Digital Corner

We connect with our customers in many different ways and with many different tools. From the agronomy side of
the relationship we realize our owners and customers use a diverse set of tools to produce crops. We have customers that produce crops using some of the more traditional tools such as an average field soil sample and manage inputs at field level basis. We have some farmers using Grid, Zone and Soil Scanning technology to produce more detailed site specific data and utilize digital tools such as soil maps, as applied maps and yield maps to make input management decisions. Regardless of how you farm, AGRIS is prepared to meet you where you choose to farm. The same agronomic expertise is available to everyone. 

Nonetheless as we look to the future we have to be engaged in using the Digital Agriculture tools available today and keep an eye on future developments. Maintaining a transparent relationship augmented by technology and supported by trained and motivated employees is our forward looking commitment to owners and customers.

The on line portal called myFS is the customers view to everything we do with you. From invoices and statements, prepays, bookings to field maps, crop plans, yield and as applied maps. This is our commitment to being transparent in our relationship. 

As applied treatment maps -new soil applied manganese 

Soybean yield map

Utilizing our extensive mapping program that organizes data by Customer, by Farm, by Field and with a GPS derived boundary allows us to track on your behalf soil test levels, nutrient recommendations, applications, yield maps and gather in any test plot information for analysis that may have been performed on your fields. Yield maps supports making Profit Maps a different way to look at field performance. Having this data and analytic capability allows us to help keep you 4 R Compliant on nutrient management.

We are currently engaged in crop planning by customer, by farm, by field, by crop, by product. This helps get everyone organized well ahead of the spring rush and to manage expectations. Further to these activities we are going a bit further to participate in Growmark’s MiField Test Plot program. This program is designed to test new products concepts and services on customers fields, hence the name “MiField”.

We are taking a unique approach on some plots in looking for cooperators who are willing to test new things such as variable rate seeding, nitrogen applications, bio stimulants or participate in Adapt N, a new nitrogen tracking software program. We are looking to work with customers that can record the application digitally and provide yield maps and share that with us so we can calculate the net returns. Using digital tools reduces the work load and makes it easier to do more testing and avoids having to be in the field to flag treatments and organize the logistics of weigh wagons to harvest the plot and use the yield map from the combine to measure yield response instead. This provides insight beyond the obvious and helps to evaluate new management approaches on your farm more easily.

Reach out to your Crop Specialist for more details.

Agronomy Strategy Manager and Senior Agronomist at AGRIS Co-operative

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Weed Control in Winter Wheat

What a great opportunity mother nature has given us to fight the battle with glyphosate resistant weeds. With a long fall lots of winter wheat got planted and is looking good at this point. Lots of fall herbicide got applied to the wheat crop but this spring can be a great chance to control glyphosate resistant weeds as well. Winter Wheat offers the opportunity to use different tactics we do not usually use in soybean and corn programs which is an effective herbicide resistance management strategy. Products like Infinity FX with 3 modes of action can really maximize weed control and allow you to use other active ingredients than you have available in soybean and corn programs.

Wheat also has an early crop canopy which will shade the ground sooner in the spring creating competition for weeds, crop competition is a fantastic way to reduce weed pressure in a non-selective way. The other benefit of wheat in your rotation from a weed control stand point is the options after the wheat is off, you can use tillage, other herbicides that may have crop sensitivity or cover crops to control weeds through the summer and fall. With this great opportunity in front of us do not let it go to waste and make sure those fields start clean and stay clean all season long right into freeze up this fall.

Article by Chris Snip

Crop Sales Specialist, Cottam

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Wondering About Wheat

As we edge closer to spring, nitrogen application on winter wheat comes top of mind. When do we apply, how much should we apply and what products to apply to this growing wheat crop? A good practice would be to do some stand counts in the field after green up to determine what yield potential you are have.

Planting date, soil type and weather factors into the decision to apply N and Sulphur.

Below is our suggested application rates based on planting date. Early planting almost always means more plants, more tillers, more heads and higher yield potential resulting in the need for higher nitrogen rates.

Stand counts can assist in finalizing the nitrogen rates based on yield potential.

Even at 7 plants per foot of row there is still an opportunity for 90% of potential yield.

Protecting nitrogen with Anvol to limit volatilization losses in both cold and dry conditions is something to consider, especially if you are not split applying nitrogen.

As always, we are here to help assess your wheat crop, it all starts with the numbers.

Article by Graham McLean

Crop Sales Specialist, Glencoe