Soil to Silo: Investing in Crop Success

Corn and soybean growers are constantly pushing their yield goals to new heights. Adding more precision to in-season management is a key to success for western Iowa grower Jerome Kline and his trusted adviser, James Klein of Farm Service Cooperative (FSC).

“My favorite parts of the job are working with the growers to solve problems, learning something new weekly on crop management and helping producers to improve yield and overall profitability,” Klein says. 

Klein regularly works with Kline, who farms with his father, Kenny, near Missouri Valley, Iowa. Over the years, their farm management has become more precise, focusing on every single acre to improve the whole farm.

“When we find out that something works, we want to be the first ones into that system, whether that’s from a competitive nature or just the business focus,” Jerome Kline says. “We like seeing that yield monitor over 100 bushels of beans and over 300 bushels of corn, which is why we’re dedicated to strategic management.”

With input prices rising and grain prices staying low, profitability becomes more challenging. It makes the relationship between an agronomist and grower all the more vital.

“If the cooperatives, which the farmers own, are going to stay in business, these farmers have to be profitable,” Klein says. “Investing in the crop is at the forefront of Jerome’s mind, both from an investment and a return standpoint. We’re really specific about the products and how much of it we’re using.”

Farming along the clay bottoms of the Missouri River makes for good soil, but the area is also prone to flooding and standing water. 

“Some areas are wetter earlier, so getting in there to do some timely herbicide applications, especially on waterhemp, is critical,” Klein says. “Getting in as soon as the ground is fit to make sidedress applications also helps us stay in front of the crop so it’s not going backward for too many days in a row.” 

Using a Y-drop sprayer during fertilizer and herbicide application has significantly increased precision. 

“We can really spoon-feed that crop along and get more efficient with it, particularly fertilizer products,” Kline says. “We’ve also experimented with applying our crop protection products at night to maximize success and intake.” 

Applying solutions like herbicides and fungicides at night can help lower evaporation rates and allow the crop to better absorb the product. With recent southern rust pressure, effective crop protection applications are key to protecting fields from disease. 

Another environmental threat to overcome is corn rootworm (CRW). On corn-on-corn acres, Klein recommends planting Brevant^® brand Vorceed^® Enlist^® corn for inherent defense against the yield-robbing pest. 

Farm Service Cooperative (FSC) agronomist James Klein says implementing a Y-drop sprayer on his customer’s acres has significantly increased precision.

“The Brevant brand Vorceed Enlist corn platform offers more tools in the toolbox for those heavier rootworm-pressured areas,” Klein says. “Jerome will do about a third of his acres in corn-on-corn, and they’re all in on Vorceed technology.”

Klein and Kline are both excited about the potential of corn and soybean yield this year.

“Jerome and I have talked about this upcoming harvest frequently,” Klein says. “On the logistics side of it, they moved up into some bigger machinery and installed a grain leg to speed up the harvest.”

With the intensive management practices Jerome has implemented in the past few years, Klein says, “Yield has grown like crazy.”

Also contributing to the yield jumps are genetic improvements in corn hybrids and soybean varieties, and favorable growing seasons. 

“We’ve got a foot on the pedal,” Kline says. “We’re going to keep pushing these products and this crop pretty hard, barring something happening with Mother Nature.”

Keep up with Klein and Kline, throughout harvest by visiting Brevant.com/SoiltoSilo.

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