The Rural Voice, 2001-02, Page 22R.T. BOLTON & SON
DEPENDABLE QUALITY PEDIGREED SEED
ADVANTAGE 519-527-0455 or 519-527-0205 Seaforth
ADVANTAGE
• Atr1'tv,lU Pf
* NEW *
AC AYLMER - OATS
High yield food quality, disease resistant
AC ALMA - BARLEY
6 Row Feed - high yield
AC AYLMER - AC ALMA
Mixtures 50:50 - 65:35 - 35:65
SOYBEANS
OAC ATWOOD for 2675 C.H.U.
Early Export Quality Yellow Hilum
OAC AUBURN for 2775 C.H.U.
Top yield brown hilum soybean
OAC ARTHUR for 2750 C.H.U.
Yellow hilum soybean
WHITE BEANS
ASPEN
Upright bush -type
Excellent for direct cut harvest
* All Are Non GMO
Varieties *
SeCan
16e Sc.,. a/„ Sill (1.041111 uhue
OATS
AC STEWART
High Yielding Yellow Feed Oat
AC RIGODON
High Yielding White Oat
OAC PAISLEY
Top Yielding Yellow Oats for Mixes
AC FRANCIS
High Yielding - Disease Resistant White Oats
BARLEY
CHAPAIS
6 row Feed Barley - short straw - high yield
SOYBEANS
OAC WINGHAM
Early 2625 C.H.U. Brown hilum
WHITE BEANS
OAC SPEEDVALE
Early Bush -type navy variety
RED CLOVER AND
GRASS SEED MIXTURES AVAILABLE
CropAdvisory.com
Mervyn Erb
CPCC-I, CCA
Brucefield, Ont.
519-233-7100
&
Andy Megens
PAg, CCA
St. Marys, Ont.
519-284-3199
Michael Hunter
CCA
Susan Schurter
GIS Specialist
Ripley, Ont.
519-395-0254
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT CROP ADVISORY SERVICESfi
MEMBERS: NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT CROP CONSULTANTS STRATEGESt
18 THE RURAL VOICE
required for corn (beyond a nominal
starter amount) or for soys, when P
soil test levels are above 20 ppm on a
bicarb test, or above 40 on a Bray -PI
test. Additional P is not needed in
wheat and alfalfa where P levels are
above 25 ppm bicarb. Additional P
will not produce a yield response in
edible beans when soil P levels exceed
20 ppm.
When it comes to nitrogen, you
can't choke here. Do not undercut N.
When it comes to wheat, suffice to
say different kinds and end uses
require different rates. With the
outrageous price of N and the poor
price of wheat, wheat could be the
worst dog on the block. Maybe it will
all winterkill.
On corn, I would not go over 1 Ib.
N for each expected bushel of yield.
Weather is the most important factor
here. Remember 1998 and 1999? You
all got 20-35 more bu. than the lbs. N
you applied. No, 90-110 Ib. N is not
enough, but 130-140 Ib. should do it
in this reading area.
Equipment costs: Everything I've
talked about up to now is really just
nickels and dimes.
The cost of dealing tractors and
combines is going to reflect full,
straight-line depreciation values and
they are going to be biggest we've
ever seen. Present commodity prices
would make a new Farmall M look
risky. The way it's going, only mega
farmers will be able to cash flow new
equipment.
Land costs: Rent is worth 90 cents
per bu. of corn yield potential. For
soys it is about $2.75 per bushel of
potential, for edible beans it is 7 cents
per pound of yield, and for wheat it is
worth $1.30. Yield potential is that
particular field's long-term average, or
your crop insurance average, NOT
your 1998/99 yields. Land that is
poorly drained, or is heavy clay, or
very sandy and drought prone, is too
risky and is worthless at today's
commodity prices.
Bottom line: The banks are already
tightening up and raising interest rates
on LOC's and termed out loans.
Unless Chretien, Vanclief and
Hardeman wake up and smell the
coffee, or have a re -vision of
agriculture and the forces that are
against it, it is going to be one ugly
year.°
Mervyn Erb is a crop consultant at
Brucefield, ON.