Marth Ag Consulting

02/06/2019

After watching the Super Bowl and the commercials that aired along with it, I was VERY disappointed that bud light felt it was necessary to attack the corn producers with a smear campaign against 'corn syrup.'

I don't wish to make this a political statement, but as an American, I have the ability to chose not to drink bud light. I would like to encourage others to sample some other domestic light beer that does support corn producers.

If you don't switch, does that mean we are no longer friends? NO! We are Americans and you have the right to chose. I would simply like you to think about the choice bud light made to impact me and other corn producers' livelihood.

I attached a statement from Mark Recker from Iowa Corn concerning the decision by bud light.

As a family farmer, I am disappointed that Bud Light chose to denigrate corn in their Super Bowl ad as part of a marketing scheme to attack their competition. I am proud of the generations of farmers that grow corn that is used in over 4,000 every day products from...

01/10/2019

Did the fall of 2018 leave you with a lot of work to do in the spring of 2019? Don't feel bad... you're not alone.

If you have questions concerning no till operations on your farm, feel free to ask me what you want to know. I've been no tilling corn and soybeans, including corn-on- corn, for 5 years.

11/01/2013

I recently had my farms mapped with an EC machine. This machine maps the soil at an approximate depth of 2 feet and provides the clay content at those depths. This will be a valuable tool in creating prescription planting maps. Looking at the previous years yield maps, there is a definite correlation, indicating how sub-surface soil water holding capacity is important. Stay tuned...I will try to post some examples.

09/27/2013

Looking forward for 2014. Sick of the surprises of 2013. Can we ever get a normal year? But then again, what is normal anymore?

03/14/2013

The 3 month forecast appears to be somewhat encouraging.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/multi_season/13_seasonal_outlooks/color/page2.gif

03/14/2013

It seems our situation with the drought may be improving somewhat. Still a long way to go.

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DM_midwest.htm

02/19/2013

Here are some interesting ideas on no tillage planting.

http://www.no-tillfarmer.com/pages/News---Setting-Up-No-Till-Planters-For-Success.php

02/13/2013

With seed costs continuing to be an important factor in your farming operation, variable rate seeding is becoming a more viable option for all producers. There are a lot of factors to consider in creating your own prescription. Take a look at the following article concerning variable rate seeding.

http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/precision-ag/make-variable-seeding-work?page=1

Keith Alverson and his family started to variable-rate plant in the 1990s, and now find benefit with the practice on every corn acre.

02/13/2013

Although I don't always subscribe to what the Hefty Bros. are saying, I think this piece on N is interesting. If we were to be limited on our N application, it would be interesting to see how everyone's CEC's would influence the application.

http://www.agphd.com/blog/uncategorized/2013/02/08/your-soil-cant-hold-all-the-n-you-want-to-apply/

How much of your nitrogen that you apply is being lost each year? How much of that N is ending up in someone’s water? I know you are busy, and you have a lot of things to think about on your farm, but unless each of us farmers learns how much N our soil can really hold, we will at some point be fa...

02/12/2013

For anyone considering reduced tillage, or even no tillage, the following link goes to a very good article about fertility in a reduced tillage environment.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0209.html

No-till farming requires a new set of producer skills, especially in the area of crop fertility, w**d control, equipment, and pest control. Fertilizing and liming

02/08/2013

As we sit here on a gloomy Friday about 45 days away from planting, I have a thought for you...Planter parts are definitely NOT cheap. However, how much does it cost you in lost yield not to have you planter 100% maintained and ready to go. Improper seed placement, spacing, and depth will add up quickly!

02/06/2013

Just a little news from the seed industry...It sounds like some company's lines of corn hybrids in the 100-107 maturity range had their supplies cut by up to 20%. It may not hurt to have your seed company that you are working with verify that your corn is in their warehouse before spring arrives so that you are not scrambling looking for corn the day you want to plant.