Monday August 21 Ag News

New Crop Publications from Nebraska Extension

Biologicals In Plant Disease Management (G2290)
Tony O. Adesemoye, NE Extension Plant Pathologist, West Central Research and Extension Center

Plant pathogens and their associated diseases are major limitations to crop production. Developing an integrated pest management (IPM) system that combines biological, chemical, and cultural control options for disease management is efficient, economical, and very attractive for better crop quality and environmental sustainability. This publication focuses on biological products that can be integrated into plant disease IPM strategies for field crops.

Introduction To Biological Products For Crop Production And Protection (EC3019)
Tony O. Adesemoye, NE Extension Plant Pathologist, West Central Research and Extension Center

The rapid development of agriculture in the last six decades relied mainly on improved crop varieties, modern irrigation methods, and new chemicals, including pesticides and fertilizers. These technologies continue to be very relevant and beneficial to agricultural productivity. In recent years, however, there have been many reasons for the need to improve the strategies of using these technologies as well as to search for new tools. Improvements in the use of biological methods and development of new biological products fit well into the needed improved strategies or new paradigm.



Sudden Death Syndrome Starting to Show up in Soybeans 
Loren Giesler - NE Extension Plant Pathologist

Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) symptoms typically start to appear when soybeans are in the mid- to late pod-filling stages. This disease is becoming more common in Nebraska, but still occurs in very isolated pockets in many fields. It’s crucial to assess the areas affected and make sure you identify the disease correctly to make management decisions for future years.

Sudden Death Syndrome, which was first identified in Nebraska over 12 years ago, is usually found in small areas of a field. Soil compaction and high fertility levels are associated with increased levels of SDS.

Sudden Death Symptoms in Soybeans
Foliar symptoms of sudden death syndrome start with interveinal necrosis. Spots coalesce to form brown streaks with yellow margins between the leaf veins. Leaves eventually drop, leaving the petiole (leaf stem) attached. The root system will have a deteriorated tap-root and lateral roots will only be evident in the upper soil profile. Plants will typically pull very easily and there may be a dark blue fungal growth on the roots.

Split the Stems
With any root and stem rot disease it is critical that the stems are split to properly examine symptoms and identify the disease. Brown stem rot will result in the same foliar symptoms as SDS and is also common in Nebraska. In plants with SDS splitting the stems will show discoloration is confined to the outer stem layers. The center of the stem will not be discolored. The root cortex discoloration will be light-gray to brown and may extend up the stem. In contrast, brown stem rot will discolor the center of the stem with the brown discoloration typically extending from the soil line going up. 

Accurate diagnosis is critical for proper management for the next soybean crop. If you are uncertain of the cause of damage in your field, I encourage you to have it identified at the University of Nebraska Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic.



Corn Disease Update: Are we out of the woods yet?
Tamra Jackson-Ziems, NE Extension Plant Pathologist

As often occurs in Nebraska, the late-season weather with abundant dew, high relative humidity, and rainfall is driving increases in some crop diseases. Some corn fields have matured far enough that the diseases won’t have a substantial effect on yield, while some other fields “are not out of the woods” yet.

Gray Leaf Spot
Susceptible hybrids at dough and earlier stages could still sustain damage from the fungal disease gray leaf spot and other diseases and might benefit from a fungicide if weather forecasts are favorable for more disease. In some areas gray leaf spot is moving up the plant and threatening the ear leaf and beyond, the most critical leaves for grain fill.

Southern Rust
It appears there is a little bit of southern rust in a lot of places, which is to say that the incidence may be high, but with low severity in most places. Some localized areas in southern Nebraska where the disease was reported earliest this year have seen an increase in southern rust, while in most areas of the state it has remained at very low severity and is not threatening yield. In general, southern rust did not increase in severity dramatically, and most of us were spared the severe rust that was feared when it was confirmed earlier than expected this season. Instead, the dramatic decrease in temperatures likely slowed the disease in most areas.

