Building Strong and Vibrant New York Communities Cornell Cooperative Extension provides

equal program and employment opportunities

“Every increased possession loads us with new weari-

ness.” —John Ruskin

Announcements Friday, June 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Growing

Grains for Flour will be held at Cooperative Extension,

34570 State Highway 10, Hamden, NY. .The cost is $15 per

person – checks should be made out to “Cornell Cooperative Extension”

and mailed to 34570 State Highway 10, Hamden, NY, 13782 by June 12.

Write “flour grains” on the memo line and provide complete contact in-

formation. Snacks and beverages will be provided. Bring your own bag

lunch. Registration and requests for accommodations for persons with

disabilities should be made by June 12 by calling Extension: 607-865-

6531 or emailing Janet Aldrich: JLA13@CORNELL.EDU.

Sheep and Goat Workshop – Thursday, June 11th – 9:00

am to 4:00 pm - SUNY Cobleskill, Center for Agriculture

and Natural Resources building, Route 7, Cobleskill

(Schoharie County) - Dr. James Miller, (well known and re-

garded for his work in small ruminant parasitology, Interim

Associate Dean for Research and Advanced Studies at Loui-

siana State University) will be the main focus of our pro-

gram, sharing his information on the latest research and

methods of keeping your animals managed to reduce parasite

populations.. Faculty and staff from SUNY Cobleskill’s Ani-

mal Science Department on hand to assist with the fecal

analysis portion of the lab, and sharing some of our experi-

ences in raising sheep and goats – breed selection and pas-

ture management are two topic areas we are presenting upon.

Capital Area

Agricultural & Horticul-

ture Program Staff

Sandra A. Buxton

Farm Business Management

Aaron Gabriel

Crops and Soils

Tom Gallagher

Livestock Production &

Marketing

Steve Hadcock

New Farmer /

Market Development

Chuck Schmitt

Commercial Horticulture

(Greenhouse, Nursery,

Landscape)

The Ag Report is pro-

duced by

Aaron Gabriel

The NYS IPM

Weekly field Crops

Pest Report is at

http://blogs.cornell.edu/

ipmwpr/

Capital Area Ag Report

June 4, 2015

Page 2 Ag Report June 4, 2015

A light lunch and beverages provided. For more information, contact Dr. Cindi Shelley at

shelleca@cobleskill.edu or phone 518.231.0553

Tuesday, June 23rd, 1 pm to 3 pm – “Alfalfa IPM and New Technology – at the O.A. Borden

Farm, 2841 Valley Falls Rd., Easton. A field meeting about RoundUp Ready Alfalfa, Hybrid

Alfalfa, Low-lignin Alfalfa, Potato Leafhopper Resistant Alfalfa and how it affects integrated

pest management. RSVP and Questions to Aaron Gabriel, Capital Area Agriculture & Horticul-

ture Program, 518-380-1496, adg12@cornell.edu. TWO PESTICIDE CREDITS, CCA

CREDITS REQUESTED.

Thursday, July 2nd, 8:30 am—Famous Grazing and Holistic Planning Expert to Eastern

NY. At Ber lin Town Fire Hall, 11 Community Avenue, Ber lin, NY. Presentations begin

at 9:00 AM. Lunch will be served at noon at the same location with a pasture walk to follow.

The pasture walk portion of the day will be hosted at Black Queen Angus Farm, 630 Green Hol-

low Road, Berlin, NY 12022.

The Winter Green-up Committee, Cornell Cooperative Extension Albany County and

Black Queen Angus Farm, LLC will host a presentation and pasture walk by famed grazier and

Holistic Planning expert, Ian Mitchell-Innes. Ian Mitchell-Innes is a South African who began

high stock density grazing on his operation many years ago in an effort to take his farm into

both financial profitability and ecological enhancement.

