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