It’s important to continue monitoring southern rust and other diseases, especially as the temperatures creep higher amid ample moisture. A late season flush of disease is still possible and late planted or replanted fields may still be at risk.



"Soil Health Seminar"  Wednesday, September 6th in Albion

Register today for the Soil Health Conference Wednesday September 6th, 2017
·         Boone County Event Center Fairgrounds, Albion
·         9:00 am - 4:00 pm Doors open at 8:00 am
·         Featuring 20 local trade vendors will be on hand to display their goods & services.
·         Local farmer panel to share their experiences.
·         $10 registration fee to offset meal costs.  
·         Registration is web based, open now, and closes this Friday, August 25th :   http://extension.unl.edu./statewide/boone-nance/
·         Call Sherry Asche at 402-395-2621 extension 117 in Albion for more information.

Ray Archuleta, recently retired regional soil health specialist for USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service is a regionally respected expert on the systems approach to no-till, residue management and cover crops.  His approach mimics nature to build soils health and tilth to increase the ability of the soil to tolerate extreme climatic conditions.  In addition to needing fewer inputs, Archuleta’s approach reduces soil erosion while increasing water infiltration, water holding capacity, decreases moisture loss from evaporation, and generally improves the life of the soil.



Now's a Great Time to Evaluate Your Irrigation System
Steve Melvin - NE Extension Educator Irrigated Cropping Systems

By this time of year, everyone is ready to be done irrigating; however, now is the perfect time to evaluate your irrigation equipment and the crop it irrigated to see what needs to be fixed or improved before the start of next season. Many pivot service providers have excellent off-season service specials; however, some problems can only be diagnosed while the system is operating and before the crop is harvested. During the last irrigations, take a close look at how the equipment is working as well as how uniformly the crop was watered.

Before you shut down your systems for the season, take time to check them out and make a list of what needs to be fixed or improved to increase irrigation performance for the next season.

Sprinkler Packages, Leaks, and Pumps
Operating pressure is the key item to measure for center pivots. If the water pressure is not right, the system cannot work correctly. In addition, measuring the system flow will help with diagnostics.

In order to check pressure, you'll need a working pressure gauge and an understanding of operating pressure design for your system. The best place to find the designed operating pressure and flow is to reference the sprinkler chart, which came with the sprinkler package when it was purchased new with the pivot or as a replacement package. It is often placed in the pivot panel. The sprinkler chart is different for almost every pivot because every sprinkler package is custom designed for that pivot’s flow rate and length, thus the specific chart for the pivot being evaluated needs to be used. The sprinkler chart contains a lot of information, including
-    designed operating pressure and flow rate,
-    details about position of all the sprinklers,
-    length of each span, and
-    overall length of the pivot.

If you cannot find the sprinkler chart, request one from the dealer who sold the sprinklers.

Measure the pressure at the pivot point and near the end of the pivot.  Check the pressure at the end of the pivot when the last tower is in the highest point in the field. For the regulators to work correctly the pressure in the pivot mainline needs to be at least 5 psi over the rated pressure of the regulator.

Assuming the pressure was correct when the sprinkler package was new, if pressure now is too high, check for plugged nozzles or restrictions in the pipeline.

If the pressure is too low, it indicates too much water is exiting the pivot or there is a problem with the pump output. A flow meter is a helpful tool in this situation because it will tell you if you have more or less water flowing through the system than the design calls for. Sometimes producers assume the flow meter is bad if the flow is different than what the system is designed to provide. If this is a concern,  the flow meter can be removed and tested by the manufacturer to make sure it is operating correctly.

Irrigation pumps in wells can have a diminished flow for several reasons. Some of them are:
-    An internal combustion engine powers the pump and the speed has slowed down.
-    The water pumping level in the well has dropped, requiring extra energy to lift the water and thereby reducing flow.
-    The pump is damaged or worn out.
-    There is a restriction in the pipeline or a plugged well screen.

