Following up on the Corn Agronomy 101 blog, here is the second portion from our intended Corn and Forage meeting!

​Forages can be seeded at any point in the growing season, but there are different risk and factors to take into consideration.

​Early spring typically provides the greatest amount of moisture and the best chance at establishment . In midsummer, more weeds can be left to germinate and killed prior to seeding but moisture is a concern and may or may not be adequate depending on the year. Leaving seeding until late fall is considered the riskiest of options. The plants may establish prior to winter, but the spring run off and freeze/thaw cycles can cause significant seedling damage and a reduction in plant stand.

For the best stand and germination results, seed should be place into a firm seedbed be to ensure seed-soil contact​. Ideally, ¼ - ½ inch are the best depths to seed at. If in doubt, it’s better to go shallow than deep. Seeding rates should be based on the target amount of plants per square foot. Since forage seedlings are weak, seeding 4x the desired plant population is a good method.
 
Horizon Fertilizers along with BrettYoung Seeds have a blend calculator that provides an estimate of seeds/f2 of various species.

Alberta Agriculture has a fantastic guideline table that we often reference. For a new stand, it’s best to consider higher rates of phosphorous, potassium, and sulphur. With phosphorous, keep in mind that the max amount of P2O5 that can safely seed placed is 15lb/ac. We highly recommend soil testing prior to seeding to ensure the correct nutrients are be applied and the crop potential may is maximized.

For grass stands, the highest nutrient requirement is nitrogen. If soil tests on established tests reveal a deficiency and soil moisture is good, the plants will respond significantly to an application. If moisture conditions are drier than normal, the fertility rate should be decreased.

Spring has the greatest amount of moisture so is the best time to broadcast nitrogen. The ideal timing is prior to active grass growth. If there is plans to do more than one cut on the field in the year, the total nitrogen amount can be split with the second application happening after the first cut occurs.

With alfalfa/grass stand it is more likely that phosphorous is the limiting factor. A soil test is also encouraged for to determine the current soil nutrient levels. If deficient, the best time to broadcast is early spring when there is sufficient moisture conditions. A yearly application of 20-40lbs/ac P2O5 is recommended to maintain the crop removal rates with a known deficiency.

Generally, cover crops are not a recommended practice with establishing forages*. Adding another crop creates competition and decreases the chance of proper establishment. If a cover crop is the desired route, it is advised to reduce the cover crop seeding rate from 1/3-1/2 the normal seeding rate. Later in season, the cover crop should be removed early as green feed.

​*Where soil erosion is an issue, cover crops have been found to be beneficial. 

We can’t grow corn here… oh wait, yes we can!! ​Whether your end goal is to graze, grain or silage corn, with some planning and some prepping, growing corn in Central Sask can be a viable rotation on your farm. Here’s how…

​Assuming you have no prior issues with a severe deficiency - focus on Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. Sulphur and Zinc are great to add if it is possible, but not as critical.  If corn is ever starved of essential macronutrients during the growing season it will delay maturity in the fall (opposite of cereals, we know).

Grain Corn Requirements (Silage in brackets):

• Nitrogen- 1lb of N per bushel (9-10lbs per wet Metric/tonne)
• Phosphorus- .44- .63 lb per bushel (3.5lbs per wet M/tonne)
• Potassium- .28- 1lb per bushel (12lbs per wet M/tonne)
• Sulphur- 0.07-.15lb per bushel (10lbs per wet M/tonne)
• Zinc- 1lb total

​Corn is extremely touchy to establish especially up to the V4 (4 leaves with collars visible) stage. Keeping your corn weed free is critical. Including a pre-seed mix such as Heat Complete, Focus, Goldwing or BlackHawk to your Glyphosate will keep competitive weeds in check. 

Now, assuming you are growing a Roundup Ready Corn Hybrid, you will be applying Roundup 2 x .67L/ac up to the 8-leaf stage. You also have some flexible tank mix options including Armezon which the staging window is wide and no re-cropping restrictions for next year. 

There are some phenoxy herbicides such as 2,4-D and Bromoxynil that can be tank mixed as well BUT you must consult with your seed supplier as not all corn hybrids are tolerant to these products.

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome when including corn in your rotation is equipment. A planter is highly recommended as planting corn with an air drill won’t allow for singulation which is critical for establishing an even corn stand (corn is very sensitive to competition from a weed or itself). If an air drill is your only option, be sure to increase seeding rates to compensate for competition within the rows (and prepare yourself to BE patient as emergence will take FOREVER!!) Seeding rate should range between 28,000-32,000 seeds/ac (2.86- 2.67 ac bag).
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Grain and silage corn need to be planted as early in May as possible keeping in mind that cold soils and rain can cause chilling injury. Grazing corn has more flexibility and can be planted later in May.

