An Agronomy Publication brought to you by Two Rivers Cooperative.

©2015 Two Rivers Cooperative

TRIBUTARY

TheSOIL REPORTThe

MARCH2015

I believe, like most of you, that the tides have turned in grain prices, especially in the last year. Now it is more important than ever to maximize every acre and the return on investment for your operation. Gaining the most out of each field and protecting yields to overcome high input prices allows you to see those positive returns. This doesn’t mean foregoing

necessary practices due to price, but rather making smart, sound decisions that will increase those needed yields. Essentially, it is a jigsaw puzzle producers must learn to strategically put together. It is determining the right seed, on the right acre, at the right population. Couple this with proactive management practices, and producers will have a better bottom line and return on investment.

However, you don’t need to go this alone. There are so many options out there, and it can be very overwhelming. Without help from your agronomist it may seem like an uphill battle. Together, we will make sure your seed choices make sense on each field. Placing your seed in the ground is just the beginning, so we will then determine a plan for your operation for the growing season and into harvest. Proper nutrient and health management will be crucial to navigate through these coming years in agriculture.

Luckily, there are new products and services hitting the market to help ease the management burden. Two Rivers recently began a pilot study with the new Crop Health Monitor by Winfield. This tool helps producers stay in control of and manage your operation with near real-time feedback from all of your fields. In-season satellite imagery is easily available

throughout the growing season to assist you with timely management decisions. This gives producers the ability to defend the field’s yield potential and apply crop protection products early to protect against diseases, insects and nutrient deficiencies. After harvest, producers can evaluate performance of in-season management decisions and split-field trials to compare plant nutrition and crop protection strategies. Although Two Rivers Cooperative is only in the pilot study stage of this product, I believe it will be a value-added necessity to producers in the future.

Climate Pro™ by the Climate Corporation is similar in some ways to R7®. For instance, Climate Pro™ helps you control field issues before they impact yield. Climate Pro™ further assists in improving application efficiencies with smart, field-level information. I personally think the nitrogen advisor feature from Climate Pro™ would be a helpful tool for our local producers. This feature allows producers to see field-level nitrogen supplies based on applications, crop stage and weather, along with how much nitrogen crops require. It allows you to explore custom scenarios to determine an optimal amount of nitrogen to apply and the best time to do make that application. Climate Pro™ also includes scouting features and gives you field-level weather in both real-time and future predictions.

The Two Rivers Cooperative agronomy team wants to see that you are able to maximize every acre. If you have any questions regarding these services or other products please let us know. Your cooperative offers a number of services and products customizable to each operation.

As a reminder, your local agronomist will be getting ahold of you shortly to deliver your seed. We have made preparations to have more seed on hand if you should need it throughout this planting season. We ask that you remember safety during this spring season, and please let us know of how we can be of assistance to you.

MAXIMIZE EVERY ACREAaron Steenhoek- Agronomy Seed Specialist

With many producers applying anhydrous ammonia this spring, I want to stress to all of you the importance of safety when handling anhydrous ammonia (NH3). Anhydrous ammonia can cause severe chemical burns; frostbite to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract; and even death. It is important for all individuals working with this type of fertilizer, no matter how many years you have been around it, to be aware of the potential risks, necessary safety precautions and proper response in the event of accidental contact.

Anhydrous ammonia is a hygroscopic compound, meaning it takes up water from the nearest source. This includes the human body; especially the eyes, lungs, and skin due to their high moisture content. It is caustic, corrosive and damaging to these high moisture tissues when it comes in contact with the body. Anhydrous ammonia inhalation incidents are typically severe, because the victim’s throat can swell shut, causing suffocation. When vapors or liquid come in contact with a person’s eyes, blindness may occur.

Since anhydrous ammonia is transported under high pressure in tanks, accidents can happen. I would like remind producers who pick up tanks from a Two Rivers Cooperative facility, that once they leave our property they become your responsibility. Make sure to check tires, water tanks, running gears, safety chains, and

ensure you have a slow moving vehicle sign. I suggest also having a mounted flashing light on your vehicle, and remember to follow the 25 miles per hour speed limit. Also be conscious of fast approaching vehicles.

If we are delivering tanks to you, once they are on our farm or field they are then your responsibility. Remember to always have your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on hand when applying anhydrous ammonia. Your PPE should include rubber gloves, non-vented goggles and plenty of water. Personal glasses and leather gloves will not suffice. If you do happen to come in contact with anhydrous ammonia immediately use as much water as possible! You can never put too much water on your burn. I advise you to even carry a small bottle of water on you at all times. Fast thinking and being prepared could save your life.