Low pressure with high flow rates indicates that more water is leaving the pivot system than was designed to. The excess flow can be coming from leaks, bad pressure regulators, or worn or missing sprinklers. Often these problems can be seen by just looking at the water pattern coming out of the pivot with the sun reflecting on it in the morning or in the evening. In a properly functioning system the water distribution should appear even with a gradual increase in water volume from the center point to the outer end. Worn-out pressure regulators and sprinklers can be hard to see, however, so consider replacing them every 8 to 10 years.

When looking at the sprinkler pattern, also note broken or missing sprinklers and damaged rubber boots where the spans connect. If a sprinkler needs to be replaced, take the sprinkler to the irrigation dealer or look it up in the sprinkler chart so you get the correct regulator and sprinkler with correct nozzle size for that portion of the pivot.

Another good way to evaluate the sprinkler package is to look for non-uniform circular patterns in the crop. Often they become visible in summer aerial images or if bad enough, from the combine cab at harvest. Do not rely on the combine yield monitor to pick up sprinkler problems because those areas are usually fairly narrow and the width of the combine head will often collect grain from both poorly and well-watered areas.

Pivot Tracks
Center-pivot track management can be a major problem in some instances. Note affected areas.  Wheel options and other techniques have been developed to solve most of these problems. Deep tracks most of the way around the field can indicate over irrigation and/or small frequent applications. Often, just using a better irrigation scheduling system can greatly reduce the track depth. If the problem is just in one part of the field, it may require changing something on the pivot (wheels, sprinklers, etc.) or adding pivot bridges or crushed rock to problem areas.

Leaky Gates and Gaskets
Furrow irrigation is a reasonably efficient irrigation system if it is well managed and maintained. However, leaky gates and gaskets can waste a lot of water and cause yield loss in the rows with the leaks. Evaluate each pipeline, marking problems on the pipe or piles of pipe so the problems can be corrected this winter. Many producers add shut-off valves to keep as much of the pipeline dry as possible to minimize water loss.



USDA NASS TO COLLECT 2017 SMALL GRAIN PRODUCTION AND STOCKS DATA

During the first two weeks of September, growers of small grains around the country will be contacted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The agency is taking a comprehensive look into the 2017 production and supply of small grains, which include wheat, oats, barley, and rye.

“The small grains industry is important to Nebraska agriculture and it is crucial for everyone to have accurate data about this key sector of the economy,” said director of the NASS Northern Plains Regional Field Office Dean Groskurth. “We will contact more than 2,500 producers in Nebraska to accurately measure 2017 acreage, yield, and production for small grains and the quantities of grains and oilseeds stored on farm.”

“Responses to the survey will also be used in calculating county yields,” explained Groskurth. “USDA uses county yield information from the survey to evaluate and administer vital farm disaster mitigation and insurance programs such as the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC). Farmers who receive this survey should use this opportunity to assure their county is accurately represented in the calculation of Nebraska county yields.”

NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

Survey results will be published in several reports, including the annual Small Grains Summary and the quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released on September 29. These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov. For more information call the NASS Nebraska Field Office at 800-582-6443.



Online Crop Residue Exchange Links Growers and Grazers 
Mary Drewnoski - Beef Systems Specialist

The Crop Residue Exchange is an interactive, online tool designed to help farmers and cattle producers connect and develop mutually beneficial agreements for using crop residue for grazing. A recent UNL survey funded by USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education showed that 17% of farmers list lack of access to cattle as the major reason cattle aren’t used to graze residue on their farmland. This new online exchange serves as a way for corn and other crop producers to market their crop residue to cattle producers.

The Crop Residue Exchange is available online at http://cropresidueexchange.unl.edu. After establishing a log-in account, farmers can list cropland available for grazing by drawing out the plot of land available using an interactive map and entering in basic information about the type of residue, fencing situation, water availability, and dates available. They also provide their preferred contact information. Livestock producers can log in and search the database for cropland available for grazing within radius of a given location of interest.

While the primary objective of this exchange is to assist in the development of farmer-cattle producer relationships, it’s expected that in the near future the exchange will provide educational material and tools to support these relationships. Items under development include
-    a lease template to help cattle owners and farmers develop a contract;
-    links to tools and guidelines to help farmers and cattle owners correctly stock crop residue fields,
-    and a  summary information on crop residue grazing rates.

