Month: July 2019

Bagworms

By Ed Lentz, OSU Extension

The continuous rain this spring may cause us to forget that insects are still active. Often these insects may be controlled if insecticides are applied at the correct time. One of these insects that has reached that critical time for control are bagworms.
Bagworms can be a serious problem in town and on the farm. Bagworms can take out 20 foot tall trees in rural windbreaks, large evergreens in yards, and smaller shrubs around homes and businesses. .
Bagworms began to hatch from their protective cocoons several weeks ago. A few bagworms do little harm. However, many bagworms on a shrub or tree can cause excessive defoliation. A severe infestation may kill the plant within one or two seasons.
Bagworms do the most damage on arbor vitae and cedars, but will attack pines, junipers, spruce and at least 130 other trees and shrubs. They may not harm the deciduous trees, but they spread from these trees to more susceptible evergreens.

Bagworm

Larvae will begin feeding and start to build a camouflage bag with plant parts within a few weeks after hatching. They will continue to feed and eventually build a bag that is one to one and half inches long. Any dried and gray bags seen at this time will from last year. However, upon close examination, larvae can be seen with small new bags
Most of the emerging larvae will feed on same tree that contained their overwintering home. Others will form silk threads and allow the wind to carry them to adjacent trees. This is the most common way that bagworms spread from tree to tree in a windbreak planting. Rain events may have diminished the movement from tree to tree.
The most effective control of bagworms is to apply insecticides about two weeks after the first bagworms begin to hatch. This insures that all of the eggs have hatched from overwintering bags on the tree and the insects are in the crawler stage.
The Hancock County area has reached that two week point and spraying should begin on infected trees and shrubs. Spraying insecticide is an effective control until the larvae have made bags about ¾ inch in length, which generally occurs in late July.
Most foliar applied insecticides should provide effective bagworm control especially when applied to small larvae. One may want to consider the biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Bt). Bt products are more environmentally friendly since they are selective for larvae of many moths, such as bagworms, without harming beneficial insects.
However, Bt products have short residual activity and may require more than one application for control. Also, complete vegetative coverage is important for Bt products since the worm has to actually ingest the insecticide while feeding to be effective.
Bt products would work well at this time. However, if spraying is delayed until mid-July, one may need to switch to more traditional insecticides. The non-Bt products generally are more effective since the product only has to come in contact with the larvae. Whatever product is selected make sure it is labeled for bagworms and the tree or shrub.
Control will become more difficult once the larvae stop feeding and attach their protected mobile home to the tree. Hand removal becomes the only effective method of elimination at this time.
Bagworms generally attach their protective home to a stem around mid-August and then pupate inside. About a month later male moths will emerge and mate with females in the bags.
Females never leave the bag. After mating a female will lay 300 to 1000 eggs in the bag, die, and form a mummified body around the egg mass for extra winter protection.

Bagworm

Eggs will hatch the following spring to start the next generation. Tiny emerging larvae (crawlers) will start to emerge late May and early June depending upon air temperature and accumulating heat units.
Bagworms have become more a problem in recent years for our area. It was thought that numbers had increased from milder winters and warmer springs. However populations have continued to increase even after severe winter conditions.
If not controlled, bagworms can eventually kill a row of large trees in windbreaks, evergreen borders and valuable landscape plants. For more information on bagworms, visit the following websites: http://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-2149-10 and https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-27/E-27.html

2019 Agriculture Challenges FAQ Webpage Now Live

By Elizabeth Hawkins, OSU Extension

The unrelenting rains this spring and summer have created many challenges that the farming community is now sorting through. In order to help with decisions, OSU Extension has created a Frequently Asked Questions webpage. This page provides the most up-to-date answers to questions about topics ranging from MFP and disaster payments to cover crops, forages, livestock concerns, management of crops that are out of sync with normal planting dates, as well as answers to more questions as information becomes available. There is also an option to submit questions that you would like answered. Webinars with more detailed information will also be shared here. The page is available at go.osu.edu/AgCrisis. Since the situation we are facing is constantly evolving, be sure to check back for the latest information available to help you.

Forages and Cover Crops for Beef Producers

by Stan Smith, OSU Extension

It goes without saying, for many, what we’ve experienced in the beef cattle industry beginning last year and continuing to this point in 2019 is uncharted territory. In response to the struggle to get corn planted and hay made this year, lots of questions have resulted. Following are responses to a few of those most Frequently Asked Questions thus far:

I didn’t get my hay fields fertilized last fall or this spring. Can I fertilize it now that first cutting just came off without “burning it up?”

Yes, in fact immediately after first cutting is removed is a particularly good time to fertilize grass hay fields. The gain is not only in the benefit of replacing the P and K that’s been removed, but also the opportunity to give grass a boost from the nitrogen that comes along with most phosphorus fertilizers. There’s more about fertilizing hay in this BEEF Cattle letter article from a few years ago: http://u.osu.edu/beef/2015/09/02/have-you-fertilized-your-hay-fields-yet/

How much nitrogen could I, or should I apply now?

