PARP and Breeders and Feeders Banquet Information

Greetings Boone County!

There's some decent content on this blog which I hate to lose so rather than start an entirely new blog now that I've moved to Boone County I decided to just change the title even though the web address still has Clinton County in it. If, after a while, I find this doesn't work, particularly with searches, I may have to start from scratch but I'll go with this for the time being.

There are two upcoming events you may be interested in:

Ag Outlook and Pesticide Applicator Training Program

On Monday, February 24 we'll be having an Ag Outlook and Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program at the Farm Bureau Community Building at the Boone County Fairgrounds in Lebanon. The schedule for the day is as follows:

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon - Ag Outlook with Purdue Ag Economist Chris Hurt
Noon - 12:45 p.m. - Lunch
12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. - Palmer Amaranth Strategies with Purdue Weed Scientist Bill Johnson
1:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Insect Control Update with Purdue Entomologist Chriatian Krupke
2:30 - 3:00 p.m. - Reducing Pesticide Drift with Curt Emanuel, Boone County Extension


As usual, there will be a $10 fee for those receiving Pesticide credit. CCH's have been approved for Commercial Applicators.

I'll be sending out a letter with more details, including registration information, to all Boone County Private Applicators. Call the Boone County Extension Service at 765-482-0750 by Friday, February 14 if you plan on having lunch.



Breeders and Feeders Fish Fry and Awards Banquet

The Boone County Breeders and Feeders annual Fish Fry and Awards banquet will be held on Thursday, March 6 at the Witham Health Services Pavilion at the Boone County Fairgrounds. Tickets are available at the Extension Office or from Breeders and Feeders Directors. The cost is $7.50 for adults and $4 for children.

The Purdueettes will be the entertainment for the evening.

I'll have additional information on the banquet as we get closer.

Ear Rots in Corn

The most recent issue of the Purdue Pest and Crop Newsletter has a good article by Kiersten Wise of the Purdue Botany and Plant Pathology Department on identification of ear rots in corn. I haven't heard that there's much of this out there but I think we're all a bit gun-shy after the Aflatoxin issues we had last year. Conditions haven't been perfect for developing any of the ear rots but the growing season has placed some stress on plants and provided conditions where some of these may develop. The keys for managing these are to harvest affected corn as early as possible, dry it quickly and keep it separate from clean corn.

I'd post a picture or two but I'm writing this from my IPad and don't know how. The Newsletter has plenty anyway. I've linked to it below.

September 13 Purdue Pest and Crop Newsletter

Looking for Palmer Amaranth

I'm sure most of you have heard of Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri). If not, it's an extremely aggressive, invasive broadleaf weed, native to the desert southwest, that is usually very glyphosate- and ALS-resistant. To date it's been found in northwest and southwest Indiana.

I'm not aware that any has been found in Clinton County and I've been keeping an eye out as I've been driving around this summer. However as you'll soon be getting into your fields for harvest, I have a request; if you come across any Palmer amaranth when you get in the field, please let me know. I'll send that information on to Bill Johnson at Purdue's Botany and Plant Pathology Department. Purdue has a longstanding policy regarding pest reporting; when they identify where a pest is located to inform the public, they say what county it's located in, not where in the county.



Palmer Amaranth: Photo from Purdue Extension Publication WS-51, Palmer Amaranth Biology, Identification, and Management

At the bottom of this post I'll include a link to the Purdue publication on Palmer amaranth but for ID purposes, here's what to look for. The main distiguishing characteristic at this point in the plant's life will be an extremely long seed head, up to three feet long. Its leaf is wide and ovate and is not lobed like giant ragweed.

If you come across this weed, please let me know, either by calling the extension office or by e-mailing me at cemanuel@purdue.edu. Feel free to send me some pictures if you're not sure if this is what you're seeing, or yank out the plant and let me know and I'll come take a look at it.

Purdue Extension Publication on Palmer amaranth

Source: Purdue Extension Publication WS-51, Palmer Amaranth Biology, Identification, and Management by Travis Legleiter and Bill Johnson, April 2013.

Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program March 1

This is an update to something I posted a few weeks ago. The Clinton County Extension Office will be hosting a Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program on Friday, March 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Clinton County Fairgrounds, 1701 South Jackson Street, in Frankfort.

