Compiler of knowledge and anecdotes. Overthinker in most circumstances. Seeker of practical truths in agriculture. Agrimodis co-founder.
Missouri
Joined September 2014
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A conversation with @ChapmanEast reminded me to post some Halloween photos. We try to keep decor lighthearted instead of dark. Christmas is quickly coming, which is about 100x Halloween, inside and out. Life is short. Have some fun!
I remember these talking points and promoted Brix myself several years ago. I remember having my refractometer and garlic press in a field of nice corn, squeezing hard, holding it up to the sky, and getting my reading. I was with the farmer, and looking at a neighboring field of suffering corn, headed over for a comparison. I had nowhere to go at the time when the shorter, yellowed corn gave higher Brix levels than the better corn we just tested.
There may be a connection to insect presence and corn sap, but Brix alone cannot explain it, nor can it be repeatably tied to yield directly. Like nearly all things in agriculture, there’s an entire system in play.
I don’t carry a refractometer into fields anymore. I do have a couple sitting on a shelf somewhere if anyone wants one!
Do high Brix levels in leaf sap prevent insects from feeding? I looked into the claims.
Insects aren't reading your refractometer.
My latest, csanr.wsu.edu/unraveling-the…
A good post with varied responses and suggestions, free of personal attacks or people being offensive. Refreshing!
#AgX I need some help. I’m looking at going to a heavier liquid program at planting and am wondering what options are out there that you’ve had success (or failures) with for volumes of 15-25 gpa. Would still run a 4-6 gpa program in-furrow as well and have that system. We would pull a steerable cart/tank behind the planter.
Located in heavier clay soils. Options that go between the opening disc and closing wheel I fear could bring up clumps and making closing more difficult (like below). Sometimes we plant on ground where the top inch is dry and it’s basically muck 2” and deeper.
Picture for attention.
#johndeere #plant27 #fertilizer
I was reminded of a moment today that froze me... I was at a conference of well-respected agronomists. I know soil tests. I THOUGHT I knew extractions methods... In passing, a soil lab manager I knew well said that the Total Nutrient Digest that is performed on soils is the same extraction that is used on manure/compost tests. If you know soil tests, and you didn't know that piece of info, you're probably taking a reflective pause as well....
morebushels.com/links-%26-do…
Look on this page for additional info. The document is named "Litter vs M3 Extraction Bulletin." It is a comparison of results using the traditional manure/compost test and Mehlich 3, along with some technical details about each.
The total nutrient digest, which is designed to basically dissolve all soil minerals using nitric and hydrochloric acids, is the same as what is used for analyzing compost/manure samples. This is the industry standard. It is not designed to tell you nutrient availability, just nutrient content.
INTJ here... Hey, @bobgunzy, I think you fit that category, too! Scary that we're a day apart on the birthdays, too. Maybe astrology has some basis? lol
Get a different layer of data on your corn crop before you harvest --- Agrimodis reports your total nutrient uptake in pounds-per-acre for each nutrient. It also shows you the nutrient removal for your grain and the nutrient value for your residue.
Why does that matter?
You applied "x" amount of fertilizer. Your soil samples are in your file. Do you know what's missing? What the crop took up! What did the plants contain? How much left the field with grain harvest? Those are big pieces of data that we're not used to having, but are now available. Do you have a nitrogen problem? Or a phosphate problem? Or a potassium problem?
Stop guessing. Ask the plant. Agrimodis can tell you those answers. Get signed up early for 2027 and you can send your end-of-season samples from your 2026 crop. Feel free to send me any questions you have.
2027 Sign-ups are now open!
As a promotional offer, new subscribers can sign up for the 2027 year and you can send us pre-harvest samples in 2026!
This is an excellent opportunity for learning what your crops have taken up, what you're removing per acre with grain harvest, and your residue nutrient content.
Farmer/Grower-level membership is $1,000 -- this gets you end-of-season 2026 sampling, fall/winter data releases, and full 2027 membership. Plant and grain samples are billed separately from Agrimodis membership.
