Grass Hay to Soybeans

[Smallplot]

OK been scratching my head and trying to think of what to do for the "Contest". Well after getting some new "Shoes" for the drill, I have finally came up with my entry and in sharing valuable info will pull out what ever I need from this thread for my entry. This is not going to be an easy task and I hope everything works out well but only time will tell. Because this is as much about learning for everyone I have picked probably the worst area to work with as far as nutrient rich soil. While this is a handicap, I hope someone will gain some knowledge from my canvas and maybe my mistakes as well. Hope to make a short video showing different aspects of this work in progress.

We will call this plot the hay field. With good reason I can remember back in 1989 that the alfalfa was skimpy enough and med red clover we added was getting pretty thin also. After the grass took over this area has continuously been mowed and baled 2 times a year since. No amendments have ever been added and for anyone who saw my thread on Egyptian Wheat Screen, it was within the boundaries of this plot. The last time the hay field saw any tillage was early in the 1980s when alfalfa was originally sown.

Took a soil test in early April and just received the results last week. While they were disheartening, it is what it is! This shows years of neglect to the soil and what the results of soil mining are all about. Really wish the drill had pop up fertilizer!

Soil PH - 6.0
Phosphorus # per acre - 19
Potassium # per acre - 112
Calcium # per acre - 2079
Magnesium # per acre - 217
Organic Matter % - 2.0
Cation Exchange Capacity - 7.8

Base Saturation:
% Calcium - 66.7
% Magnesium - 11.6
% Potassium - 1.9
% Hydrogen - 19.8


From Web Soil Survey:
Soil Type - Winfield Silt Loam (67% 2 to 5 % slope 33% 5 to 10% slope)
Mean annual precipitation 37 to 45 inches
Frost free period - 180 to 200 days
Depth to restrictive Feature - More than 80 inches
Natural Drainage Class - Moderately Well Drained
Capasity of most limited layer to to transmit water - Moderately high to high (.60 to 2 inches per hour)

The plot consists of approximately 2.8 acres.

OK after getting the soil sample there was an immediate need for lime. Contacted the Co-op and Lime is scarce right at the moment. Asked for them to spread 2 ton per acre on about 12 additional acres of grass just to begin the process of getting soil back in shape. Would like to transition back to alfalfa so that is the ultimate goal as far as amending soil.

The plot is covered with a grass mixture consisting of Fescue and Orchard Grass which was about 1 to 1.5 feet in height. As of 5/13/14 we have received approximately 11.93 inches of rain. The last week has been unseasonably cool with lows in lower 40's to upper 30's and rain 4 of 5 days. Daytime temps were in 50's for the week. Yesterday, 5/16/14, we had some light rain throughout the afternoon (less than 1/4 acre) but today the sun was shining with light wind and temps in the 70's.

To further complicate matters, I have chosen to use left over soybeans from last year. (germ test was 90% on 3/13) High Soy (HS 37A22) which were about $60.00 per bag last year. These are Round Up Ready and a 140,000 count seed bag weighs 64 pounds. Out of three bags as we finished drilling there was 3 pounds left over so a new germ test will be completed just in case.

Application rate: We shot for 140,000 seeds per acre and ended up very close to our goal rate.

Equipment is a TYM T603 tractor with a Great Plains 3P605NT drill. Planting speed was 4.2 MPH and drill settings were Drive type 2, legume box setting 40, seed cup in 2nd position. Coulters were penetrating between 2 and 3 inches depending on terrain. Seed depth was around 1.5 inch to .5 inches depending on terrain. Seed depth is easier to control with a end wheel drill and the 3 point drill will tip towards the down hill side on slopes, thus being the reason for the varied planting depth achieved.

Here is what the area looked like before being planted.

As you can see, the grass is still green and the area was planted before any burndown chemicals were used.

The coulters cut through the green grass and root system very well. It was a touch wet for my liking but no sticking was observed on the coulters, double disk openers, or press wheels.

The reason I say it was a little to damp for my taste, the furrows did not close all the way in several places. With a JD 7000 planter with the V-Press wheels, this is not a problem because the wheels pinch the soil back together. With the Great Plains Drill and the single 1.5 inch wide packing wheel, closure can be a problem when conditions are a little to damp.

Here is a photo showing an area where the coulters cut through the green grass and the thatch directly on top of the soil.

And in a few places one can see some of the beans in the open trenches I mentioned earlier. This can be a problem with seeds beginning to germinate then moisture disapates and the seed can die. Fortunately they are calling for rain again later this week so hopefully everything will be OK and the seed trench will fill with soil during the rain.

Continued....

 

[Smallplot]

Continued from last post..

And getting the headlands drilled showed to be a pretty sight.

It should be noted that I was able to get onto this field when I could not get onto ground which was tilled last year. Between the root system and ground cover, the soil was able to hold the tractor thanks to better water infiltration.
And the day comes to an end just as I finish up drilling the beans. No sights like this in a big city ever! Now attention turns to choosing a good mixture for fertilizer and preparing for a herbicide application for my burndown tomorrow. Until then, happy plotting.

