Traill County Ag Alert Newsletter


May 8, 2008


THIS IS MY SECOND YEAR OF WRITING THE AG ALERT FOR TRAILL COUNTY
Welcome to my second year of the “AG ALERT” newsletter for Traill County. Prior to Traill County I wrote the Ag Alert Newsletter for Grand Forks County for ten years. Ag Alerts will provide useful information for area producers and some interesting reading. We will be making a special effort to keep you on top this year’s “hot” topics as they develop.

 In addition to “hot” topics, Ag Alerts will contain information about crop growing conditions, crop pest control, and production practice recommendations. It will remind you of upcoming field days and serve as a general line of communication between your County Extension Office and you.

You can have Ag Alert delivered to your mailbox, or to your email address, every week from May through the end of August for a fee of $10.00.  Just clip the subscription form off the enclosed letter and mail it with your check. If you want it sent by email, be sure to accurately fill out the line for your complete email address. We know you won’t find a better deal than this today, so don’t hesitate – subscribe now!

Simply fill out the form on the backside of this newsletter and return it to our office at:  Traill County Extension Service, P.O. Box 730, Hillsboro, ND 58045 with your check for $10.00 made out to the Traill County Treasurer.

FIELD WORK IS PROGRESSING QUICKLY
The weather in April was more like winter than spring but the last few days have been great.  Rain certainly would be welcome since much of the small grain crop and corn is already in the ground. 
 

If it does rain, wait for fields to dry off. It is good to remember that demonstrating some patience is key if you want to avoid potential problems later in the growing season. Waiting until the soil has dried sufficiently before working will result in more favorable seedbed conditions, maximizing plant stands and final yields. 

SEEDING RATES FOR SOYBEANS

Seeding rates from 150,000 plants to 225,000 plants per acre do not change soybean yields in North Dakota. However, higher seeding rates, (about 180,000-200,000); are suggested for narrow rows, (12 inches); compared to wider rows, (24 to 30 inches). Fewer seeds per foot of row in narrow rows may have more difficulty emerging than wider rows if soil crusts should occur. Planting more seed may help overcome emergence problems. Soybean seed lots vary in number of seeds per pound. Seeding rate should also be adjusted for percent germination. For example: 180,000 desired plants divided by % Germ (.90) and then divided by 3,000 seeds per lb. Equals Seeding rate (67 lbs. per Acre)

 

Do not plant soybean deeper than two inches. Poor stands will result. Depth control is difficult in dryer seedbeds. Soybean needs a higher moisture seedbed to germinate well. 150,000 soybeans plants/A is nine seeds per foot of row in 30 inch rows, 6 per foot in 20 inch rows, 4 per foot in 15 inch rows or 2 per foot in 7 inch rows.

FOLICUR RECEIVES FULL LABEL FOR CONTROL OF SCAB & LEAF DISEASES
Folicur 3.6 has finally received a full label for the control of Scab and leaf diseases. The diseases listed on the label include leaf rust, stem rust, and stripe rust along with scab. The labeled rate for the control of scab is 4 fl. oz. per acre.

 Proline + Folicur is also labeled for a tank mix at 3 +3 fl oz/acre or 4 + 4 fl oz/acre for control of scab (Fusarium head blight) and certain leaf diseases in wheat.

 As always follow all label directions when using any pesticide.

PROCROP DATABASE
As you begin your spring field work, we want to remind you of an excellent source of information that will answer a lot of questions you may have regarding production practices, variety performance, pest control, soil fertility etc. for most crops grown in ND.  It is available on the NDSU Extension web site under a link called “PROCROP”.

This data base, edited by NDSU Crop Production Specialists, is updated each year to include new research information. It is very easy site to “navigate” as all information is categorized by the type of crop. In addition, it has a “Miscellaneous” category that will answer a lot of questions that are not crop specific but relate to a variety of production issues.

To get to the site, log on to:  http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/procrop/

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AG ALERT SUBSCRIPTION FORM

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Traill County Extension Office

P.O. Box 730

Hillsboro, ND 58045

701-636-5665 or toll-free1-877-843-6383

 

Contact us at:  NDSU.Traill.Extension@ndsu.edu