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FEATURES

Preserving the prairie (Cover Story)
Managed grazing, and burning help native grasslands continue to thrive
By Allison Jenkins

Prepare for battle
MFA agronomist shares tips on fighting back if fall armyworms invade again this year
By Allison Jenkins

Finding the balance
Veterinarians work to break barriers associated with mental health in their profession
By Jessica Ekern

Nutrients when they’re needed the most
Foliar feeding gives crops an advantage to reach their full yield potential
By Dr. Jessie Surface

When animals can’t take the heat
Relieving weather-related stress can improve livestock performance
By Dr. Jim White

DEPARTMENTS

Country Corner
Trade schools open a world of opportunity
By Allison Jenkins

UpFront/Blog
Agriculture feeds the economy
U.S. farmers expect to plant more soybeans, less corn acreage
From agricultural leader to academic lecturer

Markets - (As Printed)
Corn: World markets adjust to Ukraine war
Soybeans: Weather, crop progress drive prices
Cattle: Cattle outlook remains bullish
Wheat: Much of U.S. crop in questionable condition

Recipes - (As Printed)
That’s my jam

BUY, sell, trade - (As Printed)
Marketplace

Viewpoint
Solutions have always been our strength
By Ernie Verslues

Closing Thought - (As Printed)
Photo by Jessica Ekern
Poem by Walter Bargen

Click on the magazine cover below to launch the flipbook version of the May 2022 Today's Farmer magazine.

Click to view magazine as printed via a flip book.
MENTAL HEALTH AND PHYSICAL HEALTH GO HAND IN HAND— just like livestock farming and veterinary medicine. You cannot have one without the other. Yet, when it comes to mental health, many farmers and veterinarians refuse to discuss it.

“We need to break the stigmas associated with talking about mental health,” said Cliff Miller, DVM, a mixed-animal veterinarian and owner of Green Hills Veterinary Clinic in Moberly, Mo. “We are in this together.”

First observed in May 1949, Mental Health Awareness month was established to bring attention to the importance of mental health and wellness. It also celebrates those who are being treated, who are maintaining, and who have recovered from mental illness.

The last two years of pandemic living have made many people realize that stress, uncertainty, depression and anxiety have impacted their well-being. In particular, mental health awareness in the veterinary medical community has come to the forefront with an alarming rise in the number of suicides among veterinarians.

Abby Whiting, DVM, a practitioner at Veterinary Specialty Service in St. Louis, is the chair of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association’s (MVMA) Wellbeing Task Force. She also serves as a moderator for Not One More Vet (NOMV), a professional organization that focuses on transforming the status of mental wellness within the profession.

“COVID pulled back the blanket, revealing many of the issues that our field deals with,” Whiting said. “It has magnified problems such as long hours, not enough vets in rural areas, staffing shortages, burnout, overwhelming debt and not being able to balance work with home life.”

In 2020, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported the median salary for a veterinarian as $99,250. However, the average vet school debt, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), is $150,000, with some students reporting more than $400,000 in loans.

“The debt-to-income ratio does not add up, so many leave the profession for higher-paying jobs,” Whiting said.

Adding to the professional stress is when clients try to negotiate the cost and care of the animal, which veterinarians say devalues their services.

“Those of us who are in veterinary medicine are hyper-sensitive to how much our goods and services are,” Whiting said. “We cannot give away services because that is not sustainable. Clients need to understand all the costs and trust that we have their animal’s best interest in mind. We are in the field because we are compassionate people.”

Like farming, veterinary medicine is a career that attracts individuals who are independent and have a strong work ethic and desire to be self-reliant while helping others. The days are long and grueling, and many times the veterinarian is dealing with life-or-death situations. Emergencies and severe trauma to the animal are just as painful to the provider as the owner.

“My generation was told to suck it up,” said Linda Hickam, DVM, who has practiced veterinary medicine for 30 years.

Family life often ends up suffering, Hickam added, because many veterinarians spend so many hours in the office or making house calls and emergency farm visits.

“It is important to find that healthy balance between your work and your home life,” she said. “With our profession, sometimes it is difficult to stop and not take that call as you are walking out the door.”

Hickam, whose daughter is a practicing veterinarian in Kansas, said she thinks the younger generation of veterinarians is doing a better job with that balance.

“I am happy to see that my daughter has a group of people she can reach out to when issues arise,” Hickam said. “Social media has been a blessing for those types of connections. She stays in touch with former classmates, and they seem to be very open to sharing their struggles and supporting one another.”

With 10 years in the field, Jessica Stroupe, DVM, is the owner of Howard County Veterinary Service in Fayette, Mo. She and her staff provide care to large and small animals, while supporting and looking out for each other’s well-being.

