Laurel BioComposite, LLC Celebrates with a Ribbon Cutting and Open House for Their Bio-Based Project
A ribbon cutting and open house was held by Laurel BioComposite, LLC in Laurel, Nebraska today for their bio-based project funded through the purchase of equipment and working capital. A $5 million loan from Security Bank in Laurel backed by a USDA Rural Development Loan Guarantee and leveraged funds of nearly $6.9 million were utilized. Attending the event were Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman, USDA Rural Development Nebraska State Director Maxine Moul, and Laurel Mayor Mark Patefield.
“As a start up company utilizing new technology and introducing new products, the USDA Rural Development Loan Guarantee was an essential component of our plans to move the project forward. We appreciate the work of USDA and Security Bank team members in putting this together,” said CEO Tim Bearnes, Laurel BioComposite, LLC.
“USDA Rural Development is pleased to be able to assist Laurel BioComposite, LLC,” said Moul. “This is an innovative business bringing nine new jobs to the area, which is important to rural communities. It also is a project that fits very well with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s focus on building the bio-based economy in Rural America.”
“We appreciate the long term relationship that our bank has developed with the USDA and are excited to see the Laurel Biocomposite project progress,” said Keith Knudsen, President of Security Bank.
The funds were used to purchase equipment and provide working capital to the startup manufacturing plant that takes distiller’s grain from ethanol plants and produces a pellet and powder product. That product is sold to plastics manufacturers to use as a resin enhancer for thermoplastics products. Three jobs will be retained and nine added.
“We’re celebrating some important milestones,” said Bearnes. “Today’s event gives us the chance to thank a lot of people that have supported our project and believe in our future.”
Laurel BioComposite’s mission, Bearnes explained, is to produce Bio-Res products from a renewable resource. “Our product replaces a portion of traditional plastic resins and creates a positive environmental impact by reducing our reliance on crude oil,” he said. “It remains our goal to manufacture a quality bio-based product at a cost effective price. We don’t make the plastic. We make the plastic greener.”
The new production line converts feedstock into a powder for thermoset applications or master batch pellets for use in thermoplastics applications such as injection molding. Phase II which includes a second production line and bulk material handling is underway. Completion of Phase II will raise Laurel BioComposite’s annual capacity to 48 million pounds.
Plant Scientist Sally Mackenzie is Heuermann Lecturer Sept. 30
The debate about genetically modified organisms – GMOs – in food is the topic when the 2013-2014 Heuermann Lectures season begins at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, in Hardin Hall, 33rd and Holdrege.
Sally Mackenzie, Ralph and Alice Raikes Chair for Plant Science in the Center for Plant Science Innovation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will present "Beyond GMOs to a More Honest Dialogue About Our Food."
A 3 p.m. reception precedes the lecture.
Mackenzie is a professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture and the School of Biological Sciences at UNL with research focus in plant genetics, epigenetics, genomics and organelle biology. Organelles are specialized parts of a cell that control energy production.
She is the founding director of UNL's Center for Plant Science Innovation, and is the Qiushi Chair professor for Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China. She is an elected fellow in the American Society of Plant Biologists and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the author of numerous refereed journal articles and invited book chapters, and an invited lecturer nationally and internationally.
Heuermann (pronounced Hugh-er-man) Lectures in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL are free and open to the public. Lectures focus on providing and sustaining enough food, natural resources and renewable energy for the world's people, and on securing the sustainability of rural communities where the vital work of producing food and renewable energy occurs.
Heuermann Lectures are made possible by a gift from B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips, long-time university supporters with a strong commitment to Nebraska's production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people.
Lectures stream live at http://heuermannlectures.unl.edu, and are broadcast on NET2 World at a date following the lecture.
RUST ON ALFALFA
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist
Warm, humid weather has caused rust to form in many alfalfa fields throughout our region. Rust rarely infects our alfalfa before mid-July because it won’t overwinter here. But if summer humidity is high, like we’ve experienced recently this year, rust blown up from the south can infect our fields.
Rust usually causes little damage in fields harvested monthly, but more mature alfalfa or alfalfa grown for seed can be injured and defoliated by rust. So one way to minimize damage is to harvest fields infected with rust early.
