2007 CropWatch News Archive

(Some out-of-date story links have been removed from this archive.)

December 14, 2007 - January 2008

Crop Production: Long-term no-till outyields tilled comparisons
Alternative Crops: Oilseed potential
Forage: Alfalfa and forage management including balancing pasture types; avoiding nitrate problems; alfalfa varieties with resistance to potato leafhoppers; and grass-alfalfa mixtures

November 30

Soil Fertility: Forecast for fertilizer prices; keeping production profitable with fertilizer price increases

November 16

Nutrient Management: The phosphorus index: new developments and issues; harvesting corn stover
Forage: What defines a "killing freeze" in alfalfa; controlling winter annual weeds in alfalfa; avoiding grain loss when grazing wheat

October 26

Soil Management: Confronting harvest ruts and gullies
Disease Management: Fall testing for soybean cyst nematodes
Nutrient Management: Delaying anhydrous until temperature drops
Organic: NRCS offers aid for transition to organic production

October 12: Focus on Seed Selection

Seed Selection: Selecting corn seed for disease management; understanding Bt hybrids and their IRM programs; importance of complying with IRM programs; farm-saved seed; selecting a disease-resistant soybean variety; when to order soybean seed treatment; selecting grain sorghum hybrids
Grain Storage: Four options for adding a bin fan
Forage: Harvesting alfalfa and preserving winter hardiness; how rain reduces feeding value of stalks; revitalizing warm-season pastures

September 28 - October 5

Disease Management: Soybean rust confirmed in Nebraska; aflatoxin in some southeast Nebraska corn; Market Journal on aflatoxin and corn diseases
Grain Storage: Aeration and stored grain temperature; tips for successful grain storage; temporary grain storage; reducing energy costs when drying grain
Conservation: Scout harvest fields for conservation needs
Soil Fertility: Soil testing to determine fertilizer need
Forage: Thistle control; hazards of freeze-damaged forages; grazing management to provide healthy grass

September 7 - September 14

Disease Management: Late season and post-harvest corn diseases; harvest and storage problems due to diseases
Forage: Adding fall lime for alfalfa; taking profit with quality hay; allowing recovery for warm-season grasses

August 24

Disease Management: Sudden death syndrome in eastern Nebraska soybean
Insect Management: Webworms in alfalfa and soybeans; green cloverworms in soybeans
Weather: Soil moisture levels quite variable across the state; historical climate trends differ from national forecasts
Grain Storage: Preparing bins and equipment for storage; value of larger diameter bins
Forage: Controlling late season pasture weeds; value of cover crops; timing key to best silage
Farm Management: Nebraska farm real estate value and cash rents higher

August 10

Wheat: Recapping the wheat season; development of a wheat variety; soil sampling and fertilizing; wheat variety selection and seeding rates; online wheat variety tour; impact of Plant Variety Protection Act; impact of summer fallow replacement crops on winter wheat; hard white wheat update; seed treatments; Controlling volunteer wheat to limit wheat streak mosaic; controlling winter annual weeds
Corn: Update on corn diseases
Insect Management: Greenbug numbers increasing in sorghum

July 27

Insect Management: Scouting alerts for whiteflies, immature grasshoppers and 2nd generation European corn borer moths; corn rootworm scouting numbers for production decisions
Disease Management: Southern rust in Nebraska corn; soybean rust in Texas and Oklahoma
Forage: Grazing downed corn; planting turnips for winter grazing
Wheat: Ordering wheat seed

July 13

Corn: Smut, spots, rusts and mimics in corn; results of Nebraska foliar fungicide trials on corn; corn rootworm assessment
Soybean: New state SCN record; soybean defoliation and potential impact on yields
Wheat: Mid-season survey of winter wheat; seeding forages into wheat stubble
Forage: Thinning alfalfa fields

June 29, 2007

Insect Management: Treating western bean cutworm; soybean aphid biology and management
Disease Management: Black chaff in wheat; integrated management of eastern redcedar;
Wheat: Hard white wheat crop update
Forage: When alfalfa doesn't recover quickly; removing hay bales after harvest; rotational grazing benefits

June 22, 2007

Insect Management: Armyworm alert
Wheat: Wheat scab extends into southwest Nebraska; harvesting damaged wheat
Forage: Managing windrow disease in alfalfa; tips for planting forages after wheat; making hay when the sun shines; replanting forages after bad weather

June 15, 2007

Corn: Panhandle sustains significant freeze damage
Soybean: On-farm soybean population research; risk of soybean rust disease reduced
Wheat: Wheat scab (fusarium head blight) widespread 
Insect Management: Scout for European corn borer moths; common stalk borer damage; managing potato leafhoppers in alfalfa
Weed Management: Herbicides for summer pasture weed control; controlling buckbrush in pasture
Forage: Raise cutting height when first hay harvest is delayed

June 8, 2007

Crop Production: Assessing hail and flood damage to crops
Wheat: Wheat producers may see freeze damage
Water: Nebraska reservoir response to recent rains
Disease Management: Seedling diseases in corn; SCN sampling project; Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic
Soil Fertility: Estimating post-rainfall nitrogen

