Servi-Tech employs between 25 and 35 college students each summer as crop service interns. These students normally have an agricultural, or closely-related, major. Servi-Tech has a scholarship program that provides monetary awards to recipients selected from our pool of summer interns. Many past scholarship award winners have eventually become full-time Servi-Tech employees upon graduation.

A committee of Servi-Tech employees reviews the applications, and determines the number and amount of scholarship awards. For the 2009-2010 school year, a total of $11,000 has been awarded to twelve of our 2009 summer interns, which are listed at the left.


Congratulations to all the scholarship recipients!

Student University Award Aaron Ehlers University of Nebraska $1250 Bryan Meister Central Community College $1000 Denton Bailey Kansas State University $1000 Zach Turner Missouri State University $1000 Keanan Kroetsch Fort Hays State University $1000 Casey Robinson Chadron State University $1000 Kyle O'Donnell University of Wyoming $1000 Eric Preston Kansas State University $750 Zehren Walker Colorado State University $750 Rebecca Duensing University of Nebraska $750 Mike Murch Iowa State University $750 Kyle Cushard Missouri State University $750

Second Guessing -Rick Runyan;Ainsworth,NE

As harvest approaches, there is considerable speculation as to what the yields will be. We sometimes start to second guess our past management decisions of the growing season. Two of the most frequently second guessed are: did we under-apply nitrogen, and did we apply enough irrigation at the tail end of the season? Those of us who have been involved in production agriculture for many years know that final yield depends on many things. If we did everything right from planting, adequate fertility, timely pest control, and water management, we would expect bumper crops. In reality that is not always the case. What does have a huge impact on final yield is the amount of Langley’s we receive throughout grain fill. Langley is a unit of measure that accounts for the amount of solar radiation received. We are looking for uninterrupted sunshine from pollination to black layer. Even hazy days, though not as detrimental as cloudy days, can play a huge impact. In those years when stalk rot is common, ear tip fill is poor, or when kernel depth is shallow, a lack of solar radiation during grain fill is often the primary cause. We see that same scenario play out after a hail storm. In this case we may have the solar radiation, but not enough leaf area to capture it. As we move into harvest and start to evaluate things like hybrid selection, fertility programs, fungicide applications, and water management schemes, add the Langley’s accumulation to the notebook.

Usually when one thinks of weed control, it is for in-season control. Weed control is just as important in fallow and stopping mechanical weed dispersal.
An excellent and less expensive time to control weeds is after harvest. You don’t have to worry about crop safety and you can put down a residual that won’t affect a growing crop. Many troublesome weeds grow really well in wheat stubble after harvest. Canada thistle, bindweed, sandburs, Palmer amaranth, nightshade, velvetleaf and bur ragweed are just a few that can be effectively controlled off season. Soil moisture can be saved and a better seedbed preserved for the next crop. Perennials like Canada thistle and bindweed can be treated following corn or milo harvest, if conditions are acceptable. Control is more effective in the fall when perennials are sending carbohydrates to the roots getting ready for winter dormancy.
Another form of weed control that is less often thought of is combine sanitation between fields. Over the years it is obvious that many hard-to-control weeds are spread by combines. We have seen velvetleaf, Canada thistle and nightshade spread from field to field due to weeds in and on the combine. If there is a problem weed in one or more of your fields, try to take the time to clean the combine prior to changing fields. It isn’t the only reason those weeds are moving, but it is a major one. If custom harvesting is done, ask them to make sure their combines are cleaned out.

Remember there is more than one way to control weeds. Check with your Servi-Tech agronomist for help with ideas for herbicides for your off-season weed control.

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Getting Ready For 2010
by Monte Roetman; Kearney,NE

With harvest time just around the corner, now is a great time to plan for the next crop season. It’s probably toward the bottom of the list of things to do this fall, but it is important to look closely at hybrid and variety selection now and order early to get the best selections and discounts from the seed companies.