To sign up, follow the link below. For more info, email us at [email protected], or DM us here!
forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/…
Nicely done site! Absolute simplicity and unique.
All 277 issues of BYTE are available on this microfiche-inspired website created by Hector Dearman
byte.tsundoku.io/
Just had his card in my hand earlier today sorting a box. RIP Tommy John
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tommy John, a veteran of 26 MLB seasons who helped revolutionize recovery from pitching injuries in the 1970s.
John broke in with Cleveland as a 20-year-old in 1963 and made his last appearance for the Yankees at age 46 in 1989, also pitching for the White Sox, Dodgers, Angels, and Athletics. The left-hander won 288 games, made 4 All-Star teams and anchored 3 pennant-winning teams, while twice finishing as a runner-up for the Cy Young Award. His 700 games started rank 8th on the all-time list.
After John injured his elbow in 1974, he received the first ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery from Dr. Frank Jobe. John returned to pitch in 1976, then won 20 games three times in four years from 1977-80.
He would go on to pitch 14 of his 26 seasons after the procedure that is now known as Tommy John Surgery, a measure that has helped extend pitching careers in the more than half a century since it was first performed.
He was 83.
ALT Tommy John 1943-2006 Pictured: A headshot of Tommy John from the mid-1970s. He wears a white Dodgers uniform and a blue Dodgers cap with the LA logo
These were the first basketball cards I ever bought. Still have a complete set and around 70 signed versions.
Want to win a free spot in the '86 Fleer basketball break? I'm giving 1 away! To enter for a chance to in, 1) follow, 2) repost, and 3) reply, letting me know which non-Jordan card is your favorite in this set. :) #tradingcards #thehobby
At the time of posting, and again in this week's nutrient update, SULFUR was the most widely deficient nutrient of the options provided.
There were 2 micronutrients that had a higher % of samples with deficiency than sulfur: Zinc and Boron.
For R1 through late-R3 samples, the average sulfur level was 3.7 lb/ac below goal.
Zinc was 0.177 lb/ac below, which equates to about 24 oz/ac of a liquid 9% zinc.
Boron was 0.086 lb/ac low on average, which is about 10 oz/ac of a liquid 10% B.
Which nutrient do you think is most widely deficient according to plant sampling thus far in 2026?
@StripTillFarmr
8%N
11%P
53%K
28%S
159 votes • Final resultsPotassium is correct. Calcium is the 2nd likeliest to be negatively impacted by high Mg levels. K, Ca, and Mg uptake dynamics vary by soil characteristics and moisture levels, so trends are not 100% universal like Mulder’s Chart illustrates.
As plant magnesium (Mg) levels increase to excess levels, 1 nutrient takes the most predictable “hit.” As mag goes up, a deficiency can be induced for this nutrient faster than any other. Which nutrient is it?
@StripTillFarmr
25%Calcium
65%Potassium
3%Manganese
7%Nitrogen
139 votes • Final resultsThe majority of our corn takes up 0.9 to 1.2 pounds of nitrogen per bushel it produces. Since it takes approx 100 plants in most fields to produce a bushel, that means each plant needs less that 5 grams of total nitrogen.
In preparation for the National Strip-Tillage Conference on 7/6-7/7, I'll be asking some questions in the upcoming days. If you feel like playing along, please do!
1st question... we'll keep this one basic. How many pounds of nitrogen do corn plants use to make one bushel of corn? If you use the 10 bu per 1k plants ratio, then it takes roughly 100 plants to make a bushel. How much nitrogen do those 100 plants need?
You can add thoughts to comments: Do all varieties use the same amount? Does your yield level make a difference? Do your soils matter (OM, CEC, parent material, etc)? Does irrigated vs dryland make a difference?
@StripTillFarmr
Copilot can be scary sometimes:
The Question I Think Nobody Else Can Ask
If I personally had the Agrimodis dataset, this is the question I'd spend the next five years answering:
What is the biological signature of maximum profitability rather than maximum yield?