The Rural Voice, 2001-02, Page 21area.
This becomes much more
important if you farm north of the
Highway 8.
Failing to do this will result in
harvesting a lot of 33 -per -cent corn,
and low -test -weight corn, especially in
years with barely normal heat unit
accumulations like 1996 and 1997. If
corn this past year had not been killed
early by a host of diseases, we would
have had sky-high drying costs, which
is a risk you definitely want to control
for this coming crop year. Nobody
wants $75 per acre drying costs.
Pesticides: If there was ever a time to
shave costs, this is the year. You know
the weather variations of the past
several years. However, remember
this — good, cheap and safe are NOT
in the same sentence. Get a well-
rounded program, but shave it as close
to the bone as possible.
This is not the year for
extravagantly priced products and
programs. Don't buy into co -packs
where you can do it cheaper if you
buy the products separately, or if you
end up with a lot of left -over of one
product, or if you end up with one
product you don't really need but get a
good price on the other two.
Also be aware that there are a
number of products out there that are
injurious and seem to really nuke
somebody's crop every year. Stay
away from them, this is no year to
take a five or 40 -bushel yield hit for
no fault of your own — but then again
no year is.
Seeding rates: There are corn
varieties out there with big flexy ears
where a 26,500 seeding rate is quite
ample. Varieties with fixed ear sizing
will need to go to 30,000.
Planting cheaper, small seed and
then not watching your planter seed
disc size will result in a lot of doubles,
triples and gaps. You won't save a
dime.
When it comes to soys 175,000
viable plants per acre is enough.
Simply divide 175,000 by the per cent
germ to know what you have to start
with. With certified seed selling at
$21-25 per bag, $12 bin -run looks
pretty good when beans are under $7.
Don't worry about the seed industry
— if they want us to buy $21-25 a bag
seed they'll have to think of some way
to get our end price up. Maybe they
can lean on the traders.
Fertilizer: Additional P is not
WE WANT YOUR GRAIN!
Elevator - Seaforth
519-527-1241
• Corn • Wheat • Soybeans
• Feed Grains • Feed Ingredients
• Food Quality Soybeans
1MA
london agricultural commodities, inc.
CASH & FORWARD CONTRACTS
Call us today for Quotes
Dave Gordon
Elizabeth Armstrong
Richard Smibert
Ian Carter
Tom Meilke
1615 NORTH ROUTLEDGE PARK
UNIT 43 - LONDON, ONTARIO, N6H 5L6
519-473-9333
Toll -Free 1-800-265-1885
WINTER DISCOUNTS IN EFFECT
TOP DRY
HOW DOES THE
G. S. I. SYSTEM WORK?
1) Grain is loaded into the upper chamber
of the bin, and dried as a batch
2) When the grain is dry, the burner
automatically shuts off
3) The operator lowers the dump chutes
with a winch, and the grain falls to the
lower part of the bin for cooling/storage
4) The dump chutes are cranked closed
and another batch is loading into the
drying chamber
WHY IS A TOP DRY A BETTER INVESTMENT
THAN A STIRRING MACHINE?
1) LOWER OPERATING COSTS
* Uses much less fuel because it recycles cooling air through
the drying zone
' No gear boxes, motors, or bearings inside the bin
• 100% galvanized construction inside and outside
2) FASTER DRYING
' 2 to 3 times faster per horsepower than a stirring machine
because of lower grain depth (30")
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR A FREE ESTIMATE, CALL TODAY
(ALmAR) GRAIN SYSTEMS LTD. � ail 11
131 Thames Rd. W.
(519)235-1919 / Fax: (519) 235-2562
Exeter. Ontario NOM 1S3 Visit our website: www.almar.on.ca
FEBRUARY 2001 17