June 11-12: Tractor Safety Training, Plains Equipment, O’Neill, (402) 336-2760, https://go.unl.edu/mcyy
June 12: Eastern Nebraska R&E Center Open House, 3-5 p.m., (former ARDC near Mead)
June 13: Jefferson County Wheat Tour, 6:30 p.m., near Fairbury, RSVP: 402-821-2151
June 13-14: Tractor Safety Training, WCREC, North Platte, (308) 532-2683, https://go.unl.edu/mcyy
June 14: Communicating with Farmers Under Stress, Noon-2:30 p.m., Extension Office Wilber, RSVP: 402-821-2151June 17: CSI for Youth: Focus on Soybeans, 5 p.m., RSVP jrees2@unl.eduJune 18: Wheat and Pulse Crop Field Day, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. ENREC near Mead, RSVP: 402-727-2775
June 18: West Central R&E Center Wheat Tour, North Platte, RSVP: 308-696-6783
June 19: Irrigation Scheduling to Save Money in Wet Years, Noon-1:30 p.m., Leadership Center, Aurora, RSVP: 402-694-6174
June 19: Wheat, Pulse, Canola Tour, all day, Henry J. Stumpf International Wheat Center near Grant, RSVP: 308-352-4340
June 20: Wheat Variety Tour, 5 p.m., near Alma, RSVP: 308-995-4222 June 20-21: Tractor Safety Training, Fairgrounds, Wayne, (402) 375-3310, https://go.unl.edu/mcyy
June 25: Keep Rural Worksites Strong Mental Health Workshop, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Seward Family Medical Clinic, $20, RSVP: 877-337-3573
June 25: Irrigation Scheduling to Save Money in Wet Years, Noon-1:30 p.m., Chances R, York, RSVP: 402-694-6174
June 26: SCAL Weed Science Field Day, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (Reg. 8 a.m.), South Central Ag Lab near Clay Center, http://agronomy.unl.edu/fieldday
Flooded Gardens: This was my top question last week. For those of you with flooded gardens due to ponding of rain water, it will be fine to use your produce and the following information won’t pertain to you. However, most of the calls I received were from those with creeks or rivers that flooded their gardens. In that case, it’s difficult to know what contaminants may be in the water. It’s recommended by our Extension horticulturalists to wait 90 days to use any produce that does not have contact with the soil and 120 days to use any produce that does have contact with the soil. For example, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, green beans could be harvested and eaten after 90 days. Fruit from trees and shrubs could be harvested and used after 90 days. However, rhubarb, potatoes, asparagus, squash and melon crops would need 120 days before harvesting to eat. Vegetables/fruits that are produced prior to the 90 and 120 day waiting period should be removed from plants and discarded. If the actual plants such as tomatoes, peppers, beans, etc. survive flooding, they do not need to be removed or replaced. You can allow them to continue to grow, just don’t use the fruit till 90 days post-flooding. Additional information can be found at: https://grobigred.com/2019/03/22/gardenflood/amp/?. Also, don’t harvest the morel mushrooms that are abundant this year due to the contaminants they’ve potentially been in contact with.
Crop Considerations: If you’d like more in-depth information regarding flooded/ponded corn/soybean, please check out this week’s CropWatch at http://cropwatch.unl.edu. We also shared a replant considerations article for corn in CropWatch. The tables in that article will be helpful as one assesses stands. Check corn, soybean, and milo for new regrowth 3-5 days after water recedes to determine potential survival. When it comes to assessing soybean stands for replant considerations, most UNL agronomists would say to leave stands of non-irrigated at 60,000 plants per acre and irrigated at 75,000 plants per acre. Honestly, my cutoff is 50,000 plants/acre for both irrigated and non-irrigated based more off of observation. A few on-farm research studies with lower actual stand counts include the following examples. 1-A non-irrigated field in Nuckolls County in 2006 was hailed at the cotyledon stage, so planted populations of 100K, 130K, and 160K became average actual stands of 74,417; 89,417; and 97,917 plants per acre with a 4 bu/ac yield difference between highest and lowest plant populations. 2-An irrigated field in Hamilton County in 2010 showed a 3 bu/ac yield difference between planted stand of 80K vs. 120K seeds/acre. 3-A York County irrigated field in 2018 comparing 90K, 120K, and 150K became final plant stands of 60,875; 88,125; and 121,750 plants/acre with yields of 93; 94; and 97 bu/ac respectively. So soybeans greatly compensate for reduced populations. Weed control may be another factor, depending on time of year, for soybean replant consideration. When in doubt, leaving some strips with the original stand and others with replant to test is also an option. I’ve also received questions regarding how much nitrogen to expect in the flooded/ponded soils. I don’t have a good answer other than soil samples will be helpful in determining this.
Wheat Diseases: I didn’t find any pustules looking at wheat in Nuckolls and Clay this past week. Stripe rust was confirmed in Perkins County and it was also found in Hamilton County by a crop consultant. While the model wasn’t showing as high of a risk, I’ve been concerned about our potential for wheat scab this year with all the rain. There are early planted wheat fields in which the flowering process has been completed. But there are a number of fields that are just fully headed now with beginning flowering to start soon. Upon flowering, your options for controlling any fungal diseases present on leaves as well as preventing scab are Prosaro, Caramba, and Miravis Ace. Research has found best timing to prevent scab is when 30% of the heads are at 15% flowering…basically early flowering. Flowering in wheat begins in the middle of the head.
South Central Ag Lab Weed Science Field Day: June 26th will be the South Central Ag Lab Weed Science Field Day near Clay Center. The field day will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with registration beginning at 8 a.m. Tours include: New Technology/Herbicides for Weed Control in Soybean; Herbicides for Weed Control in Corn; and a presentation by Bob Klein on “What Works and Doesn’t Work in Managing Spray Drift”. There is no cost to attend and CCA credits are available. Please pre-register at: http://agronomy.unl.edu/fieldday.
Keeping Rural Worksites Strong: This is a workshop for those who work in human resources, leadership and wellness roles, agriculture, and safety to create a mental health friendly workplace. It will be held on Tuesday, June 25 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (Registration 8:30 a.m.) at the Seward Medical Center in Seward. Topics include: stress and employee health; substance use issues in the workplace; identifying risk for violence in the workplace; employer’s role in preventing suicide; caring for employees; and being a mental health friendly worksite. Cost is $20 and includes light breakfast, lunch, and materials. Please RSVP to Four Corners Health Dept. at: http://www.fourcorners.ne.gov or (877) 337-3573.