The best thing, is to take note of the different hybrids that you have and record data such as: late season plant health, disease type and pressure, stalk rot issues and insect problems. Taking notice of these areas can help identify any problem areas and help to select a hybrid to combat or minimize problems for next season. In addition to your personal observations, review your consultant’s weekly reports to make sure nothing is overlooked when making a decision for next year. It can also help to attend neighborhood or area plot tours to personally observe some of the new technologies and hybrids that are coming available.

These steps should be taken whether planting corn or any other crop that you have in your farming operation. A little time invested early this fall can pay huge dividends a year from now when another harvest is about to begin.

No-till dryland cropping systems have been widely adopted across the western Great Plains for conservation and increased yield benefits for many years. This system normally follows a wheat - row crop - fallow rotation, with grain sorghum or corn being the typical row crop, although sunflowers are included in some locations. Corn, with the Roundup Ready genetics, is by far the preferred choice in these cropping systems in the corn rotation because of the advantages of using glyphosate herbicide with its broad spectrum weed control. One of the challenges of using this technology is the moisture depleting affects of the Roundup Ready volunteer corn in the no-till rotation. Glyphosate, 2,4-D, and dicamba are typically used as a burn down herbicide in fallow treatments, but these obviously have no effect on the volunteer corn. Although producers can fall back on tillage to control the volunteer, that is not always the desirable option when moisture and soil tilth benefits of no-till are the primary goals of the cropping system.

Researchers from Kansas State University are conducting a three year study to determine the moisture loss from volunteer Roundup Ready corn during the fallow period and its negative effects on wheat. The study also hopes to determine the density of volunteer corn where it becomes profitable to use chemical control methods on the volunteer. There is now data from the first two years of the study with the final year of the study planned for the 2009-2010 cropping season. The study is being conducted at locations in Garden City, Colby and Tribune, Kansas. The study is set up in a randomized block design evaluating eight corn densities from 0-8000 plants per acre. All other weeds except the volunteer corn are killed and the soil moisture is determined in the profile to a total depth of five feet. This is measured before and after the growth of the corn. Wheat is then planted in the fall in the volunteer corn plots. Producer fields in the Garden City area have been sampled to try and determine the common corn densities in this cropping system under field conditions.

Although only two years of data have been obtained so far, some early conclusions from the research are that for every 200 volunteer plants, there was a one bushel per acre loss in wheat yield at Colby, and at Tribune there was one bushel per acre in yield loss from 75 volunteer corn plants. The scouting found that the average producer field had 455 volunteer corn plants per acre which would lead to an expected yield loss of 4.3 bushels of wheat. The researchers then calculated that if the wheat price was $5.00 per bushel, it would take about 250 volunteer corn plants per acre to break even, assuming a selective herbicide application of $14.00 per acre, using products labeled for volunteer corn control such as Select, Assure II, or Poast Plus. The breakeven cost would change based on the expected price of wheat or a change in the herbicide cost and application charge. The researchers also noted that the cost could be affected by whether the field could be spot sprayed or not. Information for this article is credited to the Kansas State University Field Day 2009, Report of Progress 1014 and the Southwest Research-Extension Center.

Many producers are using GPS in their combines to map yield patterns across the field at harvest. During the winter months, you may choose to print these maps. Some may be shown to your agronomist to see how well a hybrid or a field did, but many will be filed away, never to be seen again. What should you do with yield maps?

A good idea is to print these maps out as soon as harvest is complete. Make some additional copies and share these with your Servi-Tech agronomist. As you review these maps with your agronomist, look for areas of higher yields and lower yields. If possible, compare your yield maps with a soil type map and grid sample maps. Select areas of the field to soil sample separately to identify possible fertility problems. You may also identify areas that may benefit from higher seeding populations, or maybe you can plant fewer seeds, and maintain the yield potential in areas of the field.

After you transfer your yield files to the computer, do not delete the controller card to use again next year. Instead, use a new controller card every year. This will prevent down time or loss of information from a bad card. The more you use a pc card, delecite and record information to the card, the more likely you will have a card go bad. Take the card after harvest, write the year on it, and store in your files. This will also be helpful should you have any problems with your computer and lose information. Also, you have quick access to files should you need historical yield data at a later date.
Have a safe and successful harvest.