UPCOMING EVENTS: Â
Aug. 25-Sept. 4: Nebraska State Fair, http://www.statefair.org
Aug. 31: Ag Land Management Seminar, Registration 9am, Program 9:30-3 p.m., Adams Co. Fairgrounds, Hastings RSVP 402-461-7209
Aug. 31: Hamilton County Corn Grower Plot Tour, 11 a.m., west of M Road and HWY 34 on the south side, just past the viaduct.
Sept. 6: Sorghum Field Day, Mike Baker Farm near Trenton, NE, 5:00 p.m., RSVP (402) 471-4276west of M Road and HWY 34 on the south side, just past the viaduct.
Sept. 7: Sorghum Field Day, John Dolnicek Farm near Lawrence, NE, 5:30 p.m., RSVP (402) 471-4276
Sept. 8: Sorghum Field Day, John Dvoracek Farm near Farwell, NE, 11:00 a.m., RSVP (402) 471-4276
Sept. 12-14: 40th Husker Harvest Days near Grand Island, http://huskerharvestdays.com/hh17/Public/Enter.aspx
Nov. 13:Â Â So You Inherited a Farm, Now What? and Land Management Meeting, 4-H Bldg York.
Nov. 16:Â York County Corn Grower Banquet
Dec. 7: Farmers and Ranchers College: Dr. David Kohl, 1-4 p.m., Bruning Opera House, Bruning
Dec. 12:Â Grain Marketing Seminar, 4-H Building York
Jan. 10-11:Â York Ag Expo, Holthus Convention Center, York
Jan. 11:Â Crop Production Clinic, North Platte
Jan. 16:Â Crop Production Clinic, Norfolk
Jan. 18:Â Crop Production Clinic, Lincoln
Jan. 24-25:Â Crop Management Conference, Kearney
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 Update: With last week’s heavy rains in areas, some farmers are finished irrigating for the season. Crops have been slow in the filling process due to the cooler temperatures and cloud cover which can help with producing deeper kernels and help with test weights. Corn at beginning dent still needs 5†of moisture to finish; 3.75†at ¼ milk; 2.25†at ½ milk which is also considered full dent; and 1†at 3/4 milk. Soybeans need 3.5†at R6 which is the end of seed enlargement and 1.9†when leaves begin to turn yellow. Our full “Last Irrigation of the Season†publication can be found at: http://go.unl.edu/qntn.
Regarding the painted lady caterpillars severely defoliating fields in the southern tier of counties, the threshold is 20% defoliation with live larvae. Treatment will be a decision for you on a field by field basis depending on feeding, soybean stage, pod feeding, etc. The larvae will feed for two to four weeks before pupating again.
Reminder to please take our Dicamba Survey if you experienced damage to soybeans this past year: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VGXDBT9. The information is helping us as we piece together factors in various areas of the State. The information we’ve gleaned from the survey and numerous conversations is helping us make recommendations for avoiding situations like this next year and in educational efforts.Â
Also, another plug for the crop residue exchange. This tool is new this year from Nebraska Extension via the leadership of Jay Parsons, Mary Drewnoski, Daren Redfearn, and assistance from a few educators. During the drought of 2012, I was receiving calls from South Dakota, Colorado, and other parts of Nebraska asking if irrigated corn farmers in the area would be willing to rent out cornstalks for livestock. We realized there wasn’t a good tool to connect livestock and crop producers so we talked to USDA about potentially adding a tool like this to their hay hotline site. In the end it was decided to keep this tool separate. The goal is currently to connect livestock producers with crop producers willing to rent out their crop residues for grazing. In the future we hope to also add cover crop grazing as an option. In order for the tool to be successful, we need livestock producers seeking corn or other crop residue and crop producers willing to allow their residue to be grazed to register on the site. You can choose if you want to care for the livestock, take care of fences, water, etc. So we need your help to make this successful and would encourage you to please check it out and consider registering if you’re interested at: http://cropresidueexchange.unl.edu.
Sorghum Field Days: Sorghum farmers are invited to attend the 2017 Sorghum Field Days to be held at three locations during September. Field performance of commercial hybrids, on-farm field studies, and updates on markets, sorghum agronomics and checkoff activities are planned for the program.
The field stops include plot tours with management information and field studies from the plot cooperator; sorghum seed representatives will be available to share hybrid information. A meal and program follows the field tours. The meal program will include a sorghum agronomy update by Rick Kochenower, National Sales Agronomist for Sorghum Partners and an update of checkoff activities by the Sorghum Board. Ag West Commodities will also provide a market outlook at the Trenton location. Participating seed companies include Arrow Seed, Channel Seed, DeKalb, Dyna-Gro, Fontanelle, Hoegemeyer, NuTech Seed, Pioneer, and Sorghum Partners. Planning and coordination of the event is under the direction of the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board and Nebraska Grain Sorghum Producers Association. Locations include: Wednesday September 6, 5:00 PM – Trenton – Mike Baker Farm, Irrigated and Dryland Plots: (2.6 miles north of Trenton to Rd 717; go west 4.3 miles. From Palisade: South 6.7 miles, east 2.5 miles.). Thursday, September 7, 5:30 PM – Lawrence – John Dolnicek Farm, Dryland Plot: (From Lawrence, 1 mile East on Highway 4; turn North on Road 2700 – go 1 mile to Road “Xâ€; turn East – go ½ mile). Friday, September 8, 11:00 AM – Farwell – John Dvoracek Farm, Dryland Plot: (Off of Highway 92 at west edge of Farwell, go 2 miles North on Salem, 1 mile West on 15th Avenue, and 1½ Miles North on Tilden. Continue NW on Tilden going into the canyon (winding road will become 17th Avenue). Take 17th to Union, turn right on Union and go ¼ mile.)
Lawn and Garden: My front yard is extremely shady from a huge linden tree that is in need of pruning. If you also struggle to grow grass in the shade, there aren’t too many options, at least in Nebraska. I currently have a more shade tolerant Kentucky bluegrass, but the turf specialists actually say that tall fescue would be a better option. Fescues like sheep’s, hard, and creeping red fescue are often recommended in other states but are not the best for Nebraska. Consider other tall fescue varieties, wood mulch in tree areas, or other shade loving ground covers such as periwinkle or ajuga. Proper pruning can also increase light penetration to one’s lawn in a shady area.Â
Now is not the proper time to prune trees and shrubs, though. It is best to wait till winter dormancy. Kelly Feehan shares that, the plant may produce new growth that does not harden off before winter and is winter killed. Pruning may delay winter dormancy, setting a plant up for cold temperature injury. Pruning removes wood with stored food the plant may be needing to recover from a stressful summer; and tree pruning wounds made now will not begin to seal until next spring’s growth, increasing the risk of decay developing in the pruning wound. When possible, avoid pruning trees and shrubs from now up until after leaf drop, preferably when winter dormancy occurs. Â
Natural evergreen needle drop on white pines and spruces may also occur soon. Interior needles that are two to four years old may turn yellow, brown, then drop. This occurs every 3-5 years heavily on some evergreen trees. If you experience heavy needle drop on outer evergreen tree branches, this is most likely due to some type of stress. I’ve seen a great deal of rhizosphaera needle cast this year, including on my spruce tree. If you’re also experiencing red/purple discolored needles with black fungal structures in rows on the twigs, management next spring is the best option. Aim for fungicide treatments next spring when needles are half way elongated and repeat according to label instructions.