Weather Data—June 2, 2015

I am sorry for taking so long to get the weather table updated. Until the recent

rains, we have been 3 to 5 inches below normal spring precipitation

Rain GDD 86/50 GDD 41

Location Past Week This Since

Past Week Since Past

Week

Since

Month April 1st April 1st April 1st

Granville 2.4 1.2 5.7 101 595 162 795

Whitehall 2.1 1.3 6.7 106 609 164 904

Argyle 3.0 1.0 5.6 97 610 158 867

Jackson 2.9 1.0 5.4 112 729 181 1047

Easton 1.3 1.2 4.0 104 657 168 929

Alb. Airport 1.4 0.8 3.8 116 668 178 939

Guilderland 1.3 0.7 4.0 101 619 161 854

Castleton 1.6 0.5 4.0 107 636 168 905

Hudson 1.8 1.0 5.7 109 675 170 950

Redhook 2.5 1.4 6.4 109 677 169 904

Page 3 Ag Report June 4, 2015

Both dairy farmers and beef producers as well as sheep and goat producers stand to gain

relevant knowledge on the planning and practices that make for a low stress, profitable grazing

operation.

The cost of this one-day event is $60.00 per person or $100.00 for two people from the same

farm. It is well worth the low cost. Lunch is included.

We will be meeting at the Berlin Town Fire Hall, 11 Community Ave. Berlin, NY

12022 at 8:30 AM with opening remarks and Ian’s presentation to begin at 9:00 AM. Lunch

will be served at noon at the same location with a pasture walk to follow. The pasture walk por-

tion of the day will be hosted at Black Queen Angus Farm, 630 Green Hollow Road, Berlin,

NY 12022.

For more information and to register, please contact Tove Foss Ford, Cornell Coopera-

tive Extension, Albany County at tff24@cornell.edu or direct phone line (518) 765-3518. You

can also reach Tom Gallagher at tjg3@cornell.edu or Morgan Hartman at mor-

gan@blackqueenangus.com or (413) 358-8435 for information.

Please contact Tove to register. We need registrations as soon as possible to best gauge

the number of lunches to provide. Please make checks payable to Cornell Cooperative Exten-

sion, P.O. Box 497, 24 Martin Road, Voorheesville, NY 12186.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015 from 5-7pm, Farm Transfer and Estate Planning Workshop at

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County 232 Plaza Road, Kingston, This work-

shop is free but please RSVP by June 10 so we can plan ahead. Refreshments will be provid-

ed. RSVP to Maria Rojas at 212-788-3814 or email mrojas@grownyc.org.

FYI A recent peer-reviewed study of 2,4-D that has been published (in press). Authored by Dr. Julie Goodman and two colleagues, this meta-analysis study examines the

carcinogenic potential of 2,4-D. Find it at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/

pii/S1047279715001568. Dr. Goodman and her co-authors concluded that “The epidemiol-

ogy evidence does not support an association between 2,4-D and NHL, gastric cancer, or prostate cancer risk.” Watch Dr. Goodman interviewed discussing her meta-analysis. A meta-analysis uses statistics to contrast and combine results from different studies to de-termine whether there are patterns among study results, sources of disagreement among those results, or other relationships in the context of multiple studies. A meta-analysis can tell us whether studies as a whole indicate a compound is likely associated with a health effect, like cancer. (from the Industry Task Force II on 2,4-D)

“Which (pastured) Chicken Should I Raise” is a SARE grant study conducted by a

farmer. Find it at http://onpasture.com/2015/06/01/what-chicken-should-i-raise/.

Page 4 Ag Report June 4, 2015

Agronomy—Aaron Gabriel

Soil Health: Our current drought situation is a pr ime teaching moment about soil health.

Until the rain at the very end of May, we were 3 to 5 inches below normal rainfall since April

1st. Then, we received a decent rain in a couple of days. I got 2.2 inches at my place—not

enough to saturate the soil. The question is, did all of that rain infiltrate your soil? Did you

have ponding? Runoff? Erosion? Often we do not realize that we do have control over the ef-

fects of weather. Except in extreme downpours, our management will determine how much

rain infiltrates the soil. Good soil structure (from appropriate tillage); a mulch layer of residue

on the soil surface; nurse crops; removal of hard soil layers; and crop rotation are just some of

the practices that will foster soil health. How much is an acre-inch of water worth? It is hard

to put a value on soil health, but we can give it a pretty good try. In Idaho, they say it takes 5

acre-inches of water to produce one ton of alfalfa. At $150/ton, an acre-inch of water is worth

$30/acre. For corn, an acre-inch of rain will produce 9 bushels of corn. That is $36/acre at $/

bushel corn. There is a value to soil health. What can you do to capture an acre-inch and gain

$30/ac?

