Get the dirt on soil testing from Dr. Angela McClure. She explains the benefits of testing in the fall and the biggest mistake she sees producers making when they soil sample. Listen to the end for info on discounts at the UT Soil Lab. Click to listen. Continue reading
Our forecast for the next 7 days contains ideal conditions for defoliating and opening bolls. In this blog, I cover my current 1 and 2 shot go-to mixes and briefly describe how I would approach defoliation without thidiazuron. Continue reading
Visitors to the Milan No-Till Field Day can hear presentations on research involving corn, cotton and soybeans. Due to growing interest in cover crops, two tours (10 total presentations) will be devoted to that topic. New this year – a tour devoted to managing resistance, a tour on fragipans, and a producer-led panel discussing personal experiences with precision agriculture technology. Continue reading
2018 County Standardized Trials (CST) wheat harvest data are now available. Our county trial yields were consistent with yields in much of the state, down around 15 bu from what we had last year. Late planting due to excess moisture and a cool, wet spring with delayed fertilizer and insecticide applications, didn’t get this crop set up for record year. 
UT Extension will be hosting three Soybean Scout Schools during July. Final details will be announced later, but these field-side programs last approximately 2.5 hours and cover the basics of soybean growth, scouting, pest identification, and general management. Pesticide recertification and CCA CEU points will be available. Scout Schools are offered free of charge with sponsorship from the Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board. Registration is not required. Participants will receive a scouting notebook and a sweep net while supplies last.
I’ve received several calls this week requesting information on whether or not to keep injured cotton and management after the injury. In this brief article, I will cover the ‘keep or discard’ decision and briefly cover best management practices after the decision to keep the crop has been made. Depending on your situation, you may need to document the injury and/or keep a portion of the field to determine the yield penalty. That information is beyond the scope of this article but should be available from your insurance agent or attorney. Continue reading
I’ve visited with several over the past few days who either started planting yesterday (4/30), who plan to begin today (5/1), or who will be planting by tomorrow (5/2). While we have a few very early planting-date trials established here in Jackson, none of our large-plot trials have been planted and none of our small-plot work requiring normal planting dates have been planted either. That will change for my program today (5/1). Continue reading
Below are links to the 2018 Cotton Focus presentations and they can also be found at http://utcrops.com/presentations.htm.
2018 Cotton Focus
Cotton Outlook, Dr. Aaron Smith
Bacterial blight and target spot – known impacts, Dr. Heather Kelly
Cotton Insects, Dr. Scott Stewart
Cotton Weed Management, Dr. Stanley Culpepper
Cotton Specialists Roundtable, Drs. Tyson Raper, Darrin Dodds, Bill Robertson, and Tyler Sandlin