Jackson TN – UT AgResearch and UT Extension are hosting the annual Cotton Field Day on Wednesday, September 5th , 2012 at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center. Continue reading
The harvest of summer crops is moving at a rapid pace and producers will begin thinking about planting winter wheat. Below are some pointers and reminders about wheat production in Tennessee. Continue reading
Cotton, soybean and wheat prices are up while corn prices are mixed for the week. The September U.S. Dollar Index before the close was 81.24 down 0.36 for the week. A weaker Dollar is generally supportive for commodity prices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average before the close was 13,102 up 102 points today but down 56 points since last Friday. Crude Oil before the close was 96.55 a barrel, up 0.45 a barrel for the week. Comments today from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke while not unleashing an additional stimulus program did not rule out that one might be needed in the future. Continue reading
Sometimes it seems like all we talk about is bad news. Well the good news is that cotton aphids were not a big issue in 2012, and for the most part, they have only occasionally cause problems in Tennessee during the last decade. The bad news is that we have now confirmed that resistance to the neonicitinoid insecticides such as Admire Pro or other imidacloprid products, Centric and Belay is present in aphid populations in West Tennessee. Continue reading
I can’t say the phone is ringing off the hook. Farmers are busy and I sense grumpiness in some corners, but let’s not cut off our nose to spite our face. Stink bugs are becoming very common in fields in many parts of the state. Loopers are more sporadic but also present in some areas. I’ve previously mentioned that the pyrethroid insecticides DO NOT provide adequate control of soybean loopers. Unfortunately, the best treatments for loopers DO NOT provide adequate control of stink bugs. I’ve included a table below that illustrates this point. Continue reading
Currently Tropical Storm Isaac is forecast to track to the west then to the north of Tennessee over the next 5-7 days. If chances of rain continue to decline we could get back to making defoliation applications by Friday. Continue reading
A word of caution about jumping the gun on planting wheat. There are a lot of negatives and few positives of planting wheat prior to October in Tennessee. Continue reading
As reported by NASS on August 27, 2012
SOYBEANS AND COTTON COULD USE A RAIN. The weather is turning seasonally dry as some concerns are being expressed in major cotton and soybean areas about proper development. However, at week’s end, topsoil moisture supplies were rated 57 percent adequate or surplus, a level much better than the 29 percent five year average and last year’s 44 percent. A good general rain throughout the state is needed to maintain or improve the cotton and soybean crops from their current standing of fair-to-good condition. The corn for grain harvest picked-up momentum and was proceeding at a pace just shy of two weeks ahead of normal. Pastures look good, but armyworms are reported to be a problem. Continue reading