Farmers could not prepare for what Mother Nature would throw at them in 2019. The world?s largest chemical producer says farmers can better protect their investment by establishing a plan for the upcoming crop season. They also recommend building a backup plan, in case things do not go as planned.
Mark Storr, senior technical services representative with BASF, says protecting your investment starts with early planting.
?We all know the effect of decreasing sunlight throughout the season,? Storr said. ?There are only so many growing degree days we can capture in a given year. Take advantage of that, whatever Mother Nature offers with building a bigger, better factory, if you will. There are some trends that indicate early planting, particularly in soybeans, can pay us some nice dividends.
?Along with that comes the potential for additional stressed,? Storr notes. Colder temperatures, for instance, can induce disease pressure. Farmers looking to plant soybeans early should consider using a seed treatment, says Storr.
?Think about products like ILEVO, far and above the industry standard, for Sudden Death Syndrome. (You are) looking at a minimum of a four to 10 bushel yield increase in trials over the past several years. That?s not only providing SDS protection, but also soybean cyst nematode (protection),? Storr said.? Then we have a new seed treatment this year, called Obvius Plus, which is going to be the new industry standard for performance of seed treatments. – Getting a stand established and protecting it from early seedling diseases.?
