In general, horseweed (marestail) populations are much lighter than usual. The only reason I can see for this is the very dry fall curtailed germination. This was not the case for henbit which is much more prevalent and more of a problem than usual. Continue reading
There have been a number of calls from folks dismayed by the poor burndown of henbit. Indeed I have seen it in research as well. In general, burndowns of dicamba + glyphosate or Verdict + glyphosate have not been very effective on henbit. Continue reading
Recent March weather has been really mild and corn planting has begun in some counties. We are late enough into March that I don’t think we are starting too early, even with the cool front and rain forecasted for early next week. But, if we knew what the weather was going to be like in April we would know how much March corn we should plant. Continue reading
Ryegrass control this time of year can be very challenging. Ryegrass is most easily controlled with glyphosate when it is very small or when it is headed out. Glyphosate will typically provide inconsistent control of ryegrass between these two stages. Some kind of two pass approach has provided the best ryegrass control in our research. Continue reading
I’ve gotten several calls about a source of pheromone and moth traps for southwestern corn borer (SWCB). Below is the source where we get our traps, and this is also our source for sweep nets. I strongly recommend that anyone who grows non-Bt corn invest in moth traps Continue reading
Based on comments made to me by growers in Tennessee, the enforcement of non-Bt corn refuge requirements appeared to increase in 2010. The update below is the better part of an article written by David Bennett of the Delta Farm Press. This may be a hint of things to come. The entire article can be found at http://deltafarmpress.com/corn/bt-corn-refuge-requirements-tightened (March 1, 2011). Last fall, in an attempt to tighten up Bt corn refuge requirements and oversight, the EPA imposed new Continue reading
Corn, soybean and wheat prices are down and cotton prices are mixed for the week. The March U.S. Dollar Index was trading mid day at 76.76, up .34 for the week. Continue reading
Cutworms are a very sporadic but potentially damaging pest in seedling corn. The black cutworm is the most common culprit, but other species may also occur. Cutworms tend to be more problematic in reduced-till situations. However, they can also occur in conventionally tilled fields. Tillage will destroy weedy hosts and directly kill cutworms, but that is only a good bet on fields that are well tilled during the spring, prior to planting. Continue reading