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May 2012 May 30, 2012 Written By: Craig Dick Alvin Toffler, former editor of Fortune magazine, writer and futurist said "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn" What have you had to unlearn and relearn in regards to agronomic principles?
Leave your comments below or head over to our Facebook page and leave us a comment!
Yield Starts Here is a blog for farmers, focusing on increasing yield and profitability by focusing on the soil. It is managed by Craig Dick, a Blogronomist and Sales and Marketing Manager at Calcium Products. Find other articles by Craig and guest writers at http://blog.calciumproducts.com/ .
May 29, 2012 Written By: Craig Dick While its true calcium may be King, all nutrients have an important part to play in plant health and high yields. I just saw an article on the lack of zinc in North American Soils. Of 4.4 million tests taken in 2010 37% showed less than 1 ppm Zn, with 16% of those less than 0.5 ppm. You can order the full IPNI report Soil Test leaves in North America 2010 by clicking on the previous link. Zinc is a component of enzymes including auxins (plant growth hormones). It is essential to carbohydrate metabolism, protein synthesis and internodal elongation (stem growth).
Here is a great post by AgriGold Hybrids on Zinc. Here is a summary of the post: ... showed a 53 bushel increase in yield by adding one pound of zinc to a starter.
...common symptoms associated with zinc deficiency in corn results in a white or yellow band that runs parallel with the mid rib. Other problems associated with zinc deficiency include: • Poor root development
• Stunted growth
• Small leaves
• Shortened internodes
• Delayed silking and tasseling
• Chalky kernels
There is also the hidden deficiency that has no symptoms. Hidden zinc deficiencies are well documented in corn and reductions in yield can be up to 40%. Therefore the best method to determine if zinc is deficient is by taking soil samples to determine the levels of zinc in the soil. Calcium Product's Note: It is well documented that many deficiencies can take up to 2 weeks to show visual response and up to 2 more weeks to correct. This whole time you are losing yield you cannot recover. Don't let your yields suffer from hidden hunger, make sure you include micronutrients as part of your fertility program.
Yield Starts Here is a blog for farmers, focusing on increasing yield and profitability by focusing on the soil. It is managed by Craig Dick, a Blogronomist and Sales and Marketing Manager at Calcium Products. Find other articles by Craig and guest writers at http://blog.calciumproducts.com/ .
May 23, 2012 Written By: Craig Dick Monsanto buys Precision Planting, Inc for 210 million! For the whole story, click here.
Yield Starts Here is a blog for farmers, focusing on increasing yield and profitability by focusing on the soil. It is managed by Craig Dick, a Blogronomist and Sales and Marketing Manager at Calcium Products. Find other articles by Craig and guest writers at http://blog.calciumproducts.com/ . May 20, 2012 Written By: Courtney Tompkins Grilling out is one of my favorite summer activities. And, of course, I always want farm-fresh food; it's the tastiest! My latest burger creation has been very popular and is oft-requested already so thought I'd pass it along. Warning, I rarely measure when I cook so the measurements are open to your own interpretation!
Mix everything in a bowl so everything is moist and will stick together. Ball it up in your hand and make into a round patty. Spray non-stick oil on the grill and fire it up to cook your patties! Beware, you'll get rave reviews and have to make them again soon!
May 18, 2012 Written By: Courtney Tompkins There's nothing better than a fresh ear of corn with butter, salt & pepper. (Am I right?) I usually steam it but I also like it grilled. Either way I've always shucked it then cooked it. So I am eager to try the shucking technique this guy shares: Have you ever done that? Looks pretty slick! How do you prefer to eat fresh summer sweet corn? May 16, 2012 Written By: Courtney Tompkins Due to maintenance and repairs our Alden warehouse will not be able to load SuperCal 98G this week. Please pick up your loads at our Gilmore City location. The issues should be remedied this week; everything should be back to normal by Monday. If you want to double-check the status before dispatching your trucks or you have other questions, please call our office at 1.800.255.8196. Thank you for your patience!
May 10, 2012 Written By: Courtney Tompkins
Here's the full lineup:
May 2, 2012 Written By: Craig Dick To understand how limestone is formed one has to look at the the global carbon cycle. You may already be familiar with the nitrogen cycle, sulfur cycle, and the water cycle We all know that animals and humans exhale carbon dioxide. This is how we create energy. We take in oxygen and it combines with sugars and we exhale carbon and water. Glucose is a typical food and the metabolic reaction can be represented by:
C6H12O6 + 6 O2 ® 6 CO2 + 6 H2O Plants and green bacteria, produce oxygen and consumes carbon dioxide in its photosynthesis. Energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation or photons from the sun is supplied so that the plants convert low-energy-content carbon dioxide into high-energy-content glucose. The photosynthesis reaction is represented by:
6 CO2 + 12 H2O -- h v ® C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O Plants and animals make food for each other. The plants convert sunlight into high-energy food for the animals. Water is a reaction medium and a product of photosynthesis. Radioactive labeled studies show that the oxygen in the water produced from photosynthesis is the same oxygen from the carbon dioxide.
You may be thinking that crops and plants with leaves, like trees, lawns, and flowers are the main source of oxygen production. In fact, primitive plants in the ocean play a more important role in in the photosynthesis process, because sheer numbers of them.
Speaking of the ocean, it is the largest sink of carbon dioxide in the world. Carbon dioxide is heavier than the surrounding atmosphere and sinks to the lowest spot in the landscape. Carbon dioxide sinks to reach sea level and then interacts with the water where itdissolves in water to form carbonic acid:
CO2 + H2O ® H2CO3  The dissolved carbon dioxide or carbonic acid in the ocean further re
acts with
metal ions in the water forming calcium and magnesium carbonates. Extensive limestone (CaCO3) and dolomite (mixture of CaCO3 and MgCO3) have been formed this way. The Gilmore City quarry was nearthe equator and a shallow sea about 450 million years ago and our limestone was deposited in this way!
Photo Credit: Geological History of Jamestown, Rhode Island
Yield Starts Here is a blog for farmers, focusing on increasing yield and profitability by focusing on the soil. It is managed by Craig Dick, a Blogronomist and Sales and Marketing Manager at Calcium Products. Find other articles by Craig and guest writers at http://blog.calciumproducts.com/ .
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Loaded garden burgers
We are proud to be a major sponsor of the Practical Farmers of Iowa field days this year. Topics range from pesticide drift monitoring to strip-tillate, organic crops, no-till, GMOs, tree crops and more. You'll hear research results and discuss innovative practices while networking with your fellow Iowa farmer. It sounds like you'd meet some pretty amazing folks and taste some delicious food too! 
