from the ground up in this issue From the Desk of Gary Zimmer 5 Ways Biological Farming Can Improve Your Operation Farmers Find Forages Profitable

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1 from the ground up VOLUME 3: ISSUE 1 WINTER 2015 in this issue From the Desk of Gary Zimmer 5 Ways Biological Farming Can Improve Your Operation Farmers Find Forages Profitable Managing Nutrition for Perennial Fruit Crops

2 farm to your full potential Better Farming Through Better Soil Every acre, every farm and every farmer is different. With 30 years of experience, we can unlock your farm s potential using our proven soil management systems approach and nutrition products. We offer precision solutions to help you use only the nutrients you need, in the doses you need. Work one-to-one with your MBA farming consultant for customized solutions to growing healthy, high-yielding and profitable crops. Sign up for your free One-to-One Soil Management Program consultation today. FarmToYourFullPotential.com FarmToYourFullPotential.com

3 from the ground up VOLUME 3: ISSUE 1 WINTER From the Desk of Gary Zimmer 5 Ways Biological Farming Can Improve Your Operation Farmers Find Forages Profitable Managing Nutrition for Perennial Fruit Crops From the Ground Up is published quarterly by Midwestern BioAg. To subscribe, call or Megans@midwesternbioag.com. Copyright 2015, Midwestern BioAg, Inc Blackhawk Drive Blue Mounds, WI MidwesternBioAg.com Midwestern BioAg 3

4 From the Desk of Gary Zimmer Midwestern BioAg President My first book, The Biological Farmer, came out 15 years ago. Since then, I ve met hundreds of farmers as I traveled the world in search of innovative biological farming practices and ideas. I ve spoken with farmers of many different agricultural backgrounds about a variety of topics, including soils, crops, livestock, land, management, and natural resources. What makes biological farming work? Essentially, support of biological system basics: plant diversity; creating an ideal home for soil life and feeding it well; managing soil, air, and water; and providing a balance of minerals in the soil. Much like the way a cow s rumen functions, biological farming works effectively when the system s rules are followed, and fails when they are not. What common goal drives biological farmers? Increasing and balancing plant-available minerals in the soil. To accomplish this, I believe you not only need a variety of all the major minerals that we test for (calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, iron, and boron), but also nutrients sourced from natural-mined rock materials and animal manures. We also must manage nitrogen, which can be 4 From the Ground Up Winter 2015 grown in the form of forages and green manure crops. Green manure crops provide carbon, nitrogen, and feed for soil life, and also supply, hold, and recycle minerals. As biological farmers, we must take every opportunity to feed soil life and create an ideal home for our soil livestock. Doing so improves soil structure and soil health, which in turn helps grow larger root systems that capture and retain moisture. Minerals, soil life, and soil health are central to the biological farming system. The better we are at farming with this system, the more successful we can be. So, what is the biological farming system? Everything in the soil used in crop production. This includes the basics minerals, sunshine, and water. Most minerals come from the soil and are made plant-available through organic matter, soil life, and farming methods. What can farmers do to improve availability of minerals? Careful selection of fertilizer sources is a good starting point. By including soil nutrients in our fertilizers and delivering them hooked to a carbon source as nature does, we can improve both soil and crop nutrition. Soil health and