“I am very open with my staff about mental health and letting them know that it is normal to feel off,” Stroupe said, adding that she believes most veterinarians are perfectionists and introverts. “It’s difficult to acknowledge the stress and reach out for help. In my clinic, we foster a positive and healthy culture. When I hire a new vet or staff member, I look for someone who will fit into our culture and who shares our core values. With mental well-being, I believe that it is OK to seek help. Do it. You need it. It is not a character flaw. It is a sign of strength and self-awareness.”

To help balance her busy work and home life—which includes two young sons and a baby boy on the way—Stroupe is active with community theater, loves traveling and is an avid runner.

“Daily exercise, healthy eating and weeding out toxic behaviors keep me on track,” she said. “It is important to recognize that part of mental wellness is having interests that are not part of your profession. Fulfillment outside of the office is vital to staying in check.”

Dr. Hickam agrees. “You need to have a hobby so veterinary medicine is not your only identity,” she said. With an extensive background in mixed-animal practices and epidemiology located in rural, commercial and international settings, Hickam’s career has come full circle. She was an associate veterinarian in Mexico, Mo., for 11 years, then moved to MFA Incorporated as the swine vet for three years. She went back into private practice before serving the Missouri Department of Agriculture for 10 years, first as the state veterinary epidemiologist and then as the state veterinarian and Animal Health Division director. Today, Hickam is practicing at the Mexico Veterinary Hospital in Mexico, Mo.

With all of her experiences in the field, she believes that veterinarians are in the profession to develop relationships with clients while caring for their animals.

“I love the interaction I have with clients; that is what I love most about my practice,” Hickam said. “It is wonderful to see how these relationships develop and evolve through time. You need to be mentally and physical healthy for your clients and their animals to be a successful vet.”

Dr. Miller, who served as president of the MVMA when the Wellbeing Task Force was founded in 2018, notes that 1 in 6 veterinarians have had suicidal thoughts due to the stress of the job.

“The epidemic of suicide in our profession is a complex topic that requires a multi-factorial approach,” Miller said. “The MVMA leadership team asked what we should be doing to help our members with addressing mental health issues so we don’t reach that extreme.”

To help navigate these issues and to provide resources and support, the MVMA hosts an annual convention with wellness seminars and offers remote learning for its districts.

“We offer continuing education to increase resilience and to support vets and their staff who are dealing with stress and anxiety,” Whiting said. “The Task Force publishes a newsletter and has resources on the MVMA website for those in need. We are also creating a client code of conduct.”

The American Veterinary Medical Association offers a free online course called “Question. Persuade. Refer.” (QPR) to help veterinarians and their staff to talk about ways to deal with those who need help.

“I want to be the bridge to lead people to all the resources we have,” Whiting said. “After taking this class I now know what to say to people—just asking them if they are doing okay.”

The University of Missouri Extension and College of Veterinary Medicine are also working to prevent suicide and promote mental well-being among veterinarians. The Missouri Farm and Ranch Stress project provides free mental health (Mental Health First Aid), suicide prevention (QPR Gatekeepers) and personal well-being (Taking Care of You) programs as well as free telepsychology counseling sessions that include veterinarians and their dependents.

“You are not alone,” said Karen Funkenbusch, project manager for Missouri Farm and Ranch Stress. “There are many resources to help veterinarians, just like there are places for farmers and ranchers to seek help.”

Addressing the issues of stress and anxiety for veterinarians while they are still in training may help. Toward that end, the MU College of Veterinary Medicine has recently embedded a psychologist within the school. This allows students to access the services with greater ease and flexibility since their schedules are so demanding.

Illness and disease—physical as well as mental— strike everyone. Someone who appears to be very healthy and happy on the outside could be fighting cancer or debilitating depression on the inside. There is no difference. However, society often views cancer diagnosis as a battle, while depression can be seen as weakness in character.

Veterinarians are among those who want to see that change.

“We need to open the door and talk about mental wellness. The more we talk, the less of a stigma is attached,” Whiting said. “You are not a bad person or doctor if you seek treatment. There are many people out there willing to talk to you about it. Check on your staff, your classmates, yourself. Together we can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being.”

