Probably the one thing that scares farmers the most is their inability to control the weather and the negative impact it can have on their livelihood, especially in our part of the country where moisture patterns are so uncertain. We know mother nature is the greatest variable in every production system, and some years it can totally determine the outcome of that system – if we let it, that is. I’m not saying you can do anything about the total lack of rain on dry land or that we can do something to fix the extremes. But there are years when a little extra effort in prevention can make a big difference in the final outcome of our crop.
More than 1,000 variables influence our crops in both positive and negative ways every year. Left uncontrolled, Mother Nature can turn a profit into a loss in five minutes, five hours, five days, five weeks, or even five months, but that doesn’t always need to happen. The key to controlling the effects of Mother Nature is to take away as many elements of susceptibility in your crop production system as possible.
Top 5 Factors to Prevent Significant Crop Damage
The goal is to keep those 1,000 variables from inflicting significant damage on our crop when we can prevent it. We know varieties can’t protect themselves from unfriendly conditions, so that’s our job as producers. That’s why one of the first things we do is:
- Step 1: Assign just one variety to a field to allow for more effective, prescription-based application of nutrients and pesticides when needed for that particular variety
- Step 2: Plant a portfolio of different varieties across the farm to reduce the risk of damage by a weather event that hits one variety particularly hard
- Step 3: Follow the “Top 5 Factors” when we plant.
- Step 4: Rely on regular field scouting
- Step 5: Ensure crop is protected throughout the growing season
We know that perfect planting increases the number of full-size, healthy plants in the field, allowing 100% of the yield potential to be established at planting. During the growing season, we make sure young plants have immediate access to nutrients through a good starter fertilizer program. And last, but not least, it’s essential to rely on regular field scouting – step five of the “Top 5 Factors” – to ensure the crop is protected throughout the growing season. All of these steps play a major role in reducing the amount of negative impact weather and mother nature can have on a crop.
Finally, for the years when the prevention practices listed above just aren’t enough to combat the wrath of Mother Nature, enter the AgriClime Dryland Offer from Golden Harvest. This program gives farmers like you the confidence to invest in a better crop through adverse weather protection and risk mitigation.
Contact us today to enroll your operation in the 2023 program. It’s your job as farmers to proactively protect each individual variety from the antics of Mother Nature. And when you do that, you also have gone a long way in taking control of the weather. Bet you didn’t realize you had that much control, did you?
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