Agronomy

Our philosophy regarding products and services for cash grain crops can be summed up in just three words: return on investment.


We can help you determine what pays—and what doesn’t

We can help you determine what pays—and what doesn’t

Solid grain prices make it a lot easier to earn a profit on cash grain. Unfortunately, that’s not the case everyday. The goal now is to grow as many bushels as you can profitably on every acre you farm. In some cases, that might mean switching to better-performing corn hybrids, soybean and alfalfa varieties. It could mean increasing crop nutrients on your best ground, and perhaps cutting back on poorer soils. It means keeping a close eye on disease and insect pressures before investing in costly rescue treatments.

Truth be told, it probably means all of these things. And that’s where the experienced, professional field agronomists at United Cooperative can help. We understand that seed, nutrients and crop protection must all work together to deliver the most profit per acre. Our agronomists draw on data from local WinField Answer Plots, our state university, as well as feedback and results on hundreds of thousands of acres from our own customers to inform our agronomic thinking and recommendations.

The goal isn’t simply to maximize your yields; it’s to maximize your economic return on every single acre you farm.

Agronomy Services

Agronomy Services

United Cooperative has invested heavily in the people, facilities and equipment we need to serve all of our customers during the hectic spring planting, summer spraying and fall harvest and fertilizer seasons. We pride ourselves on keeping cooperative equipment in top shape, checking and double-checking orders and showing up on time. When you purchase your seed, fertilizer, and crop protection products right here locally, part of the cooperative’s profits are returned to you—our member owners—each year. Even custom application services are eligible for patronage.

We also provide professional services that fall outside of traditional fertilizer application and spraying. These include soil testing, field-mapping, tissue sampling, field scouting and in-season crop imagery. Most of these services are part of our new Soil Management and Rate Technology (SMART) program. However, any farmer or landowner can benefit from these services by making better decisions based on actual data from your farm.

To learn more, talk to a United Cooperative agronomist today, or contact a member of our precision farming team.

Agronomy News

Ascend2 Side-by-Side Comparison

3/21/2023 2:11:14 PM

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Corn Staging

6/9/2022 3:18:40 PM

Knowing how to stage corn is really important for making management decisions, especially around key growth stages that can increase yield. Keegan, one of our agronomists, discusses how to properly stage your crop. ...

High Wheat Management

Mar 12, 2024 | United Cooperative-Beaver Dam
As we warm up, the time to start evaluating our wheat stands is quickly approaching us.  Winter wheat will only tiller for a short time after it breaks dormancy in early spring so evaluating where you are for stand density can be very helpful when determining your timing &am...

Budgeting with Low Grain Prices

Feb 19, 2024 | United Cooperative-Beaver Dam
With the drop in corn and soybean prices from last year it is very tempting and sometimes necessary to cut back on inputs in response to declining revenues. This, however, often becomes a double-edged sword. While saving money you might be costing yourself significant income. The...

Reflections on the Unpredictable 2023 Growing Season: A Roller Coaster Ride in Wisconsin

Dec 18, 2023 | United Cooperative-Beaver Dam
As 2023 comes to an end, I can't help but reflect on the roller coaster growing season we had this year. Planting conditions were as good as ever before across all of Wisconsin, which led to the fastest planting season ever. Then we all just struggled to catch rains. Most of ...

Questions To Ask When Choosing A Corn Product

Oct 19, 2023 | United Cooperative-Beaver Dam
There’s a lot to consider when choosing your corn hybrids each year. Usually, relationships and personal history play more into the decision than many of us would like to admit. But if you’re looking to break free of your obligatory purchases from your farmer-dealer p...
Choosing the Right Seed

Choosing the Right Seed

Studies have shown that the single biggest thing most farmers can do to improve their yields is to choose better seed. Research from right here in Wisconsin shows that corn yields can vary as much as 50-70 bu./acre based solely on hybrid selection.

Fortunately, the agronomists at United Cooperative rely on yield and plant performance data from unbiased local sources, including the annual Wisconsin Corn Hybrid Performance reports, WinField United Answer Plots, as well as our own experience and observations from hundred of thousands of acres farmed by cooperative members. We can help you choose the corn hybrids, soybean and alfalfa varieties that are most likely to perform under your tillage system, your particular soil types and drainage conditions, as well as insect and disease pressures.

We offer a wide range of products from well-known seed producers, including hybrids and varieties that work well within specific weed control systems, including Liberty Link in corn and Enlist in soybeans. Our agronomists are happy to help you compare your yields with results from other farms in your area to see if you can squeeze better performance out of the hybrids and varieties you’ll be planting next spring.

Answer Plot data gives you insights for every acre

Answer Plot

 

Answer Plot data gives you insights for every acre

It’s your resource for localized insights you can trust to choose the best products for your soil types matched with the right management practices. Answer Plots test and re-tests products in varying field conditions so you and your United Cooperative agronomist can make the right input decisions for your crops.

Click to download PDFs

Beaver Dam Chilton
Fennimore           Janesville
Menomonie Shawano
West Salem Local Yield Results Book

Crop Protection

United Cooperative’s agronomy division offers crop protection products from all of the major manufacturers. But protecting your crops is really much more than products alone. It should also take into account crop rotation, tillage practices, corn hybrid and soybean variety selection and other variables. Your United Cooperative agronomist can help you see the big picture, and discuss ways for you to make your crop protection plan more efficient and cost-effective.

Crop Nutrition

Feeding your crops used to be pretty simple: you’d apply the same amount of N-P-K across an entire field, but times have changed. Research has consistently shown that some parts of your fields need additional nutrients, and some need fewer than you typically get with a one-size-fits-all solution.

That’s where your United Cooperative agronomy team can help. If you’re not currently doing any soil testing, that would be a great place to start. If you are soil testing, you might consider pulling more samples from each field, and then creating a field map that includes “management zones” based on yield potential.

Your cooperative has both the equipment and personnel to use variable rate application technology in your fields based on these maps. The result: higher yields on your best ground, the best possible yields on your poorest ground, and sometimes, a lower fertilizer bill. To learn more, visit with your local United Cooperative agronomist today.

Precision Farming

Precision farming is a term that scares a lot of farmers—especially those who didn’t grow up with computers or sophisticated electronics. But, you’ll find that when you work with United Cooperative’s precision farming specialists, you’ll reap the agronomic benefits of precision farming without having to become an electronics expert yourself.

The only two things you really need to get started are a yield monitor in your combine, and a recent set of soil test results. Much of precision farming revolves around getting the right nutrients to your crop, when and where they are needed. By bringing together the yield information you’ve probably already collected, along with your soil tests, our agronomists can show you which parts of your field could benefit from higher levels of nutrients, and where you could cut back without hurting yields.

Almost every farmer who takes this first step goes on to adopt even more precision farming practices. That’s how noticeable the results can be. At every step of the way, there’s a United Cooperative precision farming specialist who’s ready to help.

Agronomy Locations


Agronomy Team

Financing and pre-pay opportunities

Fall is the best time to line up financing for next year’s crop, and to take advantage of special pricing on everything from seed to fertilizer. You can also save money by pre-paying some of your 2021 expenses this year, and then deducting those expenses from next year’s income.

The finance team at United Cooperative is experienced in filling out loan applications, identifying discounts you might be eligible to receive on next year’s crop inputs, and meeting end-of-the-year deadlines for pre-pay requirements. 

The first step for any new agronomy customer is to complete a simple credit application and return it to our offices. If you have questions or would like additional information, please call (920) 887-1756.