Extension Update from Jenny Rees

UPCOMING EVENTS:  
June 26:  Crop Science Investigation (CSI) for youth, 5:30 p.m., Please RSVP to jrees2@unl.edu or 402-440-4739
June 28:  South Central Ag Lab Weed Science and Cover Crop Field Day, SCAL near Clay Center, registration 8am, Weed Program 8:30-Noon, Free lunch, Cover Crop Program 1-3pm, Register:  http://agronomy.unl.edu/fieldday
June 29:  Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center Open House, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., former ARDC near Mead.  RSVP:  http://enrec.unl.edu.
June 29:  Cover Crop and Annual Forage Field Day, High Plains Ag Lab near Sidney, RSVP:  kjenkins2@unl.edu.
July 6-9:  Clay County Fair
July 6-10:  Nuckolls County Fair
July 10-11:  Youth Tractor Safety Class, 8am, Grand Island College Park (308) 385-5088.
July 10-15:  Fillmore County Fair
July 12:  Turf Field Day, 8 a.m., UNL East Campus, http://turf.unl.edu
July 17:  Crop Science Investigation (CSI) for youth, 5:30 p.m., RSVP to jrees2@unl.edu or 402-440-4739
July 18:  Crop Management Diagnostic Clinic:  Soil Health, ARDC (now ENREC) near Mead, 8-4pm RSVP http://ardc.unl.edu/cmdc.shtml
July 26-30:  Polk County Fair
July 27-30:  Hamilton County Fair
Aug. 2:  Crop Management Diagnostic Clinic:  Precision Ag Training, ARDC (now ENREC) near Mead, 8-4pm RSVPhttp://ardc.unl.edu/cmdc.shtml
Aug. 3-6:  York County Fair
Aug. 8:  Soybean Management Field Days, North Platte
Aug. 8-9:  Nebraska Grazing Conference, Kearney
Aug. 9:  Soybean Management Field Days, Ord
Aug. 9:  Nebraska Cover Crop Conference, during Lancaster Co. Fair at Fairgrounds
Aug. 10:  Soybean Management Field Days, Auburn
Aug. 10-13:  Seward County Fair
Aug. 10-13:  Thayer County Fair
Aug. 11:  Soybean Management Field Days, Tekamah
Aug. 18:  Rain Garden Installation Design Workshop for landscape professionals, Earl May in Columbus, Contact Kelly Feehankfeehan2@unl.edu
Aug. 23:  Crop Management Diagnostic Clinic:  Soybean Production Training, ARDC (now ENREC) near Mead, 8:30-5pm RSVPhttp://ardc.unl.edu/cmdc.shtml
Aug. 24:  Crop Management Diagnostic Clinic:  Corn Production Training, ARDC (now ENREC) near Mead, 8-4pm RSVPhttp://ardc.unl.edu/cmdc.shtml
Aug. 24:  York County Corn Grower Plot Tailgate, 5-7pm, 1416 Road I, York County.

Farm Finance Clinic Sites and Dates To sign up for a clinic or to get more information, call Michelle at the Nebraska Farm Hotline at 1-800-464-0258.

Crop Updates:  What a beautiful weekend!  Corn and soybeans are really taking off now and wheat is being harvested or nearing harvest. 

Bacterial leaf streak has been found in Adams, Clay, Thayer and Nuckolls counties thus far which is not atypical.  Just a reminder that this is a bacterial disease and a fungicide won’t stop or prevent it from spreading or developing.  Thus it’s really important to be able to tell the difference between it and gray leaf spot.  The lesion margins are wavy with bacterial leaf streak and blunt with gray leaf spot.  Both can have yellow-halos when backlit with the sun.  I typically see bacterial leaf streak look worse on the backsides of leaves.  When it doubt, please get your samples to your local Extension office or the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab.  For more information, please check out the following CropWatch article:  http://go.unl.edu/ouv6.

