Air October 6, 2004

Thank you Jerry, and good morning everyone.

Remember last year when September was so cool and wet and we didn't that the soybeans would ever be ready for harvest? And they weren't until about November! Well, from one extreme we head to the other and here we are with about 50% or more of the soybeans already harvested this year!

Okay, while everyone else is thinking about fall harvest and wheat planting, I'm thinking back to those conversations that we had about getting a second cutting of bromegrass in late July and early August. Now, if you still want to cut that hay, you can probably go ahead and do it anytime. But think back now to the weather we've had the last two months! Aren't you glad you didn't cut it then. You would have had a bare bones field with all sorts of weeds starting to come into it!! BUT don't just cut it and forget about it. You need to make plans to fertilize it and fertilize it really good. 20 years worth of studies at K-State have shown the best yields from November or December fertilization. So if you do take a second cutting of brome this fall, it becomes even more critical to fertilize this fall. IF you don't have a soil test result, just plan on 120 pounds of nitrogen, 40 pounds of phosphate and 20 pounds of sulfur. Sure, that's going to cost you a little bit, but that's how you need to fertilize it if you want to have a hope of getting a good hay crop next spring. If you have a lot of seedling weeds coming up in your brome you can still spray it this fall, but let's also concentrate on getting that brome stand thicker so we don't have those weed problems! While we're talking about fall fertilization let's also switch gear to alfalfa. Sometime between now and soil freeze up, or Christmas, whichever comes first, let's get some phosphate on that alfalfa. Just about 45 pounds of phosphate per acre will really help keep that alfalfa field producing, assuming that it rains next year that is! I've had a few calls about trying to get a replant in yet this fall, or maybe you didn't even plant it because it stayed so dry. Well, we're getting late enough in the season now that I really don't want to do that. Let's just wait until early April. If you've got a bunch of weeds coming, especially bindweed, let's concentrate on knocking those down with a little Roundup and 2,4-D and get that field ready for planting in the early spring.

This is Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent, with Ag Outlook 2004.

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