With record corn and soybean yields across much of the state, producers and elevators have resorted to temporary outdoor storage in many areas. (Photo by Brett Hampton)

November 12, 2004

Soybean rust confirmed in the U.S.

Soybean rust pustules under a 20X magnification.

While this is the first instance of soybean rust to be found in the United States, the detection comes after most soybeans have been harvested. The impact of the fungus should be minimal this year.

Soybean rust is caused by either of two fungal species, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, also known as the Asian species, and Phakopsora meibomiae, the New World species. The Asian species, the one found in Louisiana, is the more aggressive of the two species, causing more damage to soybean plants.

USDA will dispatch its soybean rust detection assessment team, composed of scientific experts and regulatory officials, to the site within 24 hours. The assessment team will work closely with Louisiana State Department of Agriculture representatives to assess the situation and conduct surveillance around the detection site to determine the extent of the disease spread.

Soybean rust is spread primarily by wind-borne spores capable of being transported over long distances. At this time, based on predictive models, APHIS believes that the detection in the United States is related to this year’s very active hurricane season. While the harvest for this year is complete, growers will need to watch for symptoms in next year’s crop. These would include small lesions on the lower leaves of the infected plant that increase in size and change from gray to tan or reddish brown on the undersides of the leaves. Lesions are most common on leaves but may occur on petioles, stems, and pods. Soybean rust produces two types of lesions, tan and reddish brown. Once pod set begins on soybean, infection can spread rapidly to the middle and upper leaves of the plant.

Soybean rust can be managed with the judicious use of fungicides. However, early detection is required for the most effective management of soybean rust. Monitoring soybean fields and adjacent areas is recommended throughout the growing season.

Fungicide applications can reduce yield loss, depending on the plant developmental stage, time when soybean rust is detected, and fungicide application method.

“We have been aware for some time of the potential for this disease to reach the United States,” Ibach said. “NDA began working with the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year to get prior approval for fungicide products that producers could use to treat affected fields if the disease was to arrive here. We already have approval for six products and are hoping that an additional four products will be approved for use before next crop season.”

Soybean rust is spread primarily by wind-borne spores capable of being transported over long distances. USDA has indicated it believes the disease arrived in the United States on winds produced during the hurricane season.

Ibach said it is not a certainty that the soybean rust will spread to Nebraska by next crop year, but he encouraged producers to use the winter months to become educated about the disease and their options for treating their soybeans.

“We have made the soybean treatment products available through our efforts with the Environmental Protection Agency, and I expect we will be conducting survey work to monitor for the disease’s presence in Nebraska. However, producers will likely be the first ones to spot the disease, so I encourage them to educate themselves about it,” Ibach said.

NDA Bureau of Plant Industry Administrator Rich Reiman said it’s important to note that the application of chemicals will only be necessary if soybean plants actually get the disease next season.

“It will be important for producers to become educated about what to look for during the growing season,” he said. “The University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension has excellent resources,” he said, and will be conducting informational sessions this winter.

According to Doug Jardine, director of the APS Office of Public Affairs and Education and plant pathology professor at Kansas State University, plant pathologists from government agencies, industry, and universities have been working together to prepare for the appearance of soybean rust in the U.S. for the past two years.

"Through this collaboration, we have been able to share research information from around the world and updates on control methods, such as fungicides sprays and predictive weather models," said Jardine. Plant pathologists have also worked with local extension agents and growers to educate them on disease identification, potential yield loss, and costs associated with managing the disease.

Plant pathologists do not expect soybean rust to affect all soybean growing areas next year. "Growers should not assume that every soybean field will be in danger," said Jardine. "Based on our models, the disease is expected to be more severe in the Southeast, Lower Mississippi-Delta region, and the Appalachians and less severe in the western Great Plains and northern Great Lakes area," he said.

The main method of controlling soybean rust is through early detection and application of fungicides, said Jardine. "If the disease goes undetected for too long, the fungicides will not have much of an effect," he said. "Growers must put fungicides on as a preventive measure or at the earliest sign of infection," said Jardine. Information on available fungicides, rates, and time of application can be obtained through local Cooperative Extension Service offices.

Fungicide companies and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are working closely with plant pathologists and growers to provide appropriate products in adequate supplies to use next year as needed, said Jardine. Plant pathologists have screened all available commercial varieties of soybeans for resistance to soybean rust, but none have proven to be resistant. There are some varieties that are more susceptible to the disease and it will be important to identify these early on to reduce the impact of the disease, said Jardine.

Press release
American Phytopathological Society

To avoid next spring’s weed infestation, spray fields before soils freeze up. Probably the three best herbicides to use now are Sencor, Sinbar, and Velpar. All three do an excellent job of controlling pennycress, mustards, and downy brome.

If you’re tempted to wait until spring to address these weed problems, reconsider. While you can wait and be successful with spring spraying, it must be done before alfalfa greens up or you will injure your plants. Timing is more critical than in the fall, when there are likely to be more “open” days available for treatment.

Usually, there are only a few days in spring where alfalfa is dormant, weeds are actively growing, and it’s not too wet or windy. Most of the time, fields don’t get sprayed at all or they get sprayed late and alfalfa is injured. Take advantage of opportunities now to control weeds in your alfalfa.

Turnip leaves can cause hemolytic anemia, which is a blood disease, olioencephalo-malacia, a brain disorder characterized by twitching and incoordination, pulmonary emphysema, a breathing disorder, and even bloat. These problems generally occur during the first two weeks of grazing. Turnips also affect function of the thyroid gland and, thus, are goiter-genic.

