August 28, 2012 – SCN Meeting, 6:30 p.m.,Neil Beck farm, Hastings
August 29, 2012 – SCN Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Pete C. Schmidt and Sons Farm, Bellwood
September 10, 11, 13 &14 – 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. – Archery Safety Education, 4-H Building, York Fairgrounds
September 17, 20, 24 & 25 – 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. – Hunter Safety Education, 4-H Building, York FairgroundsSoybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) Meetings are Planned
Did you know that soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) cost Nebraska farmers over $45 million in lost yields last season and maybe more this year? Â Identifying fields where they are present and implementing management measures can help you recapture this lost yield.Four field days are planned a cross Nebraska and at each of the four sites, you will be able to: Â See SCN-resistant and susceptible soybean varieties, Examine cysts on infested soybean plant roots, Learn how to identify and manage SCN infestations, Receive a kit for one free SCN analysis ($20 value), Talk with specialists to get the answers you need about SCN, and enjoy a complimentary meal! Â
Sessions in our area include:
Hastings –- Tuesday, August 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Neil Beck farm
Directions: From Hastings, go 4 miles east on Highway 6, then 1 mile south on Maxon Road, 0.5 mile east on “J†Street. (north side)
Bellwood — Wednesday, August 29, 5:30 p.m. at the Pete C. Schmidt and Sons Field Day
Directions: From Bellwood, go 5.5 miles west on Highway 64 (1 mile east of junction of Hwy 81 and 64), 1 mile south on Rd B and 0.25 miles east on Rd 40 (north side)
For complete program details go to: http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/cropwatch/archive?articleID=4964160.
If you can’t make one of the field days, stop by our office, I’ll have sample bags and instruction on how to collect soil samples so you can have your fields checked for “FREEâ€, courtesy the Nebraska Soybean Board!
Cropping Update
The ETgages I’ve been monitoring dropped about 1.25†for the week, so crop water uses was much less then we’ve had for much of the summer.  The two corn fields near these ETgages are now fully dented and at about ¾ starch line, so crop water needs will be about 1â€, so we’re probably done for the season!  The soybean fields are past R6.5 with some of the varieties have leaves that are now yellowing and beginning to drop!  When soybean leaves start to yellow estimated water use is about 2†additional inches, so it’s important to not stop too early, but it’s equally important to not end the season with a full soil profile.
I’ve received a few calls about marketing or storing our dryland corn because of potential aflatoxin issues.  The reports I’ve received so far is that little has been found, but the best way to know for sure is to send the sample to a certified lab for testing!  The latest issue of CropWatch is packed full with information about testing, feeding and other resources related to this issue.  That address is: http://cropwatch.unl.edu.
Tom Dorn, Extension Educator in Lancaster County, who does much with grain storage and drying indicates that producers, whether rain-fed or irrigated, need to get your grain dried down to under 15% (14% is better) as soon as possible to reduce the potential for mycotoxin production in storage.  He suggests partially fill the bin(s) at first so the fan(s) will produce higher airflow rates (cfm/bu) and therefore dry the grain quicker.  Run a couple of rounds with the stirring system a few rounds each time you add 4 or more feet of corn into the bin to equalize the moisture content and prevent over-drying the bottom of the bin.  Don’t over stir however, as it can cause cracks in the seed coat that can allow fungal organisms entry into the kernels.
In addition to getting the corn dry, it’s important to cool the grain when air temperature allows.  This will slow the growth rate of the fungal organisms.  Run the fans whenever the air temperature is 10 degrees below the grain temperature until the grain is 30 degrees F but there is no need to get it colder than 30 F.  Tom has some great grain storage resources on the Lancaster Website, check it out at:  http://lancaster.unl.edu/ag/crops/storage.shtml. He’s produced and excellent publication EC710 “Management of In-Bin Natural Air Grain Drying Systems to Minimize Energy Costâ€.
