New publication available to help identify strategies to increase wheat protein.

A new publication has just been issued by Montana State University that will help farmers in making decisions about fertility related to increasing the protein content of their wheat crop.  The publication, titled Practices to Increase Wheat Grain Protein can be downloaded for free HERE.

Some simple strategies include selecting varieties that are known to produce higher protein wheat but a majority of the focus of this bulletin is on nitrogen management and timing and what effects that can potentially have on protein levels.  This publication was produced by Clain Jones, Extension Soil Fertility Specialist and Kathrin Olson-Rutz, a research associate with the department of land resources and environmental sciences. 

More information related to soil fertility and proper fertilzation techniques can be found at Clain Jones' web site which can be found HERE.

With full cooperation from the weather, planting season is now in the final stages

With a big tip of the hat to mother nature, our farmers are rapidly wrapping up the 2012 spring planting season.  All in all, spring weather conditions have not been too horrible.  We did start of a little on the dry side but timely rains lately should give our crops a good start.

Now we move from planting season to scouting season.  It is imperative to get out into your fields and check on growing conditions, pest problems, etc....

Here is a link to a great site for our small grain growers.  It takes into account the grain's growing stage and weather conditions to predict whether or not we should be concerned with fusarium head blight.

Another invaluable resource is the North Dakota Crop and Pest Report. It is a weekly newsletter offering tips on what producers should be on the lookout for.

Now let's just hope that the rest of the growing season is a good one.

SPCC Regulations

I received a call about this today, so I figured here was as good of a spot as any to relay information as it relates to the EPA's Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) program.  For those who have no idea what I am referring to, the SPCC has been in effect for some time now and is a programmed designed to ensure that if there is a spill of oil and/or products containing oil, those products do not make it to the waters and shorelines of the United States.

Essentially, the program requires that those who store petroleum based products on their farm have plans in place to prevent and/or contain spills.  However, this does not apply to everyone.  There are 3 criteria that must be met in order to determine whether or not you need an SPCC plan.  To determine if you need an SPCC plan, ask yourself these three questions.

1.  Does your farm store, transfer, use or consume oil or oil products such as diesel fuel, gasoline, lube oil, hydraulic oil, adjuvant oil, crop oil, vegetable oil or animal fat and
2. Does your farm store more than 1,320 US Gallons in above-ground containers* or more than 42,000 US gallons in completely buried containers, and
3. Could your farm reasonably be expected to discharge oil to waters of the US or adjoining shorelines such as interstate waters intrastate lakes, rivers and streams (navigable waters only, not groundwater).

*This refers to containers greater than 55 gallons.

Essentially, if you can answer no to any one of the above three questions, you are not required to have an SPCC plan.  But, if you cannot answer no to any of them, then you are required to have a plan.  To learn more about the plan itself, visit http://www.epa.gov/oilspill/index.htm

There are several questions regarding the rules, and I am no expert on the rules, but feel free to email me if you have questions and I would be happy to help with answers.