Self-care for Veterinarians

Well-being isn’t a single measure of health. It is composed of nine unique dimensions that touch upon every aspect of our lives: occupational, intellectual, spiritual, social, emotional, physical, financial, creative and environmental. These dimensions work together and collaboratively contribute to overall mental health. By the same token, when one area is lacking, the others will also be impacted.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, these are the dimensions of well-being:
- Occupational — Being engaged in work you find satisfying that aligns with your values, goals, and lifestyle
- Intellectual — Learning new things; participating in activities that foster critical thinking and expand your world views
- Spiritual — Having a sense of inner harmony and balance
- Social — Surrounding yourself with a network of support built on mutual trust, respect, and compassion
- Emotional — Being able to identify and manage your full range of emotions, and seeking help when necessary
- Physical — Taking care of your body by getting enough sleep, eating a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly, etc.
- Financial — Being aware of personal finances and adhering to a budget that enables you to meet your financial goals
- Creative — Participating in diverse cultural and artistic experiences
- Environmental — Taking an active role in preserving, protecting and improving the environment
In each area, assess where you are currently, and decide if you are satisfied with how you are doing. You can then identify areas to target for improvement. For more information and resources, visit www.avma.org/resources-tools/wellbeing.

If you or someone you know needs help with managing mental well-being, these are among the resources available for veterinarians, practice management, practice staff, producers and families.

American Veterinary Medical Association Tools for Well-being

avma.org/resources-tools/wellbeing

Not One More Vet: Online and anonymous peer-to-peer support

NOMV.org

University of Missouri Extension Show-Me Strong Farm Families

extension.missouri.edu/programs/ agrability/show-me-strong-farm-families

Show Me Hope Crisis Counseling Program

moshowmehope.org/

facebook.com/MoShowMeHope/

University of Tennessee Veterinary Social Work Program (for any veterinarian)

vetsocialwork.utk.edu/

Missouri Crisis Line

573-445-5035 or text HAND to 839863

Show Me Hope Crisis Line

800-985-5990

National Suicide Prevention Hotline

1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741
“How many of you dealt with armyworms this past year?” asked Shannon McClintock, MFA staff agronomist, as he began a presentation to more than 200 attendees at MFA’s Winter Agronomy Training in January.

Nearly every hand in the room shot up.

And they weren’t alone. In 2021, growers experienced the worst invasion of fall armyworms in some 30 years. Battalions of these devastating pests ate their way through forages and row crops across MFA territory, often obliterating entire fields seemingly overnight.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” MFA Senior Staff Agronomist Scott Wilburn said. “We’ve had armyworm infestations before, but they’ve always been very isolated. They were all over the place last year.”

In late August, Wilburn got a call from local farmer Kevin Davis who wanted to know what was happening in some alfalfa on his farm in Mexico, Mo. One look, and Wilburn knew. True to their name, fall armyworms had marched across the four-acre field, stripping the leaves from nearly all the plants.

“One day that field was fine, and the next day it was gone,” Davis said. “You could see the armyworms crawling all over the ground. They left the stems, and that was about it.”

Experts say a perfect storm of conditions contributed to the onslaught. Fall armyworms are not cold-tolerant, so they usually overwinter in South America or the southernmost regions of Texas and Florida. Each spring, the adult moths emerge from the soil and make their way north by flying into the jet stream or other storm fronts. The pests tend to drop out of the sky in random locations, which makes it hard to predict where they’re going to be.

But last year’s warm, mild winter caused more fall armyworms to survive in typically colder climates. This led to an earlier infestation than usual, catching many farmers off guard.

What’s more, fall armyworms feed late at night or early in the morning, so they can be difficult to detect, especially the younger larvae that eat very little. Most of the food in their life cycle is consumed in later growth stages when the pests are particularly voracious.

“Over 75 percent of the armyworm’s feeding actually comes in the last in-star, which is roughly two to three days of its life,” McClintock said. “That’s why it seems like it happens overnight. By the time we realize there’s a problem, the damage is done.”

Will such an assault happen again this year? McClintock said there’s no easy answer.

“It depends,” he said. “There are so many factors involved in whether or not we’ll actually see a large outbreak like we did last year.”

Weather is certainly one of those factors, and much of the U.S. experienced another mild winter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In March, the agency reported that the average temperature from December through February in the contiguous states was 34.8 degrees—about 2.5 degrees above average. Missouri was even warmer, with an average temperature of 35.2 degrees, 3.1 degrees higher than the winter of 2021.

Typically, fall armyworms don’t show up in MFA territory until June or July, McClintock said. Damage may initially appear as drought stress. Fall armyworms spread quickly throughout pastures and crop fields, so scouting is the best way to detect their presence and determine their threat. Fall armyworms do not feed during the heat of the day, so scouting in early morning or evening is the best way to find them. Birds or other predator activity can also be an indicator of infestation.

Fall armyworm caterpillars range from shades of brown, gray, green or yellow-green. McClintock said their most distinguishing characteristic is a white inverted Y between the eyes and three white stripes behind the head. Development from eggs to full-grown larvae often takes two to three weeks, at which point the caterpillars will burrow into the soil to pupate and emerge as adult moths 10 to 14 days later. The life cycle begins again, and multiple generations can occur each year.

