Agronomy Zone 14

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• Jeff Anderson (12)
• Clint Bounds (1)
• Dustin Ellis (1)
• John Furlong (11)
• Brian Hartman (9)
• Rich Howe (3)
• Brad Johnson (3)
• Bill Kessinger (13)
• Dave Koehn (6)
• Tony Lenz (20)
• Doug McCleary (2)
• Tony Pleggenkuhle (11)
• Matt Raml (1)
• Kyle Ross (16)
• Jim Rowley (15)
• Kevin Ryan (15)
• Todd Schomburg (6)
• Doug Score (2)
• Stine Seed (21)
• Trevor Stockstad (3)
• Louis Sutton (18)
• Kenneth Wolf (3)

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With springtime just around the corner, now is a good time to drop off your seed meters to have them checked. Sometimes overlooked, it is a good practice to have your seed corn meters checked every year. Having the meters calibrated with a sample of your intended seed could help pick up a couple bushels per acre, just from the increased accuracy of the seed drop. The bean meters should not be forgotten either. They should be checked bi-annually, if not annually.  

Finger Pickup Meters:

The brushes should be checked for wear or damage; they can wear out after just 100 acres per row. The carrier plate should be checked for wear or for seed treatment buildup. Some seed treatments can build up fast and need to be removed by hand. These carrier plates should last about 300 acres per row. The fingers and springs can last for up to 800-900 acres per row; however, they need to be checked to make sure they are working properly and are free of wear, damage or rust. The drive sprocket, seed belt and belt housing all should be checked for wear and damage.

Vac Type Meters:

All the brushes should be checked for wear, damaged or frayed bristles. They can wear out after 300-400 acres per row. The seed disk should be checked for wear or warpage; it should be cleaned to make sure all cells are free of foreign material. The meter housing should be checked for damage. The breathers should be cleaned.

Brush Meters:

The meter itself should be cleaned. If you’re planting treated seed, you could have a buildup of residue in the meter that may cause more wear on the seed disk. The seed disk itself needs to be checked for wear or damage. These discs should be replaced after about 200 acres per row. The cells themselves can be worn down and allow doubles to drop on some smaller seed or allow seeds to get wedged in the cells and prevent accurate seed drop. The brushes should be checked for frayed, missing or damaged bristles. The upper brushes should wear out (at about 200-400 acres per row) before the lower brushes (at about 400-800 acres per row). The wear band needs to be checked to make sure there isn’t a groove running down it.

These are just a few tips to think about as we get closer to spring. They are not a cure-all, but having your meters in the best possible condition as we go into spring will help ensure proper seed drop and the best possible start for your crop.

The 46th Annual National Farm Machinery Show is just around the corner. Held February 16-19 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the nation’s largest indoor farm show with a draw of over 300,000 people each year. There are over 800 exhibitors spread across more than 1 million square feet of indoor exhibit space. Admission to the show is free (show hours 9:00am to 6:00pm daily EST), and only $8 parking fee. This show is hard to miss; you can find almost anything you could imagine that has to deal with agriculture.

Stine’s booth this year is located in the North Wing at booth number 400A. Feel free to stop by and say hello, and find out what’s going on at Stine Seed Company.

If the show doesn’t wear you out, you can check out the Championship Tractor Pull that goes on each night located inside Freedom Hall. Click here to go to the web site of the National Farm Machinery Show & Championship Tractor Pull; here you can find information on travel/lodging, show, exhibitor & pull information.

Growers in the mid-south frequently experience problems with corn ear worms. Watch Regional Sales Agronomist Kyle Ross explain the benefits of planting Stine Genuity VT Triple Pro to fight these pests.

In the Field with Kyle Ross - Benefits of Stine Genuity VT Triple Pro Corn

In my travels throughout southern Indiana and Western Kentucky the last couple if weeks, I have noticed corn earworms actively feeding on some later planted corn. The corn earworm normally overwinters in the southern part of the country. Moths move north in late spring or early summer. Moths lay eggs on corn silks or green tissue near the ear. After the eggs hatch, the larva moves down the silk to feed on the tip or midsection of the ear. Some suggest that a loss of just three kernels per ear equals a loss of one bushel an acre. On top of the loss of yield, the damaged area can lead to poor grain quality, as well as creating a site for molds and ear rots to start.

Controlling corn earworms with insecticide sprays can be effective if they are applied at the right time; however, it may not be the most effective tool available to growers these days. The new Genuity VT Triple Pro trait that was available in a few Stine hybrids this year appears to be doing a very good job of warding off this pest. This new trait offers in-plant protection against both above-ground & below-ground pests. It continues to work throughout the growing season & eliminates the need for a foliar insecticide spray for this ear damaging pest.