The program schedule is as follows:

• 10:00 a.m. - Bill Johnson, Purdue Botany and Plant Pathology, "Weed Control Update"
• 10:45 a.m. - Christian Krupke, Purdue Entomology, "Insect Control Update"
• 11:30 a.m. - Curt Emanuel, Clinton County Extension Service, "Fertilizer Application Regulations"
• 12:30 p.m. - Registration and adjourn.

In addition to Private Applicator credit, 3 CCH's are available for Category 1 and RT, 1 CCH for Category 14 Commercial Applicators. There is a cost of $10.00 for Private Applicators taking the program.

I do not need pre-registration for this program, just for the Ag Outlook Breakfast if you're planning to attend that earlier in the day.

Clinton County Private Applicators will be receiving notification of this program in the mail within the next few days. The exception to this is if you have already completed your recertification requirements or if there's no way you can complete them; if you've taken no classes so far and your license expires at the end of 2013(you can only take 2 classes in a given year). To check your recertification status, go to the Purdue Private Applicator Page. On the menu bar to the left select, "Private Applicator Records" and enter the appropriate information into the search.

You do not need to be a pesticide applicator to attend this program. Anyone who has an interest in the topics is welcome to attend. In particular, if you have questions about the new Indiana Fertilizer Rule, I'd encourage you to make the last session.

Thoughts on the 2011-12 Unwinter

I've wanted to post on the strange weather we saw this winter but haven't had a lot to add to what everyone else has been saying. In particular there's been a lot of discussion on possible insect impacts.

My personal feeling is that it will be hard to predict if we'll see increased insect pressure this year. Most of the overwintering insects have adapted to survive here so the sheer numbers may not be too different (and they may encounter disease and predation which they aren't adapted to) though emergence date will obviously change. I haven't heard of any insects which don't usually overwinter here surviving however there may be some early arrivals. What I think is more likely is that there may be additional generations and that the standard timing for insect impacts will be very different from usual. Again, nothing revolutionary or which you can't find in a lot of other places from people who know more than I. I think the key will be that this year will place an additional premium on keeping informed and up to date on what's going on. Purdue's Pest and Crop Newsletter is one good resource. Another is Bob Nielsen's site where he summarizes crop information from various sources - including for crops other than corn.

There isn't a lot of this grown in Clinton County but one thing I've been struck by is how quickly alfalfa is coming along. Growing Degree Day(GDD) accumulation is one way of determining when to make your first cutting and we're already close to 300 in Central Indiana. Craig Thomas from Michigan State University recently posted an article discussing the use of GDD's to determine when to harvest. There's a good chance this will be a four-cutting year if we get rain, as long as you make your first cutting in a timely manner.

In order to track Growing Degree Day accumulation a good resource is the GDD Tracker.

Outlook, PARP and Category 14 Test on Friday, December 16

I think it's time for me to provide more details about the December 16 programs which will be taking place at the Clinton County Fairgrounds, 1701 South Jackson Street, Frankfort, IN. Because there are three programs taking place that day, and because some require pre-registration and some do not, I'm dividing this post into three parts. You can click on the link below to get to whatever portion you're interested in without having to scroll through the entire post - the whole thing will be pretty long.

Ag Outlook Breakfast

Private Applicator Recertification Program
(includes CCH's and CCA's)


Category 14 Fertilizer Applicator Exam

Ag Outlook Breakfast

The annual Clinton County Ag Outlook Breakfast will be held on Friday, December 16, 7:30 a.m. at the Clinton County Fairgrounds 4-H Building. A free breakfast, sponsored by The Farmers Bank and Regions Bank, will be provided.

Purdue Ag Economis Chris Hurt will be on hand to provide his Outlook for 2012. The program is free to the public and is designed to help farmers, land owners, input suppliers, and those interested in agriculture make better business decisions in the coming year.

The volume of corn used for ethanol is expected to continue to be near record levels. In addition, China continues to excite the corn market with corn purchases for a second year with prospects for longer-term buying relationships. The program will review potential pricing strategies for corn and soybeans.

Increasing attention is being given to the growing fears of a double-dip recession. This program will outline why the economy is growing slowly and make predictions for future growth, interest rates, and inflation.

The livestock sector faces another year of high feed costs. Yet some animal product prices have also risen sharply over the past year. This means some animal species can afford these record feed prices. Regardless, consumers are experiencing the highest costs ever to feed their families.