 

[Smallplot]

Update 5/19/14

Ever have one of those days when it seems the black rain cloud is tied to your beltloop? Well yesterday was that kind of day for me!

Day started out with pickup failing to start. Had to use wife's vehicle to meet an obligation and make a phone call about the truck. Family is wonderful, my brother came over and the truck started and ran fine for him! Fast forward to the afternoon. Had my son helping me so filled a water tank, loaded up the ATV and headed out to spray for someone else.

Since I was in a hurry, and this is all my fault, the lid was not put on the ATV spraytank after filling and mixing GLY. The first slowdown resulted in an immediate realization about the status of the lid! Finished spraying what was left (while letting the britches dry), things appeared to be working out better.

Finally get back to our farm and it is getting late in the afternoon. Had to clean out the ATV sprayer then had to clean out the 3 point sprayer I was going to use to spray beans as it was sitting with tank cleaner from applying Atrazine. Finally get the 3 point sprayer filled with enough to spray what I was needing to spray at the rate of 2 qt per acre of Gly and one qt per acre of Crop Oil and right at 20 gal per acre total application rate.

Going out to spray, everything was going well. What I didn't realize is the PSI setting was adjusted above 40 PSI from the needed 30 PSI for the amount of solution I had mixed. Ran short so had to return today to finish the burndown.

Germ test also started today. Have 100 seeds snug in a damp towel so hoping for good results there!

Now to turn attention to fertilization!

 

[Smallplot]

Update 5/30/14

Seed germination test showed 1% better than on the seed tag. Ended up with 91% germination rate after 4 days.

But looking at the field today was not so excited as this is what I found, and this is a better section as most is barren of any plants.

The surviving seeding rate suggests there was an issue with plants germinating then drying out in the open seed trenches due to uneven stand establishment. Another issue may have been seeds going just a touch too deep as I did find a couple beans that had just broken through and unrolling their heads.

I broke my own standing rule for planting beans here. I will share the rule with anyone who wants to listen. If you don't see some beans on top of the soil, you are planting beans too deep, especially with a drill.

Right prior to planting this area I changed out the coulters for a new set. Keeping with the turbo coulters was a choice I found reasonable. They usually do a good job but if conditions are too damp they can cause problems and this time it appears they did. I was so excited with the great penetration from the new coulters that I did not pay enough attention to the openers. With the old coulters the openers would have been planting shallower due to the deflection of the coulter assembly. With the new coulters going deeper there was a change to the working dynamics to the rest of the soil contact parts of the floating arm.

Believe the drive wheel was in the 4th hole up from the bottom and I was getting over 3 inches of penetration. With the press wheel in the 2nd notch I was getting good planting depth from the old system. Have since moved the drive wheel down to the 2nd hole and moving the press wheel to the 3rd notch brings the drill back to planting at a better depth.

 

[Smallplot]

Replanted on 5/31 followed by a good rain.


Drill settings were transmission 2, Seed cup 2, Seed Box was mostly at 40 then dropped to 32 (approximately 65 pounds per acre to 50 pounds per acre and 140 seed count weighed 49 pounds). Drive wheel in 2nd hole from bottom, and press wheels in 3rd hole from front. Tried moving the press wheel up one setting but ended up with most seeds on top of the ground.

The soil was still a touch too wet but with chance of rain about every day for the next week, some times one just has to go for it. The grasses are holding the moisture. In a strip which was void of grass the drill did an awesome job. The extra moisture from the grasses keeps a small trench open. Hopefully the rain will fill in the trenches with soil.

 

[Smallplot]

Sprayed 2 times post emerge to control grasses. Had some yellow nutsedge come in but while it was young the Gly at 1.5 qt per acre did the job.

On August 13th the soybeans were flowering.

September 12th found many soybeans in the area already turning. With a lot of SDS in the area this year this plot somehow showed no signs of the disease.

Photos showing how the plot looked on September 12th

Still green and plenty of pods which appear to be filled nicely. Signs of heavy browsing pressure can be seen as missing leaves. The plants are somewhat stunted but belive this is due to my choice of not adding fertilizer.

September 25th showed the first leaves turning.

It should be noted that I never applied any fertilizer in this plot. Not that I am in any way proposing not to add fertilizer to food plots but I did have a reason. The plants had a very very slow start. Really did not think the plants were going to make it past the browsing threshold and figured would be working it up and planting another fall mix. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome none the less.

My main goal here was to get control of the long established grasses, not necessarily a late season food source. I now have both. As can be seen in the last picture the dead grass is still present and will hopefully add some protection to the soil over the winter.

Had the local co-op out spreading lime and they missed this area. Guess they did not want to drive through the beans.

 

[Smallplot]

Geographic area
Illinois, Central Pike County

New or existing ?
New. Area was last worked up somewhere around 1982-1984. since then it has had hay taken off each year.

Objective
Objective is gain control of grass in an area continuously used to harvest grass hay for planting back into alfalfa.

