Extension Update by Gary Zoubeck [August 14, 2014]

Coming Events

• August 13, 9:00 a.m., Soybean Management Field Day, Stengel Farm near Shickley http://ardc.unl.edu/soydays
• August 19, 8:45 a.m., Switchgrass Bioenergy Feedstock Field Day, near Beaver Crossing http://ardc.unl.edu/2014CenUSAFieldDaysBrochure.pdf
• August 28, 5:30 p.m., York County Corn Grower Plot tour located on the Ray & Ron Makovicka farm located East of York ¼ mile East of the intersection of Road 14 & O

Soybean Management Field Day

Soybean Management Field Days are held each year at four locations across Nebraska. This year the nearest location to our area is in Fillmore County and will be held on August 13, 2014, at the Stengel farm near Shickley. Registration is at 9:00 a.m. and the program is running from 9:30 – 2:30 p.m.

One hour presentations will occur aimed at providing important research based data to soybean producers.

Topics will include:

1)  Herbicide applications, water quality and resistance management

2)  Growth development and growth enhancement products

3)  Soybean input study that includes row spacing, fungicides, insecticides and nutrients

4)  Irrigation management for soybeans

5)  Grain marketing/ag policy/risk management

This program is sponsored by the Nebraska Soybean Board in partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. Directions to the Stengel farm northwest of Shickley are (from Shickley, go west on Hwy. 74 for 4 miles, go north on county road 2 for 2 miles; it is located just west of intersection of county roads 2 & R).

For more information, go to http://ardc.unl.edu/soydays or call 1-800-852-BEAN.  I’ll plan on seeing you there.

2014 Switchgrass Bioenergy Feedstock Field Days

It’s not uncommon for farms to have troublesome areas where corn and soybean yields don’t quite measure up due to various physical features because of their vulnerability to soil erosion. These underutilized areas and marginal lands might be better suited for establishing perennial bioenergy grasses, especially switchgrass.

If you might be interested, plan on attending the Field Day near Beaver Crossing on August 19! There is no fee to attend the field day, but preregistration is encouraged for meal planning purposes. Registration includes complimentary noon lunch, refreshments, and field day materials. Preregister by calling UNL Extension at (402)624-8030 or online at: http://ardc.unl.edu/registration.shtml. Registration is at 8:45 a.m.; program at 9:15 a.m. More details at: http://ardc.unl.edu/2014CenUSAFieldDaysBrochure.pdf.

Topics will include:

1)      Genetics/Establishment/Management/Economics

2)      Harvesting/Marketing – Commercialization/Biomass Biofuel Conversion Process

3)      Switchgrass – Insect & Disease

4)      Alternative Uses and Environmental Benefits – Soil/Water/Wildlife

5)      Equipment Demonstration and Discussion – Drill and Harvest Swather

6)      Comments from CenUSA

Cropping Update

This past week the ETgages that I monitor dropped a little less than an inch or .9” for the week. That’s about .15”/day for our crops. For the week, I had a little over 2.25” or rain in the York area. I’m guessing some producers are beginning to think about that last irrigation of the season. We’re working on an update to our CropWater App that estimates the soil water based on Watermark Sensor reading. News additions will include the option of having 2, 3, or 4 sensors located at 1, 2, 3, and 4 foot depths instead of the three we now have. Another addition is the last irrigation of the season calculator based on our NebGuide.  I’ll share more about that app next week, but I ran a prediction in which I had a full profile on Sunday for our area with Hasting Silt loam soil and corn at dough and between rain and irrigation we’d need about 3” of water while corn at beginning dent would ned about .6”. When the update CropWater App is available I’ll let you know.

Hopefully we’ll continue to get a few more of those timely rains.

York County Corn Grower Plot Tour

I like to invite all area producers and other interested in the corn production to the annual York County Corn Grower Plot Tour planned for Thursday, August 28, at 5:30 p.m.  The 2014 plot is located East of York on the Ray and Ron Makovicka farm located ¼ mile East of the Intersection of Road 14 and O. I hope you’ll mark your calendar and plan to attend. We hope to cover several timely topics and hear from the seed Reps, the NRD as well as discuss a few of our new irrigation apps!

Lawn and Garden

I’ve received a few calls and questions about renovating turf this past week and August is a great time to be doing it. You want get it done the early part of August so that it emerges and gets some growth to help reduce the chances of winter kill.

If your lawn is thin and needs to be renovated, some key steps include mowing those areas shorter to reduce competition from the established grass, aerifying the area in two to three directions to get good seed to soil contact (power raking would also help), applying a starter fertilizer, selecting and spread a high quality seed. You’ll want to lightly water the newly seeded areas as needed (maybe as much as 3-4 times/day in order to keep the soil surface moist). Also mow frequently to limit competition from the established turf. Once you’ve cut the new grass a couple of time you can begin raising the mowing height to the normal 3-3.5”.

For information and complete details about improving your lawn check out the following publication “Improving Turf Grass in the Fall” at:    http://turf.unl.edu/pdfcaextpub/LawnImprovementPrograms2010A.pdf or stop by our office to pick up a copy.

The rain over the weekend was just what the lawns needed. You just cannot beat rain water.