Crop prices are up, but so are input costs for 2012. This program will outline which inputs are headed higher and how that may affect margins for 2012 and 2013. The battle for 2012 acres is already underway and the expected economic returns to various crops will be discussed.

Land values and cash rents are expected to move higher again in 2012, but by how much and what are the driving factors to watch? These and other topics will be covered.

Because we are serving a meal and need to know attendance numbers, pre-registration for the program is required. Please either call the office at 765-659-6380 or 765-296-3511 or e-mail me at cemanuel@purdue.edu if you are planning to attend. The registration deadline is 4:00 p.m. (Eastern) on Monday, December 12. Again, this program is free and open to the public.

This is always an interesting and informative program so I encourage you to attend. And thanks again to The Farmers Bank and Regions Bank for their sponsorship of this program.

Private Applicator Recertification

Following the Ag Outlook Breakfast we will be holding a Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program, or PARP. This program is scheduled to run from 9:30-Noon though I always caution people that if Chris is covering something very interesting at 9:25 I don't cut him off in the middle of it. I promise that it will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the latest.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Christian Krupke from Purdue Entomology will present an Insect Control Update and Glenn Nice from Purdue Botany and Plant Pathology will provide a Weed Control Update. Also, I know of a couple of people putting in some bulk fertilizer storage so the regulatory topic will be on bulk fertilizer and pesticide containment rules in case anyone else is thinking of going this route.

I have received CCH approval for commercial applicators and I am able to request CEU's for Certified Crop Advisors after the program so I always have the forms there in case any CCA's attend.

There is a cost of $10 for Private Applicators taking this part of the program. If you are paying by check, please make it out to, "PUCES." You must bring your current license with you as we need that to register you. If you don't have your license on hand we can register you with your social security number but it takes a separate form. Since we aren't feeding you, you don't need to pre-register for this program.

Also, this is not a program for people looking to get their pesticide license for the first time. The program is for people with an existing license who want to receive credit toward their renewal requirements.

There is no cost for Commercial Applicators or CCA's (unless you're also receiving PARP credit). However you will need to have their licenses with you to register.

Clinton County Private Applicators who need recertification credit will receive a letter about a week before the program. I do not send letters out to those of you who have already completed your recertification requirements or are unable to complete them - if you have taken no recertifications and your license expires at the end of this year. Hopefully everyone understands how tight budgets are and why we don't spend the $.44 on mailing letters out to those who don't need them.

If you need additional PARP credits, The Purdue Private Applicator Page keeps a calendar of all approved PARP's in the state. They also keep a page where you can check on your recertification status. As a reminder of the recertification rules, you must attend three PARP Programs before the expiration date on your license, with no more than two programs in the same calendar year. There is an online PARP you can take which will count as one program.

Finally, if you are interested in what Christian and Glenn have to say but don't have a pesticide license, feel free to attend. Much of what they discuss will be relevant to everyone, not just licensed applicators and as you know, not all products are restricted use pesticides.

Category 14 Fertilizer Exam

Beginning at 1:00 PM we will be hosting a Category 14 Agricultural Fertilizer Applicator Testing Session, also at the Clinton County Fairgrounds. If you are wondering whether you need a Category 14 License, I briefly discussed this last spring on this blog and the State Chemist has much more detailed information on the program.

This is a test-only session - no training. This is the link to the online Category 14 Training Manual. This is a very large file so if your connection is slow it may take a few minutes to load. There are programs around the state which include trainings, which you can find at this link. If you're wondering if you need the training, I always tell people that if you go through the manual and you're pretty comfortable with your knowledge of the material, the test shouldn't give you much trouble but if parts of it leave you feeling lost you should probably try to find a training program.

You must register for this program in advance. We must have at least 50 registrants for the State Chemist to come out and administer the test. As I type this on November 16 we have about 35 signed up so I don't think that will be a problem. However our maximum number is 100 which I have a feeling we'll reach before the registration deadline. In any case, the deadline to register is Monday, December 12 or when we reach 100 registrants, whichever comes first. All we need is a name and contact information in case we need to reach you for some reason (for example, postponing due to weather that day).

