Research Update (January 12, 2023)

 

Research Update (January 12, 2023)

 

Diligence Technologies Inc., West Tennessee

EVENTS FROM THE PAST (MONTH) SUMMER:

It has been a long, long time since we had the opportunity to update the blog.  This seems appropriate since 2022 was a long, long year.  Here’s hoping that things go a bit smoother in the coming season.

Wet weather in April got planting off to a slow start.  A serious drought in June and early July hurt everything and completely destroyed a few trials.  An early frost prematurely terminated a few others.  Wet weather in the fall delayed harvest so some of the reports were later than normal.  None of these things are new or unique.  But it is the first time I can recall having them all in the same growing season.

We are blessed to have made it through relatively well and look forward to a less eventful 2023.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Meeting season is in full swing and we look forward to seeing you at these upcoming events:

SWSS, Jan. 23-25, Baton Rouge, LA

NAICC, Jan. 23-27, Nashville, TN

TN Ag Production Assoc., Feb. 1, Jackson, TN

West TN Grain Conf., Feb. 2, Dyersburg, TN

Cotton Focus, Feb. 8, Jackson, TN

Gin Show, Feb. 24-25, Memphis, TN

Let us know if you plan to attend any of these meetings.  We would love to have the opportunity to catch up and see what is new in your world.

 

CROPPING SEASONS:

The field is pretty quiet right now.  All the fall maintenance on the winter wheat trials is complete and we will probably not do much to them until it starts to warm up in the spring.  Winter wheat and a little fall burndown work are about the only things left out there right now.

We do have some extra winter wheat planted that is not spoken for right now.  If you need some wheat work this spring (fungicides, herbicides, etc.), be sure to let us know.  We should be able to fit it in.

 

GREENHOUSE ACTIVITIES:

We opened up the greenhouse last fall and trials are underway.  It appears we will get busier here soon as our normal rush of January greenhouse trials come in.  We will be working with various row crops and vegetables that I know about right now.  Our greenhouse trials tend to be quite diverse and highly interesting.

If you need a greenhouse trial this winter, let us know.  We should still have time and space to accommodate your needs.

 

On a personal note, we would like to welcome Jacob Williams to the team.  Jake joins John Louis as a full-time employee and started with us after his graduation from UT Martin in December.  You can meet Jake when you come to visit plots in the coming season.

In addition, we would like to welcome Jim Thomas to the family.  Jim has been helping us part-time since last fall and is a wealth of knowledge and experience.

 

Many thanks to all who supported us over the past season.  Even though the year was far from smooth, we were blessed that you choose to work with us once again and look forward to more in the coming years.  Please let us know how we can be of service in 2023.

 

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.

 

Research Update (May 2, 2022)

 

Research Update (May 2, 2022)

 Diligence Technologies Inc., West Tennessee

EVENTS FROM THE PAST MONTH:

Much like last year, the rains that we so desperately wish for in July and August decided to make an appearance in April.  Corn planting is off to a slow start with all our other crops waiting in line.  I expect we will get them all done.  This is not our first wet spring.  But planting delays make you feel as if you are chasing the season from behind all year.  Here’s to a nice warm May with lots of good planting windows.

 

CROPPING SEASONS:

Our burndown trials have been mostly sprayed and are either finished or waiting on the final ratings.  Corn planting is underway and we hope to be finishing up and switching to cotton.  Wheat fungicide trials are being sprayed as they hit the appropriate growth stages.  There is no shortage of things to do this time of year.

 

GREENHOUSE ACTIVITIES:

Thanks to all that sent greenhouse trials our way this past winter.  We are now out of the greenhouse until the fall and devoting ourselves full time to field trials.  The reports from the very latest greenhouse trials will be sent soon and we will put greenhouse trials aside until next October.

 

WEATHER INFO:

As you can tell from the opening paragraph, April was wet and relatively cool.  Not all that unusual for this time of year, but still makes it difficult to get off to a fast start.  We have had to settle for “slow and steady” so far.

 

PEST INFO:

Winter annuals are going away (with or without our help) and the transition to summer weeds has begun.  It does not require much boldness to predict lots of pigweed, barnyardgrass, and morningglory in the fields.  Great for herbicide trials but not as much fun for anything else.  We have not had any notable insect or disease problems to date, but something tells me that might change (like it does every year).

 

Thanks for all the protocols you have sent our way so far this year.  Please keep them coming.  We will have them all going as soon as we can.

