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Scout
Before Spraying For Leafhoppers
Don’t jump the gun when it comes to potato leafhopper
control, says Eileen Cullen, University of Wisconsin extension
entomologist. Make sure your fields have regrowth and leafhoppers
are at economic threshold levels before spraying for the pest, she says.
“We have heard of people cutting and baling and then treating before
there’s any regrowth. That would be called ‘cut, bale, spray’ and
we’re trying to reinforce the integrated pest management (IPM)
practice of ‘cut, bale and scout’,” says Cullen. Some
growers may think pyrethroid insecticides have a long residual and, if
sprayed right after baling or chopping, they’ll protect, she adds.
“That’s not an IPM practice that we recommend. Just make sure you
have some regrowth and actual leafhopper numbers before you make any
spray decisions. We think the current thresholds can really guide
people.”
This year’s increased demand and high prices for hay make it all the
more important for growers to scout and keep on top of potato leafhopper
thresholds. Spraying too late, or missing economic threshold
populations, can be avoided by sweeping leafhoppers diligently, says
Cullen.
For a one-page extension fact sheet on scouting for leafhoppers and
leafhopper thresholds, visit www.uwex.edu/ces/crops/uwforage/alfalfa.htm.
The PDF can be found under Pest Management, then Insects, as
Cut-Bale-Scout.
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North
Carolina Aids Drought-Damaged Pastures
North Carolina producers may be able to cover 75% of
the cost of restoring pastureland damaged by drought during the past
year through a state cost-share drought recovery program.
Farmers may apply to state soil and water conservation district offices
for assistance. The program also covers costs associated with drilling
and redrilling wells, pond construction and renovation, converting
closed lagoons to fresh-water ponds and upgrading existing irrigation
systems to more-efficient models. It’s open to farmers with land
affected by drought who have total adjusted gross incomes of less than
$250,000 or who derive 75% of their income from farming operations.
Learn more at www.ncruralcenter.org/ag/drought_project_fact_sheet.pdf.
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Consider
Cover Crops As Fertilizer Source
Midwestern alfalfa growers can grow some of their own
fertilizer by using cover crops, says Tom Burlingham, a Palmyra, WI,
grower, in the recent Midwest Forage Association’s Clippings
newsletter. In the Upper Midwest, the best time to add cover crops is
after wheat or corn silage. Burlingham urges growers to use USDA's
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Web site –
www.sare.org/coreinfo/crops.htm – to learn more about the practice.
The book Managing Cover Crops Profitably can be downloaded from
the site. “A very good chart on page 68 (of the book) ranks cover
crops on their strengths and weaknesses,” he explains.
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Whether you’re looking for
proven performance in a package that offers exceptional value or a
tractor that gives you the latest electronic conveniences and push
button simplicity, the new T6000 Series tractors from New Holland are
built for you. T6000 tractors are a natural choice for haying operations
and heavy loader work. To learn more, see your local New Holland dealer
or call 1-888-290-7377. www.newholland.com/na
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How
Are You Handling High Fuel, Fertilizer Costs?
With prices for fuel and fertilizer spiking, growers
are looking for ways to save. What’s working for you? Send us an email
explaining your idea(s) at hfg@hayandforage.com. Include
your name, address and phone number. The person with the most original
and practical idea gets a $50 gift card courtesy of Hay & Forage
Grower. Deadline for entries: June 6.
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Low-Desert
Alfalfa Herbicide Research Results Are Available
The effectiveness of herbicides, including Prowl
H20, Velpar and AlfaMax Gold, for use in low-desert alfalfa
and wheat fields, has been evaluated by Barry Tickes, University of
Arizona Cooperative Extension area agent in Arizona. Results of his
findings from annual trials conducted in California’s Imperial Valley
and Riverside County and Arizona’s Yuma and La Paz counties can be
found in Hay & Forage Grower’s sister publication, Western
Farm Press, at westernfarmpress.com/alfalfa/weed-control-0523/.