These tools will be available to all registered users of the exchange.

Development of the Crop Residue Exchange was made possible with funding support from the Nebraska Extension Innovation Grants Program.



NAFTA Can Be Improved to Benefit Wheat Farmers

As formal renegotiation discussions for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) begin in Washington, NAWG continues to stress “Do No Harm.” In the next couple of weeks, negotiators from Canada, Mexico and the United States will commence the second round of NAFTA renegotiations in Mexico City, before heading to Canada for round three. NAWG recognizes some areas where the framework for cross border wheat trade between the three countries can be improved.

“The wheat industry can benefit from some enhancements to NAFTA. A good place to begin are the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules that the three countries already agreed to as part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations,” stated Chandler Goule, CEO of the National Association of Wheat Growers. “With the global push to reduce tariffs, non-tariff barriers (particularly SPS barriers) to trade are becoming increasingly common. It is critical that the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures in any agreement are transparent and based on scientific principles.”

“Another area in need of improvement is Canada’s grading system for U.S. wheat,” stated Goule. “Canadian wheat can freely enter U.S. elevators and receive a grade commensurate to its quality while U.S. wheat brought to Canadian elevators is automatically downgraded to a ‘feed wheat’ grade or the equivalent. This glaring difference is highly concerning and disenfranchises farmers near the border who can't take advantage of price premiums at Canadian elevators when they occur.”

“The new NAFTA can provide opportunities for both U.S. wheat buyers and wheat producers if negotiated correctly. NAWG will continue to work with the Administration to ensure wheat is present during the renegotiation discussions and that the new terms improve conditions for wheat farmers.”



CWT Assists with 88,185 Pounds of Cheese Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 1 request for export assistance from a member cooperative that has a contract to sell 88,185 pounds (40 metric tons) of Cheddar to customers in Central America. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from September through November 2017.

So far this year, CWT has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 47.076 million pounds of American-type cheeses and 3.013 million pounds of butter (82% milkfat) to 18 countries on five continents. The sales are the equivalent of 502.299 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

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 affects all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.



Syngenta introduces Force® Evo liquid corn insecticide for the 2018 growing season

Syngenta announced Force® Evo, an enhanced liquid corn insecticide, is registered by the Environmental Protection Agency and will replace Force CS, starting in the 2018 growing season.

“Force CS was a very effective insecticide for control of corn rootworm (CRW) and other early-season pests, but its liquid formulation had some challenges with handling and application,” said John Koenig, insecticide technical product lead at Syngenta. “After listening to growers’ concerns, we knew a more sophisticated, high-performing liquid formulation was needed for improved handling and increased at-plant efficiency.” 

After rigorous lab and field testing, Koenig said he’s excited about the performance and convenience Force Evo will deliver.

“Force Evo has four times lower viscosity than Force CS, providing better cold-weather tolerance and freeze-thaw performance for improved insecticide pumping and flowability,” Koenig said. “In addition, it’s compatible with 47 liquid starter fertilizers, allowing hassle-free use through existing closed, direct-injection application systems from John Deere and Raven.”

Among the three farmers from across the Midwest who were able to trial Force Evo this season was Michael Geurts of Marshall, Minnesota.

“What I really like about the new product is the ease of mixing with our liquid starter fertilizer,” said Geurts. “I’ve trusted Force for years as far as the insect protection it delivers, but Force Evo will give me the convenience I like of a liquid insecticide. Being able to load the boxes, couple the hoses and start planting knowing your roots will be protected is an investment worth making.”

Koenig said equipment cleanout will also be easier with Force Evo, since trials show it leaves four-to- six times less residue on equipment surfaces.

“At Syngenta, we listen to what growers are saying, which has a direct impact on the improvements we make,” said Koenig. “With Force Evo, growers will continue to see top-rated control of early-season pests, like corn rootworm, but have a better user experience.”