Rust can cause damage several ways. As I just said, heavy rust infections can cause leaf drop and defoliation of alfalfa if plants aren’t cut on a timely basis. This type of injury also will greatly reduce seed yield and quality.
Rust-infected hay sometimes causes allergic reactions in animals, more often with horses than with ruminant livestock. Rust also lowers the digestibility of hay, and this lower energy value often isn’t detected well by standard laboratory tests. So if you feed rust-infected hay, your animals may not get as much energy from it as expected.
One of our biggest concerns is late summer seedings infected with rust. Infected seedlings may be weakened and not develop as much winterhardiness as normal, making them more susceptible to winterkill. If your fields have this problem, plan to monitor them closely next spring to determine early if you need to change your cropping plans.
There’s really nothing you can do economically to control rust. So monitor, harvest, and adjust plans if needed to minimize damage.
October Water Symposium and Water Conference Oct. 15-16 in Lincoln
The University of Nebraska's water science and policy symposium and water law conference will be Oct. 15-16 at Lincoln's Cornhusker Hotel.
The symposium Tuesday, Oct. 15, will focus on "Changes: Climate, Water and Life on the Great Plains," while the following day's Water Law Conference aims primarily at the latest in Nebraska water law for practicing attorneys and water professionals.
The events are cosponsored by NU's Nebraska Water Center, part of the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute; NU's College of Law, the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Section of the Nebraska State Bar Association, and the U.S. Geological Survey's Nebraska Water Science Center.
Morning sessions of the Tuesday symposium will look at the bigger picture of water issues that are of current interest to Nebraska and the Great Plains.
"We will be looking at water and planning, with climate change and variability as key drivers in planning, along with factors such as population growth, and agriculture, industry and ecosystem needs," said event organizer and NWC assistant director Lorrie Benson.
Water planning is a topic of increasing interest as competing uses often vie with one another for a share of a limited and often overused resource, Benson said.
"Plenary presentations, as well as several of the afternoon breakout sessions, are designed to provide information to assist in planning efforts," she said.
The day opens with a brief history of Nebraska water planning by retired UNL lecturer and consulting water resources engineer Mike Jess, followed by a presentation on the larger view on water planning by David Yates, National Center for Atmospheric Research and Stockholm Environment Institute. Yates' expertise is water planning, including impacts from climate change.
Following Yates, Shannon McNeeley of the North Central Climate Science Center, a consortium at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., will discuss water-related climate change adaptations. McNeeley co-wrote the adaptation chapter for the recently released National Climate Assessment Report issued by the U.S. Global Change Program and is an expert in how people respond to and make decisions related to impacts from climate change.
Mike Hayes, director of UNL's National Drought Mitigation Center, will talk about incorporating drought planning into the water planning process; and Alan Tomkins, director of the NU Public Policy Center, will discuss new research on public trust in and confidence in Nebraska's natural resources districts and Nebraska Department of Natural Resources.
Other scheduled speakers include Karl Brooks, director of the Region VII office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Kansas City, Mo., addressing water quality as part of comprehensive water planning.
Symposium poster abstracts are still being accepted. Any water-related topic of interest in Nebraska and the Great Plains is welcome. More information can be found at http://watercenter.unl.edu.
The Oct. 16 Water Law Conference opens with NU College of Law professor Anthony Schutz's "Water Law 101," a primer of important statutes and cases and their context to help listeners understand how and why they developed.
Other speakers include John Dernbach of Widener University School of Law, Chester, Penn. on "Creating a Legal Framework for Sustainability" and Kristin Linsley Myles of Munger, Tolles and Olson LLP, San Francisco, Calif. Myles will review "South Carolina v. North Carolina – an Original Jurisdiction Water Dispute from the Special Master's Perspective." She was special master for a dispute about the Catawba River.
"Certified Acres: What, Why, Who, Transfers and Records" will be delivered by Jon Schroeder of Schroeder and Schroeder PC, Curtis, Neb.
Lash Chaffin of the Nebraska League of Municipalities will speak on municipal legal options during times of drought and Don Blankenau of Blankenau Wilmoth Jarecke LLP, Lincoln, will give an update on legal issues in the contentious Republican River basin.