Because armyworms feed rapidly, it is important to treat severe infestations with an appropriate insecticide as soon as possible to avoid further damage. However, there are some important considerations before treatment, McClintock warned.

“There were a lot of reports last year that insecticide applications were being made, but worms weren’t dying,” he said. “There’s a few theories why. One thing, we had high populations in each field and multiple generations at a time. Second, application timing is huge. Because the larvae actually go below the residue to cool off during the heat of the day, you probably won’t get good coverage if you spray during that time. Also, fall armyworms resistant to pyrethroids have been discovered, so we could have some possible resistance issues.”

Worldwide, fall armyworms feed on more than 300 species of plants. Grasses are the preferred food source, but McClintock said all major crops in MFA territory are potential hosts.

Corn

Fall armyworms feed in the whorl, giving the plant a buckshot appearance. Refuge acreage or conventional corn is at most risk, McClintock said. Planting Bt corn with above-ground stacked traits is the best management tool. Good weed control is also important, especially grasses, a favorite target for armyworms.

“We’re not going to recommend insecticide applications unless we find armyworms in conventional corn or early in the season on traited corn,” McClintock said. “If corn was planted in late May or early June, and we have a bad enough infestation, we can see them clip off those plants and damage young stands.”

Cotton

In cotton, early damage will be in the squares and blooms; later, the worms will actually bore into the bolls. If blooms are being clipped or squares being damaged, treatment may be necessary.

“Typically, there are other insects, such as thrips, that can be a problem around the same time,” McClintock said. “Armyworms usually aren’t a big threat in cotton because they’re being taken care of with other insecticide applications.”

Forages

Because pastures and hay fields usually aren’t scouted on a regular basis, fall armyworm infestations can sneak up on forage producers, McClintock said.

“Usually when we find out there’s armyworms—at least in the first pasture of the season—it’s too late for that field,” he said. “Extra bird activity can be an indicator, but the worms have to be a certain size before they’re going to attract the birds. And they will have done a lot of feeding by then.”

When scouting pastures, avoid the hottest part of the day, McClintock said. Treatment is necessary when four half-grown or larger worms are found per square foot.

“Scouting will require more than just walking and looking down,” he said. “Get down on your hands and knees and move some residue around to look for them.”

McClintock said many growers question whether armyworm-infested forages should be sprayed or cut for hay. Factors such as worm size, population and how quickly hay can be harvested and stored must be considered.

“If we’re at or close to threshold and know it’s going to be more than five days from the time we put the hay down to baling it, you probably need to make the application, wait the preharvest interval and then cut it,” McClintock said. “The worms will continue to feed while the forage is mowed for hay, and damage to the regrowth can set back the longevity of your stand.”

Rice

McClintock said research finds rice can withstand quite a bit of armyworm defoliation without yield loss. Young rice, unless it’s completely defoliated, tends to regrow with no significant setbacks.

“Similar to wheat, if heads are being clipped and armyworms are present, I’d recommend an insecticide application,” he said.

Soybeans

While fall armyworms can damage soybeans at any stage, later-planted and double-crop fields are most at risk, McClintock said. Early infestations can lead to stand loss, and the pests tend to clip blooms and pods, which can reduce yield.

“During the vegetative stage, the threshold for treatment is 10 to 50 worms per 25 sweeps,” McClintock said. “During the reproductive stages, if blooms are being clipped, application is required. Typically, this can be done when we’re spraying for other lepidoptera like podworms and stink bugs.”

Wheat

Fall armyworms can be the biggest threat to early-planted wheat in September and October when the plants are young, McClintock said.

“When larvae are small, damage will show up as a windowpane effect,” he said. “Excessive damage won’t be obvious until the worms get bigger, which is obviously too late. If more than 25% of the field has that windowpane damage, that’s when we would make an application. In late spring or early summer, if heads are being clipped, and we find armyworms, we also need to spray.”

While no one yet knows if fall armyworms will be such an extensive threat this year, McClintock encourages growers and crop scouts to be on the lookout for a repeat attack. The University of Missouri sets out traps every year to track fall armyworm movement and population. Counts can be found online at ipm.missouri.edu/pestmonitoring/faw/.

“From an agronomy standpoint, we’re trying to be proactive and not reactive when it comes to fall armyworms,” McClintock said. “I think it’s important to make sure we’re at threshold before spraying to help manage resistance. At the same time, we want to be vigilant with our scouting and be prepared to treat if necessary. If we start seeing fall armyworms, they’re going to keep coming, and they’re not going to disappear tomorrow.”
Tallgrass prairie once covered more than 170 million acres of the United States, stretching from Indiana to Kansas and from Canada to Texas.