It will be a busy, fast-paced spring, but don’t forget to take some extra time to carefully handle your anhydrous ammonia. It is too dangerous of a fertilizer not to be cautious of. We also ask that you please give us as least a 24-hour notice for pick-up and delivery of tanks and other chemicals.

Derek Van Kooten will be our 2015 summer agronomy intern. Derek is currently a sophomore at Dordt College. He will be transferring next year to Iowa State University, majoring in Agronomy. Derek will be busy this summer field scouting, tissue testing, working at the AnswerPlot®, putting up field signs and

helping out as needed at the Otley location. We are excited to have Derek with us this summer and hope most of you will have a chance to meet him.

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Jay Van Woerkom- Agronomy Sales Manager

Agronomy Summer Intern

THE DANGERS OF SPRING APPLICATION

The snow is melting, and we will begin to see new, green growth popping through in the coming weeks. For alfalfa growers, this means it is time to assess stands and see if they are good enough to keep for one more year. While it is best to evaluate your stands in fall, it often ends up being put off until spring. Growers should be walking through fields in the coming weeks to determine the extent of winterkill and winter injury and form an overall impression of the field.

THE FOLLOWING ARE STEPS AND REFERENCES YOU CAN DO TO ASSESS THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE TO YOUR ALFALFA STANDS.

What to look for firstFirst, look to see if your alfalfa plants sending out new shoots, or

are new shoots only present in parts of the field? Next, take a look at the roots of the plant. Normal roots should be creamy white to tannish brown with few scars or lesions. Severely damaged roots with be discolored and possibly have a water soaked or mushy feel to the crown region.

Wait to take stand counts until alfalfa is 2 to 4 inches tall

Taking stand counts too early can give a false reading. It is best to wait until the alfalfa is growing vigorously before walking the field. One way to gain an accurate assessment of your stand is to use an alfalfa square as a reference tool. Count both the number of plants and the number of stems that fall within the borders of the square. The sampling pattern should be very similar to how you soil test.

Count only the plants that are healthy and will survive

Healthy plants are vigorously growing with firm roots and crowns. Winterkilled plants that have soft crowns and roots with little or no top growth should not be counted. They should easily pull out of the ground because roots are dead and decaying. Winter injured plants are those not aggressively growing and with a

limited number of stems per plant. Plants that show uneven growth but have several growing stems can be counted as they have a good chance of surviving and being productive.

Can you reseed back into existing stands if you seeded last year?

If the stand was seeded last year and didn’t survive the winter, you can reseed into the same field this spring. While you can interseed into the sod with a no-till drill, the best method would be to tear up the stand and reseed using a drill or Brillion seeder.

How about reseeding into older alfalfa stands? With older stands, especially with some surviving plants, the best

solution is to tear up the stand and plant corn. Select a different field for seeding alfalfa. Autotoxicity potential in these older stands is high and reduces your odds of successful re-establishment.

If you are unsure whether or not you have good alfalfa stands, I would be happy to come out and walk your fields with you. When you are ready to re-seed or establish a new alfalfa field, Two Rivers will also have seed available to you.

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ASSESSING SPRING ALFALFA STANDS Brent Van Kooten- Agronomy Sales and Precision Support

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As we prepare for the spring planting season to begin, it is important to be proactive in minimizing any

potential insect and disease issues that have the chance of making their way into your fields and affecting your

bottom line this growing season. There are a number of steps you can take before planting

to get off to the right start. Seed treatments are available for both Phytophthora and Pythium protection. Phytophthora is

a soil borne pathogen that has caused great economic loss in the past. Essentially, when Phytophthora is present, the soybean

root and stem rots, and this pathogen can infect seeds, seedlings, and plants in all reproductive stages of growth. Pythium causes

economic loss by attacking and rotting the seeds and seedling and small plants that have emerged. If you have not set up your soybean seed treatments for the 2015 season, I remind you to do so as soon as possible.

When selecting seed, I hope you considered soybean cyst nematode and sudden death syndrome resistance. Both of these potential threats can be greatly reduced with proper seed selection. Soybean cyst nematode can come with great economic loss, so I suggest producers test their fields if it has been a few years. A good rule of thumb is to target your lowest yielding fields first,

when compared to the county average. Often times yield losses aren’t visually seen with foliar symptoms unless pressure is extreme. Cultivation can move and spread the eggs in the direction of your tilled fields. Pockets of soybean cyst

nematode will spread slowly even in no-till operations. Studies have shown there is often times a 50% yield difference with planting a resistant variety versus those without resistance benefits in fields known to have high soybean cyst nematode populations.

