PREPARING GRAIN SORGHUM FOR HARVEST

    Early planted grain sorghum will be reaching physiological maturity very soon and preparing grain for harvest will begin soon.  Grain sorghum growers can obtain higher prices if their sorghum meets market moisture specifications.  To help meet those specifications, growers may apply harvest aids.
    When harvest aids are applied properly, harvest is made more efficient and combining is faster, with no reductions in grain weight. Grain from the entire field will have a uniform moisture content, resulting in few “hot” loads and price discounts.  To keep the grain from losing weight, it is critical that growers apply the harvest aids at the proper time, which is once the grain reaches physiological maturity and the average grain moisture drops below 30 percent. If harvest aids are applied prematurely, both yields and grain quality will be reduced.
    Physiological maturity can be determined by sampling grain with a grain moister tester and also looking at the kernels for a black layer which indicates that the crop is mature.  Pictures of a black layer can be found in a publication L-5435 - “Harvest Aids in Sorghum,” that can be found at the following web address: http://agrilifebookstore.org/
    There are only two products labeled for use as harvest aids: sodium chlorate (containing a fire retardant) and glyphosate. For satisfactory results, good spray coverage is needed for both products. Eight to 10 gallons per acre (GPA) of solution by ground or 3 to 5 GPA by air is recommended.
    Sodium chlorate, which can cause fires if it is not mixed with a retardant, is a chemically active salt that desiccates the plant. Growers may apply up to 6 pounds per acre. This product is sold under various trade names and concentrations of active ingredient per gallon. For good desiccation, the weather must be hot and dry.
    Glyphosate, a common herbicide, will kill the plant. Producers may make a single application of up to 2 quarts per acre. Once it is applied to sorghum, the plants move the glyphosate to the growing point over a 5- to 6- day period. Weeds that are actively growing when the product is applied will also be destroyed.  Use a sprayable grade of ammonium sulfate at a rate of 17 pounds/100 gallons of water or a prepackaged sulfate formulation to condition the water and improve effectiveness. There is a 7-day waiting interval between application and harvest. The crop is usually ready seven to 10 days after application.
    This year most sorghum plants are healthy, and there should be no need to worry about crop lodging after harvest aid applications. Studies have shown that healthy sorghum treated with harvest aids will stand well for up to three weeks after treatment. After 30 days, lodging can be significant. Growers should only treat those acres that can be harvested within 10 days to two weeks after application.
    To avoid any premature lodging, inspect the field before the application. Look for stalk degradation from diseases such as charcoal rot, which will cause premature lodging during natural dry down or after harvest aids are applied.
    As always when using farm chemicals, read and follow label directions carefully before applying the product.

GRAIN STORAGE OPTIONS REVIEWED

    Very good growing conditions during this crop season in the Coastal Bend of Texas are resulting in a grain crop that has the potential to produce some excellent yields, and then there is the old saying, “don’t count your chickens before they are hatched,” but one needs to consider the scenario of a bumper grain crop.  A bumper grain crop will likely pressure existing area grain storage and handling facilities during and after harvest. Grain producers might want to evaluate their options, including grain bags for temporary storage.
    Grain storage in the area is largely a “warehouse” approach to temporarily holding grain after harvest until it can be sold. A  bumper grain crop will back up delivery trucks at area elevators, cause harvest delays, and finally storage capacity can be exceeded. So, producers are left pondering what cost-effective options are available to store grain at harvest.
    One such option according to Mac Young, Risk Management Specialist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service, is grain storage bags. This is a relative new technology that offers producers an alternative for short-term storage. Airtight polyethylene bags were first introduced in the United States in the early 1980s to store forage.  Increased U.S. grain production, spurred by a growing world economy and ethanol production, are posing new challenges for handling and storage facilities. The high cost of building new facilities may not be cost-effective for most individuals, users, grain merchants and commercial elevators, according to Young.
    Mac Young along with Roy Parker, Extension Entomologist and Steven Klose, Extension Risk Management Specialist,  recently conducted a study that provides a comparative illustration of the estimated producer costs for storing and handling grain at local elevators, in on-farm storage bins, and in grain bags. According to Young, the results show that grain bagging has a cost advantage over on-farm and commercial storage. Storing grain in bags can compliment on-farm and commercial storage in any crop year. Grain bags at least offer a viable option for short-term storage during bumper crop years and the potential for reducing harvest delays.
The estimated cost of storing grain in grain bags ranged from $0.22 to $0.24 per bushel as compared to on-farm storage ($0.33/bu. to $0.34/bu) and commercial storage($0.72/bu. to $0.74/bu).
    Storing grain in bags has its advantages and disadvantages which must also be considered. Advantages include: harvest flexibility with less harvest delays and more storage in good crop years, minimal capital investment, reduced storage costs and less moisture loss, the storage environment reduces insect management expenses, and,  finally flexibility in crops planted.  The disadvantages will include: bags are temporary storage and you cannot warehouse receipt grain stored in bags, cannot load or unload bags in wet weather, when calculating farmer and landlord shares - determining how much grain is stored is difficult, bags can be damaged by rats, birds and other animals, high moisture grain cannot be placed in bags, and bags must be placed on solid, level, well-drained sites.
    A management decision to store all or part of a crop in grain bags must be weighed based on a producer’s ability to handle risk, individual business preferences, labor availability, and marketing issues, according to Young.  More information regarding the study done in 2009 comparing the economics of grain storage bags can be found at the following web address; http://coastalbend.tamu.edu/Extension/Risk%20Management/Grainstoragebags.pdf

Crop Tour - Friday, June 11

    The Annual Nueces County Crop Tour will take place on Friday, June 11 with registration at 8:30 a.m. at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at 10345, State Hwy 44, just west of the Corpus Christi Airport, followed by the tour bus departing promptly at 8:45 a.m.

    In addition to touring the traditional cotton and grain sorghum variety tests, and a cotton plant population study the tour will also feature a tour of the new Drought Research Laboratory.  Other topics to be addressed during the tour event will include; New Grain Sorghum and Cotton Technology, Weed Herbicide Resistance Management, Sorghum Harvest Aids,  Algae Research in Coastal Bend, Boll Weevil Eradication and Pesticide Laws.

    Pesticide applicators and Certified Crop Advisors will be able to obtain 3 CEU’s for participation in this event which will conclude by 2 p.m.  The tour is being sponsored by the Nueces County Extension Crops Committee, Texas AgriLife Extension Service  and numerous agribusinesses.  Those planning to participate should contact the Nueces County Extension Office by Thursday, June 10 at 361-767-5223.