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Soil Conservancy
Being responsible and respectful stewards of the land is our top priority. Making improvements to the soil is an important component of prudent management. These aspects of our farm illustrate our commitment to this goal.
Nutrient Management
We feel that the number one priority of every farmer should be prudent cropland stewardness. Any successes we may have are attributed to where it all begins: the soil. In order to raise a healthy crop it should have proper nutrient availability and we work tirelessly to maintain our rented acres as we do our own. It is standard practice not only for us to replace the nutrients that we remove from our crops, but also build the soil up for generations to come.
The most important part of nutrient availability is getting the soil to the correct pH of at least 6.0. Once this is achieved, all the other nutrients are readily available to the plant. This photo shows a sample pH soil test on one of our farms and indicates red areas that are lowest and blue areas that are highest.
Incorporating the use of VRT (variable rate technology) has allowed us to apply more lime to the areas that need it instead of the ones that don't. This VRT prescription map was directly derived from the soil test to the left and shows, in tons, how much lime each area will receive.
We make it a priority to leave farm ground better than we found it. This pH soil test was completed on a farm that we had just begun managing. It was surely in a dire situation with an average of 5.3!
Using our prudent agricultural practices we sparked life back into the soil and raised that figure up to 6.3 in just a short four years, as shown in this photo. Scenarios such as this not only improve our yield, but also dramatically increase the value of the landowners property.
Each fall, after the crops have been removed, lime is delivered and broadcast spread across our farms, such as this one on the Conklin Farm.
This field got quite active for a time! To the left is the spreader broadcasting dry fertilizer and to the right is one of the combines finishing harvesting the beans.
Pinpoint
Field-Tiling
Through the nearly century-long existence of Zwicker Family Farms, we have learned there are three basic building blocks that correlate directly to success and profitability for us and our partners. These consist of soil type, soil fertility, and water management. Two of which we are able to manage and manipulate, soil fertility and water management, and work diligently to enhance.
This yield map directly correlates to the inability of water to exit the field. The red and yellow sections indicate a yield reduction due to diminished plant health and root development stemming from wet soils. The green areas show a higher yield in which the topsoil was able to periodically dry throughout the growing season.
With the information gathered from the yield map, we were able to install underground field tile at the correct location and depth. This map designates where field tile was installed the following spring. Improvements such as this justifiably strengthens the worth of the land as an asset.
The pattern-tiling project as it is being installed (Left) and after it has been completed (Right).
Brush & Weed
Management
Land is often the largest investment a person can make, ourselves included! We have found the one of the most pivotal aspects of maintaining the value of the asset is to keep property lines and water-ways clean of any brush or noxious weeds. This is completed by a dedicated approach to mowing numerous times throughout the summer and fall.
Road ditches are mowed 3-4 times throughout the summer, however these photos illustrate our management in areas that you often cannot see from the highway. The top two photos as well as the bottom left are mere examples of our dedication to keeping farms maintained. As there are always areas that are unreachable by tractor when the crop is growing, we make sure to mow all fields upon the removal of the crop, as shown in the photo to the bottom right.
Technology Adoption
Zwicker Farms uses the latest technology to further enhance the productiveness and agronomic viability of each landowners property in the same way that we do our own. We believe the future of successful production agriculture is the adoption of technological advances including, but not limited to, the ones listed below.
Precision Agriculture
The introduction of precision ag onto the Zwicker Farm has proven to be a vital component for the success of our crop-share partners as well as ourselves. With the installation of such powerful tools at our fingertips, we are able to farm by the inch and make adjustments to our equipment on the go.
With the evolution of today's crop hybrids, it is becoming more and more essential to plant the right hybrid at the right population and spacing. This map showcases the population planted, dark being a heavier and light being a thinner population.
This map, of the same field, shows singulation of every given row of the planter at any given time. The tiny red dots show any skips, and the blue dots indicate double-plants. We can adjust the planter from the cab in real-time to minimize these instances and maximize the yield potential of each and every plant.
As soil types fluctuate throughout a field, we must also adjust how many seeds we are planting in order not to overload any singular soil type. This photo illustrates one of our corn seeding scripts. The white areas designate a soil type with lower productivity, thus receiving a lower population (32,000). The light green being a medium soil receiving 34,000 and dark green being most productive earning 36,000. This digital file will be uploaded to the cab monitor and each row of the planter will automatically adjust its population as it reaches these different areas.
Account Management
Whether it be a cash rent, flex lease, or crop-share structure, transparency with our landowner-partners is one of our ultimate priorities. Through the use of our in-cab bookkeeping software, we are able to keep thorough records of exactly what was done to every acre, every pass, every year. Each field has their own records consisting of amount of seed planted, chemical applied, and yield removed, just to name a few.
This photo illustrates a season summary of seed, chemical, and yield for a bean field in 2021. The records show what was done on what date, and specific details regarding each action.
A further summary shows the details of the soybean-post chemical pass. Among them, are the overall acres sprayed, gallons applied, and an itemized list of each chemical applied with its corresponding rate and amount.
Aerial Imagery
The use of imagery enables us to crop-scout on a broadened scale. We use this information to diagnose issues that may arise throughout the growing season. These issues may range from nutrient availability, crop disease degradation, insect damage, and stalk lodging, to name a few.
Satellite NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) imagery allows us to see how our crops are changing on a weekly basis. The red coloration shows where vegetation is not progressing positively in comparison to the rest of the field. We then can pinpoint specific locations for further examination.
Drone imagery gives us footage of the crop in real-time. We use this information to diagnose thresholds of pests and further ensure the precise timing of applications of chemical and fertilizers just as the crop needs it.
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