The rich soil of the region is only rivaled by the rich natural and cultural history of the prairie, a complex ecosystem of diverse forages, forbs and wildlife.

Nearly all of this native grassland is now gone, plowed under for agriculture or urban development. In fact, less than 4% of original tallgrass prairie remains today, most of it in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas. This unique area, named for the chert or flint eroded from the bedrock that lies near or at the surface, nurtures some of the greatest biological diversity in the world.

On the 9,000-acre Pioneer Ranch, situated just outside the Flint Hills near Hepler, Kan., about 2,500 acres of native prairie endure. Flourishing with tallgrass species such as little bluestem, big bluestem and Indiangrass, among others, these prairie remnants are carefully managed through grazing and burning—just like they have been for thousands of years.

“It’s just good to have some native grass around,” said Dean Hoener, Pioneer Ranch foreman. “There’s not much of it left around here anymore. We’re trying to preserve what we’ve got.”

Prairie persists here mainly because much of the terrain is more suited to cattle than crops. When settlers discovered that their livestock gained weight easily on the native grasses, the Flint Hills became known as ideal grazing land. Ranching continues to be the primary agricultural use of remaining tallgrass prairie.

Hoener manages Pioneer Ranch for owner Jim Keller, who runs the backgrounding operation with his children, Landon and Jocelyn. Yearling calves are brought to the ranch in the 600-pound to 750-pound range, kept for about 180 days and then shipped to feedlots in Kansas and Nebraska. At any given time, some 4,500 cattle are grazing both native prairie and fescue pastures on the ranch. The combination of warm-season and cool-season forages provides almost year-round grazing.

“When the fescue is going dormant, coming out of spring into early summer, the native grass is just hitting its stride,” said Joe Murphy, MFA livestock key account manager who serves the Hepler area. “And then when you’re running out of native grass in July and August and going into September, the fescue is starting to come on again for the fall. They work well together.”

Like the pioneers who first tamed this land for grazing, Hoener has found that cattle perform well on native warm-season grasses as their sole food source. Grazing prairie during the summer avoids problems with fescue toxicity in livestock. Abundant protein in the prairie plants also provides high-quality nutrition that supports strong weight gain. In contrast, the stockers kept on Pioneer Ranch’s fescue pastures must be supplemented with a daily ration of wet distillers’ grains, corn, straw and MFA feed concentrate.

“We don’t have to feed anything else when they’re on the prairie,” Hoener said. “The cattle will gain between 1.5 to 2 pounds a day. We have to feed the ones on fescue to get that much gain out of them.”

Although native prairie grasses have a shorter grazing season than fescue—from about the first of May until early August—they have a number of advantages. They tend to need less fertilizer and lime than cool-season grasses, yet they yield as much or more per acre. Hoener said the ranch can maintain a stocking rate of one calf per 1.5 acres on prairie pastures. Plus, he said, the cattle on native grasses tend to have slicker, shorter hair coats than those grazing fescue.

The deep root systems of native warm-season grasses make efficient use of water and soil nutrients, so they can handle drought well. They also grow in harmony with legumes and other native forbs, which are beneficial to livestock and wildlife.

For the past year, Pioneer Ranch has shared its grazing grounds with a herd of wild horses, relocated here from federal land in Nevada, Wyoming, Montana and other areas of the western United States. In effort to ease overcrowding, the federal Bureau of Land Management contracts with landowners and ranchers to accept shipments of the mustangs and care for them for the rest of their lives. To help manage overpopulation, herds are separated into groups of mares or gelded stallions before being transported to their new ranch homes. The mustangs on Pioneer Ranch are all mares.

“I’ve been around horses my whole life, but never wild horses,” Hoener said. “They aren’t as hard to manage as you’d think. They pretty much just take care of themselves. When we get snow and there’s no grass, we’ll feed them some hay. We make sure they’ve got something to eat and something to drink. If we do everything right, they’ll be here until they die.”

Much like the mustangs, the ranch’s prairieland is fairly low-maintenance, Hoener said. He sprays for weeds when needed and fertilizes according to soil test recommendations. And every few years, he sets the fields on fire.

It’s nature’s way of starting over.

Whether sparked by lightning or caused by humans, fire has always been essential to maintaining native prairie in its natural and diverse state. Tallgrass fields accumulate an enormous amount of biomass, eventually covering the ground. New shoots find it harder to take in sunlight. The insulated soil stays cold, delaying spring plant growth. Plant nutrients stay locked away in the slowly decaying leaf litter. Trees and brush threaten to take over. And grazing animals must expend more energy to find fresh forage.

