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Crops update

[APRIL 28, 2003]  Currently Logan County has about 80 percent of the corn planted and about 3 percent of the soybeans. As is always the case, producers can’t just plant it and forget it. Scouting for early season pest problems and stand counts is something that just has to be done.

Black cutworms are one of the most feared early season insects. Usually the cutworms don’t affect a large percentage of acreage, but they can be devastating on the ones they do affect. Remember that black cutworms don’t overwinter here. They are blown into our area as moths that lay eggs.

Based on moth captures in certain locations, it looks like the projected date of first cutting should occur after May 15 in the Logan County area. Cut plants are basically counted as stand loss in replant decisions. Treatment is usually warranted when at least 3 percent of the plants have been cut and you can find the cutworms present. Rescue treatments are available for black cutworms and usually work well. Recommended rescue treatments are one of the labeled pyrethroids or Lorsban liquid.

Sometimes cutworms will just clip leaves off corn plants. This may be due to the size of the larvae, the species of cutworms and the size of the corn. The first sign of cutworms being present is pinhole feeding on leaves.

Earthworm populations

A study that has just been completed by Eileen Kladivko from Purdue University deals with earthworm populations in different tillage systems. Why the interest in earthworm populations? Earthworms are normally considered an important part of a highly productive soil. They also improve both soil structure and tilth. Their tunnels provide for channels that can improve water and airflow movement. And the manure of earthworms increases fertility.

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The study dealt with different earthworm densities in silty clay loam fields near Purdue that had been under different tillage practices for at least 10 years. Continuous corn that was plowed had a density of 10 earthworms per square meter, continuous no-till corn had 20, continuous soybeans in a plow system had 60, continuous no-till soybeans had 140, bluegrass and clover sod had 400, dairy pasture with manure had 340, and dairy pasture with heavy manure had 1,300.

Comments were also made about the effects of pesticides on earthworm populations: "Most herbicides used in the Midwest are harmless or only slightly toxic to earthworms." "Some corn rootworm insecticides are toxic to worms, but narrower bands reduce their effects. In general, the organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides are harmless to moderately toxic, while carbamates are highly toxic."

Field crop scouting workshop series

The Logan County crop scouting series has been scheduled to begin on May 21 at the Blair Hoerbert Farm at 2506 100th Ave., San Jose. The workshop will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Approximately half the time will be devoted to classroom activities and the other half to hands-on scouting.

Other sessions are scheduled for June 11, June 25, July 9, July 23 and Aug. 6 at other locations.

To get your name on the list or get the complete schedule, send us your name, address, phone and e-mail address. (Logan County Extension, 980 N. Postville Drive, Lincoln, IL 62656; e-mail fultonj@uiuc.edu.) CCA credits have been applied for at each session.

[John Fulton]

Rep. Hartke appointed as
state agriculture director

Effingham County farmer and legislator to take post April 28

[APRIL 26, 2003]  SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich has announced the appointment of longtime state Rep. Charles "Chuck" A. Hartke as director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Though the position requires confirmation by the state Senate, Hartke will begin serving as acting director on Monday, April 28.

"Chuck Hartke has been a farmer for most of his life and -- even more important -- for the last 18 years he's been an advocate in state government for people whose livelihood depends on agriculture," said Blagojevich. "At this time of unprecedented budget pressure, Chuck's experience will be critical to my administration as we look for new ways to improve and promote Illinois' vast agriculture industry."

Hartke, 58, has served in the Illinois House since 1985 and has held a seat on the House Agriculture Committee just as long. Much of his legislative work has focused on helping Illinois' agriculture community. He sponsored legislation to improve standards for "mega hog farms," to invest in value-added products, to promote ethanol use, and to provide technical and financial assistance to independent farmers. He also is a member of both the Illinois Farm Bureau and the Farmers Union.

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Hartke grew up on a farm in Teutopolis in southern Illinois. After a tour of duty with the U.S. Army in Vietnam, he and his wife, Kathy, bought a farm a mile from the one on which he was raised. His son, Chris, now manages the 800-acre operation. Before his election to the Illinois House, Hartke was involved in Effingham County government and served on the county board from 1971 to 1974.

"Chuck Hartke knows the challenges our farmers face," Blagojevich said. "He'll do an outstanding job of making sure the state's agriculture policies and programs do what they are intended to do."

Hartke will earn $113,200 in his new post.

