Server: Netscape-Enterprise/2.01 Date: Mon, 29 Dec 1997 18:08:13 GMT Content-type: text/html
Annual Farm Visits Soon Approaching
Product Return Service Available
New Corporation Recently Established
Rising El Niño Cuts Odds of Drought
White Mold Can Still Be Controlled
As a part of the Ag Services program, and our commitment to service, we make farm visits to our customers each year. These farm visits enable us to get to know you better both personally and professionally.
The farm visit will also give us the opportunity to look at your operation first hand, and learn of any questions you may have concerning the programs and services we offer.
Together we can view the crops and discuss how the inputs used are working. We want to make sure all of your crop input needs are being met, and questions concerning your crops are answered.
In addition, we will ask for your input on how we can better meet your needs. We are now making plans for 1998 and want your input.
The farm visits will begin in July. The person assigned to visit your farm will be contacting you to arrange a time and date. Each visit takes approximately two hours.
If you have any questions concerning farm visits, please give us a call at 1-800-395-8505. We look forward to seeing you!
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With the growing season well on its way, you may find you have unused products. For your convenience, Ag Services will accept returns on unused product. We ask that you assist us in the process by using the following guidelines:
- If you have pesticide returns, please contact Ag Services' Shipment Coordinator at extension #119 prior to July 15, 1997.
- Please return only packages that are in salable condition. This would include any package that does not leak and is not soiled or damaged.
- In order to receive full credit on bulk tanks and pumps, please make sure they are empty and in good condition.
- In order to insure continued product quality, we are unable to accept return on bulk products.
- If you have any questions as to whether a product can be returned, please contact the Ag Services' Shipment Coordinator prior to July 15,1997.
In the next few weeks you will be receiving a Customer Satisfaction Survey. This survey will give you the opportunity to let us know how we're doing. We appreciate your time in completing the survey. Your opinion does matter to us!
Ag Services recently announced the formation of a new, wholly-owned subsidiary. The new corporation, Ag Acceptance Corporation, was established for the sole purpose of completing a new financing arrangement that will allow Ag Services to better meet the growing credit needs of all our customers.
Because of the formation of Ag Acceptance Corporation, you will notice some additional language on the invoices and statements we send to you. In addition, checks issued for sale of grain may be made co-payable to you and Ag Acceptance Corporation. However, these small changes will not affect the service Ag Services has always provided.
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The Corn Belt typically doesn't have a widewpread summer drought when an El Niño is strengthening, Iowa State agronomist Elwynn Taylor reminded us this week.
May brought signs of strengthening El Niño, a persistent weather pattern which starts with more intense high pressure over the western equatorial Pacific.
El Niño impacts usually show up in world storm tracks when the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) consistently exceeds a negative 0.8, indicating higher barometric pressure at Darwin in northern Australia compared to Tahiti farther east in the equatorial Pacific. The difference widened to a negative 1.8 at the end of May, from 1.3 a month earlier reports Kevin Marcus, CROPCAST.
This high pressure weakens, and sometimes even reverses, the normal westerly flow of winds along the equator. Sea surface temperatures often warm in the western equatorial Pacific as well. One of the most immediate impacts of this massive shift of energy: Eastern Australia's wheat and cotton regions turn dry.
Bill Kinimonth, head of Australia's National Climate Center warned of "serious consequences" for Australia: "We can be quite confident in saying that the El Niño pattern will persist for the remainder of the year and is likely to get stronger."
Australia's Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) warned that dry weather could cut Australia's winter wheat crop, now being planted for harvest in October and November, 15% below expectations - to 16.3 million metric tons.
The next weather signal to watch is the intensity of India's monsoon rains, which typically fade under El Niño conditions. Also, South Africa's corn and other grains often encounter dry conditions during El Niño episodes.
However, El Niño benefits are typically positive for the Midwest bringing moderate temperatures and normal rains.
This article was submitted by Professional Farmers of America (ProFarmer). For their newsletter information call 1-800-221-4352, extension 1121.
In recent years, Sclerotinia stem rot, a fungal disease commonly known as white mold, has become a problem for soybean producers.
What Is White Mold
The fungus is commonly found during prolonged wet and cool conditions and in areas of fields where air circulation is poor. Sclerotinia white mold is caused by the soilborne fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The first symptoms are the wilting and withering of the upper leaves soon after flowering. The leaves of the infected plant often turn gray-green in color before turning brown. A white, cottony growth appears on the lower branches, pods and stems of infected plants, originating at stem nodes. Large survival (reproductive) bodies, called sclerotia, are round to irregular-oblong in shape and brownish-black in color. They are formed on and inside the stem and occasionally in the pods, and can be seen by splitting open a stem from an infected plant. Plants die prematurely when the stems are girdled by the white mold fungus.