How Do I Manage a Shortage of Forage? First cutting yields were repor ted as 50% or

less. Now what?

Fertilize grasses with up to 75 lbs of nitrogen per cutting. If dry weather continues,

then nitrate accumulation is a danger and forage should be tested for high nitrates.

For field that can be planted, plant a summer annual. Your choices are corn (a long-season

hybrid if planted after June), forage sorghum (one-cut); sorghum-sudan or sudangrass (two

cuttings, maybe three). Fertilize these summer annuals with manure before field prep.

Often new seedings have a few weeds. Lambsquar ters and pigweed are very good for-

ages. Side-dress corn to get good corn yields.

Purchase standing hay in those fields that seem to never get cut by your neighbors. I

am seeing several fields of grass that are still standing.

Plant winter forages in September/October so that you have an ear ly forage supply in

2016.

Plant oats in August for harvest at the end of September. Follow with rye planted in

October.

Fusarium head blight commentary, June 1, 2015 -- Gary Bergstrom, Extension Plant

Pathologist, Cornell University

Generally dry conditions over the past 10 days, when most winter cereals initiated flow-

ering in New York State, have resulted in a low forecast risk of Fusarium head blight epidem-

ics. However, general rains on May 30 and 31 with a forecast for more rain on June 1 may

change the risk predictions for late flowering fields. Check the Fusarium Risk Assessment

Tool (http://www.wheatscab.psu.edu/) and your local weather forecast frequently. The triazole

products Caramba and Prosaro are the most effective fungicides for suppression of FHB and

deoxynivalenol (DON) toxin contamination when applied at wheat flowering (emergence of

anthers on heads) or at full head emergence in barley (anthers begin to appear on barley before

Page 5 Ag Report June 4, 2015

heads emerge from the boot). There is an application window of approximately 6 days from

the beginning of flowering in which reasonable FHB suppression can be expected. Fungicide

products containing strobilurins should not be applied to headed wheat or barley as they may

result in increased levels of DON in grain. Leaf rust has been observed on wheat in northwest-

ern New York and should be expected in other parts of the state as well. Triazole applications

at flowering should provide adequate protection against early developing rust, powdery mil-

dew, and fungal leaf blotches on flag leaves.

New Alfalfa Seedings: Hay planted this

spring had a difficult start. Some alfalfa germi-

nated early (as indicated by the large plant in

the photo). And some is now germinating (as

indicated by the seedlings in this photo). This

photo was taken today, Thursday, June 4th. It

will take a while for alfalfa fields to grow in this

year. We will need more rain to keep them

growing—they are not “out of the woods” yet.

Migratory insects: Potato leafhopper , cutworm and armyworm moths have most likely

traveled to our area on the storm front that dumped rain on us at the beginning of June. Moni-

tor new alfalfa seedings for PLH, and your corn and grass fields for cutworm and

armyworm.

Barley: 2,4-D, dicamba,

and other growth regula-

tor herbicides must be

used on grains before the

“jointing stage. If you

cannot apply them this

week, then your herbi-

cide options for weed

control include Buctril, a

contact pigment inhibi-

tor, that is safe at any

stage of grain growth. It

will not kill large or per-

ennial weeds, but set

them back. Harmony Extra is another option that is safe

upto the flag leaf stage (a week or so away).

Corn & Soybeans: What I have seen looks pretty

good. Some heat will help them move along. Be sure to

control weeds early, especially in corn. We do not want weeds taller than 3” in corn.

This arrow points to the

“knuckle” of the first node. This

is the beginning of the “jointing

stage”.

Page 6 Ag Report June 4, 2015

Corn Herbicide Application Timings Posted: June 2, 2015, from Penn State “Field Crop News” http://extension.psu.edu/plants/crops/

news/2015/06/corn-herbicide-application-timings

Knowing the terminology is Important in corn herbicide application timings.