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alfalfa, proven protection at the right price points straight to
Arrow™ herbicide. Arrow contains the number one post-applied grass
active. With wide spectrum control of tough grasses and weeds and a wide
application window, Arrow delivers outstanding performance plus
excellent crop safety. Learn more about Arrow from MANA at
www.manainc.com
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Spraying
For Weevils May Hurt Wasp Beneficials
Increased spraying for alfalfa weevils in Michigan may
be dampening the impact of wasps that provide biocontrol, says Christina
DiFonzo, Michigan State University entomologist, in the university’s
Integrated Pest Management Field Crop Advisory Team newsletter.
Cutting is preferred to spraying for weevil control, she adds.
“We don’t know this for sure, but extension educators have indicated
that producers who have sprayed weevil over the last few years seem to
have increasing weevil populations,” she states. If spraying is
necessary, DiFonzo urges growers to note preharvest intervals, which
range from zero to 28 days depending on product, rate and crop use (hay
vs. forage). There are many products to choose from, plus spraying new
growth achieves the best coverage and avoids treating flowers, which
could potentially kill bees.
If an infested field is cut, scout new growth carefully; the threshold
is just six to eight weevil larvae per square foot after cutting.
Weevil larvae continue to be found in many southwestern Michigan alfalfa
fields and will cause lower-than-normal first-cutting yields, reports
Dan Rajzer, Cass County agriculture and natural resources educator.
Numerous fields have been sprayed for weevil control there.
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Pink
Pea Aphids Found In Nebraska Alfalfa
A number of unusual aphids were recently found in
alfalfa fields near David City, NE, according to the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Crop Watch newsletter. These aphids weren’t
green, but more of a beige/pink color, and are thought to be the pink
form not previously not found in the state. Some biological differences
exist between pea aphids forms, Nebraska entomologists point out.
The vast majority (90-95%) of the pea aphids collected from a Butler
County field were typical green pea aphids. The pink insect is harder to
see in a sweep net and could be overlooked at first. Although the pink
pea aphid has existed in Europe for some time, it wasn’t noted in the
U.S. until 1979, when it was found in New York. Since then it has been
identified in Ohio, Michigan, Utah, California and Missouri, and
probably is present in many other states, say the entomologists.
Researchers found that parasitic wasps prefer to attack green rather
than pink pea aphids. In research on the European red/pink pea aphid
biotype, it easily overcame pea aphid resistance in a number of U.S.
alfalfa varieties. The entomologists say these observations indicate
continued need for Nebraska alfalfa crops to be monitored.
View a pink pea aphid in the most recent Crop Watch issue at cropwatch.unl.edu/.
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within 250 miles of either Lincoln, NE or Rapid City, SD, we haul with
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California
Hay prices are high in California, but water concerns
and high grain prices mean hay acres actually decreased from last fall
to this spring, says Dan Putnam, University of California-Davis
extension forage specialist. “Hay supplies are fairly limited and
transportation costs are through the roof,” he says. “We had an
extremely dry spring with few rains in March, April and May. Irrigation
had to start earlier than normal in many areas. Legal decisions have
impacted water availability in the San Joaquin Valley and other areas,
leading to a lack of confidence in whether water will actually be there
when needed.” Consequently, some hay growers are deciding against
increasing their hay acres. “Some growers are postponing planting hay
crops as more and more people plant wheat and corn,” Putnam reports.
The number of acres devoted to corn silage continues to increase as more
dairies use it as a less-expensive option in rations. “There will
likely be 500,000-600,000 acres of corn silage grown in California this
year,” Putnam says.
Learn more about hay production in California at alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/. Contact
Putnam at 530-752-8982.
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Tennessee
Beef, Forage Field Day Is June 12
Cost-share programs and best management practices for
cattle operations will be main topics at the 2008 Beef and Forage Field
Day, June 12, at the University of Tennessee’s (UT) East Tennessee
Research and Education Center-Blount Unit near Knoxville.
Activities will begin with a trade show at 7:30 a.m. Current
opportunities for beef cattle producers to enhance their operations will
be explored by Mike McElroy, district conservationist for the Natural
Resources Conservation Service. Then participants can attend morning
sessions addressing the use of switchgrass as a potential biofuel and as
a forage, bio-solids on pastures and hayfields, and watering systems for
cattle. A sponsored lunch will be served to preregistered participants.