How to Control White Mold After Planting
Generally, soybean white mold is managed by variety selection and use of row spacing, which should be done before or during planting. After planting, there are still some things you can do to reduce the disease risk.
Benomyl, also called Banlate and Thiophanate, also called Topsin, provide good control for soybean white mold if applied properly. The fungicides have to be applied during flowering stage, 25 - 50 percent of full blooming for Benlate and about 50 percent for Topsin.
Although plant pathologist are still doing experiments, observations indicate that cultivation may reduce disease damage. Theoretically, cultivation reduces surface soil moisture, which reduces the production of apothecia, tiny mushroom-like structures that produce spores to infect plants. Fewer apothecia means lower disease pressure.
European Corn Borers are moving north! With the recent increase in northerly flights or European Corn Borers (ECB), producers thoughts now turn to minimizing any potential damage caused by ECB.
When the corn plant is small, less than 17 inches extended leaf height, it produces a chemical compound called DIMBOA. DIMBOA is a natural compound that is toxic to ECBs. After the plant passes the 17 inch extended leaf height, the DIMBOA is not concentrated enough to provide effective control. Later planted corn generally benefits from this natural protections during 1st Generation ECB.
Earlier planted corn is commonly the first choice of ECB moths. The moths move into the taller corn to lay their egg masses. After egg hatch, the larva move into the plant's center whorl. The larva feed on the leaves before they emerge from the plant. The pin-hole sized feeding is commonly referred to as "shot-holing." The presence of "shot-holing" itself does not justify an insecticide treatment. The presence of "shot-holing" merely indicates further scouting is necessary.
It is very easy to scout your fields for ECB. Simply move to a random area in your field. Try avoiding field margins or rows next to a grass waterway. Select five consecutive plants at a given location. Pull out the whorl and carefully unwrap the leaves to determine the number of live larva present per plant. Repeat this process in five to ten separate locations. Make sure you carefully note the size of any larva present. Treatment recommendations are based partially upon larva size. Your Product Manager, or local Extension office, can assist you in determining economic threshold levels.
It is important not to over-react to the presence of ECB. There are numerous natural control measures that may eliminate your need for treatment. Hot dry weather, heavy rains, and natural predators can all work in your favor to control ECB before economic damage is done. If a treatment is warranted, the larva should be sprayed when they are approximately the size of a dime. When the larva are the size of a dime, they begin moving down the plant to bore into the stalk. Once the ECB are in the stalk, insecticide treatments are ineffective.
It is important to remember that Bt corn can still show minimal signs of larva feeding on the leaves. The bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, located in the plant cells, needs to be ingested by the ECB in order for control to take place. The Bt protection will prevent the larva from developing to the stage where it bores into the stalk. This stalk boring is how the main damage is done to the plant by the 1st generation ECB.
Please contact your Product Manager for any questions regarding corn borer scouting techniques or treatment options.
As the temperature climbs, so does the corn or so the old saying goes. How fast is the crop actually developing? Are we ahead or behind of a "normal" year? When will various insects begin migrating into our fields? These questions, and many more like them, can be answered using the Growing Degree Days method.
The Growing Degree Days (GDD) approach is a method to standardize how many heat units are accumulated in any one given time. The GDDs can be used to predict the outbreak of a specific pest, or used to accurately stage crop maturity. There are different base factors for various items. Many insects use a base of 41. Corn uses a base of 50. The formula to calculate GDD is as follows:
Daily High Temp. + Daily Low Temp
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(-) Base Factor = GDDs 2
Example:
Daily high of 82 F; Daily low of 58 F; for corn (base of 50)
1). 82 + 58 = 140
2). 140/2 = 70
3). 70 - 50 = 20 GDDs
Corn does not do well under extreme temperatures. If the daily temperature exceeds 86 F, use 86 F as your maximum value. If the daily low is below 50 F, use 50 F as your low value. This will help account for the crops slower growth during extreme temperatures.
Knowing the average number of accumulated GDD in a growing season can assist in proper variety selection. A 100 day RM corn hybrid takes approximately 2500 GDD to achieve Black Layer. By comparison, a 111 day RM takes 2800 GDD to reach Black Layer.