Agriculture
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| Volume 1 Issue I April 2004 An MSU Extension Newsletter serving agriculture in the Tri-County Area | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Bringing Knowledge to Life |
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| INSIDE THIS ISSUE-CLICK ON
TITLE 2004 CAT Alerts Availabe on the Internet Field Crop Hotline Herbicide Restricitons in Grape Growing Areas New Water Use Legislation Unusable Pesticide Collection Pesticide Drift Management Plan is Required in Michigan 2004 Direct & County-cyclical Program (DCP) Signup Pythium Damage to Soybeans Corn Planter Maintenance & Calibration Efficient Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Preventing Anhydrous Ammonia Theft Sprayer Calibraiton is a Profitable Practice MSU Field Crop Information Now Available on CD Improving Tractor Performance Michigan Drift Management Plan Diagnosing Plant Problems Hybrid Maturity Selection to Maximize Profits in 2004 |
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| Dear Agricultural Producer: Welcome to the first issue of “Between the Rows” an agricultural newsletter for farmers in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties. The purpose of this multi-county newsletter is to provide you with timely information that will benefit your business. We realize that you receive agronomic information from a variety of sources. What makes “Between the Rows” unique is that the information is based on university research and completely unbiased. We will publish articles and summarize research projects from Michigan State University and other land grant universities in the Midwest. We plan to communicate with producers to identify local pest and crop management issues and use “Between the Rows” as one way to address these. We’ve all heard the saying that two heads are better than one. This is the reason we are combining our efforts to produce “Between the Rows”. Have a safe and productive planting season. Sincerely, Mike Staton
Dan Rajzer |
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| 2004
CAT Alerts Available on the Internet Timely crop and pest management recommend-ations for field crops, vegetables, fruit and landscape plants are provided weekly in MSU Crop Advisory Team (CAT) Alerts. The 2004 CAT Alerts are available on the Internet. The URL or address is: http://www.msue.msu.edu/ipm/aboutcat.htm The Berrien County field crops hot line will be activated on April 12, 2004. This recorded message will be updated each week with timely crop and pest management information. You can access the hotline by calling (269) 944-4126 ext. 4004. We are also available to help you solve any crop production/pest management problems you might encounter this season. Herbicide Restrictions in Grape Growing Areas The Michigan Department of Agriculture has restricted the use of 2,4-D in grape-growing areas since 1963. The restrictions prohibit applications of 2,4-D ester in designated grape growing areas between May 1st and October 1st. The amine form of 2,4-D can be applied as long as the nozzle pressure is lower than 40 psi and the boom is less than 24 inches above the target. Herbicides containing dicamba are not currently restricted by MDA. However, these products have the same potential to damage grapes as 2,4-D ester and should not be applied in areas where 2,4-D ester is prohibited. Contact your local MSU Extension office for a complete list of the townships and sections affected by the 2,4-D restriction. Two new water use laws will come into effect in 2004 - PA 148 and PA 177. Irrigators and other farmers that use large quantities of water should understand these laws and be prepared to comply with them. This article will provide a brief overview of the laws. Copies of the PA 148 and PA 177 are available at the following web site: http://www.michiganlegislature.org
Farmers can report to the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) at no charge or to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and pay $100.00. You must decide how you plan to report by October 1, 2004 or you will have to report to DEQ. Begin keeping monthly water use records in 2004 as you will need to report these in January of 2005. Your records must include the following:
PA 177 – Groundwater Withdrawal Disputes
Unusable Pesticide Collection Program The Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program is sponsoring an unusable pesticide collection program. Please complete the enclosed application form if you have any unusable pesticides that you would like to have disposed of in an environmentally safe manner. There is no cost for the program and all information is confidential. Pesticide Drift Management Plan is Required in Michigan Under Michigan law, private and commercial pesticide applicators are required to have a drift management plan in place whenever there is a chance that a pesticide application may drift onto non-target areas and off-site sensitive areas. To comply with the law you need to:
A sample Drift Management plan is at the end of this newsletter. This form can be copied and completed for each application where drift is predicted. Another possibility for developing a plan is to compile a written list of all the drift management practices you plan to implement each time you apply pesticides and have this on file. The advantage of this method is that you only have to develop one plan that you will follow on all sites. The disadvantage is that you must follow the plan for every application. 2004 Direct & Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) SignupThe 2004 DCP application deadline is June 1, 2004. Producers must visit their USDA Farm Service Agency office and sign a DCP contract (form CCC-509) to participate in the 2004 DCP. You must elect to participate in or opt out of the program each year. Pythium Damage to Soybeans By: Dr. Bob Nielsen, Purdue University If you haven’t taken the time to go over your planter or have it inspected and serviced by your local dealer, please take the time to do so before planting begins. Following are some general guidelines and tips for planter maintenance and adjustments:
Calibrate
Your Planter!