5 soil structure, while not always easy to measure, are important factors in plant growth and water management. A good soil structure can capture, retain, and aid in the distribution of nutrients and water. For me, the farm is a day-after-day learning experience. With biological farming, common sense and a good eye for observation can take you a long way toward success. This is the challenge and the fun in farming; this is what I share, talk about, learn from, demonstrate, and observe with farmers all over the world. It s about taking biological farming concepts and applying what best fits your farm and your management system. It s about always improving the system. It takes time to see results, but once you start, it just keeps getting better and better. My travels have provided me with many opportunities to listen to a wide variety of farming stories, learn from others experiences, and apply the best practices on my family s farm, Otter Creek. At Otter Creek, we make milk from quality forage. Because we like to feed percent forages, we need tasty, highly digestible feed with balanced mineral content that is high in energy to keep cows productive. While we rotationally graze from April to November on a smorgasbord of legumes, grasses, and brassicas, we also must have quality stored feed for winter months. Quality forages form the basis of our rations, and that forage quality starts in the soil. The soil fertility program starts with a soil test that goes beyond N-P-K to include secondary and trace minerals. We add any mineral that is in short supply, starting with calcium and phosphorus, and use natural-mined minerals when possible. Calcium, sulfur, and boron are always involved. A good soil structure can capture, retain, and aid in the distribution of nutrients and water. We do calcium and soil correctives in the fall, apply a crop fertilizer early in spring, and apply compost-type manures in the summer. We also provide a balanced diet for the current year s crop, again including trace elements. In our fields, we grow a large diversity of plants to extract natural soil minerals and run a tight crop rotation our standard forage rotation is just two years. This tight rotation improves our feed quality and nutrient management and works great for growing corn in the third year. Our forage stands are typically a blend of alfalfa and other types of legumes and grasses blends vary depending on the feed we want and on soil conditions. Once we ve grown our forages, the Otter Creek crew does everything it can to maintain feed quality. Forage harvesting is a priority job; from timely cutting to wrap-baling quickly and using inoculants to proper storage, every step is designed to maintain feed quality. These high-quality forages reduce our need to purchase costly feed supplements. o Midwestern BioAg 5

6 5Ways Biological Farming Can Improve Your Operation What s coming down the pipeline to help farmers increase profitability? Biological farming has been getting a lot of attention lately and for good reasons. Genetic technology and equipment innovations have made dramatic changes in farm management and profitability within a generation. Yet most farmers are still using the same fertilizers their fathers used. That s where looking at soil nutrients comes in, says Bob Yanda, a 25-year biological farming industry veteran and Vice President of Development for Midwestern BioAg. Yanda explains how biological farming can improve your operation. 1. Custom Consulting Our approach for each farmer is custom, says Yanda. We look at their operation, ask questions, pull soil samples, analyze nutrient levels, look for problems, and learn about that farmer s goals. Then we put together recommendations for achieving those goals that involve traditional and biological solutions, he says. One of Yanda s clients, Gary Manternach who farms near Monticello, Iowa, especially appreciates Yanda s extensive knowledge. It s so valuable to have a consultant with expertise, like Bob, who really understands soil, says Manternach. He explains the different 6 From the Ground Up Winter 2015

7 interactions with elements in the soil, how one product impacts something else. 2. New Farm Management Tools Yanda s recommendations help farmers expand their management toolbox. Biological options focus on soil correction and crop fertilizer. These options may include recommendations on crop rotation, strip-till or no-till, cover crops, and application methods. 3. Improve Soil According to Yanda, soil is the key in understanding biological farming practices. The company offers comphrehensive soil sampling, which is different from the analysis provided by most labs. We are looking to build organic matter so that the soil can maintain nutrients and minerals, Yanda says. Soil correction products can also change the physical properties of the soil to balance its health. It might be about using the right type of lime, or about where they haul their manure. It s different for every farmer, says Yanda. Natural-based fertilizers enhance soil life and plant roots. Looking at a different nitrogen source is often the gateway to getting into biological farming, says Yanda. We go beyond N-P-K and test for minerals like manganese, sulfur, and boron. Manternach says he first got involved in biological farming with the intent of increasing yield and productivity. We d tried conventional approaches and we weren t getting anywhere, he says. After starting with Midwestern BioAg dry fertilizer products, Manternach says the difference was clear. We could see a change in our soil s ability to hold water, and it s improving all the time. 4. Achieve Potential Manternach says when they began using biological farming products, We saw a change in our yields. It s because of the increased organic matter, says Manternach. Farmers want more than increased yields says Yanda. We look at, What is their true potential? It s about bottom line profitability more than yields. A lot of the things I m reading now in magazines sound like what Midwestern BioAg was saying 20 years ago about sulfur, calcium, tillage, cover crops, and biological interactions in the soil. Yanda believes that good farming is doing the best you can with what you have to work with. He points to Manternach s practice of twin row planting as another way to help plants and acres achieve their potential. He can push the plant population without sacrificing use of sunlight and nutrients. 5. Changing Soil, Changing Minds According to Yanda, Manternach is a smart, open-minded farmer who wants to improve his operation and isn t afraid to try new things. But these days, biological farming is no longer considered unusual. Biological farming is becoming more and more mainstream, says Manternach. A lot of the things I m reading now in magazines sound like what Midwestern BioAg was saying 20 years ago about sulfur, calcium, tillage, cover crops, and biological interactions in the soil. If you re interested in learning about biological farming, talk to a consultant at Midwestern BioAg, Manternach says. They ve been in the biological farming business for 30 years. They re really good at educating farmers so we can choose for ourselves. o Midwestern BioAg 7