Description of property and surrounding area
In Ag country with scattered blocks of timber. Adjacent timber is around 100 acres.

Size and Location of plot
3 acres in size located along a travel corridor used to cross between timber and a finger of timber used for bedding.

Food Plot Experience
Grew up working on family livestock and grain farm where plot is located.

Was a soil test done
KSI Laboratories (Shelbyville IL)tested sample I collected. Sample was collected in a grid pattern consisting of 9 sights within the plot on 4/25/14.

PH 6.0, buffer PH 7.0
OM 2%
Phosphorus 19 Lbs per acre
Potassium 112 Lbs per acre
Calcium 2079 Lbs per acre
Magnesium 217 Lbs per acre
CEC 7.8
Base Saturation: Potassium 1.9%, Calcium 66.7%, Magnesium 11.6%, Hydrogen 19.8%

No recommendations listed by lab, all recommendations are provided based on yield goals by coop.

Pre planting amendments, herbicide or insecticides
None

Type of seed(s) planted and rate
Kitchen Seed Company branded soybeans (KSC 37R221C) but Roundup Ready 2. Varied planting rate in part of the field but rates within the field were 65 and 50 pounds per acre. 140,000 seeds count bags were 49.6 pounds. Cant locate the receipt right now but believe cost was around $40 per bag.

Summary of Conditions at planting
Soil was wet, bordering on too wet for drilling. Grass crop was alive and green at time of drilling. Area was replanted due to low plant count. Issue with wet soil caused coulters to leave a wide trench which left seeds exposed. 2nd planting date, soil was little drier leading to better control of planting depth and soil seed coverage.

Fertilizer if used
None applied

Method of planting
No-Till drilled into green sod with Great Plains 3P605NT drill.

Maintenance Plans
Winter application of lime in prep for spring planting into Alfalfa with a cover crop of Oats.

Maintenance Done
Post seeding application of 2 qt per acre Gly plus 1 qt per acre of COC. 2 additional applications of 41% Gly plus COC at 1.5 qt per acre and .75 qt per acre of COC for each application to control grass and Yellow Nutsedge until canopy closure.

Plot protection methods if any
None

Summary of Insect issues and insecticides used if any
No insect activity observed which would warrant application of insecticide.

Summary of weed and grass issues and herbicides used if any
grass and yellow nutsedge both controlled with Gly 41% in three separate applications prior to canopy closure.

Summary of Mother Nature
wet year with timely rains. Temps were very mild for the area. Conditions actually led to a great many soybean fields to develop Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS). SDS is aggravated by early planting dates into cool wet soils and summer rains which keep the soil saturated, both conditions Mother Nature threw at us this year. SDS is caused by a fungus in as little as two weeds after germination but symptoms usually are not seen until July. Anyone wanting more information on SDS can begin looking at the following link for detailed informationhttp://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/bp/bp-58-w.pdf

Summary of results
Grass and weeds were effectively controlled plus have a good amount of late season forage. Even with the low rates of soil amendments as verified in the soil sample the crop still turned out very well. Not a lot of visible difference showing in areas of different seeding rates except plants in the higher seeding rate areas appear just a bit taller than the lesser seeding rate areas. Number of pods and bean size appear similar in both areas.

Lessons Learned
Should have went ahead and spread some fertilizer in the spring.

Rate the outcome vs expectation
Fully met all weed control expectations. Growth of soybeans grossly exceeded any expectations due to amounts of amendments shown in soil test.

4 pictures-of your choice. Before, Creation, During growth, Final, ect....

Pre-plant

Conditions at planting

View of plot in mid September

View as seen under the canopy

 

[Smallplot]

Couple of quick videos in case anyone wants to watch. They are from my You Tube channel.

First is of planting the plot the first time and spraying, about 10 minutes long.

Second is a tour of the plot on 10/8/14 showing the results of planting including the different rates and how they look. About 4 minutes long.

 

[dogdoc]

That turned out to be a beautiful soybean plot.

 

[farmhunter]

definitely a nice plot in the end! I'm tempted to try with my old IH 4 row corn planter. I'd think for it to work for me - I might have to mow or roll it to cover with some thatch. I never fertilize beans - Mine don't always get as tall as some local farmers do but some of that is the constant browsing

 

[Smallplot]

definitely a nice plot in the end! I'm tempted to try with my old IH 4 row corn planter. I'd think for it to work for me - I might have to mow or roll it to cover with some thatch. I never fertilize beans - Mine don't always get as tall as some local farmers do but some of that is the constant browsing

I think drilled allows a faster canopy which allowed less use of herbicide. The grass will compost too quickly at that height so I would not look for any extended weed control out of the grass. Grass does not respond well to rolling at that height either. The main stem of rye is a great thatch but it contains more cellulose at after it shoots a stem. Grass is the same way. You can see from pictures and videos that the grass had not put on a stem yet.

Funny part is there was often several deer out in this plot shortly before dark. I can also say the turkeys were in it hard during the winter!