Other agronomic issues that may arise when growing corn may include insect pressure such as cutworms. The growing point of a corn plant typically stays below the ground until V4 (4-5 leaf stage). Cutworms typically feed below the soil surface very aggressively which will potentially damage the corn plant permanently. An evening application of Chlorpyrifos is then necessary for control.
 

Including corn in your rotation will stretch out harvest well into the fall. Grain corn is typically harvested around 25-30% moisture and then dried to 15.5% for storage (hence the massive driers in every farmer’s yard in the US corn belt).  Silage is chopped at approx. 65% whole plant moisture and grazing corn typically relies on a killing frost to shut down the growing activity and lock in the feed value.
 
Whether it is grain, silage or grazing, maximum yield and nutritional value come from fully developed ears (cob) filled with seed!

Welcome! First off we want to say thank you for checking out our new blog, "On the Horizon." Each month we plan to publish a summary of what's going on at Horizon Fertilizers and how it effects you, our customer. In the future we'll be sharing agronomy tips, best management practices, invitations to research meetings & customer appreciation events, as well as new offerings and services.

In this post we'll touch on the safety protocols Horizon Fertilizers has in place for COVID-19, our *NEW* online Grower Central login, and seed treating services. 

These times are unprecedented and as such we've had to take drastic measures to ensure the safety our of customers, employees, and greater community members. On March 23rd, we closed our office doors to customers and temporarily to our employees while a safety strategy was put in place. Since then, we've implemented the following protocols to ensure that we continue to service our customers as best we can while staying healthy and safe:
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• ​At every location our doors remain closed to customers until further notice. If you have any questions or concerns, we are all able to address them over phone or email. Check out the contact page for a list of our employees.
• We are continuing to deliver fertilizer and seed out to farm as shipments are brought in. Chemical is also available to be sent to farm upon request. Our drivers have a moffat forklift on the back of the trailer that enables them to unload pallets and place them in the yard or a shed without contact. 
• For payments we are able to take credit card over the phone, cheques may be mailed in, or a drop off can be coordinated by calling your local HFL office. 
• Our employees are practicing social distancing by either working from home or working alone within their designated work areas  (ex. truck drivers remain in their truck while being loaded at our facilities). In situations where employees must be briefly in the same area, a social distance of at least 2 metres is maintained. Anyone who is feeling unwell will be asked to remain home. If they test positive for COVID-19, they will quarantine at home for two weeks and notify anyone that they may have been near leading up to that point. 
• Surfaces touched by our employees who are present at our facilities are sanitized on a daily basis

We will continue to operate with these measures in place and follow the Saskatchewan Health Authority(SHA) guidelines until we are told operations may return to normal. If spring arrives and the COVID-19 SHA guidelines are not lifted, we will provide customers with products at our facilities. Loading of fertilizer and chemical will be completed by our employees, but customers will not be permitted entrance into any of our buildings. At the end of the month we will have a better idea of what to expect for May and June and make an announcement detailing our protocols then.  
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We listened to feedback from our customers that wanted to be able to access their Horizon Fertilizers account online. We agreed that it was something you deserved, so we teamed up with Tronia programmers to create Grower Central !

Grower Central offers our customers the ability to view their current owing balance, prepayment funds, previous loadout tickets, invoices, statements, work orders, and more online from the comfort of home! Everything published on here is in real time, so you always know what's on your account. Anyone that has an account with us (or wants to get one) is eligible for this service. To get set up, follow these simple steps:
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1. Send an email from your farm or personal email to amandahorizon@sasktel.net and ask to be set up on Grower Central. In the email please include your account or farm name so everything is properly linked.
2. Next you'll recieve an email from Lynne with a temporary password and a link to log in. Your email will be your username. 

    3.   After using your temporary password, you'll be prompted to create your own password to use afterwards.
   4.   You're good to go! Now you're able to access all your account information and know in real time what's present in your account, what products are loaded out and more!

                             The login portal will always be available here on our website and is titled "Grower Central" 

Seeding is right around the corner and we want to make sure that you're ready to go when the snow melts! Horizon Fertilizers owns a storm seed treater and has certified employees that are able to come out to your farm. With any purchase of Precision Starter or Nutripak, the equivalent amount of seed will be treated for free. For example, with the purchase of 4 Precision Starter jugs, the 368bu of wheat that the product treats will be completed free of charge.

​ If you're interested in this service or would like more details,
​call Chris @ 306-231-6436 
or email him @ chrishorizon@sasktel.net

Please note with COVID-19, we'll ask that customers be present to watch and move around their grain. To prevent the transfer of any potential germs, we will not be touching any of our customers equipment and ask that they not touch the seed treater or chemical jugs. Social distancing of at least 2m will also be maintained to ensure everyone stays safe and healthy.  ​