8 Farmers Find Forages Profitable by Mary Pohlman Forages play many important roles on the farm as cash crops, livestock feeds, and pastures, and in healthy soil rotations. Midwestern BioAg s Forage Program can help farmers unlock the full potential of their forage crop and maximize farm profitability. Forages as Cash Crops Twenty-year Midwestern BioAg customer Lauren Enzinger raises a large crop of alfalfa and alfalfa-grass mix hay each year. Supplying quality forages to his customer base is a major part of his operation. Enzinger s buyers look for feed value, protein, and mineral content. Enzinger came to Midwestern BioAg in the 1980s to improve the growth rate and stand uniformity of his alfalfa crop. With Midwestern BioAg help, Enzinger discovered calcium-deficient soils were the leading cause of his underperforming alfalfa 8 From the Ground Up Winter 2015

9 crop. Enzinger has since used Midwestern BioAg s calcium products Bio-Cal and OrganiCal to grow top-quality forages for his customers. Today, Enzinger follows many biological farming principals in his forage program: short rotations (three years in hay), cover crops, balanced fertilizers, and mineralized soils. In addition to calcium products, Midwestern Bio- Ag offers liquid-carbon based fertilizers (L-CBF) for increased forage yield and quality. Enzinger has used L-CBF Terra Fed in his forage program since 2013 when he first applied it to his alfalfa crop. In areas where L-CBF Terra Fed was applied, Enzinger could see that the alfalfa was leafier, taller, and more mature. Tests showed higher sugar, crude protein, NEL (Net Energy for Lactation), RFV, and RFQ levels, and improved IVTDMD (In Vitro True Dry Matter Digestibility). I m sold on it, Enzinger says. Enzinger advises that application timing is key; he applies L-CBF Terra Fed when alfalfa stands are 8-10 tall. Forages in the Pasture In southern Michigan, a herd of nearly 500 dairy cows can be found on Dan and Ken Sparks farm. Quality forages, in this case pastures, are vital to the success of the Sparks four-year-old seasonal dairy operation. Establishing a new dairy operation in the 21st century is challenging, and good management and attention to detail are crucial. Early on, the Sparks realized they needed excellent pastures to meet the nutritional needs of their lactating cows. When soil tests showed their pastures were low on calcium and magnesium, they switched from applying local marl to using higher quality lime, K-Mag, and Midwestern BioAg s Bio-Cal. The Sparks improved their pastures by focusing on balancing and correcting their soil. Using a pivot irrigation system, the Sparks apply 28% nitrogen every three weeks to coincide with their paddock rotation interval. They also apply ammonium sulfate in spring and fall. The result? Pastures stay lush and green, says Dan. As soils balanced, the Sparks saw improved forage analyses. Plants had more minerals, more calcium and magnesium, and an improved nitrogen to sulfur ratio. In areas where L-CBF Terra Fed was applied, Enzinger could see that the alfalfa was leafier, taller, and more mature. Midwestern BioAg s consulting services have been drivers of success on the Sparks farm. The Sparks work closely with Consultants Steve Hooley and Duane Siegenthaler and Nutrition Specialist Dave Meidl to maximize the potential of forages on their farm. Forages in the Rotation Bob Bellmeyer has a small farm in southwestern Wisconsin where he successfully grows alfalfa as a cash crop. Despite less-than-ideal ground, Bob consistently achieves good yields using the Midwestern BioAg program: hay over six tons per acre, corn at 185 bu/acre, and soybeans at 50 bu/acre. Bob uses a three-crop rotation: soybeans, corn, and hay. He seeds about 10 acres per year with a nurse crop of oats, often finding it a challenge to combine the oats before the hay gets too big. The hay grows too well, Bob notes. Bob has used Bio-Cal for the past 10 years to raise the calcium content of his soil and maximize alfalfa yields. He also uses short rotations (keeping a field in hay for no more than four years) and applies 300 lbs/acre of It s as good a program as there is, Bob says of Midwestern BioAg s forage program. If you stick with the program, your soil improves. o Midwestern BioAg 9