Weed Management: Timing soybean and corn weed management; control of problem weeds in Roundup Ready® soybean
Insect Management: Corn rootworm egg hatch; use light trap counts to predict pest problems

May 25 - June 1

Disease Management: Barley yellow dwarf virus widespread in wheat; June 1 update on wheat diseases
Nutrient Management: Nitrogen fertilizer
Weed Management: Controlling weeds in proso millet; comparison of glyphosate generics and brand name; weed species competitiveness in soybean; controlling ragweed and vervain
Forage: Alfalfa weevil predictor; better manure application in alfalfa; evaluating forage status; tips for baling wet hay; using preservatives when baling hay; Fertilizing warm-season grasses; timing important to planting summer annuals

May 18

Disease Management: Wheat disease widespread in south central and southeast; potential profit using fungicide in wheat
Water: Identifying and testing technologies to conserve water, energy
Weed Management: Using preemergence herbicides postemergence; using glyphosate alone for problem weeds in Roundup Ready soybean; insects can influence the timing of weed management in soybeans; controlling mullein and ragweed in pastures and volunteer corn in soybean; recycling plastic pesticide containers

May 11

Disease Management: Leaf fungal diseases severely damaging alfalfa; seedling diseases in corn and soybean; leaf rust confirmed
Insect Management: Scout emerging soybeans for bean leaf beetles; identify and treat aphids in wheat; rangeland at high risk for grasshoppers
Planting: How planting speed can cost yields; how flooding affects fields and yields; prediction for further rain later in the month
Forage Production: Fertilizing cool-season grasses; growing summer annual forages and oat pastures
Weed Management: Controlling problem weeds in Roundup Ready soybean; row width affects weed development

May 4

Insect Management: Scouting for early insect problems in corn; alfalfa weevil predictor guide; identifying and controlling white grubs
Disease Management: Optimizing soybean nodes and yields; herbicide options for sunflower; controlling winter annuals
Pesticides: Managing pesticide applications to improve efficacy, reduce drift

April 27

Corn: Delayed corn plantings; when to consider a shorter season hybrid; state and county corn yields from 2006
Wheat: Update on freeze-damaged wheat; herbicide carryover from wheat and issues related to recropping wheat fields
Sorghum: Section 18 exemption granted for Lumax in grain sorghum
No-Till: Water savings with residue management and no-till
Alfalfa: Models predict alfalfa weevil feeding

April 20

Planting: Avoiding sidewall compaction at planting
Weed Management: How AMS and AMS substitutes work
Wheat: Evaluating winter wheat post-freeze; wheat and alfalfa early season insects
Forage: Preparing pastures to beat the drought
Irrigation: Comparing fuel sources for irrigation

April 13

Wheat & Alfalfa: Wheat and alfalfa damage reports; potential insect and rust problems in wheat; update on alfalfa freeze damage; shortcuts for planting alfalfa; predicting alfalfa weevil development
Weather: The forecast
Plant Disease: Risk of Stewart's Wilt and flea beetle damage down from 2006; nutrient and planter management for no-till corn-on-corn; burndown herbicide activity in cold conditions; controlling musk thistle in pastures; Nebraska Hall of Ag Achievement awards; Market Journal: Outlook for corn prices; crop reports and more.

April 6

Wheat Recommendations for assessing freeze damage to wheat and alfalfa
Corn: No-till and tilled corn on corn recommendations
Weed Management: Warm-season weed management; ag health study examines pesticide exposure, diseases; Cotton liners for chemical-resistant gloves

March 30

Corn: No-till corn-on-corn: insect, disease and weed management tips; Q&A on BT refuge requirements
Weed Management: New herbicides for 2007; controlling winter annuals; managing pesticide applications to avoid drift
Wheat: Fertilizing winter wheat; wheat condition report
Irrigation: Pre-season irrigation system check list

March 16

Crop Production: Decision-aid spreadsheet for continuous corn or a corn/soybean rotation; no-tilling corn on corn; factors to consider when no-tilling corn on corn
Wheat: Nitrogen management for winter wheat; managing foliar diseases of wheat with fungicides; weed control in wheat
Forage: Deadline for planting Roundup Ready alfalfa; applying manure in alfalfa; benefits of growing oats; fertilizing grass pastures

March

Corn Using the right IRM program for your Bt seed; glyphosate resistance worldwide and in Nebraska; spring grain drying recommendations
Soil Fertility: Managing urea-based fertilizers for maximum benefit
Forage: Consider planting spring cereals for grazing, hay or silage

February

Soil Fertility: The University revises nitrogen recommendation in light of improved corn prices
Wheat and Alfalfa: Shorter rotations benefit alfalfa yields; brown mid-rib forages; forages for low-water situations

January

Wheat and Alfalfa: Determining damage to wheat and alfalfa from ice; Roundup Ready alfalfa; 2007 winter wheat seedings up from last year