David Bargen of Rembolt Ludtke LLP, Lincoln, will talk about implications from a recent ruling in the Columbus sewer backup case and Nick Buda of Jacobsen, Orr, Lindstrom and Holbrook, P.C., LLO, Kearney, will review new laws, regulations and cases from Nebraska and around the U.S.
Also on the itinerary is a presentation on "Technology, Globalization & the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct: Ethical Issues in the Information Age, Part II – Outsourcing" by Richard Dooling of the NU College of Law.
Continuing legal education credits (CLEs) for Nebraska, Colorado and Iowa will be offered for the water law conference. The water well standards and contractor's licensing board has approved five hours of continuing education units for both Oct. 15 and 16.
Though Wednesday's conference focuses on information of interest to practicing attorneys, it is open to all.
Registration is $155 for one day and $270 for both days through Sept. 30, after which slightly higher rates apply, Benson said. Rates are the same as last year.
More information about both events, including detailed agendas and online registration, is at watercenter.unl.edu. Questions should be directed to the NWC at 402-472-3305.
Beef Checkoff Sets FY2014 Plan of Work
The Cattlemen’s Beef Board will invest about $38.5 million into programs of beef promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing and producer communications in Fiscal Year 2014, if today’s recommendation of the Beef Promotion Operating Committee is approved by USDA, following review by the full Beef Board.
In action concluding its two-day meeting in Denver this week, the Operating Committee — including 10 members of the Beef Board and 10 members of the Federation of State Beef Councils — approved checkoff funding for a total of 18 “Authorization Requests,” or proposals for checkoff funding in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2013. The committee also recommended full Beef Board approval of a budget amendment to reflect the split of funding between budget categories affected by their decisions.
"I am just so pleased to let all beef producers and importers that our new committee structure and process helped us devise a coordinated plan of work for 2014 that points their checkoff investments directly at the goals of the Beef Industry Long Range Plan,” said Beef Board and Operating Committee Chairman Weldon Wynn, a cattleman from Arkansas. “Our budget continues to tighten every year, but we have tightened our processes along with our belts to leverage every checkoff dollar to the greatest extent possible.”
The committee had to cut about $1 million total from proposals to meet budget requirements and, in the end, cut a total of $1.15 million.
Just one proposal submitted was cut completely, and that was a $100,000 request from the National Livestock Producers Association to help tell the beef story to consumers through participation on the established “America’s Heatland” program on public television.
The remainder of the cuts was achieved through reductions in budgets for the following programs:
- A proposal from the North American Meat Association for veal promotion (reduced from $756,250 to $631,250)
- Funding for the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative brought by the Meat Import Council of America and the Pennsylvania Beef Council (reduced from $246,325 to $199,629)
- A “Moms, Millennials and More” communications program brought by the American National CattleWomen (reduced from $797,600 to $668,900)
- The foreign marketing program managed by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (reduced from $7.9 million to $7.6 million)
- A producer communications Authorization Request from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (reduced from $1.75 million to $1.5 million)
- NCBA’s proposal for a consumer information Authorization Request (reduced from $6.9 million to $6.7 million)
“I assure you, this was not an easy task, but I am so proud of how well members of this committee dug in and made the tough decisions. We had two days of great discussion about how to do what’s best for all producers and importers who pay their hard-earned dollars into this checkoff program.”
Seven national beef organizations had project proposals approved by the Operating Committee, to be reimbursed through the FY14 Cattlemen’s Beef Board budget, as follows:
- National Cattlemen’s Beef Association ($27.2 million)
- U.S. Meat Export Federation ($7.6 million)
- Cattlemen’s Beef Board ($1.5 million)
- North American Meat Association ($1.15 million)
- American National CattleWomen ($668,900)
- Meat Importers Council of America ($367,004)
- National Livestock Producers Association ($30,000)
Broken out by budget component, the Fiscal Year 2014 Plan of Work for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board budget includes:
- $8.1 million for promotion programs, including a new consumer digital advertising program, veal promotion, a Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative to build demand in densely populated Northeast states.
