Ramsey County

 October 29, 2004

Howdy!!!!!
“Farmers Night Out”, read all about it.  This will be a great time and a very relaxing evening for Ag producers and their spouses.  There will be no agendas to follow other than the entertainment for the evening.  There are 2 free tickets for the farm or ranch family to pick up at the Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce for the evening event.  The non-alcoholic social starts at 6 pm with a catered dinner to be served at 6:30.  Entertainment to follow, at approximately 7 pm.  This event is being sponsored by several community businesses and is spearheaded by the Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce, Extension Office and FSA.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Has this weather been something or what!!!!!!  A farmer stopped by today and gave us the number of bushels he grew this year of the new releases of NDSteele and Granger.  I asked him how the harvest had progressed this fall and he laughed at me.  I asked him what was so funny and he laughed harder.  My farming experiences had similar results occasionally, so I know what he is talking about.  As I write this article, the western part of the state is receiving upwards of an inch of rain and if the weather keeps as it is, I guess snow might even be in our forecast.  I am finishing this article on Monday morning and the southeastern part of the state got drenched.  I have a friend, who lives at Oxbow, and said they received 3 inches in his rain gauge from 6 pm Friday to 8 am on Saturday.  

There have been many interesting questions again this week.  I was asked many question in Ransom County, every week, but the number is much greater here in Ramsey County and do I really enjoy it.  It really gives our office strength in our ability to help others in need.  What is even more fun is the variation of questions being asked: What should I do with my rose bushes?, Can I graze cattle on my corn ground?, Should I fertilize my trees and shrubs this fall?.  My all time favorite is: when will the sun shine?  Fortunately there are answers to all these questions except the “SUN” question.

Winterizing Strawberries???????
In our area, mulching is needed to protect strawberry plants from severe winter cold.  Strawberries have produced the fruit buds for next years crop during this growing season.  Exposure of these buds to temperatures as low as 20 degrees can seriously reduce the yield of quality berries next growing season. 

When the ground is frozen in the fall, cover your strawberries with a 4-inch layer of clean straw.  Wetting the straw after applying it on top of the strawberries will help keep the straw in place during windy days.  DO NOT DEPEND ON SNOW FOR GOOD WINTER PROTECTION.  Mulching also protects strawberry plants against rapid freezing and thawing in the early spring.

Leave the mulch on the plants until they begin to grow in the spring.  Check them very often and the first sign of yellowing leaves, remove the mulch at once.  The mulch will hold back the spring bloom until the danger of frost has hopefully left. 

Remove the straw from the strawberry plants and place between the rows.  This process will help as a weed barrier in your patch. This process would also shade the soil during the hot summer days and thus help in water retention in our strawberry patch. 

Hopefully these helpful hints will induce a very productive strawberry patch for the next growing season.

Head Rot in Sunflowers???????
Driving the countryside this past weekend you can’t but help notice sunflower fields getting that while looking appearance to them.  The cool, wet weather we have had the last weeks is very conducive to Head Rot.  What we really need is some sun so harvest can progress before less affected fields start showing signs of Head Rot.  Head Rot is a difficult disease to forecast, as we never know what weather conditions might lay ahead in the Agricultural world. 

There appears to be varieties that might show more tolerance to the pressure of Head Rot than others but there are other factors that come into play with disease.  Rotation has a very large role in this process along with weather factors. 

The best advice is to stay informed of not only the different varieties but also stay in tune with your cropping rotation.

Master Gardener Classes!!!!
This is a very early date to look forward too, but many questions have come to our office asking about Master Gardener classes.  I have been in contact with Ron Smith (NDSU Extension Horticulturist) and he mentioned classes would be available next fall for our community.  They offer classes one time a year and they usually start in the later fall but I will keep you posted when that time draws near.  Keep up the good work and look forward to meeting you and your garden questions next spring even though there are still many questions that are coming in during the fall season.

524 4th Ave #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - ramsey@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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