SOW YOUR WILD OATS

Meaning:  'to conduct oneself foolishly' It usually refers to a young man frittering his time away in fruitless dissipation, or to the prolific sexual activities of a young man.

Origin: The wild oat (Avena fatua) is a common tall plant that looks like its relative the cereal plant oat, but is really a pernicious weed that infests the fields and is difficult to eradicate.

Farmers have since ancient times hated it because it’s a weed that’s useless as a cereal crop, but its seeds have always been difficult to separate from those of useful cereals and so tended to survive and multiply from year to year. The only way to remove it was to tramp the fields and hand-weed it. Even today it’s still a problem, despite modern seed cleaning and selective weedkillers.

The uselessness of wild oats has been known since ancient times and for almost as long we have had the expression to 'sow wild oats, The expression has been traced back to the Roman comic Plautus in 194 B.C. and was probably used before him. The saying is first recorded in English in 1542, in a tract by the Norfolk Protestant clergyman Thomas Becon. In the 16th and 17th century dissolute or wild young men were called 'wild oats." From Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, of 1869: “Boys will be boys, young men must sow their wild oats, and women must not expect miracles”.

Sources:

From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997)

World Wide Words is copyright © Michael Quinion,

Note: This article is intended as a general guide to herbicides and soil pH. It is not a substitute for herbicide labels, nor promotes or discourages the use of any herbicide(s). All herbicides are names are trademarks of their respective manufactures.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY SHOWERS

I stumbled onto an article today, Mat of microbes the size of Greece discovered on seafloor.

Here are some of the things I found interesting.

• microbes, which constitute 50 to 90 percent of the oceans' total biomass,
• A single liter of seawater, once thought to contain about 100,000 microbes, can actually hold more than one billion microorganisms
• Despite their small individual size, microbes play a big role in the oceans and the planet overall. Microbes help to turn atmospheric carbon dioxide into usable carbon, completing about 95 percent of all respiration in the Earth's oceans. Even those deep in the seafloor, such as the deep sea  burrowers, "help oxygenate sediments and interact with microbes to cycle nutrients and carbon on the ocean floor," Arbizu said.

Makes you wonder what is going on in your soil. Many of us have experience feed and caring for cattle and pigs, but whens the last time you feed or take care to manage your soil microbes?

Have you ever thought of them at all?

YOU CAN’T SQUEEZE BLOOD FROM A TURNIP

Meaning: You cannot get something from a person, especially money, that they don't have. You can only get what people are willing or able to give. A turnip cannot be coaxed, squeezed, or cajoled into producing blood. All efforts at obtaining blood from this vegetable will be futile

Origin:  Unknown, but thought to originate in the Bible, with the story about Cain and Abel in Genesis 4? "Abel kept flocks (a shepherd/rancher), and Cain worked the soil (a farmer). In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock (a meat offering requiring bloodshed). The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor." (NIV)

In the Old Testament God required a blood offering for sin. Hence, you can't get blood out of a turnip

Another reference says "blood from a turnip" was used by Frederick Marryat, "apparently borrowing an expression from folklore," in "Japhet in Search of a Father" in 1836: There's no getting blood out of a turnip."
 

Yes the rumors are true, we are only able to fill prepay orders as of last Thursday. We will work in other orders as possible. Please call us if you have any questions 800-255-8196.

Being on allocation this early has raised many questions;

• What happened to all the product?
• I thought you expanded the plant?
• What are good long time customers supposed to do?
• I was not told to prepay or told it shouldn't be necessary.

All are valid questions and concerns. What happened to all the product is that there was virtually no product applied all winter,  this backed up everything. Once spring turned, it was nice from Kansas to Canada, our dealers who have a tremendous capacity for application emptied out stocks in a matter of days. Typically spring starts in the south and by the time the southern half of the county is finishing up, the northern half is just starting. I have talked with many other suppliers and many other terminals were also quickly depleted.

We have been expanding out plants for 5 years strait now. We have increased capacity for production as well as storage, this has just been one of those springs that many input producers could not have predicted. A bad winter with an early unseasonably nice spring, little in country storage combined to empty our warehouse at record pace.

We are disappointed that we are not able to have enough product for everyone this spring. We have many long time customers that are not able to get product. We are working hour-by-hour, day-by-day to get product to prepaid customers first, then customers that have had orders placed since 4-8-10. With rain predicted to hit most of the Midwest this week, we will work get tons to those that can run.

Many dealers may not have been asked to prepay, this is our fault, and we will work to let every dealer know of future programs. You can also ask your product rep or call our offices for more information. For those that were told prepay shouldn't be necessary, again we would like to apologize for that, the information at the time showed that production and storage should have been able to meet demand. In the future our sales staff will work more closely with dealers to ensure needs are meet.

