High soybean prices make a AWS Airbar a easy decision. Order yours soon
Welcome to Welton Seed Inc.
Welcome to Welton Seed Inc.
What's Happening Now
Local Agronomic Info
5.28.2021
Time for a spring planting update with some random thoughts on what we learned this spring. First of all we learned that the experts who tell us soil temp matters when planting corn are indeed correct. Without doubt the later planted corn (after April 25) retained better stands than the corn planted around April 22, and much better than any of the corn planted prior to that as well. I heard from one customer who planted some during the extreme cold (but excellent soil conditions) and he had some checks around 25,000 population with a planting population of 33 to 35,000. Most stands are more than acceptable, but this makes me wonder every year if we all get too caught up in the info we (Pioneer)and the other seed companies put out about ideal planting populations by hybrid. Those recommendations all assume good soil temps and conditions. But how often do we really get those. At roughly $3.50/1000 seeds an extra 1-2000 plants really doesn't cost that much for insurance against mother nature, and with each 1000 ears equating to roughly 7 bushel it doesn't make much sense to short population on the front side.
One major thing to evaluate this spring is planting depth as I know most planters, even with max downforce applied could not hold depth this spring with the hard soil conditions. Rains just in time salvaged most of those shallow seeds, but the issues with shallow planting will show up later in the year, so verifying them now will help explain some potential issues later. One pleasant surprise has been the lack of NH3 burn from spring applied N. I was expecting this to be a problem, but it appears most of the effects have been positive (most likely due to the soil warming where the knife track was) I am going to attach a pic below of a side by side with corn planted on the knife track (fall applied NH3) vs planted between the knife tracks and the corn looks much better on the knife track. The only explanation for this in my mind is the warmer soil, which this year meant a lot.
Soybean stands appear very good, once again saved by finally getting some rain It appears the volunteer corn is definitely getting a good start (thank you 2020 derecho). Something to think about with control of this is to spray it separately from your broadleaf killer if you want better control. If not willing to do that then upping the rates 50% will help. If the field is extremely thick I would think seriously about spraying separately.
Other things to start thinking about is Fungicide spraying on both corn and soybeans. I know most of you are doing this as a normal treatment, but those of you who do not normally spray need to seriously consider it with these high prices. Supply shortages of these products are being widely talked about in the industry, so letting your supplier know you want to spray for sure will help them acquire the product needed
8/20/2020
Well I finally have my computer in my hands and using my phone for internet connection I am finally able to update this page. I hope all of you who suffered extensive house, building and bin set up damage from Monday's storm have gotten most of the major clean up behind you. I am hoping to address some of the questions and concerns I have been hearing from you over the past few days. Obviously most of the crop in the area is severely wind damaged. Some were more fortunate than others as some areas were spared from the most severe damage. But It appears everyone was affected by this one in one way or another.
Over the next day and weeks there will be lots of speculation on what we can expect come harvest. I want to stress that this will (in my opinion) be just that--Speculation. It will be up for each of you to decide how you best prepare for this harvest. Should you feel the need to buy a corn reel I just spoke with Kelderman (I know many of you have reels in the shed from the 2011 storm) and they are 3 to 4 weeks out and expect to stay that way for the duration as long as their suppliers can get them the materials. If you have a different head than you had when you might have purchased one of these reels in the past, they do offer kits to change them that are not too expensive depending on the heads, so before selling what you have and buying new give them or me a call. Pioneer long ago negotiated a deal with them to get discounted pricing and we can still get you a 20% discount. Best to call me and let me set it up to make sure you get the discount. I know some are thinking they want to go with the cones or some other reel and that is great, but we do not have any discounts with those. Do what you think will work best for your operation. If you have on to sell let me know and maybe I can put it in someone's hands that wants it.
