Clearfield is not Round Up Ready !

9011 N. “A” St.

Wellington, KS 67152

Phone: (620) 326-7496  Fax: (620) 326-6231

C

ommunicator

Farmers Coop Grain Association

Quarterly Newsletter

http://www.wellingtoncoop.com

July 2010

he CO-OP

 

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By Eric Watts Assistant Manager

Certified Crop Consultant

Tencleve Farms make quick work of harvesting their wheat fields with five combines cutting in formation. 

   Every fall I get questions about Clearfield wheat.  I thought I would take some time to talk about the facts and limitations of the technology.

   Clearfield is not a GMO Crop because no foreign DNA was inserted into the plant during development. This is a herbicide tolerant system. It also is very timing specific on its ability to control targeted pests.  There are plant back restrictions as well associated with Beyond herbicide.

   Like Round Up Ready crops there is a stewardship agreement that must be signed by the grower. This agreement states that the grower will not retain any seed for subsequent crops and will only plant Clearfield crops 2 out of 3 years on a particular acreage.

   There are now two different versions of Clearfield wheat  available. They are single and 2-gene wheat.  The difference is in the potential tolerance of the applied chemical. Two-gene wheat has been shown to be tolerant up to a 2x rate of Beyond + MSO. While this will never be recommended it does demonstrate

Managerial Memo

By Curt Guinn

President/G.M.

   Wheat Harvest 2010 has come and gone in what seemed like a whirlwind.  Our wheat harvest this year was only delayed by one rainy weekend and when the combines started it went quicker than a normal harvest.  I heard reports of yields from twenty bushels to almost sixty bushels per acre but overall it was probably an average harvest for Sumner County.  The quality of this years wheat was better than the previous two years with good test weights reported at every location.

  Overall, harvest went smooth at your Coop this year.  This winter and spring: we made improvements at South haven with a new scale, Mayfield with bigger spouting and Wellington with a new drag to speed up your delivery times.  Delays were shorter than before and truck lines moved more smoothly.

  As I sit down to write this article, we are diligently cleaning and positioning wheat in order to make room and further smooth the process of fall-harvested corn, milo and beans.  South Haven will be ready for sunflowers and the new scale should be more convenient for semi delivery.

  Once again I want to thank the employees of our Coop for a great job this harvest and thank all of patrons for their continued business.

See CLEARFIELD on page 2

the added crop safety of the 2 gene system. The addition of the second Clearfield gene also allows the use of MSO instead of NIS as on the original single gene wheat. This has shown to be beneficial in controlling feral rye.

   Application timing is paramount in getting satisfactory results from Beyond or Clearmax herbicides.  Applications can begin once the wheat has reached the 3 leaf stage. If feral rye is the main target, a fall application is recommended before the rye reaches the 2 tiller stage. Other broadleaf and grass weeds can be controlled or suppressed with a spring application prior to jointing. Spring applications will under the most ideal conditions only suppress rye. In the spring the addition of MCPE will also boost success on broadleaf weeds. It is also recommended that an addition of 1-2.5 %v/v of UAN or  15 lbs AMS/ 100 gal of carrier for improved efficacy.  A Non Ionic Surfactant must always be added at 1 qt/ 100.

   While there are some valid uses for the Clearfield system it does have its drawbacks. First of all is price. The

By Chris Kreifels

IT / Accounts Receivable

CompTIA A+ Certified Professional

Quarterly Newsletter

http://www.wellingtoncoop.com

July 2010

seed is at a premium to conventional varieties and the chemical runs around $25 per acre. Secondly is the performance of the chemical. It has been my experience that it is so timing and condition specific I consider it very unreliable. These considerations have always led me to believe that crop rotation is still the best option for controlling grassy weeds in winter wheat. There are, however, those acres which must remain in wheat and the Clearfield system may be a viable option for those farms.

   If you have any interest in planting Clearfield wheat please contact me early as availability of seed is always limited.  As always if you have any other questions about Clearfield crops please feel free to come in or call.

Clearfield Cont from page 1

   First, I would like to introduce myself: my name is Bill Boaldin. As the fuel manager at the Wellington Coop, I am continually looking for ways to save money, not only the Coop, but you, the customer, as well. We believe we have found a way to do this. Due to low demand for propane in the warmer summer months of the year, we are able to save money and have now come up with a way to pass those savings onto you. Beginning July 7th, 2010, the Wellington Coop will be offering “Pre-

paid Propane” contracts. These new contracts allow us to offer you propane at the current price, minus TEN cents per gallon. To put that in perspective, the price as of July 7, 2010, was $1.63 minus ten cents, making it $1.53 per gallon, totaling $382.50 per 250 gallon contract. I

Early Bird Prepay Propane Contracts Now Available

By Bill Boaldin

Accts Payable / Fuels

   One harvest down, one to go.  We’re all aware that this fall’s harvest will bring about more work than it has in the past.  More row crops have been planted this year than have been planted in a long time, if ever in Sumner County.  However, before we move into the hustle and bustle of it all, let’s not put wheat harvest out of mind or sight just yet.  Let’s look at a few things that have happened this year at your Coop. 

   While the farmers were hard at work getting the wheat from the field, our staff was hard at work handling the wheat, spraying the row-crops, and keeping the farmers in the field with services like tire repairs.  Each of these items bears attention, but I won’t dwell on them too long.

   Let’s start with our wheat handlers.  Between our 5 branches, we brought in around 2.8 million bushels of wheat this year.  While this was about an average harvest, handling this much wheat is no small task.  I believe all of our elevator workers, truck drivers, scale and probe operators, and office staff deserve a big pat on the back.

   In the field of agronomy, our sprayers and tender-truck drivers worked well over a month without a day off.  In that month, they sprayed

A Quick Letter From The Editor

over 15,000 acres.  With most of their days being close to 15 hours, I believe they too need a big back pat.

   Finally, we move on to our tire department.  Between the service truck and the tire shop itself, we fixed or sold over 250 tires since the first of June.  This garners them as well the Editor’s Suggested Pat on the Back. 

   The last thing I would like to mention in this Letter From The Editor, is to recognize an individual for his accomplishments that you may not know about.  Our very own Assistant Manager and Agronomy Manager, Eric Watts was given the distinction of “Certified Crop Advisor” from the American Society of Agronomy.  This certification is no trivial accomplishment.  Eric, I congratulate you on your achievement as I’m sure the patrons of the Coop do as well.

   We’ve made strides recently to better serve you, the patron, during the harvest process.  We hope we’ve accomplished that to your satisfaction, and look forward to a productive and fruitful fall harvest.  Should  we be able to help you in any other way, feel free to contact us here at the office any time.

know this sounds like a wonderful offer, and it is. As with anything new, there are sure to be questions; the graph below will hopefully answer some of those by comparing Propane Booking (which will still be offered alongside the new, Pre-pay contracts. If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact me.