It is still too early in spring to predict what type of insect problems we could be faced with this growing season, but past weather patterns have shown us what to plan for depending upon the actions of Mother Nature. If we end up with a cooler, wet spring we will see a surge in insect development. With insects such as aphids, we want hot and dry weather to keep numbers down. Harsh winters with many freeze and thaw cycles also help to keep numbers in check. Japanese beetles overwinter as larvae in the soil, and mild conditions favor a high survival rate. We could potentially see them emerge sooner if we see above average

temperatures for a prolonged period of time. We have seen a significant increase in bean leaf beetles within the last two years. Warm fall weather followed by mild winters promote higher populations come spring. Early spring and summer populations can be reduced by using an insecticidal seed treatment. Late summer beetle populations have recently become a concern due to less producers spraying for aphids. For us to see an issue with spider mites we will need hot and dry weather with drought like conditions that allow for populations to flare.

The return on investment with fungicide treatments still looks positive for 2015. A significant difference was seen in yields when comparing treated versus untreated seed for both corn and soybeans in 2014. This difference was due to the moderate temperatures and late season rainfall. We also saw a fair amount of disease pressure in 2014. In 73 Iowa on-farm trials in 2014, there was an average yield gain of 8.3 bushels per acre in soybeans when using Priaxor® from BASF. The cost of soybean seed treatment is approximately $27 per bushel-applied. In 2014, that produced approximately 5.3 additional bushels per acre at $9.00 per bushel, for an increase of nearly $50 per acre in additional revenue. When reviewing corn fungicide treatments in 2014 with 71 on-farm trials at VT growth stage, there was an 18.93 bushel per acre increase when Headline AMP® by BASF was applied. Corn pre-tassel treatment yielded an 8.9 bushel per acre increase at a cost of approximately $30 per acre. Remember to talk to your agronomist about hybrid specific responses to fungicide, as some hybrids respond very well, and others do not. It is also good to remember to make sure your soybean seed treatment includes both fungicide and insecticide protection.

There are many disease and insect related factors to think about when determining your pre-planting and growing season needs. Although we may not yet know which diseases and insects will be a threat to us in 2015, we can look back at years past and determine a plan of action. Your Two Rivers agronomists are prepared to help you determine a plan of action with any issues that could arise in 2015.

PREPARING FOR PLANT HEALTH ISSUESProducers can take steps to prepare for potential pressures in 2015

Soybean Cyst Nematode

Japanese Bean Leaf Beetle

Brett Schippers- Agronomy Sales

PREPARING FOR PLANT HEALTH ISSUES

Iowa, and all other bordering states of the Mississippi River, have been working for decades to protect and improve water quality. This push for improvement came after scientists first discovered the Hypoxia Zone in the Gulf of Mexico in the 1970s. Collectively, these states are working to reduce nutrients in surface water from both point and non point sources.

In recent years, Iowa has taken a proactive approach in working towards solving this major issue by forming the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. This strategy is a science and technology-based framework to assess and reduce nutrients in Iowa waters and the Gulf of Mexico. According to Iowa State University Extension, it was prompted by the 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan that calls for Iowa and other states along the Mississippi River to develop strategies to reduce nutrient loadings to the Gulf of Mexico. The plan established a goal of at least a 45 percent reduction in total nitrogen and total phosphorus loads.

There are eight watersheds within the state of Iowa that fall under the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. One of those watersheds is located within the Two Rivers Cooperative trade area. The Van Zante Creek Water Improvement Project is a three year-long, voluntary program to improve water quality within the South Skunk River. Terry McNeely is

spearheading this task, working with the Jasper and Marion Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Iowa Department of Agriculture, Iowa Soybean Association, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Pathfinder’s Resource Conservation and Development.

Specifically, Terry meets with producers to discuss practices that help to reduce those unwanted

nutrients in the surface water. Terry says this nutrient issue is not due to mismanagement of fertilizer use but rather a change in overall use of land within the state,

both by the agriculture sector and urban development.

Terry is working with producers to increase the use of edge-of-

field practices, such as buffer strips. He also suggest the use of

terraces, where needed. Terry also appreciates the relationship he has with both Two

Rivers Cooperative and other local cooperatives. Terry says farm and supply cooperatives are taking this new initiative seriously and are helping in any way they can. Two Rivers Cooperative purchased a drill three years ago to plant cover crops. This practice is one which Terry is pushing to see an increase in use of.

There is a total of 340 producers in the Van Zante Creek Water Improvement Project. If you are one of these producers and would like to take part in this voluntary program, Terry would be happy to come to your farm and discuss a plan with you. There is both State and Federal assistance available to help cost share a project of this nature on your land, as well as funds from the Van Zante Creek Water Improvement Project. If you would like to learn more about this program and how you can take part, please call your local agronomist or Terry McNeely at (641) 842-5314.

