Small Grain Scouting

Even though the calendar indicates that we are in the middle of winter, the temperatures that we are seeing so far seem to indicate that it is going to be a mild winter. While reading an article on wheat diseases it was pointed out in the article that we may not see the level of disease organisms killed that would normally occur if we were experiencing typical winter temperatures. The same can be said for insects as well. Our winter annual weeds are also taking advantage of the balmy temperatures. What does this mean to those of us with a small grain crop in the field? The answer is to keep an eye on your fields as we might need to start scouting a little earlier. You do not want to be caught off guard by the occurrence of a disease or insect that you would normally expect later in your fields rather than earlier. Remember we are not the only ones experiencing a mild winter, the same is true south of NJ. So there is the potential for disease organisms and insect levels to be increased or move into the area earlier.

Bill Bamka

Mid-Atlantic Regional Agronomist Quarterly Newsletter 12/2011

Dr. Richard W. Taylor's Mid-Atlantic Regional Agronomist Quarterly Newsletter is available for download. 

Please note in the calendar of events that a number of meetings are coming up both this week and next week so check the calendar over carefully. Also feel free to forward the newsletter on to anyone else you think might be interested in the information. 
- R. Taylor

To subscribe, send request to: rtaylor@udel.edu

Rabin

Solutions for a Nitrogen-Soaked World - From Ag Professional Online

... strategies to help farmers maximize efficient use of fertilizer, rather than just maximize crop yield, including buffer strips and wetlands, manure management, and ideal patterns of fertilizer application. ...considers the cost of implementing them, and programs for buffering farmers against losses in bad years.

Please click for Ag Professional: Nitrogen is both an essential nutrient and a pollutant, a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion and a fertilizer that feeds billions, a benefit and a hazard, depending on form, location, and quantity. Agriculture, industry and transportation have spread nitrogen liberally around the planet, say 16 scientists in the latest edition of ESA's Issues in Ecology series, "Excess Nitrogen in the U.S. Environment: Trends, Risks, and Solutions," with complex and interrelated consequences for ecological communities and our dependence upon the resources they provide, as well as human health.

Producing and Marketing 100 Bushel Soybeans-Feb 9

The NJ Soybean Board will host this statewide meeting for soybean growers on February 9 at the Rutgers Ecocomplex located south of Bordentown east off Exit 52 of I-295. The meeting will run from 9-3 with a lunch included. Topics will include producing and marketing 100 B/A soybeans, new developments in research and marketing and timely management tips for 2012. Pesticide and CCA credits have been applied for.

Zane R. Helsel

Deadline Approaching!

NJ's Animal Waste Management Rule:
Are you in compliance?

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture adopted regulations in March 2009 that require all livestock farm owners to responsibly manage the manure generated on their operations--including those with horses, dairy cows, cattle, swine, goats, sheep, poultry and all other domesticated species defined as livestock. All New Jersey farmers with livestock are required to be in compliance with the regulations are by March 16, 2012.

See Rutgers Animal Waste Management pages for more information: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/animal-waste-management/

The Animal Waste Management regulations require all farms with any livestock to comply with the following General Requirements of the rule:

USDA Revises National Nutrient Management Standards

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced it has revised its national conservation practice standard on nutrient management in order to help producers better manage the application of nutrients on agricultural land. The inclusion of a “4R” Nutrient Stewardship plan calling for the right nutrient source at the right rate, the right time, and in the right place was applauded by organizations such as the Fertilizer Institute (TFI).