Fire regenerates native grasslands by removing thatch, recycling nutrients in the dead plant matter and knocking back undesired weeds and woody plants. Cleared of overgrowth and debris, the blackened ground has more exposure to sun and rainfall to nurture regrowth of the prairie.

At Pioneer Ranch, the prairielands are typically renewed by prescribed fire every three years, Hoener said. This spring, he conducted burns on about 900 acres, each carefully controlled and timed. It’s not as simple as heading outside with a match. The burn must be properly planned and implemented in the right weather conditions and with the right safety precautions.

“You can’t burn too early, and you can’t burn too late,” Hoener explained. “We usually try to do it in early to mid-April, which helps catch emerging weeds while the native grasses are still dormant. It’s amazing how quickly the prairies come alive after that. By the first of May, they’ll be ready to graze.”

In addition to these periodic burns, grazing and haying strategies are also different for native prairie versus cool-season pastures, said Landry Jones, MFA conservation grazing specialist.

“Managing a prairie pasture is a completely different beast than managing fescue,” Jones said. “For one, the growing point on native grasses is higher on the plant. If we graze them down to 3 inches, like we typically do on cool-season pastures, then we’re taking off that growing point and weakening the stand.”

To protect their longevity, Jones recommends that native warm-season grasses be grazed to a height of 10 to 12 inches. This management practice also benefits livestock, he added.

“There’s not much nutritional value in the lower part of these grasses,” Jones said. “It starts to get kind of stemmy. From an animal performance side, there’s really no reason to graze them that short.”

The grazing season must also be carefully managed to protect prairie stands, Jones said. Native grasses need about 10 to 12 inches of growth before winter, which means animals need to be removed 30 to 45 days prior to a killing frost or freeze. Before they go dormant, the plants start storing energy in their extensive root system. Harvesting or grazing those grasses too close to winter won’t allow them to recuperate and rebuild below ground for the following growing season.

“We try hard not to over-graze,” Hoener said. “We get cattle off around the first of August so the grass can come back before winter hits. You can’t abuse the prairie, or you’ll lose it. The fescue already wants to take over, so it’s getting to be a constant battle.”

It’s definitely a balance, Jones said. Properly managed grazing and burning regimes are beneficial to prairies along with the livestock and wildlife that call them home. The right amount at the right time can increase productivity and species diversity on native grasslands. On the other hand, if not conducted properly, these practices will threaten the prairie’s persistence, nutritional quality and habitat structure.

“There aren’t many of these original prairie acres left, and management is our best tool for protecting them,” Jones said. “Farmers and ranchers who are lucky enough to have native grasslands can not only benefit from this valuable natural resource, but they also have the responsibility to make sure they’re around for generations to come.”

For more information on native prairie management, visit with the agronomy and livestock experts at your local MFA affiliate or contact Landry Jones at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you’re new to using prescribed fire, be sure to learn more about the practice before conducting a burn. The Missouri Department of Conservation, mdc.mo.gov, and the Missouri Prescribed Fire Council, moprescribedfire.org, can provide resources and assistance
FEATURES

Following fertilizer ( Cover Story )
Getting plant food to the farm takes a global, multi-modal logistics chain
By Allison Jenkins

Do biologicals boost nutrient-use efficiency?
MFA agronomic research continues to seek answers to that question
By Cameron Horine

Q&A with MFA - (As Printed)
Learn more about your cooperative leaders
By Gerald Eggerman

Pollinator plots put unproductive acres to work
MFA and partners offer funding opportunity for conservation plantings
By Adam Jones

Safety begins at home (As Printed)
MFA youth share ideas on avoiding farm, workplace dangers
By Allison Jenkins

Pulling double-duty
UltiGraz Pasture Weed & Feed system fertilizes forage, controls problem plants in one convenient pass
By Allison Jenkins

Good data in equals good data out
Careful management of precision information can help growers make better decisions
By Jared Harding

Timing is everything when harvesting alfalfa
Balancing tradeoff between yield and quality takes careful management
by Dr. Jim White

Animal Health
Insecticide Ear-Tag Comparison Chart
(AS Printed)

DEPARTMENTS

Country Corner
American food contributes to global peace
by Allison Jenkins

UpFront
Right time for recognition
MU establishes Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center
Michael elected as new MFA director for District 2

Markets - (As Printed)
Corn: Confluence of factors creates uncertainty
Soybeans: Prices rise as supplies tighten
Cattle: High feed costs affect livestock value
Wheat: Conflict in Ukraine influences markets

Recipes - (As Printed)
Mush’ love

BUY, sell, trade - (As Printed)
Marketplace

Viewpoint
It takes teamwork to rise above our challenges
By Ernie Verslues

Closing Thought - (As Printed)
Photo by Kerri Lotven
Poem by Walter Bargen

Click on the magazine cover below to launch the flip book version of the April 2022 Today's Farmer magazine.