Article information provided by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

VOLUNTARY PROGRAM GAINING TRACTION The Van Zante Creek Water Improvement Project Is Seeing More Acres Participating

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A vital step in achieving yield goals is ensuring plants are at optimal health throughout the growing season. Tissue sampling allows us to physically see the overall health of each field. Sampling at critical growth stages is a proven method to anticipate and track nutrient uptake needs. This insight

allows us to adjust nutrients before visual symptoms appear in the field that could greatly affect the outcome of yields.

Two Rivers Cooperative has partnered with Winfield to offer the services of the NutriSolutions 360™ System. This system is a complete plant nutrition management program comprised of various products, tools and expertise. The first step of the system is the application of Ascend®, in-furrow, to start plants off on the right track. We have seen a 4.8 bushel per acre advantage over the last three years with the use of this product. Next, an in-season tissue sampling analysis identifies which nutrient levels to address and which to ignore. The reports from these tissue tests allow us to give key recommendations for nutrients management, based off of the growth stage of the crop. From these findings, Two Rivers will help producers determine their macro and micro nutrient needs. This could mean producers may need to consider side

dressing if they were not otherwise planning on it, or perhaps needing to apply micronutrients. Winfield Answer Plot data showed a 7.5 bushel per acre increase when Max-IN® Boron was applied. Data collected from the Answer Plots also showed a 5.9 bushel per acre increase when ZmB was applied. Both of these micronutrients may not have been recognized as need, had the tissue sampling information not been gathered.

In the last five years, NutriSolutions 360™ has taken more than 250,000 tissue samples. This vital step in the various growth stages of your crops is often ignored. I would strongly suggest producers begin talking with myself, or one of the other Two Rivers agronomists, about tissue sampling your fields this growing season. Understanding your plants’ health and making informed decisions equates to higher yields and better performing crops.

UNDERSTANDING NUTRIENT UPTAKE NEEDS FOR INCREASED YIELDSMatt Van Weelden- Agronomy Operations Manager

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Your soybean crop is too valuable not to be protected against harmful diseases and insects. Syngenta offers a number of products that can either be used separately or coupled together to safeguard your soybean fields at planting time.

CruiserMaxx® by Syngenta now contains three fungicides for the broadest spectrum of control and maximum performance in CruiserMaxx® beans applied with Vibrance™ fungicide seed treatment. It provides protection against damaging chewing and

sucking insects and major fungal diseases, such as Rhizoctonia, early season Phytophthora, Pythium and Fusarium. CruiserMaxx®

works by promoting better emergence, faster speed to canopy, improved stress tolerance and nutrient

uptake, and increased vigor and higher yield potential.Clariva Complete Beans provides effective season-long activity

against soybean cyst nematode, as well as early-season insect and disease protection. With triple pest protection, this seed treatment combination enables soybeans to start strong each season so farmers can grow more soybeans. Clariva is specifically tailored to Midwest growers and growing conditions. Studies have shown a consistent yield increase under soybean cyst nematode pressure across multi-year trials in fields that have utilized Clariva treatments.

To protect against sudden death syndrome, Mertect® 340-F seed treatment can be added to both Clariva Complete Beans and CruiserMaxx® Beans with Vibrance. This treatment has an excellent seed safety profile.

All three of these products add value to your soybean crop and give you peace of mind that your investment is being protected. Before you plant your crop, protect it.

JOE REMPE • Two Rivers Cooperative Board Director for 6 years • Associate Board member for 4 years • Produces corn, soybeans and stock cows • Has been farming with his father on a Century Farm for 21 years • Practices no-till • Actively attends Winfield AnswerPlots® and other grower educational workshops

Customer Spotlight

SAFEGUARD YOUR CROP

I appreciate the relationships I have built over the years with the sales staff at Two Rivers

Cooperative. From seed and precision agriculture tools, to marketing my grain and fueling my

equipment, Two Rivers is great to work with and is there for me any time I have questions.“ “

109 South StreetPella, IA 50219800-223-5512

www.tworivers.coop

Locations in Pella- 641-628-4167Otley- 641-627-5311Monroe- 641-259-2232Tracy- 641-949-6411

A CornerPost Marketing Communications Publication

In 2014, the Two Rivers Cooperative Board of Directors approved the purchase of a new John Deere R4038 sprayer. This update will allow us to cover added acres while being more efficient. We are excited about this new fleet addition, as it will be helpful this spring and for many seasons to come. You will see the sprayer in the fields this growing season. JOHN DEERE R4038 SPRAYER

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EQUIPMENT UPDATE ENSURES EFFICIENCY John Deere sprayer will cover added acres in Two Rivers trade area