- $8.9 million for research programs, focusing on a variety of critical issues, including beef safety research, product enhancement research, human nutrition research, and market research.
- $10.8 million for consumer information programs, including a Northeast public relations initiative, national consumer public relations, including a “Moms, Millennials and More” consumer information program, the National Beef Ambassador Program, and nutrition-influencer relations.
- $1.6 million for industry information programs, comprising beef and dairy-beef quality assurance programs and dissemination of accurate information about the beef industry to counter misinformation from anti-beef groups and others, as well as veal quality assurance and funding for continued checkoff participation in an industry-wide antimicrobial discussion.
- $7.6 million for foreign marketing and education in some 80 countries in the following: ASEAN region; Caribbean; Central America/Dominican Republic; China/Hong Kong; Europe; Japan; Korea; Mexico; Middle East; Russia/Greater Russian Region; South America; and Taiwan.
- $1.5 million for producer communications, which includes producer outreach using paid media, earned media, direct communications, and communications through livestock markets and state beef councils.
Other expenses funded through the $41.3 million 2014 CBB budget include $224,000 for evaluation, $230,000 for program development, $375,000 for USDA oversight; and about $1.9 million for administration, which includes costs for Board meetings, legal fees, travel costs, office rental, supplies, equipment, and administrative staff compensation. Fiscal Year 2014 begins Oct. 1, 2013.
AFBF Advocates for Port Expansion Projects
Expanded capacity and access to markets on the West Coast is critical for U.S. agricultural products, which is why the American Farm Bureau Federation joined with the Alliance for Northwest Jobs & Exports this week to show support for three proposed multi-commodity export terminal projects in the Pacific Northwest.
Located in Cherry Point and Longview, Wash., and Boardman, Ore., the three proposed port expansion projects under consideration in the Pacific Northwest are expected to bring thousands of jobs while strengthening the region’s trade infrastructure, benefitting coal, agriculture and other producers.
“Agriculture is very trade dependent. Last year alone, more than $141 billion worth of U.S. agriculture products were exported around the globe,” said Steve Baccus, president of Kansas Farm Bureau and chair of the American Farm Bureau Federation Trade Advisory Committee. “The Pacific Northwest is a crucial gateway for agricultural exports, and these export facilities will help our members meet the increased demand for their goods in burgeoning Asian markets.”
Trade is responsible for 40 percent of all jobs in Washington which is the most trade-dependent state in the United States. Agriculture products are Washington’s third-largest export. In Oregon, one in five jobs is dependent on international trade with agricultural products and services accounting for 10 percent of Oregon’s gross domestic product.
“We are glad to have the American Farm Bureau Federation as an important voice of support for these projects,” said, Lauri Hennessey, Spokeswoman for the Alliance for Northwest Jobs & Exports. “The American Farm Bureau Federation joins many of our local and state-wide Farm Bureaus in supporting these projects which will lead to the expansion of trade for all kinds of exports including wheat, grain, soybeans and corn.”
Exports from these projects will travel by freight trains, the most fuel efficient means of ground transportation. In Washington alone, there are more than 3,200 miles of track that move goods to, through and from the state, including coal, timber, agriculture products and consumer goods. The increased investment associated with coal and agricultural exports will keep the trade doors open for decades to come by strengthening the rail presence in U.S. port cities, according to the Washington Research Council.
AFBF's Trade Advisory Committee is currently touring the Pacific Northwest looking at ports and waterways infrastructure. Members visited the Port of Vancouver earlier this week, and after Seattle are headed to Portland and Oakland. The group of farm leaders is urging Congress to pass the Waterways Resources Reform and Development Act to bring U.S. ports up to par with that of the Port of Vancouver and other international ports.
USDA Grant to Develop Youth Farm Safety Curriculum
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced funding to provide safety training for the more than 2 million youth working in agricultural production.
"Working on the farm or ranch is hard work, and it can also be dangerous," said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. "By working together, we can be sure that young people in rural America have the opportunity to reap the many benefits of helping out on the farm, while also staying safe. Today's grant announcement expands our ongoing farm safety partnership and will help further educate and protect young workers who represent the future of American agriculture."
USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Ann Bartuska made the announcement at the North American Agricultural Safety Summit in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Bartuska noted "Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in the nation, as such, thousands of youth are injured and hundreds are killed every year by hazards found on the farm." She continued, "As these youth play a vital role in the productivity of American agriculture, USDA has a responsibility to the education and resources needed to train youth in safe farming practices."
USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded $600,000 to Pennsylvania State University to develop a national training curriculum that lessens agricultural hazards to young workers. The training will align with Career Cluster Standards (CCS) of the National Council for Agricultural Education for a unified approach to a national farm safety education and curricula-certification program for youth. The project will establish a national steering committee to engage the Department of Education, Department of Labor, FFA, Farm Bureau, Farmers Union, Ag Safety and Health Council of America, National Council for Ag Education and other relevant partners. The committee will work to identify curriculum and testing gaps, certification needs and industry-recognized credentials.
Curriculum materials will be placed on the eXtension website in the new Ag Safety and Health Community of Practice to be used in both formal and non-formal settings. A national outreach strategy will promote use of the curriculum from youth and farm safety instructors to parents and 4-H youth programs. Additionally, the project will determine the resources required to sustain a clearinghouse for national youth farm safety and education curriculum, state certification requirements and testing.
NIFA made the award through the Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC) Program, which was established in 2001. Agricultural education is an important part of an individual's career and technical education. As such, it needs to provide instruction that leads to industry-recognized credentials. In addition, vocational agricultural program curricula need to be aligned with current career standards and curricula that integrate agricultural safety and health.
Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future. More information is available at: www.nifa.usda.gov.
Weekly Ethanol Production for 9/20/2013
According to EIA data, ethanol production averaged 832,000 barrels per day (b/d) — or 34.94 million gallons daily. That is down 6,000 b/d from the week before. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 834,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 12.79 billion gallons.
Stocks of ethanol stood at 15.6 million barrels. That is a 3.5% decrease from last week and at an 11 week low.
Imports of ethanol were 48,000 b/d, up from last week.
Gasoline demand for the week averaged 371.5 million gallons daily.
Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production was 9.41%.
On the co-products side, ethanol producers were using 12.615 million bushels of corn to produce ethanol and 92,854 metric tons of livestock feed, 82,780 metric tons of which were distillers grains. The rest is comprised of corn gluten feed and corn gluten meal. Additionally, ethanol producers were providing 4.33 million pounds of corn oil daily.
The Week of E85 – New Stations, New Study
Twenty-four new stations began offering E85 (85% ethanol/15% gasoline) in the last week, bringing the total number of stations offering this blend up to 139 this year. E85 is available to all flex-fuel vehicles.
The new E85 stations come on the heels of a study released last week by Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD). The new study by Prof. Bruce Babcock found that "... it is feasible to meet 2014 and 2015 biofuel mandates with expanded E85 consumption given existing numbers of flex vehicles and stations that sell E85." Other key conclusions include:
• "...enough flex vehicles are located close enough to stations that sell E85 that significant volumes of E85 would be sold if it were appropriately priced."
• "Current high RIN prices create a large incentive for oil companies to increase consumption of E85 because expansion in E85 consumption will decrease RIN prices."
• "...pricing E85 low enough to generate fuel cost savings has the potential to quickly increase ethanol consumption, perhaps by three billion gallons over the next year or two."
“E85 is in high demand and growing as retailers begin to see the advantages of offering the high level blend at their stations,” said Robert White, Director of Market Development at the Renewable Fuels Association. “The price savings can be seen across the country as more and more drivers demand additional fuel options and cheaper prices at the pump.”
According to E85prices.com the average E85 price in Minnesota is $2.64/gallon compared to the $3.42/gallon average gas price today. In fact, E85 has been reported as low as $2.17/gallon in St. Paul, MN.