Click to view magazine as printed via a flip book.
This pasture on the farm of Jeff Silvey in Mt. Vernon, Mo., shows the positive effects of dry fertilizer impregnation (DFI), which combines herbicide and plant food application. This photo was taken in late May 2020 by MFA Ag Experience intern Ryan Talkington, who studied effects of the DFI technique.
double duty

By blending labeled pasture herbicides with dry fertilizer, producers can control weeds and provide plant nutrients in one convenient step. Some 65 MFA facilities now offer this service, branded as the “UltiGraz Weed & Feed” system from Corteva Agriscience. Most locations will be using Corteva’s DuraCor in these systems this year.
double duty1

Darren Gallup, second from left, and his father-in-law, Mike Theurer, enjoy the one-pass convenience of using dry fertilizer impregnation on their Lockwood, Mo., farm. Here, they discuss plans for spring fertility and weed control with Mike Dawes, left, manager of MFA Produce Exchange in Golden City, and David Moore, MFA range and pasture specialist.
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The family’s SimAngus-based herd is benefiting from cleaner pastures and more productive forages since Theurer and Gallup began using the DFI practice two years ago.
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Pull-type spreaders used for herbicide-impregnated fertilizer must be used exclusively on pastures and hay ground and not taken to row-crop fields. Many crops, such as soybeans, are highly sensitive to the active ingredient in products such as DuraCor, which is used by many MFA locations in their dry fertilizer impregnation systems.
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This is an example of dry fertilizer impregnating equipment, similar to what many MFA facilities are using. A dye helps alert users to the fact that the fertilizer is blended with herbicide. The label for DuraCor requires it to be applied with at least 200 pounds of dry product.
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This pasture on the farm of Jeff Silvey in Mt. Vernon, Mo., shows the positive effects of dry fertilizer impregnation (DFI), which combines herbicide and plant food application. This photo was taken in late May 2020 by MFA Ag Experience intern Ryan Talkington, who studied effects of the DFI technique.

By blending labeled pasture herbicides with dry fertilizer, producers can control weeds and provide plant nutrients in one convenient step. Some 65 MFA facilities now offer this service, branded as the “UltiGraz Weed & Feed” system from Corteva Agriscience. Most locations will be using Corteva’s DuraCor in these systems this year.

Darren Gallup, second from left, and his father-in-law, Mike Theurer, enjoy the one-pass convenience of using dry fertilizer impregnation on their Lockwood, Mo., farm. Here, they discuss plans for spring fertility and weed control with Mike Dawes, left, manager of MFA Produce Exchange in Golden City, and David Moore, MFA range and pasture specialist.

The family’s SimAngus-based herd is benefiting from cleaner pastures and more productive forages since Theurer and Gallup began using the DFI practice two years ago.

Pull-type spreaders used for herbicide-impregnated fertilizer must be used exclusively on pastures and hay ground and not taken to row-crop fields. Many crops, such as soybeans, are highly sensitive to the active ingredient in products such as DuraCor, which is used by many MFA locations in their dry fertilizer impregnation systems.

This is an example of dry fertilizer impregnating equipment, similar to what many MFA facilities are using. A dye helps alert users to the fact that the fertilizer is blended with herbicide. The label for DuraCor requires it to be applied with at least 200 pounds of dry product.
Two-in-one products can save time and simplify life. Think shampoo-conditioners, clock-radios or laptop-tablets that combine the best features of both into one convenient package.

That same concept is growing in popularity among forage producers who have discovered the benefits of using dry fertilizer impregnation (DFI) to weed-and-feed their pastures and hay fields. DFI is the process of applying a concentrated herbicide solution to dry fertilizer granules during blending, allowing plant nutrients and weed-control products to be spread at the same time.

“DFI has proven to be a cost-effective way to pair fertility and weed control, and it can offer tremendous time savings during the busy spring season,” said David Moore, MFA Incorporated range and pasture specialist. “MFA has offered this service for several years now, and there’s no doubt adoption is growing. The number of acres we covered last year was way up from the year before.”

The convenience of a two-in-one application is what convinced Mike Theurer and his son-in-law, Darren Gallup, to try DFI on some of the weediest pasture ground on their farm just north of Lockwood, Mo. The pair run a commercial cow-calf operation and raise wheat and soybeans on land that has been in the family for six generations.

