INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Holding
down soybean production costs has
never been more important than it
is this year, with market prices
stuck around the $6 mark, and with
costs rising again for inputs like
seed, fertilizer and chemicals.
Last years farmers’ costs to put
soybeans in the ground increased
$4 per acre, and they are forecast
to rise again slightly this year,
according to Chase Econometrics.
Fortunately, there are ways to
cut the biggest component of this
variable cost-chemicals-which is
forecast to average $17.63 per acre
in 1965, or 29 percent of the total
variable cost per acre for
soybeans.
This is the year to re-think crop
chemical programs to take ad
vantage of the new cost
relationships. Here are some steps
for cutting soybean production
costs;
1. Calibrate your sprayer. This
simple step could save farmers
over a billion dollars this year,
according to a study conducted by
the University of Nebraska. The
study showed that most farmers
are missing their intended rate by
more than 10 percent, resulting in
Calibrating your sprayer
1) Measure 204 feet in your field (This distance is for a 20-inch
nozzle spacing. For other spacings, see note below.)
2) Drive your tractor 204 feet at spraying speed and time it with
a stopwatch. (Example: Let’s say it takes 30 seconds to cover
204 feet.)
3) Park the tractor, set your sprayer at application pressure and
spray water through it. Catch all the water coming from one
nozzle for the amount of time it took to go 204 feet. (30 seconds
in the example)
4) The ounces caught per nozzle equal the gallons applied per
acre. (Example: If you catch 18 ounces in 30 seconds, you are
spraying 18 gallons per acre.)
5) Mix the chemical needed per acre with the gallons of water per
acre indicated. (Example: To apply two pints of Sonalan per
acre, put in two pints of Sonalan for each 18 gallons of spray.)
NOTE: If nozzle spacing is not 20 inches, use the method below to
figure the distance to substitute for 204 feet: 340 nozzle spacing
(in feet) = distance to substitute for 204 feet during calibration.
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BOYERTOWN
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Interest Rate is fixed for the full term of the loan.
You need not be a customer to apply.
Loans must be paid off by February 1, 1986.
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Q NATIONAL BANK OF BOYERTOWN
’Available to National Bank of Boyertown
.customers. Slightly higher for noncustomers
Shaving costs critical in soybean production
poor weed control, crop damage
and/or wasted chemicals.
Calibrating a sprayer is a simple
task, though it does require a
pencil and paper and a trial run
with the sprayer tilled with water.
Instructions cm how to do it are
available from most chemical
dealers.
Besides calibrating, a farmer
should make sure his sprayer is
operating at a low pressure of 20 to
40 pounds per square inch for soil
applied chemicals.
To increase the gallonage
flowing through the sprayer,
larger nozzle tips should be used
rather than increasing the
pressure. To double the flow, the
pressure must be increased by four
times, making this an ineffective
way to increase gallonage. This
also reduces the effectiveness of
the application by producing a
misting spray pattern.
The best nozzle size is the largest
one that will provide the desired
volume. Nozzles should be clean,
as should all screens, strainers and
tanks. Check the accuracy of the
pressure gauge, since this was (me
of the more important causes of
inaccurate application in the
Annual Percentage Rate
Member FDIC
University of Nebraska study.
2. Figure chemical costs per
acre, not per gallon. The cost per
gallon can be misleading, since for
some chemicals only small
quantites are needed on each acre.
To figure cost per acre, simply
divide the cost per gallon by the
number of acres it covers.
3. Don’t buy more weed control
than yon need. Match the her
bicides used to the weeds that
really need to be controlled. To do
this, make a list of the weeds
typically found in each field and
compare that against the control
offered hy available herbicides.
The lowest-cost product which
controls the weeds will be your
best buy, and buying any ad
ditional weed spectrum will be
unnecessary expense.
One good broad-spectrum
foundation herbicide may come so
close to the desired weed spectrum
that cultivation may be substituted
for an additional chemical in
combination. If a tank mix is
needed, starting with a dependable
preplant herbicide which controls
both grasses and some broadleaf
weeds can minimize the cost of an
additional product.
While checking the labels, make
sure the rates used are proper for
the soil type. Using an excessive
rate was once considered cheap
insurance; now it is more costly.
The secret of success in her
bicide use is accuracy, not
scrimping. Poor weed control can
easily lose 3 bushels per acre or
abour $lB, which is enough to pay
for the most effective, long-lasting
preplant herbicide tank mix on the
market.
4. Watch cash flow. Costs can
nmi low if cash flowing in meets
the need for cash flowing out.
Forecasting the need for cash is
useful, and can assist in planning
sales of grain or livestock, or other
cash-generating activities.
Sometimes purchases can be made
early if cash is available, resulting
in price discounts. When these
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A / Contact Hammonton, New Jersey Office
i W CfvWrl/ / PHONE - 609*567-3910
Serving Your Total Ag Irrigation Needs
QUALITY IRRIGATION SINCE 1953
Soybean production:
The costs keep rising
($)
8
$6.05
$5.65
1982 1983
1981
Total variable cost per acre:
1982
1981
Source Chase Econometrics and Banco Market Research
& SON CO.
(Cost per acre)
$7.75
$6.00 $6.00
1984 1985
1983
1984
Soybean
Prices per
Bushel
$60.37
Miscellaneous
Repairs
Fertilizer
and Soil
Treatment
Seed
Fuel &
Lubrication
Chemicals
1985
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