So what else is Calcium Products doing to avoid this for the future?

We are revamping our production schedules, prepay and pricing program, expanding the cost share program to help dealers build more storage and looking at other storage solutions. I know this doesn't make more product available this spring, but we are committed to meeting our customers demands.

We ask for your patience and understanding this spring and thank you for your business and support.

GRIND TO A HALT

This spring product has gone out faster than previous years. Now that fertilizer stocks are depleted, many dealers have found themselves, grinding to a halt.

Meaning: Probably just a colloquial phrase that refers to something slowing down and stopping, usually because of a problem

Origin: Thought to be an expression used in milling, though use of this saying in print did not show up until Dec. 1934 inThe Nevada State Journal, long after the milling industries hay day.

We are always looking for new products and ideas to help farmers increase yields, quality and sustain the soil. We think humates and humic acid products are something you should look at.

For more on what humates are.

Here is a short list of Humate Benefits:

• Improved Water Retention, and water holding capacity
• Humates can hold up to 20 times their weight in water. 
• Humic substances can enhance the release of fixed K from montmorillonite soils.
• Addition of humic acids can increase P uptake by 25%.
• Humic substances will increase length, and number of lateral roots, seedling growth after germination, nutrient availability and nutrient uptake.
• These substances also affect a wide range of enzymatic processes

HumaCal is a uniquely synergistic pelletized humate product made with calcium and sulfur. It naturally and effectively provides nutrients, chelating agents, buffering properties and biological stimulation to soil. HumaCal improves plant uptake of soil nutrients, stabilizes nitrogen, stimulates root growth and mass, and increases soil water holding capacity in various agricultural, turf and ornamental applications.

HumaCal’s unique pelletizing process allows clean, virtually dust free applications. These all-natural products are NOP approved and OMRI listed. HumaCal is non-toxic and non-corrosive.

HumaCal can be applied alone or blended with other fertilizers. HumaCal pellets are tightly screened for accurate blending with other fertilizer ingredients and precision application with any dry fertilizer spreader. HumaCal is recommended as part of a regular soil fertility regime and may be applied anytime, even at planting.

Written by Greg Ervin, MS CCA, Regional Sales Representative

Achieving high yields consistently is the ultimate dream of most growers.  As we look ahead to the 2010 crop year, it is important to take time to identify potential yield robbing factors and establish actions for offsetting these negatives as they arise.  With plans in place, growers maximize the highest yield potential under their control.

What are some of the looming yield robbers farmers face in 2010?

The following are three concerns I heard from growers this winter:

Emergence problems associated with residue management.  If last year’s residues are only partially broken down and look to present a problem in consistent seed spacing and depth placement , consider creating a more conducive seed bed . This can be done through the use of light tillage and/or the use of Calcium in the forms of Gypsum (for higher pH soils) or Calcium Carbonate (for lower pH soils).  This added soluble Calcium leaches away soil toxins, leaving a soil structure that does a better job of managing moisture and providing more air to soil micro-life.   It also frees tied-up key nutrients from residues and soils making them more available to plants throughout the growing season.  

Soil micro-life is important to the efficient breakdown of plant residues.  With current herbicide technology involving Glyphosate, much of the beneficial micro-life in soils has been reduced to levels where efficient residue breakdown is not occurring (Huber 2010).  Spring and Fall residue treatment programs aimed at enhancing soil micro-life may be logical steps for growers to implement as means for reducing residues and reclaiming plant available nutrients from residues and soils. 

Gypsum is a good fit when considering residue management.  The soluble Calcium aids in creating improved soil characteristics, while the 17% soluble Sulfur in Gypsum acts as an excellent readily available food source for plants and also for expanding micro-life in the soil, accelerating the breakdown of residues.  Calcium Products, Inc. SuperCal S04 is an excellent source of Gypsum for these applications.

Plant Micronutrient tie-ups associated with herbicide use.  Current herbicide programs involving the use of Glyphosate are creating severe Micronutrient tie-ups in plants and in soils (Huber, 2010).  These tie-ups lead to nutritional deficiencies of plants, starving them to the point of reduced standability, reduced yields and inefficient dry-down of harvested crops. 

With today’s understanding of the compounding effects of Glyphosate on soils and plants, I am advising growers to ensure plants have adequate micronutrients available to build strong plant immune systems to fight-off fusarium energized in soils by Glyphosate (Huber 2010).  The addition of Calcium to soils in the Spring or Fall assists plants in building strong cell walls from readily available plant food nutrients released in soils by soluble Calcium. 

Plant tissue testing is an excellent analytical tool available for insuring adequate nutrient availability throughout the growing season.  Taken ahead of Glyphosate applications, Micronutrient levels can be monitored through plant tissue testing and corrected by adding needed Micronutrients with Glyphosate at herbicide application times. 