After a first cutting of predominantly grass hay, 40 to 50 pounds of actual N should optimize second cutting yield (assuming it doesn’t quit raining now!). The nitrogen that comes along with 18-46-0 should be stable, but if urea or UAN are used, applying them right before rain will help to minimize N volatilization losses.

I heard cereal rye made great feed when planted on vacant acres. I was thinking about using it as a cover crop to bale after September 1, but my neighbor said he planted it one summer and it never got over 8 inches tall . . . should I use oats instead, and why?

If you need forage or bedding yet this year, oats will be most productive of the two. Cereal rye is much like wheat in it’s growth and will not provide abundant growth until after it’s gone dormant this winter. Here’s more detail from an article that was posted a while back: http://u.osu.edu/beef/2011/06/22/why-oats-and-not-cereal-rye-or-wheat/

I hear that cereal rye and ryegrass would both make good covers for planting later this summer and that I could then bale next spring. What’s the difference, and which one do I want?

Ryegrass will result in higher quality feed while cereal rye may offer more tonnage from a single cutting. Cereal rye also makes better bedding than ryegrass.  If fertilized properly, ryegrass could offer a second cutting of high quality feed in the early summer. Here’s a more extensive comparison of the two from the Oregon Ryegrass Growers Commission at ryegrass.com: https://www.ryegrass.com/publications/cereal-vs-annual-final.pdf

I got some of what ultimately have become my Prevented Planting acres sprayed with herbicides. If I plant those acres to a cover crop for feed, are there any issues with grazing or feeding the resulting crop?

The only way to know is to check the label of the herbicides that were applied. The Ohio, Indiana and Illinois Weed Control Guide also has useful information in that regard.

If I plant soybeans (or other legumes) as a cover crop, what kind of cattle feeding complications should I be concerned with if I use these cover crops for silage, grazing or hay harvested after September 1?

Because excess fat from soybeans can depress fermentation in the rumen, the maximum amount of soybean forage that can be fed should be based on its fat concentration. Find more detail in this article from 2005 by Mark Sulc: http://u.osu.edu/beef/2005/08/17/harvesting-soybeans-for-forage/

I want to use Canadian feed oats for a cover crop, but in order to receive the recently announced NRCS EQIP cover crop cost share money for them, I must have them tested for purity, germ, and % weed seeds. Where can I get this done?

The Ohio Department of Agriculture can do this testing and presently there is no cost:

  • Farmers can send a one quart bag full of seeds for testing to ODA.
  • ODA sends the samples they receive to a lab out of state for testing.
  • Presently each Ohio farmer can get a total of 3 seed lots tested for free.
  • Turn around time on the tests would be 2 to 3 weeks depending on what day they are received.
  • More info from ODA on seed testing can be found here.

Agronomy and Farm Management Podcast

by: Amanda Douridas, OSU Extension Educator

The Agronomy and Farm Management Podcast has been releasing new episodes every other week since May 2018 and is set to release its 30th episode next Wednesday. To make it easier for listeners to find past episodes, the podcast has a new landing page at http://go.osu.edu/AFM.

Here you will find a listing of all past episodes, descriptions of what we talked about and links to additional resources. We cover a wide range of topics for corn, soybean and small grain farmers on agronomic and farm management topics. Episodes include legal topics such as leases, LEBOR, and hemp; timely seasonal topics like disease, insects and weather; and operational improving strategies related to nutrient management, precision agriculture and grain marketing.

Stay up to date on the latest episodes by following us on Twitter and Facebook(@AFMPodcast) and adding us to your favorites in Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. Give us a good rating and review if you like the podcast! If there is a listening platform you would like us to broadcast on or you have a topic suggestion, reach out on social media or by email at Douridas.9@osu.edu.

Above normal temperatures and precipitation will rule July

By Jim Noel (National Weather Service)

Even though it has gotten a little drier recently, the pattern around a big high pressure to the west and south of Ohio favors a warm and humid July with rain chances. However, there will be swings in the the pattern from week to week. The first week of July will offer a very warm and humid pattern with increasing rain chances. Week 2 will offer a cooler pattern but with continued rain chances. Week 3 and 4 will return to above normal temperatures and rainfall near normal. For the next two weeks, expect the average rainfall to be 2-4 inches across the state which is at or above normal.

Looking ahead to August, expect above normal temperatures with rainfall normal or above normal. It should be noted that the above normal temperatures will be driven much more so by overnight low temperatures versus daytime maximum temperatures. Maximum temperatures will generally only be a few degrees above normal while overnight minimum temperatures will at times be 5-10 degrees above normal.