In the past there were generally two or three times when herbicides were applied in corn - pre-

plant, pre or postemergence. Now with more and newer products, post application timings in

particular are being subdivided into different timings (i.e., delayed pre, early post, mid post,

post, late post, etc.). Unfortunately there are no exact definitions for these various timings. In

general, the standard preplant, pre, and post definitions are adequate for most products, but if

you would like a more refined breakdown of herbicide application timings, please read on.

Below are some general guidelines to follow, based on our opinion. Keep in mind, these defini-

tions may vary between parties, so always refer to the product label for the proper application

timing with respect to corn and weed growth stages. (For a more in depth discussion and pic-

tures of corn growth stages, refer to the Iowa State website entitled “How a Corn Plant Devel-

ops.”

SEE THE TABLE ON THE NEXT PAGE

Just as a reminder, with the exception of Princep (simazine), Prequel, Verdict, and a few others,

most of the corn herbicides that are typically applied pre, also can be applied post. However,

their restrictions differ depending on the product and tank-mix partners.

Certain products are limited to corn no larger than 2-leaf stage (e.g., Instigate, Zidua), others

can be applied to corn up to 11 or 12 inches tall (e.g., atrazine, Harness Xtra, Keystone NXT,

Lumax EZ, Lexar EZ, Outlook, SureStart II, others) and still others can be applied up to 30-

inch tall (V8 stage) corn (e.g., Prowl H2O, Zemax, Halex GT). Refer to the herbicide label or

The Penn State Agronomy Guide (Table 2.2-12) for application timing restrictions. Also, once

the corn has emerged, do not apply these products in a liquid fertilizer carrier.

Contact Information Dwight Lingenfelter

Program Development Specialist Email: dxl18@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-2242

William Curran

Professor of Weed Science Email: wcurran@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-1014

Page 7 Ag Report June 4, 2015

Appli-

cation

timing

Number

of corn

leavesa

Number

of corn

collarsb

Average

corn

heightc

Weed

height WAPd

Comments

Pre-

plant 0 0 0 Varies 0

Typical of standard preplant or

preemergence applications such as

Bicep, Lexar, Harness Xtra, Zidua/

Anthem, Corvus, SureStart, etc.

Include burndown herbicides if

necessary.

Pre 0 0 0 0 to 2 0 to 1

Typical of standard preplant or

preemergence applications such as

Bicep, Lexar, Harness Xtra, Zidua/

Anthem, Corvus, SureStart, etc.

May need to include burndown

herbicide if weeds are present.

De-

layed

pre

0 0 <1 inch 0 to 2

inches 1 to 1.5

Ideal application timing for Prowl.

Other products can vary, see label.

Spike 1 (tightly

wrapped) 0 <2 inches

0 to 2

inches 1 to 3

Typical application timing for

Prowl

Early

post 1 to 3 £2 £6 inches

£3 inch-

es 2 to 4

Ideal application timing for Clarity/

Banvel and Basis Blend. Some

chloroacetamide ± atrazine prod-

ucts and Balance Flexx can still be

applied at this stage.

Mid

post 3 to 6 2 to 4

Up to 12

inches

2 to 6

inches 3 to 5

Typical of many post applications

(Glyphosate, Status, Steadfast Q,

Resolve Q, Callisto, Capreno, Ca-

det, etc.)

Post Varies Varies Varies Varies Varies

General term that may encompass

early, mid, and late post applica-

tions.

Late

post

(not

split)

7 to 11 5 to 9 12 to 20

inches

8 to 12

inches 7 to 8

Typical of some applications. Later

timings generally not recommended

except as a rescue.

Late

post

(as

split

treat-

ment)

7 to 11 5 to 9 12 to 20

inches

2 to 6

inches 7 to 8

May be the second application in a

planned pre/early post followed by

a late post herbicide program.

Layby

(use

drop

noz-

zles)

11 to 13 9 to 10 20 to 36

inches Varies 8 to 9

Layby refers to an application at

the last cultivation time or the

equivalent.