The 24 new E85 stations include:
Maumelle, AR
Rising Fawn, GA
Plainfield, IN
Plainfield, IN
Terre Haute, IN
Hebron, KY
Morehead, KY
Winchester, KY
Alexandria, KY
Cheboygan, MI
Pinconning, MI
Lancaster, OH
Cinncinnati, OH
Springfield, OH
South Vienna, OH
Dayton, OH
Kettering, OH
West Carrolton, OH
Miamisburg, OH
Bellefontaine, OH
Tulsa, OK
Oconomowoc, WI
Greenfield, WI
Huntington, WV
Stabenow Calls on CFTC to Review Possible Manipulation of Renewable Fuels Market
Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today called on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to review recent allegations about possible manipulation of the markets for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) – the tracking mechanism to ensure petroleum blenders and refiners meet their requirements under the Renewable Fuels Standard. Stabenow called on the CFTC, which is tasked with overseeing markets for commodity futures, options and swaps, to use its expertise and authority to help preserve the integrity of the RINs market.
Press reports have highlighted potential speculation and manipulation of the unregulated markets, possibly contributing to recent market volatility and spikes in price.
“I would like the CFTC to help determine whether factors other than supply and demand have been causing extraordinary volatility in the price of RINs and to what extent fraud and manipulation have been affecting the price of RINs,” Stabenow wrote to CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler. “I am concerned that a lack of transparency in these markets has made them more susceptible to manipulation. If this is the case, it is a problem that must be identified and fixed.”
Stabenow continued, “While I support an actively traded market with a diverse array of market participants, the market must function and allow entities to manage their risk and comply with the law.
International Team Visits NCGA for Update on Crop Condition, Corn Outlook
Yesterday, a team organized by the Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program to examine agricultural trade and food safety visited the National Corn Growers Association for discussions about improving the economic outlook for farmers and enriching the quality of farm family life. The discussion, part of an effort to enhance international understanding of U.S. policies and systems that regulate and support agriculture, included participants from Argentina, Austria, Morocco, Portugal, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey and Venezuela.
The meeting, led by NCGA Director of Biotechnology and Economic Analysis Nathan Fields, included an overview of NCGA, of U.S. corn supply and demand, and of how NCGA works to develop markets and improve efficiency of corn production.
"We focused on how the work we do keeps American agriculture viable and profitable," said Fields. "It is a great opportunity to show the world how NCGA supports growers. It is also beneficial to our staff to learn about world issues, broadening our understanding of world commodity markets and challenges."
The team included government and business leadership from organizations involved with agricultural research, food safety, finance, the environment, logistics and grain promotion. While in the United States, the team will examine U.S. policies and programs related to agricultural trade, food safety, and sustainable agriculture. Additionally, they will explore U.S. food commodity regulation and marketing while looking at programs that facilitate agricultural research, inspection, trade promotion and resource conservation.
Monitor Corn Fields for Stalk Quality Problems
DuPont Pioneer agronomists caution that many different stresses to the corn plant throughout the growing season can contribute to lower stalk quality at harvest time. Cool spring weather patterns, drought stress, reduced sunlight, insect and disease pressure and hail damage have each taken a toll on plant health this year.
With the wet, cool spring plants may have developed shallower root systems. This likely caused a reduction in nutrient uptake due to lack of root development. Cooler temperatures early on in the season also caused reduced plant lignin necessary for stalk strength.
The growing environment has a critical effect on the ability of the plant to provide sufficient photosynthate to the developing ear. With many cloudy days during the growing season, solar radiation and photosynthesis were reduced causing a reduction of sugars to meet the plant’s demand. If photosynthesis is unable to supply the demands of the developing kernels, the plant redirects root and stalk carbohydrates to the ear. Prolonged cloudy conditions during ear fill often result in severely depleted stalk reserves and stalk rot organisms can invade weakened and dying plant tissues.
Drought stress was another issue growers saw this summer. Water relations within the plant and CO2 and oxygen exchange were directly affected. In addition, if leaf rolling occured during drought, the effective leaf surface for collection of sunlight is reduced.
Growers should monitor their fields as harvest approaches, to identify stalk quality problems and prepare to harvest before field losses can occur. Weak stalks can be detected by pinching the stalk at the first or second elongated internode above the ground. If the stalk collapses, advanced stages of stalk rot are indicated.
Welcome to the KTIC Agriculture Information blog!!! Check back here for the latest in ag news and information, from local events to international happenings and government reports that affect your operation. Please email with suggestions! -Chad Moyer, Farm Director, KTIC Radio
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