Tamra Jackson-Ziems, NE Extension Plant Pathologist
Southern rust has been confirmed in many counties in eastern Nebraska, including as far north as Cedar and Knox counties bordering South Dakota, as indicated on the IPM PIPE website. Across this area, the disease reportedly varies from barely detectable to moderately severe patches with nearby fields often seemingly unaffected. The highly variable distribution of the disease necessitates that each field be scouted to determine whether it is present. Do not rely on knowledge of disease in nearby fields.
Favorable weather during the last two weeks has likely supported the increase in disease in some fields and movement to other fields that may not be indicated in the distribution map. Southern rust is likely already present in low levels in most of the counties in this part of the state, but may not develop in every field. Repeated and frequent scouting of corn fields is critical to determine if it has developed and to what extent. It can take a few days to several weeks for southern rust to develop and become severe, complicating fungicide treatment decisions.
The most reliable method for identifying corn rust diseases is through examination of microscopic spore characteristics, which can be done quickly for samples submitted to the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic. Southern rust spores are usually orange/tan in color, produced mostly on the top side of the leaf, and are easily wiped off. They can be easily mistaken for similar looking diseases.
Gray Leaf Spot and Northern Corn Leaf Blight
Many people have observed a rapid increase in development of small gray leaf spot lesions in recent days that often moved quickly above the ear leaf. The increase in temperatures and relative humidity is likely to blame for this rapid increase in disease severity. As long as conditions are favorable, gray leaf spot lesions will continue to move up the plant and lesions will expand. Familiarize yourself with the expected reactions of your hybrids to various diseases based on ratings provided by your seed companies.
Soybean Foliar Diseases More Common this Year
Loren Giesler, NE Extension Plant Pathologist
With all the rains earlier in the year and continued wet condition, there are more foliar soybean diseases this year. Brown spot is the most common foliar disease of soybean and is prevalent across the state. Frogeye leaf spot is becoming more common but mostly in the southeastern portion of production in the state. If one or both of these diseases are advancing in your fields, this will increase the potential return from a fungicide this year.
Brown Spot: This foliar disease starts in the lower portion of the canopy and moves up the plant, very similar to what we see for gray leaf spot in corn. Soybean varieties vary in their susceptibility levels, but companies do not commonly have ratings in seed books. If your canopy is yellowing and defoliating in the lower portion, this is most likely the cause. Symptoms start as dark brown, irregular spots on both upper and lower leaf surfaces. Lesions typically will have a yellow or chlorotic halo when held up to a back light. Adjacent lesions frequently merge to form irregularly shaped blotches. Leaves become yellow to rusty brown. Symptoms of Brown Spot can also develop on stems and pods of plants approaching maturity. Stem and pod lesions have indefinite margins, are dark in appearance and range in size from flecks to larger areas.
Frogeye Leaf Spot: Infection can occur at any stage of soybean development, but most often occurs after flowering and is typically in the upper canopy. Initial symptoms are small, dark spots on the leaves. Spots eventually enlarge to a diameter of about ¼ inch and the centers of the lesions become gray to brown and have a reddish purple margin. Individual leaf spots can coalesce to create irregular patterns of blighting on the leaf. In addition, stems and pods can also be affected later in the season and will be long narrow dark lesions with flattened centers. Pod lesions will be circular to elongate, slightly sunken and reddish brown in color.
Both of these diseases are residue born and will be more severe in fields with continuous soybean or those that were replanted late in 2014 to soybean and then put in soybean again this year. There is a wide range in soybean maturity across the state. If your fields are at the R3 to early R4 growth stage and you're considering a fungicide application, your potential for return will be greater in fields where foliar diseases are present. Fields with frogeye leaf spot should be recorded so varieties with resistance can be used in future years.
CORRECT TIMING MAKES THE BEST SILAGE
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist
Will you chop corn silage this year? Do it right and time your harvest correctly.
High-quality corn silage often is an
economical substitute for some of the grain in finishing and in dairy
rations. And corn silage can be an important winter feed for cow-calf
producers. All too often, though, we fail
to harvest silage to get its best feed value.
Harvest timing is critical for
success. Timing needs to be based on moisture content of the silage.
Silage chopped too early and wetter than seventy percent moisture can
run or seep and it often produces a sour, less palatable
fermentation. We often get this wet silage when we rush to salvage
hail or wind damaged corn. Live green stalks, leaves, and husks almost
always are more than eighty percent moisture so be patient and wait
until these tissues start to dry before chopping.
Normal corn, though, is often
chopped for silage too dry, below sixty percent moisture. Then it's
difficult to pack the silage adequately to force out air. The silage
heats, energy and protein digestibility declines, and
spoilage increases. If your silage is warm or steams during winter, it
probably was too dry when chopped.
Many corn hybrids are at the ideal
60 to 70 percent moisture as corn kernels reach the one-half milkline.
This guide isn’t perfect for all hybrids, though, so check your own
fields independently.
Corn kernels in silage between half
milkline and black layer are more digestible. Drier, more mature corn
grain tends to pass through the animal more often without digesting
unless processed. Also, older leaves and stalks
are less digestible.
Nebraska Sheep & Goat Producers Association Announces New Sheep Class at Nebraska State Fair
The Nebraska Sheep & Goat Producers Association is proud to sponsor a new class at the Nebraska State Fair. The class was designed with the commercial sheep producer in mind. This year will mark the second Open Class Market Lamb Show. Our focus on this class is to educate new producers and reward the commercial producers for their efforts. We want to place the spotlight on the lambs that represent the industry. The lambs eligible for this class are simple; market weight 120 to 155 lbs., a respectable dock left on the tail, and no close clip on the fleece. ALL BREEDS and crossbreds are welcome.
