Together with the Newton County SWCD, we have formed an INfield Advantage (INFA) group for 2016.  INfield Advantage was previously known as On-Farm Network.  Any producer planting corn is eligible for the program.  INFA is funded through the Indiana Corn Marketing Council/Indiana Soybean Alliance with checkoff funds and is being offered free of charge to producers and aside from the time it takes to fill out the registration and attend one local winter meeting, nothing more is required from the grower.  The dirty work of stalk sampling will be done by SWCD and Purdue Extension personnel.

INFA uses aerial imagery and the Corn Stalk Nitrate Test (CSNT) to determine nitrogen use efficiency in each field enrolled.  Producers are not restricted on tillage, rotation, nitrogen form, timing or rate and may enroll multiple fields.

In our inaugural season we enrolled 12 cooperating farmers with a total of 29 fields in the basic level of the program which is called Guided Stalk Sampling (GSS). Assuming everything goes well this first year then we will look to expand by enrolling more producers as well as working with interested growers to conduct Replicated Strip Trials (RST) in subsequent years.

At the end of the year, INFA will supply each grower with aerial imagery and CSNT results from each field.  A regional report, with each field assigned an anonymous ID number, will also be available to each grower.  The late season stalk nitrate data is often very useful to growers in fine tuning their nitrogen fertilizer rates in subsequent years.  The nitrate concentrations remaining in the lower portion of corn stalks is an indicator of whether nitrogen available to the crop was optimal, insufficient or excessive.  CSNT results have also proven to be valid over a wide range of corn hybrids and climatic conditions.  For more in-depth discussion of the CSNT, refer to http://www.soilfertility.info/news/cornstalknitrate.pdf

INFA is a state-wide program coordinated by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.  More information about the program and previous years' results can be found at: http://www.infieldadvantage.org/

Any producer interested in joining our INFA group should contact Jon Charlesworth at the Purdue Extension Office-Benton County 765-884-0140 Ext. 2.