Soil Nitrate Levels
Here is an update on soil nitrate levels. With the rain event (approx 2 inches) on May 30-31st nitrate levels in the top foot dropped. The severity of the drop ranges from 0 to 65% (0-40 ppm) with the average being 41% (15 ppm). This nitrate is not gone, but has been pushed further into the soil profile. There were a few samples that were taken just after the rain (the fields were still muddy) and it’s interesting to see how the nitrate levels dipped and bounced back a few days later. How far down the nitrate went will depend on factors related to water mobility like soil type, compaction,organic matter, etc. It will be interesting how things look after the latest rain.
Plant Tissue Levels
On the plant tissue side of things there is about 20% variance between the nitrogen levels across sites. Compared to last year at this growth stage tissue nitrogen appears to be lower.
If you are interested in seeing how corn changes as it grows, last year’s tissue composition information (Protein, Sugar, Fibre & Mineral Content) is available at https://www.honeylandag.com/