Air April 11 - April 18, 2006

Alfalfa Weevil Update

This is Ag Outlook 2006 on 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte, Geary County, K-State Research and Extension Ag & Natural Resources Agent. We're just going to keep going on this alfalfa insect theme until we get to first cutting. Yes, weevil are out there and growing. And in addition to that, IF you've been out and scouting you are also probably seeing something else, namely aphids. In fact the aphids may be a bigger immediate risk than the weevil. Okay, let's review what we need to worry about. Most weevil larvae should have hatched by now. If you are finding more than 2 active weevil larve per alfalfa stem, not plant but stem, then you need to be sparying fairly soon. If less than two per stem, come back in 2 days and recheck. Fields that did not have the old growth removed by haying, grazing, flaming or flail chopping will have the highest risk and highest populations. Aphids are another story. We have three different aphid species that could be causing damage, but by far the most common is the pea aphid. IF you have planted a pea aphid resitant variety, and they are available, and are still having aphid problems, it could be one of the other two and I want you to call me! Our rule of thumb is basically if you have more than 5 aphids per stem per inch of stem height, you probably need to treat. If you have light populations, you are probably better off not treating as they can serve as a food source to allow beneficial insects to build up and provide natural control. The one thing that I would encourage you to do this year, is to make sure that whatever treatment you use, if treatment is needed, is to use something that has activity against both weevil and aphids. There's well over a half dozen products available, I'd look to the pyrethroids mainly because of short post harvest intervals. This has been Ag Outlook 2006 on the Talk of JC, 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte.

Stand emergence problems and replant decisions

This is Ag Outlook 2006 on 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte, Geary County, K-State Research and Extension Ag & Natural Resources Agent. One of the problems that many crop producers face every year is what happens if a crop stand doesn't emerge as planned and when do I decide to replant. Fortunately, for 2 out of the 3 major row crops, we tend to overplant enough so that even half a stand is often still enough. The first thing is to decide what is causing the poor emergence. Is it weather - this usually shows up in uneven patterns across the field. If there is a uniform or repeating pattern, you can bet on equipment problems. Rodents can cause sporadic problems, but in predictable areas, and so can soil insects. And even soil borne pathogens can cause problems, even if we did have treated seed. We need to determine cause because if we do need to replant, we want to prevent a repeat of the problem. As stands start to emerge, keep an eye out for possible problem areas. Dig around carefully in the soil to see if seeds are sprouting or not and then we can go from there. Replanting decisions usually have to be made in fairly short order. Delaying too much on replanting can really create growth and harvest problems with varying maturities. How many plants are enough? We need to evaluate that on a case by case basis. Rule of thumb - you need 1.4 to 1.6 corn plants per foot of row, 30 inch rows for a minimal stand. You need two to three milo plants per foot to get a decent yield and four to six soybean plants. Don't just try to eye it and say oh, it's two thin. Those stands I mentioned will look thin, compared to normal, but we have seen year and year again, that those are adequate populations to get a good yield. Planting is expensive, so don't do it twice unless you HAVE to! This has been Ag Outlook 2006 on the Talk of JC, 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte.

Caution with what I report

This is Ag Outlook 2006 on 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte, Geary County, K-State Research and Extension Ag & Natural Resources Agent. I have occasionally, over the 20 plus years that I've had these programs, got some folks upset because of what I've said. Especially where it comes to prices or opportunities or options - anything related to hard numbers and figures. Part of that comes from the language we all use, and just like anything written in an advertisement, you need to be careful not to ASSUME. When I talk about research done with roundup ready soybeans and using manganeese fertilizer banded at planting, I will report that studies have shown yield increases up to 10 bushels per acre. Does that mean you're going to get 10 bushels more soybeans guaranteed? Of course not! But if the studies show that there was a significant yield increase, then it usually means that in a normal year, you will get a yield increase from this practice that can be measured. If I'm talking about a preconditioning program in cattle or an animal ID program that can add $10 or $20 per head, does that mean you absolutely are going to see that at sale time? Of course not. Some producers don't need anything to get themselves a premium, there reputation does that for them. And some of these items, like the animal ID issues, may still be five years away. I'm simply trying to get you to think in a larger framework with these programs, let you know current events and let you know where the various enterprises may be headed in coming weeks, months and years. We are in an industry that has so many variables, that we are sometimes like a juggler, trying to keep the balls from hitting the ground. I'm just trying to help you identfy some of the more important balls so they don't get dropped. This has been Ag Outlook 2006 on the Talk of JC, 1420 KJCK, I'm Chuck Otte.

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