At Raven, we are committed to providing customer-focused solutions that help farmers serve the world. As part of that, we regularly get firsthand feedback from events like Top Gun, our two-day training where custom applicators are invited to give their feedback and input on Raven products. We sat down with Gary Esselink, Customer Engagement Manager and leader of Top Gun, to talk through a timely tech tip for late-season application.
Weathering the Weather Concerns
The most pressing concern of farmers yearly is weather patterns. In the corn belt surrounding Raven’s Headquarters in the Midwest, lack of rainfall has caused stress. Other regions, including America’s Southeast, have had excess rain this season.
For example, as corn pollinates, farmers become more concerned about whether there is enough rainfall left in the year to finish the yield. This is when innovative and early adopting farmers start to experiment with new and developing agricultural practices. A growing number of farmers are experimenting with late-season fungicide application to boost yields.
With corn, even after it’s had its tasseling stage, the plant still needs up to 25% of the required amount of fertilizer to reach full maturity. While fertilizer has been spread ahead of time, there are also farmers who will spread that in a timely basis as the plant is using it.
— Gary Esselink, Customer Engagement Manager
Post-Tasseling and Late-Season Applications
Late-season fungicide has developed rapidly as a method of crop protection across North America and Canada in the past few years. Most fungicides cannot cure a disease infection, but they can protect against it. To see notable results, timing application with when plants are receptive is essential. A recent study by South Dakota State University also confirms this for soybeans, recommending that the decision to apply a fungicide to control mid-to-late-season diseases should be based on the likelihood of the development of foliar diseases.
The anticipated boost in yields does not happen every year, but is considered worthwhile if pushing for yield. Gary shared that farmers could see about 12 to 15 more bushels per acre by using and applying fungicides post-tassels this time of year. According to Gary, herbicide and other sprays are typically done prior to pollination, but the last three to five years have shown a marked uptick in fungicide application post-pollination.
While not a conventional practice, post-tasseling application offers room for experimentation and innovation in your fields.
Applying Late-Season Fertilizer and Fungicide with Raven Tech
It’s a real challenge to not run crop down and keep the machine between the rows when applying on 7+ feet tall crop. VSN® Visual Guidance with full canopy application and high-clearance sprayers solves that challenge by adapting to row variances in real-time, allowing you to drive damage-free and making your application season that much easier.
In addition, as Gary said, “We’ve always been the leader in product control and accuracy, and we continue to be so.” Raven provides product control for fertilizer and superior guidance for full canopy application with our radar systems, and Raven’s guidance systems allow for you to operate at speeds of 15 mph without running the crop down. Our Rate Control Module is the most versatile controller on the market for application management and product section control. Other Raven innovations, such as Viper® 4+ and Slingshot®, enhance farm management and precision.
In modern agriculture, everything is about increasing yield and about getting the most out of things to see that little bit of extra result. Farmers are continuing to experiment with ways to get the very most out of their crop with emerging practices, such as late-season application. Raven continues to explore how innovation can support these practices as they emerge to help farmers serve the world.