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Sharing global crop management techniques can help growersBy Jennifer Bremer
No two farmers raise their crops exactly the same; and, being open to different ways of management is important for getting the most out of each and every crop. Phil Needham, president of Needham Ag Technologies, LLC, said U.S. growers could learn about new and different management techniques from English growers, during an Ag Issues Forum sponsored by Bayer CropScience, recently. "English wheat fields are unbelievable. With a slightly cooler and longer growing season, a lot of improvements have been made at the grower level and they have yields in the 212 bushels per acre range," he said. Needham said their management practices are more intense no matter what crop they are growing and uniformity in the field is very important to them. "There is a lot of regulatory pressure in the U.K. to produce higher yielding crops by using fungicides, pesticides and growth regulators," he said. "U.S. growers should take some opportunities to learn about plant height, uniformity and other management techniques from the U.K. growers." Needham said he has a program utilizing and instigating change by taking growers to the U.K. to see what those growers are doing and then come back to the U.S. to spread the word about their techniques--differences in planting, spraying and harvesting equipment. By showing these new elements to U.S. farmers, he hopes to see an increase in yields, also. Needham said the four major components affecting wheat yield are: the number of heads per square yard, the number of spikelets per head, the number of grains per spikelet and the weight of each grain or test weight. "These are the basic elements that growers need to look at when trying to increase yield," he said. Starting with good, high quality, clean seed is very important, followed by treating the seed with a seed treatment fungicide. U.K. growers use no-till for their crop in order to conserve moisture for the establishment of a good stand. Research shows that wheat yields better and growers have a higher profit level by using no-till. The biggest challenge faced by U.K. growers is nutrient management. Regulations make it difficult for farmers to apply some forms of fertilizers, and different types of fertilizers are applied in different ways. "With more intensive growth management, we see an intense increase in yields," he added. Challenges seen worldwide include the population increase in China. While they are currently the largest producer of wheat, their continual growth in population may change that. Needham said the largest problem Chinese growers have is erosion. The field sizes are small and planted by hand and have caused an increase in erosion. The challenge in Russia, a country that could be utilized more for farming, is that most of the land is owned by the government and, therefore, not farmed. "These challenges lead to opportunities for producers in those countries to learn about reducing tillage to prevent erosion or using genetically modified crops to get better yields," he said. The challenges also lead to an increase in the need for better crop management--using GPS, precision ag, intensive management and improved research to gain higher yields and better crops all around the world. Jennifer Bremer can be reached by phone at 515-833-2120 or by e-mail at jbremer@hpj.com
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