Weedy fields is all too common again this year.  Palmer amaranth and waterhemp have been my primary questions the past few weeks…how to control them.  Many of you took us seriously last year and spent the money for herbicides (pre- and post- with residual).  Unfortunately we still have palmer going strong.  Dicamba is going to be a good tool in our toolbox for us and it’s been reassuring for me to watch applications and talk to several growers and Coops who are spraying it correctly.  However, it also isn’t a silver bullet.   There’s a reason why we say 4” height with palmer.  I’m seeing palmer in soybean and corn fields sprayed with dicamba products kinking right away.  Some are dying, but last week I also saw new buds developing on kinked plants that were originally 12” tall.  We’re running out of herbicide options in the growing season so at this point, PPO inhibitors (burners), cultivating, and rogueing are the main options.  Two weeks ago I saw a 7” female palmer plant with burs already producing seed.  This is one weed we will continue to need diligence with in controlling it.  Check out this week’s UNL CropWatch regarding pre-harvest restrictions on soybean herbicides and a Q/A on palmer control:  http://cropwatch.unl.edu.

If you’re interested in research results regarding weed control including palmer, consider attending the UNL South Central Ag Lab Field Day this coming Wednesday, June 28!  Dr. Amit Jhala and his team will show plot results of various combinations of herbicide programs for corn, soybean, and sorghum.    Registration is at 8 a.m. and the weed field day runs till Noon.  Lunch will be served and then at 1 p.m., Dr. Roger Elmore and team will be sharing their research on cover crops.  There is no charge for either field day, but please pre-register for meal count at:  http://agronomy.unl.edu/fieldday.

Four Crop Management Diagnostic Clinics are upcoming the next two months at UNL’s Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead (formerly ARDC).  July 18 will be a soil health clinic in partnership with NRCS from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (registration at 7:30 a.m.).  Topics include: measuring bulk density, porosity and infiltration, cover crops, what is soil biology and what you can do to change it.  6.5 CCA credits have been applied for in soil and water management.  

A Precision Agriculture Clinic will be held August 2^nd with topics including:  FAA certification process and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations; basics of sensor based functions and economic optimal nitrogen rate; selection and applications of UAS sensors; UAS imagery data processing and much more.  Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., followed by the clinic from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  A total of 5.5 Certified Crop Adviser credits (nutrient management – 4.5 and crop management – 1) have been applied for and are pending approval for this clinic.

A Soybean Production Clinic will be held August 23 including plots with soybean growth and development at a range of vegetative/reproductive growth stages. Both the corn and soybean clinics will provide opportunities for hands-on interaction and viewing demos up close.  All aspects of soybean production and pest management will be covered.  Registration begins at 8 a.m. with the clinic from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.  A total of 8 Certified Crop Adviser credits (pest management – 4, crop management – 2, and nutrient management – 2) have been applied for and are pending approval for this clinic.

The Corn Production Clinic will be held Aug. 24 including plots with corn growth and development at a range of vegetative/reproductive growth stages and opportunities for hands-on interaction and viewing field demos up close.  A variety of production and pest management topics will be covered. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The clinic is from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  A total of 8 Certified Crop Adviser credits (pest management – 4; crop management – 2; and nutrient management – 2) have been applied for and are pending approval for this clinic.

Registration and information regarding all these clinics can be found at:  http://ardc.unl.edu/cmdc.shtml.

Lawn and Garden:  I’ve received a number of questions regarding lawns turning yellow/brown in only one larger patch.  In those areas, do you also have large trees in your yard?  For me and in the calls I’ve received thus far, the trees are taking up surface moisture from the grass.  Homeowners have been surprised how dry it was when I dug in the lawn.  Two weeks ago our evapotranspiration (ET) was 2.5” for the week in York.  While that may not always be the problem, if it is only one spot and there is a large tree in your lawn, perhaps focus water on that area and see if it recovers. 

Tomatoes:  I also received a handful of questions from people asking why tomatoes had blooms and didn’t set fruit.  They were asking if they needed more than one plant for pollination to occur.  Tomatoes self-pollinate so they do not need a second plant to produce fruit.  The same is true of peppers and beans which you also may be experiencing similar problems.  Stress events can interfere with pollination leading to flower drop with no fruit set.  Rutgers University shares that 70-85F are ideal temps for tomato growth and pollination.  High day (above 85F) and high night-time temperatures (above 70F) can cause tomato plants to drop flowers.  Humidity also plays a role as ideal humidity range is between 40-70%.  Humidity either too high or low interferes with pollen release.  So the key right now is avoiding over-watering focusing on deeper watering and hopefully in a few weeks we’ll all be able to see fruit set!