Please register by either calling the office at 765-659-6380 or 765-296-3511 or e-mailing me at cemanuel@purdue.edu. The program is free but if you haven't pre-registered and just show up, we won't be able to let you take the test.

Rules for those attending the program are as follows:

• Anyone needing Category 14 private and commercial certification
  
• Registration required
  
• No walk-ins accepted
  
• Testing for Category 14 only
  
• Testing limited to 100 registered individuals
  
• Will need a hand-held calculator for the test, but cell phones not allowed
  
• Will need a government issued photo identification to take the test
  

They don't say it in the official rules but please bring something to write with too.

December 16 will be a busy day. If you have any questions about any of the programs, please let me know.

Cutworm Problems

Cutworms Chewing Through Technology by Christian Krupke and John Obermeyer

• Cutworms are abundant, especially where weeds were plentiful before planting

• As predicted, seed insecticides and/or Bt corn are NOT controlling severe infestations

Numerous reports have been received of emerging corn being damaged by cutworms. As mentioned in previous Pest&Crop issues (#4, 5, 6, 8) the seed-applied insecticides and/or Bt traited corn will only provide suppression of cutworms. With the severe damage some fields are reportedly receiving, it is obvious that some producers did not scout fields after emergence to determine the need for rescue foliar insecticides.

Black cutworm is not the only species of cutworm present and damaging fields. Many reports of claybacked cutworm have been received as well. This species overwinters as a partially grown larva, so it is larger when the corn is emerging, compared with black cutworms, which begin their annual Indiana cycle as eggs in the spring. What’s important is that larger larvae, ≥ 0.5 inch, are not controlled by Bt proteins expressed in Herculex and SmartStax. Producers are unhappily finding out that black cutworm is the only species labeled for control with these traited-seeds, and rescue treatments are on their tab. And As we’ve learned in the past and hearing again this spring, the seed-applied insecticides (e.g., Cruiser, Poncho) provide only suppression of cutworms. They likely do a fine job of suppressing light to moderate infestations, but severe infestations are NOT controlled, even by the higher rate.

Cutworm control may be needed if 3-5% of the seedlings have obvious foliar feeding and/or plant cutting and live larvae can be found while digging around damaged plants. Higher label rates of insecticides should be considered if the soil surface is crusty and most cutworm activity is below ground. For a listing of foliar insecticides for rescue control, refer to “Corn Insect Control Recommendations – 2011,” which can be viewed by clicking this link.

If you have questions or for more information, please contact Christian Krupke or John Obermeyer in the Department of Entomology.

Crop Insurance and Underwater Corn

I'm hoping this blog helps some folks out there. I know it's helping me keep up on things.

There are a couple of articles in the latest edition of Ag Answers which may interest people. George Patrick, Purdue Ag Economist and Crop Insurance Guru has some advice for people considering using the June 5 corn Prevented Planting Provision.

And we're pretty familiar with this after the past few years (I'd just switched from Youth to Ag when we had the June, 2003 rains that transformed Clinton County into a marshland of rotting crops) but Bob Nielsen has an article about the response of the corn plant to ponding and saturated soils.

And it may be too wet to plant or do any fieldwork, at least in the northern part of the county, but it's not too early to do some scouting. The Purdue Pest & Crop Newsletter has some advice about things to look for. In particular, black cutworm could be a problem this year.

Also, a friend of mine in Tippecanoe County said she saw her first firefly last night. We all know this means corn rootworm won't be far behind (unless they all drowned?). I know Purdue is interested in how refuge-in-the-bag will work so if you planted some and you see something interesting (funky?) give me a call. I'm not sure if we can get a specialist to come out and look, though we have better luck than some people since we're close to campus, but I can at least take some pictures and send them in. And don't worry, the Purdue people (and I) are pretty good about confidentiality.

Lots of Late Planting Information

If you get the chance I'd encourage you to take a look at Purdue Extension Corn Specialist Bob Nielsen's Chat 'n Chew Cafe. Yesterday (May 23) included a bunch of articles from several states related to this planting season.

First Soybean Aphid Update of the Season

The Purdue Pest and Crop Newsletter includes the first Soybean Aphid update of the season. Based on this article, the chance of high early-season aphid levels is low with the usual pattern of problems more likely to show up in August. The article also cautions not to rely on seed treatments to suppress aphids as by the time they become an issue, insecticide levels in the plants are low.