Posted on 05/07/2022 3:43:02 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
(Excerpt) Read more at johnc9e.substack.com ...
I believe many folks are about to receive the biggest wake up call of their lives when it comes to food shortages and prices in the next few months.
As it stands I did not plant spring grain this year due to fertilizer cost and a terrible drought we are in. I did fertilize the hay crop about half what I usually put on but thats only because I had that much on hand in the silo.
Even with that my hay that I sell this year will be three times last years price just because fuel and parts and consumables are that much higher. That is, if I decide to actually sell any at all. I might just keep it for our livestock for the next couple of years to ensure we have what we need to survive and yeah I am seriously concerned it might turn into a survival situation.
I think you’ll find that cow manure averages about 3% nitrogen (2% phosphorous and 1% potash) or about 60 lbs. per ton.
I talked to several grain farmers this year down here-snowbirds and all that. Two retired gents who have about 7 thousand acre up around the Kansas, Nebraska border. The kids run the places now.
Anyway. You know how it goes we get to talking and I mentioned that my friends up in WI are planting oats instead of corn. These gents told me that their farms will not plant one acre of corn this year. Its oats. Makes for a good cover crop and easy to do. Whatever they get out of it is what it is.
Their winter wheat looks good and they hope for a good year with that.
Up in the UP of Michigan, I hear that all the old farms that are idle plan on working the ground and planting short oats. Nobody is planting potatoes up there and there are THOUSANDS of acres of potato farms up there. Besides that, there is STILL a foot or two of snow on the ground from last winter up there as of last Monday. Nobody ever remembers that happening before.
The drought in West Texas a few years ago there was guys from feeder lots there checking around for hay up there. Now, nobody could afford to truck it from up there.
So there is a hint for you guys. But to truck it that far?
Might get to adding sawdust to the feed. Dont laugh. We did it one time and sawdust is nothing but a fiber filler but what the hell’s a guy to do? Got to check with the AG man to what kind I suppose..Popular worked and so did maple. Get to that point and its really desperation time. But what the heck, sawdust is an additive in breads now days I guess.
All I can say per that is do research.
Good luck is all I can say at this time. Lord what a heck of a mess.
...like east central WI...
_______
Is that due to the sandy soil? (I live there.) We garden in raised beds.
When we moved here, I was struck by the number of row crops that were irrigated. Now, I know why...the sand just sucks down all the rain.
...about to learn the hard way. ...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is all insane. Psychotic break territory.
Like nothing effects them, at all, ever.
It seems that ammonia (gas) is from direct reaction of nitrogen (distilled from air) and hydrogen (from water electrolysis?). CO2 probably also distilled from air.
I bought 40 pounds of urea a few weeks ago for the garden. Should las a few years. I am just wondering how much of the missing natural gas synthesized fertilizer could be replaced by it.
Your urea may not last for years. My fertilizer guy said that it will evaporate. Probably turns back to ammonia and CO2.
I found this pretty good resource about nitrogen content of various fertilizers:
https://landscapingplanet.com/17-fertilizers-high-in-nitrogen/
Before urea, the used to sell me ammonium sulfate. Never offered to sell me ammonium nitrate.
You must be around Stephens Point and to the south. Or Red Granite and west...or the Wisconsin River area. Big potato country that area. And lots of beans, peas, sweat corn, etc. There is one potato farmer there that produces over 60% of the potatoes for Lays. Ore Ida is down that way. Then one gets to Tomah area and you have cranberry producers and lately has become a center for sand for oil fracking sand.
East central is Sheboygan areas and some of the the Fox Valley south of Green Bay...although a lot of that is getting developed. Its nearly all urban now all the way up to Green Bay.
Lots of very hard red clay.
Urea manufacture conventionally requires ammonia.
Haber Process ammonia is made from nitrogen from the atmosphere and hydrogen from natural gas. So it can replace as much urea as needed, provided government doesn’t interfere.
Adams County, north of Friendship. Old Glacial Lake Wisconsin and the southern edge of the Great North Woods. Oak/pine barren with actual bogs a bit East.
1”-2” acidic soil over sand. Zone 4b.
But, our raised beds are good and for 2 elderly folk who don’t eat a whole lot at one time, it suffices. I still have some dried tomatoes from last year.
Tempted to plant out now, as it has warmed, but I spent 45 years in the Driftless Area and I am familiar with May frosts (old timers here say they have gotten frost on June 10), so I’m babying the plantlings along inside w/lights and time on the deck until 5/23-28. They do catch up real fast.
I know about the fracking sand....told my husband our sand has value, especially because it was water-formed. He was not impressed.
OTOH, after 45 years gardening on hillsides in clay with a ton of amendments, I really like raised beds on flat land. Easier on the old back, too.
Going to try a primitive bottle drip system this year, too. And I am saving coffee grounds/eggshells/banana skins for this Fall, although I have timed-release fertilizer for a couple-three years and same or better amount of rock phosphate. $10 for 50# of potatoes on the corner, but I just can’t store that amount.
More about volatization of urea in the field: https://www.agriculture.com/crops/fertilizers/How-to-handle-urea_174-ar2055
all of the morons advocating for manure and compost fail to account for the fact that said manure and compost originate from animals and crops fed to animals grown with SYNTHETIC fertilizer in the first place ... no synthetic fertilizer, no crops, no crops no animal manure ....
Yup. Your in sand country thats for sure. Pin Oak and Jackpine country.
I grew up and most of my family is from Marinete county or NE WI.
My cousin was the head of the soil conservation district at Akron Co.
He lead the study on the effects of soil erosion as a result of then common methods of tillage and also the effects of the loss of the aquifer from improper irrigation methods in that region.
The farmers made death threats towards him for his testimony in the US Congress favoring changing farming methods-switching to no till and irrigating at night instead of all day.
In that area, the less you mess with the ground the better. Not much top soil there.
He is long dead now. Funny thing, they switched to the methods he advised in those areas. That was back in the late 50s and early 60s.
Had a good friend doing soil research in the 30’s. He found we could have negative soil erosion if we kicked the dirt up hill with the standard 2 bottom plow at that time.
Didn’t take though...................
Ya in clay soils and your area that might be true. Some ground has to be plowed the old fashion way. Other ground need no be worked at all.
This..is PDF and was my Cousins study for the Plains area around Akron Co..etc.
Post No 38.
BTW..in his study. there is a real interesting finding about manure. It goes contrary to the thought that manure is a cure all.
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