Farm & Ag News

The past three winters have caused considerable injury to evergreens. Many evergreens were damaged by the desiccation associated with drying winds and the sun reflecting off the snow during the winter of 2000-01. The unusual temperatures of the winter of 2001-02 prevented the trees from hardening off properly and some winter damage resulted. Then the…

Soybean aphids still a threat Soybean aphids are repopulating some soybean fields in the area to the point they need a second insecticide application. Remember, soybean aphids can double their population every 2-3 days. If even a few aphids survive the insecticide application, three weeks later fields can be at or beyond the economic threshold…

Aphid populations boom Numerous growers cornered me during the county fair and asked me for information about soybean aphids. This is a new insect so everyone, including Extension Educators, are scrambling to find as much information as we can for growers. We just don’t have enough solid data to accurately predict what triggers populations to…

The U of M Extension Service, Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District, Dairyland Supply, Inc. of Sauk Centre and Melrose Implement will conduct a Deep Tillage and Manure Application Best Management Practices Field Day in Stearns County. The field day is planned to take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28. Pre-registration for…

The Central Minnesota Forage Council and the U of M Extension Service will conduct a Forage and Dairy Tour at the Ken and Ralph Schefers farm in Stearns County on Tuesday, Aug. 19, from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. On the tour, see one of the U of M Alfalfa Variety Trial Plots. Craig Sheaffer, U of…

Soybean aphids arrive Fairly high populations of soybean aphids are appearing in area soybean fields. We expected the aphid to cause problems last year but only a handful of fields were sprayed. This year aphids seem to be quite common in eastern counties in the state. Populations are significantly less in counties farther west. Scout…

Landowners have until Sept. 30, to enroll in the “continuous sign-up” of the Conser-vation Reserve Program (CRP). Payments can be very good – comparable to cash rent in many cases, says Gary Hachfeld, regional extension educator. “Annual CRP payments for Class A land come to about $150 an acre,” Hachfeld says. Environmentally desirable land devoted…

Thermal heat stress can result in significant milk losses during the summer months. Many dairy producers suffered losses in production of up to 20 pounds per cow in 2002. Losses of this magnitude are preventable if heat abatement principles are applied. Capital expenditures on heat abatement systems have a rapid return on investment. Thermal heat…

I recently asked a dairy farmer why he had converted to organic production. He said, “Dr. Levins, I’m tired of trying to make my living on volume. I want to make it on price.” What a great answer. All of us, including me, need the occasional reminder that there is more to farm economics than…

As a result of the wet, humid weather, mushrooms are app-earing in many lawns. Home-owners are often searching for a safe, effective fungicide that will make them disappear.   Unfortunately, such a fungicide does not exist and there is little to do but let nature takes its course. Mushrooms in lawns are the reproductive, spore-producing parts…