A 45-minute session on adding value to feeder cattle with process
verification programs for age and source will follow.
Preregister by June 6. Contact a county UT extension office or call the
East Tennessee Research and Education Center at 865-974-7201. The Blount
Unit is on Singleton Station Road, about eight miles south of the UT ag
campus in Knoxville off U.S. Highway 129. Further information and a map
are available at knoxville.tennessee.edu.
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Calendar
May 28 -- Risk Planning Workshop For Forage
Producers, Community Hall, Isabel, SD. Registration starts at 6
p.m., workshop runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. RSVP Mike Huer at
605-865-3652.
May 29 -- Risk Planning Workshop For Forage Producers, First
Western Bank, Belle Fourche, SD. Registration starts at 6 p.m.,
workshop runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. RSVP with T.J. Swan at
605-892-2371.
May 29 -- 2008 Corn Silage & Forage Field Day, Plant Science and
Research Unit, Citra, FL. Contact Jerry Wasdin at jwas@ufl.edu, call 352-392-1120 or visit
www.animal.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/CSFD/index.shtml.
June 6-8 -- Western States Horse Expo, Cal Expo Fairgrounds,
Sacramento, CA. Call 800-352-2411 or visit www.horsexpo.com.
June 10-11 – Wisconsin Grazing School, River Falls. Call
715-425-3345.
June 11-12 -- Four-State Dairy Nutrition And Management Conference,
Grand Harbor Conference Center, Dubuque, IA. Covering dairy
industry topics for Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. Contact
Evonne Hausman at ehausman@uiuc.edu.
June 12 -- University of Tennessee Hay Field Day, Shady Brook
Angus Farm, Leoma. Focus will be on managing input costs and
high-moisture hay. Contact Brian White at 731-968-5266.
June 24-25 -- Wisconsin Grazing School, Gleason. Call
715-425-3345.
June 28 -- 2008 Illinois Forage Expo, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Smith
Family Farms near Mount Vernon. Visit web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/ag.
July 11-13 -- North Carolina Equine Extravaganza, North Carolina
State Fairgrounds, Raleigh. Learn more at www.equineextravaganza.com.
July 22 -- Wisconsin Grazing School, Fond du Lac. Call
715-425-3345.
Aug. 19-20 -- Wisconsin Grazing School, Richland Center. Call
715-425-3345.
Sept. 4 -- Kentucky Forage & Grassland Council Field Day,
Christian County. Learn more at www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/.
Sept. 17-20 -- National Hay Association Convention, Oak Brook
Hills Marriott, Oak Brook, IL. Contact Don Kieffer at 800-707-0014, or
visit www.nationalhay.org.
Sept. 30-Oct. 4 -- World Dairy Expo, Alliant Energy Center,
Madison, WI. Visit www.worlddairyexpo.com.
Oct. 23 -- Kentucky Grazing Conference, Fayette County extension
office, Lexington. Learn more at www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/.
Oct. 31-Nov. 2 -- Virginia Equine Extravaganza, Richmond
Raceway, Richmond. Learn more at www.equineextravaganza.com.
Nov. 6-7 -- 2008 BEEF Quality Summit, sponsored by
BEEF magazine, Antlers Hilton Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO. Visit
beefconference.com/.
Nov. 13-16 -- Massachusetts Equine Affaire, Eastern States
Exposition Center, West Springfield. Visit www.equineaffaire.com.
Dec. 2-4 -- California Alfalfa & Forage Symposium, Town &
Country Resort and Hotel, San Diego. Learn more at alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/2008AlfalfaConference/.
Dec. 5-6 -- 2008 Missouri Livestock Symposium, Kirksville.
Programs for horse, beef cattle, sheep, meat goat and forage producers,
and trade show. Details at missourilivestock.com, or call Bruce Lane at
660-665-9866 or Garry Mathes at 660-341-6625.
Feb. 15-16, 2009 -- Southwest Hay And Forage Conference,
Ruidoso, NM. Contact Gina Sterrett at 575-626-5677 or Justin Boswell at
575-840-9908.
June 21-23, 2009 -- American Forage & Grassland Council Annual
Conference, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI. Call
800-944-2342 or email info@afgc.org.Calendar.
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