[Illinois Government News Network
press release]

Innovative multi-technology course
on plant diseases offered off campus

[APRIL 25, 2003]  URBANA -- For more than 20 years, plant pathologist Wayne Pedersen has taught several courses in the off-campus graduate program at the University of Illinois. This involved extensive traveling and time away from campus.

Last fall, Pedersen decided a change was in order. He developed "Diseases of Field Crops" into the first online graduate course in the Department of Crop Sciences.

"Since a great deal of the class involves the use of high-quality color slides, putting the entire course on the Web would not have worked for students with telephone connections; the transfer rate would be just too slow," Pedersen said. "Instead, I developed a CD that contains all of the lectures as well as class notes, old exams and quizzes, and additional references."

He prepared PowerPoint presentations for each disease or group of diseases and then added audio for each slide used in the class.

"Individual presentations are from 15 to 25 minutes long," Pedersen said. "That way a student can listen to the audio, take notes or replay the audio before going on to the next slide. At the end of every presentation, students are provided with several websites that provide additional information."

He notes that the students could listen to the lectures any time, rather than being tied down to a regular class schedule.

"Last fall nine students signed up for the course," he said. "Students were responsible for three to four lectures each week, and then a threaded discussion was held for three hours each Thursday night."

Pedersen used a product called WebBoard for the threaded discussion sessions. The format is similar to having several chat rooms, but a permanent record is kept until the end of the semester.

On a given evening, Pedersen can open three or four chat rooms or conferences, each on a different disease topic, and then post several questions to which students could respond.

"Some of the discussions were very lively, especially with the control of soybean cyst nematode, sudden death syndrome, or seedling blights on corn or soybeans," Pedersen said. "If a student had to miss a class, they could go back to the website and review all of the discussion on each disease. However, very few students ever missed a class. If they were traveling, they could connect to the Web and participate in the class."

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This format allowed Pedersen to include students in major conferences on soybean sudden death syndrome held in southern Illinois. The conference center let him use their computer for the discussion session. In addition, Oval Myers, retired breeder from Southern Illinois University, joined the discussion on control of sudden death syndrome.

"While I was skeptical at the beginning, I now believe this may be a better way to teach than to formally lecture," Pedersen said. "Students come to class prepared to discuss the topic or ask questions, rather than coming to class to sit and listen. A great deal of the discussion time is spent on current research, recently published studies, or information one of the students read or heard during the past week."

Although the CD was developed for the graduate class, several Illinois soybean growers have already tried it and found the information valuable.

"If they want a quick update on soybean rust, they can sit down at the computer and listen to the talk," Pedersen said. "If they want current information on soybean seed treatments and where they may be the most profitable, they can just listen to the talk on soybean seedling blights."

Pedersen is constantly revising the contents and hopes to have several guest lectures available. Craig Grau, plant pathologist from the University of Wisconsin, is preparing a talk on brown stem rot, and Dean Malvick, plant pathologist at the U of I, is preparing some lectures on alfalfa diseases. If things go well, there should be a new CD available every January.

The course is offered each fall and also is approved for 25 units of "certified crop advisor" credit. For additional information, contact Pedersen at whitemold@uiuc.edu or the following website: http://www.cropsci.uiuc.edu/ocgs/.

[University of Illinois news release]

Scientists confirm water hemp
with resistance to PPO inhibitors

[APRIL 24, 2003]  URBANA -- Weed scientists at the University of Illinois have recently confirmed at least one water hemp population, and most likely several others, in the state with resistance to PPO inhibitors.

"The one confirmed population is located in western Illinois," said Aaron Hager, weed scientist with University of Illinois Extension, "But, we also received several other anecdotal reports during the 2002 growing season of PPO inhibitors such as Ultra Blazer, Flexstar, Cobra and Phoenix failing to control water hemp in other parts of the state. This raises concerns that the resistance problem in Illinois may be more widespread than we first thought."

Hager notes, however, that it is unlikely that every instance of PPO inhibitors failing to provide complete control of water hemp can be attributed to resistance.

"Less than complete control of water hemp with PPO-inhibiting herbicides is not unique to the 2002 growing season," he said. "For many years, observers have noted water hemp control ranging from complete to less than satisfactory with those herbicides."

He points out that the regrowth of susceptible water hemp plants occurs most frequently when post-emergence applications are made to plants less than five inches in height or under adverse growing conditions, such as during extended periods when the soil is dry.

"Late-season applications of these herbicides also can result in poor control, when water hemp plants are very large and nearing the reproductive stage," Hager said. "It is important to emphasize that many instances of poor control cannot necessarily be attributed to herbicide resistance."