Growers should not underestimate the importance of Micronutrients to sustaining plant health in the quest for more consistent higher yielding crops.  Calcium Products, Inc.’s SuperCal 98G Calcium Carbonate Liming product is an efficient and cost effective way of meeting Calcium needs of plants, soils, and correcting lower testing pH areas in farm fields.

Compaction from wet soils.  For many areas of the country, wet Spring and wet Fall seasons have been very common place.  With wet weather at planting and harvest times comes compaction from operating farm equipment over fields in less than ideal conditions. 

Deep ripping of heavy field use areas can be of help along with Spring or Fall broadcast applications of Calcium to address whole field soil structure development and repair.  Calcium may not eliminate all symptoms associated with sever compaction; however overall Calcium helps loosen soils, increases the movement of air and moisture more efficiently through soil profiles, and enhances soil moisture storing capacities.  This, along with providing a more conducive soil environment for the proliferation of soil micro-life, goes a long way in repairing distressed soils and reclaiming yields in field areas affected from compaction.

Give us a call to discuss the advantages and cost effectiveness of including SuperCal products to your lineup of inputs this growing season.   These products are essential to a well-balanced fertility program, aiding you in your quest for consistently higher yields.
 

Written by Greg Ervin, MS CCA, Regional Sales Representative

Many producers experienced a loss of pasture or hay fields due to flooding in recent years.  Dr. Stephen Barnhart, ISU Agronomy Extension, provides some great recommendations in a recent posting.  You can read his commentary here: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2010/0312barnhart2.htm

He makes some great points, including the importance of nitrogen in reestablishment, & the value of variety selection.  He also cited the need for the soil pH to be correct. 

SuperCal 98G is a great fit for pasture/forage renovation or establishment.  Due to its high quality & soil solubility, it will work very effectively to reduce soil acidity in the critical seeding year.  We have many producers report that they customarily apply 200-400# with other crop nutrients, either prior to, or as part of, seeding the forage.  I always used this product when direct seeding alfalfa in Nebraska, with fabulous results!

I would also suggest including some SuperCal SO4 when working with the conditions Dr. Barnhart discusses.  Reestablishing soil microbiology is imperative to a successful seeding, & microbes are often suffering from compaction and/or anaerobic (lack of oxygen) conditions due to flooding.  SO4 will provide calcium and sulfur for both the microbes & the establishing crop, & can also help in reducing seedling disease in this environment.

Here's to a great forage year!

BY HOOK OR BY CROOK

With the planting season upon us I thought this saying fitting since every year we get the crop in one way or another!

Meaning: By whatever means necessary - be they fair or foul.

Origin: The earliest citation of the phrase that is in Philip Stubbes' The Anatomie of Abuses, 1583, Either by hooke or crooke, by night or day.

It is sometimes suggested that 'by hook or by crook' derives from the custom in mediaeval England of allowing peasants to take from royal forests whatever deadwood they could pull down with a shepherd's crook or cut with a reaper's billhook.

Crooks are the curved or hooked sticks that shepherds use to catch sheep by hooking their hind legs. Hook is a synonym for crook. It is quite possible that the two words were put together to mean 'one way or another', for no better reason than the rhyming. Either that, or the 'wood gathering' derivation is correct. We may never know which.

Source: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/by-hook-or-by-crook.html
 

From:

CROP NOTES for March 30, 2010

Iowa State University Extension Information for Northeast Iowa
By Brian Lang, ISU Extension Agronomist
911 S. Mill Street, Decorah, IA 52101
563-382-2949
 

Great Time to Setup a Sulfur Fertilizer Strip-Trial
Research trials on sulfur fertilizer for corn in northeast Iowa show positive results about 100% of the time on sands, 70% of the time on silt loam soils, 60% of the time on loam soils, and only 14% of the time on clay loam soils (all of these fields were without any recent manure history).  If you are on a silt loam (Fayette, Downs) or loam soil, how do you know if you will benefit? 

The sulfur soil test is no help in determining sulfur recommendations.  Plant analysis works good for alfalfa, but not corn.  We recommend a simple sulfur fertilizer strip trial to help you see if sulfur fertilizer will pay on your fields.  It’s easy.  Get a spreader with Calcium sulfate (gypsum) set to spread about 100 lbs of product per acre.  That will give you about 16 lbs of sulfur per acre.  Spread on your fields of interest leaving a large gap between spreader passes.  E.g. make a 60-foot spreader pass, skip over 120 feet, make a spreader pass, skip over 120 feet, make a spreader pass.  Now you have 6 strips, 3 with sulfur and 3 without.  Do this on as many fields that you are interested in.
 

Calcium Products Tip: Many dealers carry SuperCal SO4 pelletized gypsum!