10 Managing Nutrition for Perennial Fruit Crops by Allen Philo Perennial fruit plantings have many things in common, particularly regarding nutrition management. However, whether we are considering a 30-year old orchard or a strawberry field that will be replanted in two years, we can only manage the soil during the new growth period, when the plantings require extra attention to meet annual nutritional needs. Each crop has its own special requirements related to the plant s unique physiology and seasonal growth patterns. Proper management of the soil before plant establishment and throughout the growing season can pay dividends for growers. Ignoring these needs, however, can result in a crop more susceptible to disease, uneven fruiting, and reduced yields. A common grower mistake is waiting too long to correct the soil. A call from a producer often starts off like this: I planted a couple of acres of (insert perennial fruit crop here) and they haven t been producing well. I took a soil test. Can you look at it and tell me what to do? I feel bad for growers in this situation because at this late point, they have missed their primary opportunity to correct the soil. This negatively impacts the planting s performance over the course of its life. Before planting a multiyear fruit crop, most soil correction practices are similar. Are the phosphorous and potassium levels adequate? What about trace minerals? Have they been properly applied? Phosphorous, for example, does not readily move through the soil and must be thoroughly incorporated. Application only to the surface will produce little effect on the crop and increase the chances of phosphate runoff. Managing Soil ph Managing soil ph and trace minerals should vary according to crop species. Most perennial fruiting crops, e.g., tree fruits and canefruits, are forest species. Because forest soils generally have a low ph, we aim for a ph of around 6.0, rather than the 6.5 typically found in row crop agriculture. For blueberries, the soil ph should be even lower 5.5 or less. Lower ph increases iron availability and reduces the producer s soil management workload. This lower target ph is based on two main factors. First, lower ph promotes a fungally dominant soil ecosystem that degrades organic matter and makes nutrients available. Second, blueberries are adapted to trace mineral uptake at low ph. That said, blueberries can be grown successfully at a higher ph. But producers should evaluate 10 From the Ground Up Winter 2015

11 the availability of important trace minerals such as zinc, copper, and manganese. As with ph corrections, producers have only one opportunity before planting to incorporate trace minerals into the soil. Plant Nutrition Management Perennial and annual fruit crops require different nutrition management approaches due to physiology differences. For example, perennial crops have deeper root systems than annuals, making them less susceptible to drought and providing access to minerals deeper in the soil. When taking soil tests, a producer should perform one test on the top six inches and a separate test of the next six to 12 inches. Thoroughly testing the soil gives the best estimate of potassium and trace mineral availability to annual vs. perennial crops. Consistent Yields Start in the Fall Another factor to consider when managing perennial fruit crops is their life cycle. They set buds for next year s crop the fall before the fruiting season. During the bud-setting period, the plant measures both its energy reserves and how much soil nutrition it can access. If plants do not have enough energy and nutrients, they will reduce the number of buds they set for the next year. This reduces the yield potential even before the growing season begins. Generally, when a plant reduces its buds one year, it will set extra buds the following year and produce a bumper crop. Inconsistent energy and nutrient availability can create a biennial fruiting pattern where yields are low one year and high the next. Therefore, to avoid inconsistent yields, it is essential to prepare plants during fall for the coming growing season. Planting perennial fruit crops is an excellent way for many growers to diversify their business, but they do require investments in the soil. It s important to provide the right soil conditions and nutritional support so that the investment pays off in the long term. At Midwestern BioAg, we offer a Fall Fruit Pack that includes a blend of trace minerals and potassium to help build energy reserves before the winter season. Both our Fall Fruit Pack and our specialized spring fertilizer blends are designed to help fruit plants build energy reserves. They provide plants with the nutrition they need to finish the fruit they started while setting buds in the fall. For questions about maximizing both your perennial fruit crop yields and your investment, contact Midwestern BioAg at o Midwestern BioAg 11

12 Midwestern BioAg, Inc Blackhawk Drive Blue Mounds, WI from the ground up Midwestern BioAg