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Researchers from the U of I have already conducted several field experiments to determine the resistance characteristics of the water hemp biotype identified in western Illinois.

"We found that all soil-applied herbicides, other than acetolactate synthase inhibitors, provided excellent water hemp control 30 days after application," Hager said. "Even soil applications of PPO-inhibitors, such as Authority, Valor and Flexstar, provided from 86 to 99 percent water hemp control. This corresponds with researchers in other states who have reported good control of resistant biotypes with soil-applied PPO inhibitors."

At the same time, results from a post-emergence experiment showed that control with PPO inhibitors on the resistant biotype ranged from only 13 percent to 53 percent.

"We are currently conducting additional laboratory and greenhouse experiments with this water hemp biotype," Hager said. "In particular, molecular weed scientist Patrick Tranel and his graduate student William Patzoldt are attempting to determine the resistance mechanism and how the trait is inherited."

[University of Illinois news release]

Weekly outlook

Cattle prices

[APRIL 22, 2003]  URBANA -- Fed cattle prices are expected to move lower seasonally to an average of about $75 per hundredweight in the second quarter of the year and make lows in the late summer in the very low $70s, said a Purdue University Extension marketing specialist.

"By the fall, reduced cow slaughter and continued small fed cattle supplies should result in a strong price recovery back into the higher $70s," said Chris Hurt.

Hurt's comments came as he reviewed the current state of the cattle market, which saw cattle prices above $80.

"These prices were as welcome as the warm spring temperatures but will be short-lived," Hurt said. "Seasonal price declines will push cattle prices lower through the summer. Still, fed cattle prices are expected to remain well above last year's prices, which averaged near $67 per live hundredweight. For 2003, the USDA projects the average price at $76."

In the first quarter of 2003, prices got off to a good start, with finished cattle averaging $78 and highs over $80 in February and again in early April. For the quarter, beef supplies were down only 1 percent, yet prices were 11 percent higher. Contributing to the smaller beef supply have been limited numbers of cattle in feedlots and lighter marketing weights as managers "pulled" cattle forward in response to high fed cattle prices.

"The primary reason for smaller beef production is the declining size of the cattle inventory," said Hurt. "Beef cow numbers are in a seven-year decline as a result of poor returns for brood cow operations in the early portion of that period and to drought conditions in much of the Plains and western United States, during the past four years, which have limited forage availability."

The liquidation of cows has been active so far this year. In the first quarter, cow slaughter was up 9 percent from the same period last year. This included both beef cows (up 4 percent) and especially milk cows (up 14 percent).

"If it had not been for the large cow slaughter, beef production in the first quarter would have been down another 2 percent, with even higher prices," said Hurt.

The direction of cow slaughter during the remainder of the year is an interesting question, he added.

"The key to beef cow slaughter will be range conditions and forage supplies on the Plains and in the western United States," he said. "Current forecasts are for improving moisture conditions for much of the Plains through July. Portions of the Rocky Mountain States, however, may see only modest or no improvement. If this forecast holds, a substantial slowdown in the beef cow slaughter should occur this summer."

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The high rate of milk cow slaughter is related to low milk prices, increased feed prices, and large losses. Current projections from USDA are for milk prices to remain depressed through the summer before some recovery in the fall. Also, a favorable growing season this summer will lower feed prices and encourage the high rate of milk cow slaughter to abate by this fall. Slowing beef and milk cow slaughter should ease total beef production further this fall.

"Fed cattle supplies will also remain small for the rest of the year," said Hurt. "Currently, USDA reports that cattle-on-feed numbers remain down 8 percent. However, placements in March were up by 5 percent.

"This was the first time this year that placements have been above the year-earlier level and is an indication that feedlot managers are feeling more confident about increasing numbers."

While fed cattle prices are much higher than at this time last year, the same is not true for calves and feeder cattle. Those prices averaged about 4 percent lower in the first quarter. Oklahoma City 500- to 550-pound calves, as an example, were $97 per hundredweight this year compared with $102 in the first quarter of 2002. The lower prices are a result of higher feed costs due to last summer's drought. Feedlot managers are also hesitant to bid, given large losses in 2001-02.

"Calf and feeder cattle prices will likely follow a similar price pattern, with weaker prices this spring but recovery in the late summer and fall, especially if the prospects for this year's crop yields are favorable," said Hurt. "Returns for brood cow operations should remain favorable for several years, as heifer retention may finally begin in 2004, but it will be 2006 before subsequent beef supplies will rise."

[University of Illinois news release]

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