 

Tim & John Louis

 

Proverbs 22:29

Seest thou a man diligent in his business?  He shall stand before kings…

Research Update (April 4, 2022)

Research Update (April 4, 2022)

Diligence Technologies Inc., West Tennessee

EVENTS FROM THE PAST MONTH:

Travel has slowed over the past month with winter meetings wrapping up and our focus now turning to the season ahead.  We were happy to welcome a few visitors to the greenhouse to observe various trails.  Otherwise, we have been concentrating on bringing our greenhouse activities to a close over the next month and transitioning into the field.

 

CROPPING SEASONS:

Winter wheat looks good following our late winter fertilizer applications.  We should be in good shape for our wheat fungicide trials beginning later this month.  Burndown trials are in progress with some applications already made and others targeted at larger weeds scheduled for the near future.

Corn planting for yielded trials will begin this month.  If there are any yielded corn trials still in the works, let us know very soon before we miss our optimum window for planting.

 

GREENHOUSE ACTIVITIES:

We had a late flurry of activity in the greenhouse as several folks were trying to slip in a last-minute trial before we headed off to the field.  We appreciate the business to be sure, but it keeps us busy during that period of time when both greenhouse and field trials are active.  We plan to finish off our greenhouse trials around the end of April and concentrate exclusively on field trials until October.  Thanks to all our customers for another successful winter in the greenhouse.

 

WEATHER INFO:

Our weather for March has been “normal” meaning we had no idea what to expect from one day to the next.  We had periods of snow and ice in the early part of March with beautiful days in the 70’s scattered throughout the month.  We have continued to receive occasional showers that have our soil moisture in good shape for planting.  Now we are just hoping for good planting weather as move into the field to plant corn.

 

PEST INFO:

As has appeared to be the case over the past few seasons, horseweed emergence is delayed this spring.  It looks like we will have plenty for burndown trials this season, but much of the emergence has occurred in March.  Not many years back we seemed to get much more horseweed emerging in the fall and over the winter months.  Trying to figure out when and where horseweed would show up has never been easy and this year appears to be no exception.

 

As we move into the 2022 cropping season, we would like to thank those that have sent protocols our way and anticipate those that are still to come.  We still have space available, so do not hesitate to let us know what you need.

Tim, Kevin, & John Louis

 

Proverbs 21:5

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness.

Research Update (March 7, 2022)

  

Research Update (March 7, 2022)

 

Diligence Technologies Inc., West Tennessee

EVENTS FROM THE PAST MONTH:

Winter meeting season neared the end with a series of meetings a little closer to home.  We were at the Cotton and Rice Conservation Tillage Conference in Jonesboro, AR.  We attended the Tennessee Ag Production Association and Cotton Focus meetings in Jackson and finished off the month at the Gin Show in Memphis.  We enjoyed catching up with many of our friends from the area and look forward to seeing them in the field this summer.

 

CROPPING SEASONS:

Preparations are now underway for wheat trials this spring as we begin to mark trials and cut alleys.  We still have room for a few wheat fungicide and herbicide trials if you have the need.

We are also getting ready for spring burndown season.  We normally have good populations of horseweed, chickweed, henbit, poa, and cutleaf eveningprimrose to work with.  Let us know and we will reserve you a spot before the weeds get removed for summer trials.

 

GREENHOUSE ACTIVITIES:

We are ending the year with a flurry of activity in the greenhouse.  As winter is winding down, we seem to be at our busiest this year.  We have a variety of row crops in testing (corn, soybean, cotton) as well as an abundance of vegetables (tomato, squash, etc.).  To add a little more variety to the mix, we are doing turf and soil lysimeter trials this year.

We are getting late into our planned window for the greenhouse to stay open, but we might still be able to work in a quick trial if you need it.  Let us know.

 

WEATHER INFO:

Temperatures have been seasonal to mild with quite a bit of rainfall mixed in.  The frequent rains have made it difficult to get some of our early season activities (soil sampling, wheat fertilization and maintenance, etc.) done as early as we might like, but we will manage as we always do.  At least we should be starting the season with good moisture in the soil.

 

PEST INFO:

The pest active now are largely limited to winter annual weeds covering most of our fields.  We have picked up a few aphids in the greenhouse, and I bet we will find a few on the wheat as we make maintenance applications this month.  Otherwise, I expect things to be pretty quiet until we start putting crops in the ground.

 

As we near the start of another growing season, we anticipate working with each of you on your projects this year and seeing you out in the fields this summer.  Please let us know how we can work with you in the coming months.

Tim, Kevin, John Louis

 

Proverbs 12:27

… the substance of the diligent man is precious.