Coming Events
- July 22, Extension Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Extension Office, York
Happy Fourth of July
I hope each of you and your families have a safe and happy 4th of July and celebrate the freedoms we have!
Cropping Update
Crops have continued to make good progress this past week. I was worried the corn was going to be pretty short on the 4th of July, but what a change this past week. The ETgages I monitor in York, east of town as well as south of town dropped about 1.50†for the week compared to 2.00†last week! The grass covered ETgage dropped 1.25â€. So for the week, turf used about 1.25†while the earliest planted corn I’m monitoring (V10 stage) used about 1.04†for the week. So like last week, pasture and turf has been using more water than corn and soybeans, but this will probably be the last week for that to happen.
As I mentioned last week, what a difference a year can make, the earliest planted corn and soybeans near my ETgage sites this year vary from V9-V10 for the corn and V5-R1 for the soybeans. Last year the earliest planted corn was just starting to tassel and the soybeans where at R2
I’m also monitoring some Watermark sensors and those earliest planted corn fields and the readings were reading 45, 35, and 10 in one field and 54, 14, and 5 in the other. These fields are in good shape because of the rains they’ve received the past two weeks. They show less than an inch of water uses so they’re good for at least another week.
What a difference from farm to farm and field to field this year. Fields from Henderson to Waco may differ by as much as 4†difference in rain for the month of June. That’s why some pivots are going while many other are not. If the sensor is reading 60, we’re estimating that the crop has used about ½ inch of water if you have silt loam soils. So if the two sensors are reading near 60, you’ve used about an inch of water. With the corn nearing tassel in the next week or two, you’ll want to monitor the sensors in all three foot depths. What we’d like to see is water being drawn from the third foot depth to show that you’re not pushing water and nutrients through the profile.
This past week, a couple of producers called in and asked about the rooting depth of corn at various stages. Corn with 8 leaves with collars exposed should have roots at 18†while corn with 12 leaves should have roots to 2’ or so.
Finally, if you have sensors installed in your field and have any questions about the readings, give me a call at 402-362-5508 or 402-326-8185, or email me at gary.zoubek@unl.edu. I’d be glad to visit with you about them and what the numbers mean.
Jenny Rees, Extension Educator in Clay County reported that Goss’s Wilt was confirmed in Clay County this past week. Since this a bacterial disease, fungicides are not effective on this disease, but if you’re considering trying one of the other kinds of products on the market, consider conducting an on-farm research comparison. Spraying the product in a paired comparison treatment design will provide information on whether the product made a difference in your field.
To conduct this research on your farm,
1. Spray a pass or round with the product (depending on sprayer size) to ensure you can harvest two passes from the center of the treated area.
2. Skip the same amount of distance as you previously sprayed.
3. Repeat steps 1-2 at least three more times.
For the latest information on Goss’s Wilt and other updates, check out CropWatch at http://cropwatch.unl.edu. The link to our NebGuide on Goss’s Wilt can be found on the CropWatch site.
York County Fair Just Around the Corner
It’s the first part of July, so the York County Fair is a little more than one month away. We’re always looking for volunteers that would like to assist the many Superintendents in the youth and open classes as well as the many activities and events during the week. If you’re interested, give me a call at 402-362-5508 or email me at gary.zoubek@unl.edu.
One of the things that I really enjoy at the fair is have a burger and a homemade piece of pie at the 4-H Food Stand! The last couple of years, we’ve run a little short on pies, so we need your help. Are you a 4-H alumni family, do you like baking pies, or do you simply want to help out the 4-H program? If you’ve answered yes, would you like to donate a pie or two to the 4-H Food Stand? If so, you can simply bring them to the 4-H Building Thursday – Saturday that week or contact our office at 402-362-5508 for more details. The 4-H program and all the visitors to the 4-H Food Stand will THANK YOU.