Efficient Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Due to high nitrogen fertilizer prices, corn growers will need to manage their nitrogen fertilizer carefully this season to remain profitable. The good news is that nitrogen fertilizer rates can be reduced without impacting yields if the following steps are taken. Livestock producers should take nitrogen credits for any manure they applied. If the manure was applied last fall, the best method for measuring the amount of nitrogen supplied by the manure is to take nitrate soil samples in early June. If supplemental nitrogen is required, it can be side-dressed before the corn gets too tall. Cash-crop farmers should also use the pre-sidedress nitrate test to determine how much nitrogen their soils can provide and subtract this from their fertilizer applications. Nitrate levels of 30 to 40 pounds per acre are common on non-manured fields in southern Michigan. Detailed information on pre-sidedress nitrate testing is available from your local MSU Extension office. Growers should use realistic yield goals when deciding on nitrogen fertilizer application rates. A reasonable yield goal is the average of the three highest yields from the past five production years in a given field. Nitrogen application rates can be reduced by 10% if most of the nitrogen is applied as a sidedress application in early June. Since the fertilizer is applied just before the crop’s peak demand, there is much less opportunity for losses with sidedress applications than there is with pre-plant applications. Take credit for nitrogen produced by the preceding soybean crop. Well-nodulated soybeans will contribute 30 pounds per acre of actual nitrogen to the following corn crop. Wheat producers should not take this credit as wheat’s peak demand for nitrogen occurs when the soil is too cold to mineralize organic nitrogen and release it to the crop. Good weed control will improve nitrogen fertilizer efficiency by ensuring that weeds won’t compete with the crop for the available nitrogen. Prevent volatilization losses when applying UAN and urea by implementing one of the following practices
Preventing Anhydrous Ammonia Theft Anhydrous ammonia is a key ingredient in the illegal production of methamphetamines. The drug makers have recognized and targeted agricultural nurse tanks as a source of anhydrous ammonia for years. Farmers and agri-businesses should take steps to prevent anhydrous ammonia theft to help curtail the illegal production of methamphetamine and prevent health injuries from accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia. The following ways to prevent anhydrous theft were extracted from Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet AEX-594.1 “Preventing Theft of Anhydrous Ammonia”.
Sprayer Calibration is a Profitable Practice Calibrating your sprayer is an excellent way to save money. According to Ohio State University Agricultural Engineer, Erdal Oskan , most farmers are over applying pesticides by as much as 23% due to improperly calibrated sprayers. A properly calibrated sprayer could reduce pesticide costs by 23%. Since a typical calibration takes less than 30 minutes calibrating your sprayer is a very profitable practice. Michigan Department of Agriculture Regulation 637 requires an annual calibration. However, you should calibrate your sprayer whenever you change to significantly different ground conditions or slopes as these factors affect ground speed and application rates. You should also recalibrate your sprayer each time you change liquid carriers or application rates. Other benefits of calibration are better pest control, reduced crop injury and less risk to the environment. There are several calibration methods. The easiest is the “Ounces Equals Gallons Method”.
MSU Field Crop Information Now Available on CD The CD includes MSU Extension bulletins, research impact sheets, weed control guides, crop trial results and crop advisory reports. “With the CD, farmers don’t have to run to their local Extension offices all the time to buy bulletins,” says Dale Mutch, MSU Extension specialist based at MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station (KBS). “It’s also easier to store than a stack of books.” With more farmers turning to computers and other digital technologies every year, the CD-ROM was developed by the MSU Extension Field Crop Area of Expertise Team to provide materials formerly available only in print with Web resources and contacts for MSU faculty and staff members. “We’re very excited about the possibilities that new technologies like CDs offer in helping to provide information and education,” Mutch says. “We plan to produce a new CD with updated research, technology and cropping information each year.” Farmers can purchase the CD from any county MSU Extension office for $25 or contact the Extension bulletin office at MSU by calling 517-353-6740 for information on how to order. It’s also available online at <web2.mswue.msu.edu/bulletins/intro.cfm>. The 2004 Field Crops Manual CD was produced by MSU Extension, the MSU Agricultural Experiment Station and Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs). Improving
Tractor Performance Table 1. Front and Rear Weight Distribution
Table 2. Load and Inflation Tables for Selected Radial Drive Tires for Speeds up to 25
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| Diagnosing
Plant Problems Call your local MSU Extension office if you would like help diagnosing plant problems occurring during the season. We will help you determine the cause and in some cases offer a solution. However we need to see the symptoms as soon as possible after they occur in order to diagnose plant problems correctly. Hybrid Maturity Selection to
Maximize Profits in 2004 Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties
MICHIGAN DRIFT
MANAGEMENT PLAN-- |