I know everyone is looking for answers: What will it yield? Will I be able to get it in the combine? Will it rot and mold?....... this is a bit hard for anyone---repeat anyone to answer with 100% certainty. If they think they can then they are probably not a good source of info. We have all seen down corn and we have all picked up down corn, but each situation is different and this one will be also. I would suggest you just get prepared as best you can--get Corn head in good shape, buy a reel or other device if you want to have it in the shed just in case, Get mentally prepared, and just try to laugh at the situation once in a while. Almost everyone is involved it this one, so know that your neighbor is going through it as well. And most of all remember what they say about opinions LOL, Many are going to be floating those opinions about what will happen, but no one knows for sure. Control what you can and deal with what you cannot when/if it arrives. If you want my opinions I will gladly share them one on one, but they will be my opinion as well. If you need anything please call.
7/17/20
As I type this I hear a plane flying on Fungicide on corn. With these wet dewy mornings We all need to be thinking about getting this done. Corn on corn acres should not even be a debate, and while I am a believer in every acre getting sprayed I understand the arguments for and against. If you do decide to spray I strongly suggest putting in a insecticide. Most research suggests a easy payback and you are already paying for the trip anyway. This is especially true when spraying soybeans and with the Japanese beetles that are around this year it is even more important this year. The main thing to keep in mind on the corn this year is some fields are going to take a week to fully tassle, so either delay applications or pull the surfactant to avoid damage to the crop. Most soybean fields are at or getting really close to R3 (optimum timing), so Best to get things lined up soon. Attaching a couple good articles to the right that you might want to check out. Another thing to keep in mind on fungicides is as we get hotter and dryer the returns for applying tend to be towards the higher side of the research.As always if you have questions please call.
10/10/19
With the weather we have coming up this weekend I felt a update was needed. Most of the corn and soybeans in the area have made it to maturity and will not be bothered by the cold snap predicted. I would guess 15% +- still could be.Here are some things to keep in mind--50% milk line at killing frost could be 8 to 12% yield reduction, at 3/4 miik line roughly 3% reduction. On soybeans if still green, then 20 to 35% loss is possible, Yellow pods 10-15% loss, and once you get brown post you are pretty much safe. Keep in mind a killing frost is typically 28 degrees for 2 to 3 hours. Hopefully the forecast is wrong.
I am hearing soybean yields all over the board, but generally above expectations. Very little corn done yet, but what has been done is at or above expectations, but WET. Early numbers planted early are still in the 21 to 25% moisture and later numbers in the 25% +. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but with this much rain stalk quality isn't going to hold out forever, so as you get a chance while waiting for beans to get ready it might be a good idea to peck away at the corn, especially any fields you think are getting week in the knees.
9/9/19
Ok, follow up on the soybeans turning yellow. Seems some have been confirmed as potassium deficient (probably environmentally caused in most of these cases) and some has been diagnosed as top die back syndrome. Not a lot known about it, and Pioneer agronomist, Matt Vandehaar was trying to get ISU to come out and see why we were seeing so much, but I have not heard if he was able to get someone out yet.
He did tell me that he had personally seen or heard of thousands of acres of the extended diapause I spoke of in earlier comments, so definitely be aware of this as we head into harvest.
I have had several questions on how far along the corn is with our cooler than normal season, so in the pix to follow this update I went to my plot planted 4/20/19. The earliest hybrid i checked (100 day) was approximately 2/3 maturity line and the latest checked (115 day)was 1/3 maturity line. Most hybrids were somewhere between these. We obviously will need most of September and even ut to the first couple weeks of October to the this crop all the way to full maturity. Hope this helps you get a idea of where your field are at as you adjust to your maturity and planting date as compared to this
One of those pix shows a plant i pushed over and it broke off from stalk rot already (looks to be gibberalla), Just a reminder that with all these areas in fields turning yellow to keep stalk quality in mind as you prioritize harvest. We have been pretty hard on these fields last fall and this spring with the wet conditions, so don't expect every part of every field to hold up perfectly to this abuse. More info to follow if we start to see any serious issues.
8/24/19
Had a customer call me a day ago about some random plants leaning over after our rain earlier this week. We dug them up yesterday and I got them washed off today. Appears to be extended diapause of northern corn rootworms. If you look at the 3 pictures just below this message you can see where entire nodes had been eaten off and the fine, white roots we are seeing now are regrowth. Not big areas in this field that are leaning, but i suspect that there is some root damage on areas much larger than the leaning plants, just not as severe. We haven't seen much of this in a while, so if you see some now or this fall, you might want to make a note so you can address these fields next time they are in corn. Call if you have questions, and let me know if you see any so I can see it this is a isolated deal, or more widespread.