The class is shown in a pen-of-three style which enables producers to exhibit without entering the show ring. Judging of the lambs are done by actual market lamb buyers that are looking for the qualities the consumer demands.
There are two ways to win the class. A cash prize for the top three places at live show and a cash prize for the top three seats in the carcass contest are offered. All carcass data will be available. This class offers an interactive forum between producers and buyers. It is a great time to ask and answer questions during the reasons part of the class. We invite everyone to attend. The show is Sunday Aug 30th at 3:00 pm.
Corporate sponsors include: Hubbard Feeds, Kent Feeds, Palmyra Livestock Market, Verdigre Livestock Market, G & S Lamb, JBS Lamb and ASI.
Retailers to highlight E15 interest & experiences during ACE Conference
The topic of how higher ethanol blends help fuel retailers to succeed will be highlighted during the ACE Conference in Omaha, Nebraska, August 19-21.
The CEO of ProTec Fuel, Todd Garner, and Kum & Go’s Vice President of Fuels, Jim Pirolli, will be participating in an E15 panel on August 20.
The panel involving the two fuel retailers is part of the day-one agenda of the conference which will focus heavily on the sale and handling of E15 and flex fuels. Also scheduled to speak August 20th is Kristi Moriarty, one of the authors of a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report investigating the true costs of E15 fueling infrastructure.
“The ethanol industry needs to understand the challenges facing fuel retailers who want to sell more ethanol-blended fuels. Last year’s conference presentation by single-station and small chain operators received overwhelmingly positive reviews, so we’re providing this year’s attendees with two additional perspectives from the ‘downstream’ fuel marketplace. Kum & Go is a large c-store retail chain with a history of leadership with E85, that can tell us why adding E15 isn’t as simple as decaling pumps and dropping fuel in the tank. ProTec is a fuel distributor with an interesting approach to expanding the availability of E15 and flex fuels by providing retailers with ethanol-blended fuels and the equipment needed to sell them,” said ACE Senior VP Ron Lamberty. “And on the topic of ‘equipment needed to sell E15,’ we’re excited to have NREL present their recent authoritative study on that very subject. It’s good news for fuel marketers, but fuel marketer groups seem strangely unhappy their $400,000 per store cost predictions have been proven wildly inaccurate.”
The theme of the August 19-21 ACE Conference is “Quiet Ingenuity, Bold Advance.” The event will also feature a talk on technology and advanced biofuel innovations involving Ray Defenbaugh, President and CEO of Big River Resources LLC, Delayne Johnson, CEO of Quad County Corn Processors, and Jeff Oestmann, President and CEO of East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC, a progress report on ethanol and DDGs exports, ethanol plant board member training, and much more.
Ag-Gag Challenged: Opening Barn Doors Best Approach to Building Trust
Charlie Arnot, CEO, The Center for Food Integrity
The use of undercover video investigations has been an effective strategy used by animal welfare groups to bring more public attention to their cause and influence food company policies as they relate to housing systems for pigs, chickens and cows. Eight states responded by adopting so-called “ag-gag” laws that prohibit such investigations. Now, a federal judge in one of those states, Idaho, has stricken down such a law on grounds of constitutional free speech, which could put the other laws in jeopardy.
That may cause angst for some in the agriculture community.
It is understandably frustrating for livestock producers when undercover video investigations portray animal abuse as common practice on America’s farms. It’s not. And some of what is shown in these video investigations demonize practices that veterinary experts agree provide proper care. But ag-gag laws do not promote the transparency that research from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) clearly shows consumers want, expect – and deserve – when it comes to food production.
Rather than promoting transparency, the message consumers might be getting from agriculture’s support of such laws is, “We have nothing to hide but this is none of your business.” This reality poses a challenge when it comes to assuring consumers that production practices on today’s farms are humane and the people responsible for animal care are ethically committed to doing the right thing.
Those who commit animal abuse on farms should be held accountable. And, those who witness animal abuse and continue to record it instead of stopping it should, too. The public would be outraged if someone recorded willful elder or child abuse and chose not to stop it. We should expect the same when it comes to abuse of animals.
But using state laws to barricade the barn door doesn’t build public trust. Some farms are making their operations more transparent by opening up their barns, either with farm tours or live video feeds. CFI and the U.S. pork and dairy industries launched an initiative called “See It? Stop It!” The program demands that if signs of animal abuse, neglect, mishandling or harm are witnessed, anyone working on a farm has an obligation to report it immediately.
Empowering animal caretakers and giving them responsibility to report animal abuse immediately will help assure the best care for animals. Being more open and transparent about today’s production methods helps show that
farmers are good stewards of the land and are producing safe, nutritious and affordable food, while providing animals with great care.
Video investigations remind us that the gap between agriculture and consumers continues to widen. Agriculture can do a better job of bridging the gap and assuring consumers that even though farming systems have changed,
the commitment to responsible food production remains strong. Working toward increasing the transparency of today’s farms will build trust between farmers and consumers and encourage a more informed conversation about food.
CWT Assists with 2 Million Pounds of Cheese, Butter and Whole Milk Powder Export Sales
Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 4 requests for export assistance from member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 1.764 million pounds (605 metric tons) of Cheddar cheese, 110,231 pounds (50 metric tons) of butter and 132,277 pounds (60 metric tons) of whole milk powder to customers in Asia, the Middle East, and South America. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from August 2015 through February 2016.
Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 44.894 million pounds of cheese, 29.826 million pounds of butter and 33.409 million pounds of whole milk powder to thirty-three countries on five continents. The amounts of cheese, butter and whole milk powder in these sales contracts represent the equivalent of 1.329 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. Numbers are adjusted for cancellations.
Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program, in the long-term, helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the U.S. farm milk that produces them. This, in turn, positively impacts all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.
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