“You’re only driving over your pastures once instead of making two passes to put down fertilizer and then your chemical,” Gallup said. “That’s what is most attractive about it—especially now with the cost of diesel.”

He and his father-in-law learned about the practice from their local MFA Produce Exchange in Golden City, which is among MFA facilities that now offer DFI with the “UltiGraz Pasture Weed & Feed” system from Corteva Agriscience. Only a few herbicides are labeled for use with dry fertilizer in this type of system. This year, Moore said most MFA locations will be using DuraCor, a nonrestricted herbicide released by Corteva in spring 2020.

Powered by the first new active ingredient in a pasture herbicide in more than 15 years, DuraCor provides broad-spectrum control of range and pasture weeds, including broadleaves, while maintaining grass safety. Its extended control not only stops the weeds that are up and growing but also kills those that germinate later.

In the UltiGraz system, applications are made with a broadcast spreader just as they would be with fertilizer alone, and then rain incorporates the nutrients and herbicide into the soil. Nearly all the weed control comes from DuraCor’s residual activity and root uptake, which is one of its strongest advantages, Moore said.

“When we impregnate fertilizer, most of the effect works through the soil, not the prill,” he said. “DuraCor has somewhere between 60-90 days’ residual to suppress small or yet unemerged weeds.”

Theurer and Gallup said ragweed and cocklebur are the most troublesome weeds on their farm. Before using DFI, they attempted to control those pesky plants by applying 2,4-D with a mist sprayer.

“It would kind of work, but you had to take the time to do it,” Theurer said. “This was a lot easier and worked really well for us.”

By controlling more weeds, desirable forages respond favorably to less competition, Moore said. In fact, for every pound of weeds removed, producers can expect 2 to 5 pounds of grass to grow in its place. Producing grass more efficiently results in more efficient cattle production, which is the ultimate goal, Gallup said.

“If you take care of the land, it takes care of you,” he said. “Making better grass and more of it just makes the cows healthier and produce bigger and better calves. And if you produce bigger and better calves, people want to buy from you. Just like a craftsman building a house, we take pride in keeping our fields clean and making sure our cows are eating what they’re supposed to eat. That’s important to us.”

While weed control is reduced when using the UltiGraz system—typically achieving 70% to 80% of the results of a conventional application—Moore said the convenience and yield benefits are worth it.

“You want to fertilize your grass, not your weeds,” Moore said. “DFI allows you to do that. It’s an efficient way to manage weeds on acres that may have not had such control in the past. A lot of producers who have tried DFI had never sprayed pastures before, and they’re seeing how much better it is when they take that competition away. It’s a huge win.”

Plus, UltiGraz allows producers to control weeds in areas that may not be feasible to reach with conventional spraying equipment, said Mike Dawes, manager of MFA Produce Exchange in Golden City.

“You can get closer in around obstacles, such as trees and fencerows, than you can with a boom sprayer,” Dawes said. “That means better weed control on ground you might not be able to cover otherwise.”

There are a few considerations when using DFI, Moore said. Coverage is king. The herbicide must be applied with at least 200 pounds per acre of dry product to ensure even distribution of the weed-control active ingredient.

Timing of application may also need to be adjusted. The optimal time for DFI is later in the season than typical grass fertilizer applications. For good control on hay fields, timing should be late March to early April, Moore said. On pasture, mid-April to May is an ideal time to take full advantage of the residual control DuraCor provides.

“One caution I’ll give is that this system is designed to kill broadleaf weeds, not brush,” Moore added. “If you have brush problems, you need a different scenario.”

MFA dedicates equipment to impregnated fertilizer —to be used on pasture and nothing else—to avoid potential for the herbicide to damage sensitive crops. Adding a dye alerts users to the presence of herbicide and makes it easier to tell how well it’s blended.

“There’s just so many crops, soybeans mainly, that this stuff is deadly to,” Dawes said. “We don’t put it in any of our spreader trucks. We have one tender truck that we haul it with. We have designated carts it goes in that never go to a crop field. We don’t want to take the chance of any contamination whatsoever.”

For producers who are seeing resources stretching thinner this growing season, Moore said the UltiGraz Weed & Feed system can help by allowing one less trip across the field and one less application cost while protecting the potential for higher forage yields and more pounds of beef.

“To me, the bottom line is that people are busy enough,” Gallup said. “If you can do two jobs at once—spreading fertilizer and weed control together—it just makes sense. Working smarter, not harder.”

Some 65 MFA locations, mostly in the southern half of Missouri, now have dry fertilizer impregnation capabilities. Check with your local MFA manager, agronomist or livestock specialist for more information.