States, and has been positively identified in Ontario. The 'disease' is often worse following a wet fall. It can reduce yields of corn up to 25-30% the first year, and crop yields may not recover for 3 - 4 years - even if future falls are dry. The disease is even more severe or crops with a poor root syste, such as white beans. What measures can be taken to combat this problem? Researchers have been able to overcome some of the yield loss by using very high rates of fertilizer, especially nitrogen and potash, and by irrigating the crop. This is not economical for field crops in Ontario. "Of course the disease I am referring to is soil compaction. Though soil compaction is most commonly associated with tilling wet soils in the spring, harvesting The Provincial and Federal Governments recently announced hog stabilization payments for the second and third quarters of 1985. PAYMENT PER HOG SOLD Farrow-to-finish Provincial share Federal share TOTAL Finisher Provincial share Federal share TOTAL WEANER SALES Only Provincial payment The Federal share is based on domestic consumption only. The Crop Insurance and Stabili- zation Branch has obtained sales of market hogs from the Pork Board. Pre-addressed forms will be mail- ed to pork producers who sell through the Board. Application forms for producers who sell outside the Board will be available at Agricultural Offices. The first application forms were mailed to producers on December 6th. A production unit is eligible for a maximum grant on 2,000 animals in each quarter. A production unit is defined as a farming entity where one or more partners or officials have a common interest in sharing ownership, and/or labour, and/or management. Proof of sales will be needed on weaners as well as market hogs. Farmer-to-farmer sales must be backed up with a statement indicating that X number of pigs were sold. This statement should be signed by the purchaser. BASIS OF PAYMENT The payments are based on the tripartite formula less premiums. The Federal Government, in the transition to tripartite, has agreed to make A.S.A. 90 per cent payments on a quarterly basis; these payments are included in the calculation to beef and pork producers. BEEF STABILIZATION There have been some changes since the original announcement ;ays John Bancroft, Farm Man- agement Specialist with O.M.A.F. under wet conditions or fall application of manure can cause just as much compaction," he says. Researchers have shown that wheel traffic and transport equip- ment operating when the soil is wet can cause subsoil compaction as deep as two feet or more. In the past we have often suggested that here in the Great White North frost action in the winter alleviates this detrimental effect. Not true -- at least not for four years - according to a Minnesota study, and their winters are assuredly more severe than ours. So why might your soils and crops specialist be writing about this now after the damage is done? Because there are few answers to reducing the problem - especially since crop harvest must take a top priority. Getting manure out of storage and onto the ground before winter is also a priority. What can be done once your field is rutted? Well, in the midwest corn belt, following the wet fall of 1984, extension agronomists sug- gested plowing as deep as the ruts - this may break up some wheel Details are not yet available. We will advise producers on the procedures for making application just as soon as they are available. Quarter 2 Quarter 3 $8.09 $9.79 $2.20 $4.51 $10.11 $14.30 $4.55 $4.79 $2.02 $4.51 $6.57 $9.30 $3.54 $5.00 ONE APPLICATION FORM Only one application form will be required for the Federal and Provincial grants. It is understood that one cheque would cover both payments, and an explanation as to the source of funds will be printed on the cheque stub. Farm income drops 14% in 1985 Canadian realized net farm income is forecast to drop $3.7 billion in 1985, down 14 per cent from the 1984 level of $4.3 billion, according to federal economists at the annual Agricultural Outlook Conference. In 1986, Agriculture Canada forecasts a 1.6 per cent increase over 1985's realized net farm income, to reach a level of $3.8 billion. Farm cash receipts in 1985 are estimated at $19.7 billion, down three per cent from the 1984 level of $20.3 billion. Expenses and de- preciation for the year are expected to increase only slightly (0.04 per cent) from the 1984 level of $16.2 billion, reaching $16.3 billion. In 1986, Agriculture Canada economists, working in co-opera- tion with Statistics Canada and provincial departments of agricul- ture estimate farm cash receipts will rise by nearly 0.8 per cent to $19.6 billion. Expenses and de- preciation are forcast to decline by 1.3 per cent to $16 billion. compaction. This can be done where the top soil is 12 - 16 inches deep - but not here. In Ontairo we would be bringing up subsoil and creating even longer term pro- blems than compaction. Unfortunately, there is little that you can do now. If you are thinking that frost action will break up the compaction of an unplowed field, consider Guelph research showing three to 6 per cent yield reductions for spring plowing versus fall on silt loam and clay loam soils. But don't plow if it is too wet. This will compact more. Wait until it freezes, or plow next spring - accepting a minimal yield penalty versus creating more losses. What about next spring? Let's minimize possible compaction. All farmers are aware of the yield- planting date curve. This shows maximum yield potential when corn is planted the first week of May with decreasing yields after May 10. Unfortunately few are aware of a similar curve showing the yield-compaction date interac- tion. Compaction early in the spring - when the soil is wet will reduce yields more than compac- tion of dry soils. It is in this critical period that the fertility value of liquid manure can easily be overshadowed by yield losses due to tanker compaction.A Swedish study compared the man- agement of two imaginary live- stock farmers. Farmer A used a five cubic metre tanker outfitted with large diameter tires, avoided the wettest spring days, and organized field patterns to keep driving distances as short as possible. Even with a 6m spread pattern, 25 percent of the field is tracked. Farmer B has a bigger tanker with smaller tires, and pays no attention to compaction effects. He gets the manure out when and how he wants to. In the process he traffics 30 percent of the field area. On a clay loam soil, farmer B has dollar losses of $32. per acre compared to $13. for farmer A. These losses are due to yield lost in the same year, and subsequent years. as well as increased tillage costs. On his clay soil Farmer B loses $45. per acre and $16 for farmer A. A relatively new strategy on reducing wheel traffic compaction is the Controlled Traffic Concept. This involves restricting your wheel traffic to a specific zone accepting the yield loss in this zone and reducing traffic over the majority of the field. This is not easy to do when we use production systems with full width tillage such as plows, chisels, disks, field cultivators etc. But if you can follow previously made tracks, you will reduce the area of compaction. This concept is much easier to apply to minimum tillage, such as ridge till or no till where the crop is planted back into the same rows year after year. Just as with the current interest in reduced tillage, I'm sure we will be hearing more about the benefits of controlled traffic in the future. zed ea/r4 1985 Buick LeSabre, 4dr. 1984 Dodge, 1/2 ton 1984 Ford Crown Victoria, 4 dr. 1984 Pontiac Bonneville, 4 dr. 1980 Chev., 1983 Oldsmobile 98, 4 dr., loaded with extras 1982 Ford F100, 1/2 ton. 1981 American Motors Concord DL, 2 dr. 1980 Chev., 1/2ton pickup 1980 Buick Regal, 2 dr. 1979 Buick LeSabre, 4 dr. 1979 Cutlass Station Wagon 1978 Plymouth Salon, 4 dr. Hamm's Car Sales Blyth 523-4342