8/23/19
I am sure many of you are seeing some bean fields starting to see some yellow. At first glance I thought is was SDS starting to flash, however with closer examination it now appears to be Potassium deficiency, Or it at least looks kinda like it. I was not completely convinced tho, so I called Matt Vandehaar (pioneer agronomist). He was seeing the same thing and wasn't convinced either. Long story short he has sent some samples off to ISU to see what they come back with. I will post as soon as we find out.
8/21/19
Well, with most areas in Tama county Iowa getting 2 inches of rain in the last few days I think we are well on our way to finishing this crop. Not made yet, but well on its way. Keep watching for Sudden Death to show up in soybean fields now as the recent rains can flush it to the leaves. Make sure you note which fields are showing so you can take extra measures next time the field is in soybeans. Remember Ilevo seed treatment is not bullet proof. It will improve a soybean greatly, but can still have SDS show in it as well.
Southern Rust was found in Tama county corn last week and lab verified, so might want to take another walk through your corn as well.
If you like to do hand checks on your corn by now even the latest planted corn should have all the kernels showing well for this. I would use 90,000 kernels at this point.
Learn More
I am not advocating any type of down corn device, but since this is the one I can help save you some $$ on here is the link to kelderman in Oskaloosa
https://kelderman.com/specialty/agriculture/
Good info on fungicides on soybeans
https://www.pioneer.com/us/agronomy/soybean_disease_mgmt.html
Good info on fungicides on corn
https://www.pioneer.com/us/agronomy/maximizing_foliar_fungicides_corn.html
Some info on premature death in corn
https://www.pioneer.com/us/agronomy/Yield-Impact-of-Premature-Plant-Death-in-Corn.html
Here is a link to a older but still valid article on southern rust
https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2012/07/southern-rust-found-central-iowa
Photo Gallery
About Us
About Welton Seed Inc.
Located in Central Iowa in the small town of Garwin.
Owner, Kirk Welton, CCA, Started Selling Pioneer Seed in the fall of 1998, Prior to that was a Certified Crop specialist for New Century FS (local coop). Have been adding services for my customers ever since.
We farm a few acres as well. This gives us a platform to test some of the things we recommend to our customers.
Services Offered
Services
- Pioneer Hi-bred seed sales of Corn, soybeans, alfalfa, inoculants....
- Soybean seed treatment
- Ag leader sales and service
- AWS Air bar sales and service
- Headsight sales and service
- Precision Planting meter service
- Grain hauling through K-P Transport LLC
- Drone imagery
- Custom combining on a limited basis, call if interested to see if it works for us both. Obviously I will be using a AWS airbar when cutting soybeans :).
Why Welton Seed Inc.?
For almost 30 years I have been doing one thing--Selling and servicing agriculture products to Tama county and surrounding area farmers. Others have come and gone, but I have been here through them all and have roots here that will keep that happening for many years to come.
Want more beans in the bin?
Short beans this season have you worried about excessive harvest losses?? Shatter at the cutter bar is always a concern. Contact me about an economical way to diminish both concerns--with most people getting payback in as little as one year (depending on acres harvested)
YES even draper heads can benefit greatly from a AWS airbar
Full line Ag Leader dealer
See Us for any of your Ag Leader equipment or service needs
Call us for any Headsight equipment you may need. Including Truesight steering
You put it in the ground--we'll take it to town.
You put it in the ground--we'll take it to town.
You put it in the ground--we'll take it to town.
My son Parker handles most of the driving for this, so for now it is mostly summers, school breaks, and weekends depending on his college schedule. For fall '19 semester he will have a lot of Thursday and Fridays as well.
Precision Planting meter dealer
You put it in the ground--we'll take it to town.
You put it in the ground--we'll take it to town.
Finger meter calibrate, service and rebuild
eSet sales and service
vSet sales and service
Need a pic from above
You put it in the ground--we'll take it to town.
Need a pic from above
We can get you some pix from above your fields if you need to troubleshoot a issue that just cannot be figured out from the ground
Photo Gallery
