Research Update (May 18, 2013)

 

Diligence Technologies, Inc., West Tennessee

Rain continues hamper cotton planting as another shower hit west Tennessee on Friday.  This one was a bit smaller than many we have received this spring (about 0.5 inches), so we hope to be back on the planter soon.  Some of the cotton trials that we did manage to get out in early May will need to be re-planted.  Cold temperatures and wet fields made for some pretty thin stands in some trials.

Corn is still about 3-4 leaf and yellow in many cases due to a lack of sun, too much water, and too little nitrogen.  We did manage to get nitrogen on some trials last week and hope to get at least some nitrogen on the rest in the coming week.

Thanks to our friends from FMC and AgroFresh for coming by to visit last week.  We enjoy getting to see old friends and discuss what is going on in the research plots.

We have high hopes for next week with high temperatures and low rain chances as an opportunity to make some progress in plot establishment.  We wish the best to you on your week also.

Proverbs 12:27

… the substance of the diligent man is precious.

Research Update (May 11, 2013)

Diligence Technologies, Inc., West Tennessee

Same song, different verse as weather continues to dominate the field research news in west Tennessee (and a lot of other places).  It dried up enough on Thursday to get in one day of planting before rain brought things to halt again on Friday morning.

Most of our corn is about the V3 stage and could use a little sunshine.  It has not helped that the rains have delayed nitrogen applications.  At least we have been blessed enough to have our corn in the ground.  I know there are many folks still waiting to start.

Cotton planting slow.  The few plots that are in the ground have not emerged yet due to a lack of heat units.  For the first time in a while, the prediction for next week is warm and sunny.  When things dry out, look for everyone with a tractor in west Tennessee to be on it.

One bright spot is that we finished spraying wheat fungicide trials last week.  Disease has been surprising light around Jackson so far this year, but I expect that to change pretty soon.

Please let me know if you have any protocols that have not found a home yet.

Proverbs 21:5

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness.

Research Update (May 4, 2013)

Diligence Technologies, Inc., West Tennessee

Weather continues to dominate the news from west Tennessee.  Even though we have yet to have a solid week of planting, we were blessed with enough windows to get the corn trials in the ground that needed to be out there.  The corn that's up just needs a little sunshine and heat.

Now comes the big switch to cotton.  We were able to plant a few cotton trials last week, but it remains to be seen if that is a good thing.  Several inches of rain and cool temperatures this weekend will probably mean a rough start for anything in the ground right now.  However, the bulk of the cotton seed is still in the bag, and I can see a whorl-wind of planting when it finally dries up.

It looks like pigweed (Palmer amaranth) season has officially arrived in west Tennessee.  I saw areas this week with the first really strong flush of pigweeds I have seen this year.  That's about month (maybe more) later than what we saw last year.

Please give me a call if you have questions or are looking to set up a little research this season.

Tim

Proverbs 27:23-24
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds; for riches are not forever.