Archery & Hunter Education Safety Training to be Held
I visited with Dan Barrett the other day and he asked that I remind young people as well as adults that he and other will be conducting both Archery and Hunter Education Safety Training in September. Â Classes will be from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the days listed in my Coming Events section of my column!To register go to http://huntsafenebraska.org. Â For additional detail contact Dan at 402-366-4380.
Improving Our Turf Quality
Just like for crop producers, it’s been a long irrigation season for homeowners and turf manages.  The grass water use has dropped off the past couple of weeks as a result of the cooler temperatures, the ETgage in front of our office dropped 1.2†for the week, but still not much for rain, only about .30â€.
It’s been a long hot, dry summer!  I just calculated the amount of rainfall we’ve had in our area since May 1st and it was just at 6†compared to an average of nearly 15†from May 1st thru August!  I’ve received several questions like will my turf come back and how should I attempt to improve it this fall!  Rather than prepare a column, I’m using info that Zac Reicher, our Turf Specialist posted August 6th on our turf website.  It answers many of the questions homeowners have as well as includes several great recently updated resources.
“With the prolonged heat and drought, almost all cool-season lawns in the north central US are likely damaged to a certain extent. Mid to late August is the time to dramatically improve damaged lawns to increase resiliency to weather like this in the future. The first course of action is to determine how much damage has occurred. If the lawn has been irrigated and is currently green, this should be easy to see. If the lawn has not been irrigated and is currently dormant, this requires either extended rainfall (not likely) or consistent irrigation to green-up the turf.
Depending on the species and damage of the lawn, the course of action ranges among the following three options:
1. For a moderately thinned lawn (no larger than softball-sized holes on a Kentucky bluegrass lawn or
baseball-sized holes on a tall fescue lawn), aggressive fall fertilization and broadleaf weed control applied
in late September through late October should dramatically improve the lawn.
2. For Kentucky bluegrass with larger than softball-sized holes on a Kentucky bluegrass lawn or larger than
baseball-sized holes on a tall fescue lawn, aerification and/or power raking followed by overseeding will
help reestablish turfgrass into the thin areas. Seed tall fescue back into tall fescue lawns. Seed Kentucky
bluegrass back into Kentucky bluegrass lawns unless you want to convert the lawn to tall fescue, in which
case overseeding with tall fescue across the entire lawn can be effective. Multiple years of overseeding
tall fescue into Kentucky bluegrass will be required to increase the percent of tall fescue in the lawn.
Regardless of the species overseeded, aggressive fall fertilization and broadleaf weed control applied in
late September through late October is required to further improve the lawn
3. If the lawn is severely damaged or has been perennially problematic because of species, soil type,
drainage, etc., now is the perfect time to start over with complete renovation. This may include regrading,
tillage, and/or incorporating organic matter into a clay soil followed by reseeding and aggressive postseeding care for most effective establishment. This should be done in August if you are choosing to use a cool-season grass like Kentucky bluegrass or tall fescue. Wait until May if buffalograss will be the future
grass on the lawn.
Zach and the turf specialists have many new and updated publications on our web page including:
1. Improving turf in the fall:http://turf.unl.edu/pdfcaextpub/LawnImprovementPrograms2010A.pdf
2. Choosing grasses and buying seed for lawns in Nebraska and the Northern Great Plains (2012):http://turf.unl.edu/pdfcaextpub/Grassesforlawns2012k.pdf
3. Establishing lawns from seed (2012):http://turf.unl.edu/pdfcaextpub/Establishingturffromseed2012l.pdf
4. Establishing lawns from sod (2012):<ahref=”http://turf.unl.edu/pdfcaextpub/Establishingturffromsod2012m.pdf”>http://turf.unl.edu/pdfcaextpub/Establishingturffromsod2012m.pdfâ€.
Check out all the latest updates at: http://turf.unl.edu/. Â Give me a call 402-362-5508 or email me at gary.zoubek@unl.edu if you have questions or want some specific info.
