Several thoughts, at least pertaining to the "big field":
Alot of guys go out and "try it" a day or two early if it's too wet. When working ground, people usually start along one side of a field. This compaction/damage can add up after years, and may not appear to be all that different than a couple passes away of the tool.
Most local custom sprayers will not get any closer than about 2 rows from the edge of a field. More liability on their part for chancing doing damage elsewhere, especially on a windy day. Local fertilizer applicators will do about the same as well. Just a few weeds can absorb alot of what should be going to the crop, both nutrients and moisture, and it's more obvous if the fertilizer isn't there to begin with.
Take soil samples and also tissue samples from the plant and have them checked out. Cal-Phos. ratios, Nitrogen-Sulphur ratios, and others being off in the plant can make plants look horrible and sickly, and perform about the same. Just because a soil sample shows you having all of your ducks in a row doesn't necessairly mean the plant can readily absorb/make use of it, either.
Sometimes if large amounts of N are used on the planter as a starter, corn can almost drown in it in certain conditions, and excessive N can tie up absorbtion of other minerals. Cultivating cuts some roots off enticing others and new ones to grow, stirs the soil and nutrients around, and aerates as well.
You may also look into trace mineral packages and/or foliar-feeding programs.
We have trouble with the outside rows along public roads. Way too much salt ends up plowed out into fields by plow drivers that think their last name is Earnhardt or Unser. Foliar feeding, along with cultivating at least those rows, and even rolling over that area with a moldboard plow as soon as possible after the frost leaves in the spring has all shown a positive response in those rows.
AG
This post was edited by AG in IN at 08:51:45 07/22/13.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Sunday Drives - by Cowboy. Summer was finally upon us here in Northern Maine. We have two types of industry up here, one being "Forestry" (Wood Products) and the other "Farming" (Potatoes). There is no shortage of farm tractors and equipment around here! I have been restoring old Farm Tractors for the past 6 years, and have found it easier and less expensive to hit all the auctions and purchase whole tractors for parts needed. My wife who works at a local school, and only has weekends and summers off, while on t
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.