This may all sound scary, but most problems are rare and are reduced or eliminated with careful management. To begin, don’t shift cattle onto turnips suddenly. Adjust them by feeding high quality hay or pasture for a couple weeks before turnips to prepare their rumen for the high energy and protein in turnips. Giving them just a few hours access to turnips at the start also helps. Make sure they have access to a dry roughage like corn stalks or a palatable hay. This also helps reduce diarrhea, which is common with turnips. Strip grazing that forces cattle to eat both roots and tops reduces problems and increases carrying capacity. And finally, always provide an iodized salt-trace mineral mix.

Don’t be afraid to graze turnips; they’re a wonderful resource. Just manage carefully and be alert so problems don’t affect you.

Soybean rust, water limits, and transgenics: Extension tackles current ag topics

The programs, sponsored by the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, will provide updated information on a variety of current topics in crop protection, including: soybean rust and other soybean foliar diseases and what to expect in 2005; advantages and disadvantages of new insecticide seed treatments; control of the western bean cutworm; managing bacterial diseases of corn; and agrosecurity and the Great Plains Network.

The cost of the clinic is $30, payable by cash or check at the door. The fee includes registration, the 2005 Crop Protection Proceedings, 2005 Nebraska Guide for Weed Management and lunch. There is no preregistration.

Clinics start at 8:15 and are expected to end at 4 p.m. For more information, contact your local Cooperative Extension Office or call 402-472-1547.

Commercial/noncommercial pesticide applicator recertification will be conducted at the 2004 Crop Protections Clinics in the following categories: Ag Plant, Regulatory, and Demonstration and Research. Larry Schulze, UNL Extension Pesticide Education Specialist, will send additional details to those applicators who need recertification or for more information, visit the Web site at http://pested.unl.edu/2004schedulebooklet.pdf for study materials.

Clinic sponsors have applied for 4.5 CEUs in pest management for certified crop advisors. (Your CCA number will be required.)

Crop Protection Clinics

January 5, Wednesday, Fremont, Christensen Field (Main Arena), West Linden and Ridge Rd.

January 6, Thursday, Auburn, Arbor Manor, 1617 Central Ave.

January 7, Friday, Beatrice, Holiday Inn Express, 4005 North 6th St.

January 11, Tuesday, York, Chances “R”, 124 West 5th St.

January 12, Wednesday, Hastings, Garden Cafe (Holiday Inn) Convention Center, 2201 Osborne Drive East.

January 13, Thursday, O’Neill, Blarney Stone Restaurant, 5th and Douglas streets.

January 14, Friday, Norfolk, Life Long Learning Center, 601 East Benjamin St.

January 18, Tuesday, Scottsbluff, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, 4502 Avenue I

January 19, Wednesday, Ogallala, Grey Goose Lodge, 201 Chuckwagon Rd.

January 20, Thursday, Broken Bow, Bum Steer, 625 South 10th Ave.

January 21, Friday, Holdrege, Ag Center, 1308 2nd St.

January 24, Monday, Lincoln, Lancaster Extension Education Center, 444 Cherrycreek Rd.

The expo runs from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the pavilion at the Saunders County Fairgrounds in Wahoo. Presenters include university researchers and specialists, Nebraska Soybean Board representatives, soybean growers and private industry representatives.

Producers will be able to visit with representatives from seed, herbicide, fertilizer and equipment companies and view new farm equipment during a 30-minute break at 10:10 a.m. Free lunch and soy doughnuts will be available.

Sue Martin of the agricultural marketing program, “Market to Market,” will discuss the corn and soybean futures outlook for the next six months. Martin is president and owner of Ag & Investment Services Inc. With 30 years of experience in the brokerage business, she was among the first women in her field. Active on the speaking circuit, Martin has addressed national audiences on marketing strategies and futures trends.

Paul Jasa, extension engineer, will use a tractor and mechanical sled to demonstrate ballasting, front wheel assist, dual wheels and traction. Gregg Fujan of the Nebraska Soybean Board, Steve Wellman of the Nebraska Soybean Association and Dennis Fujan of the Saunders County Soybean Growers will provide updates. There also will be a live demonstration by the Nebraska State Patrol’s Carrier Enforcement Division on grain truck mechanical compliance.

Registration is available the day of the expo at the door. For more information, call (800) 529-8030 or e-mail kglewen1@unl.edu. This free program is sponsored by Cooperative Extension in the University’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Nebraska Soybean Board, Saunders County Soybean Growers Organization and private industry.

“Limited water availability, managing risk in uncertain weather conditions and heightened producer interest in water-conserving crops have us returning to the southwestern part of the state with our meetings,” said Gerald Simonsen of Ruskin, NeGSPA president. “Farmers are looking for crop alternatives that will reduce production risk, yield well under stressful growing conditions and enable them to make the most of available moisture.”

“The one-day program is packed with valuable information including a marketing outlook and pricing strategies, a long-range look at the weather, and soil analyses and nitrogen application recommendations, adds Kenneth Herz of Lawrence, chair of the Grain Sorghum Board.

Industry and University of Nebraska Extension specialists will share grain sorghum production information, irrigation and water management techniques; new risk management tools; and hybrid advancements for higher yield and improved quality. The program also includes a safety demonstration on grain entrapment and a presentation by the Nebraska State Patrol on methamphetamines, a growing concern in the countryside.

Sponsored by the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Producers Association (NeGSPA), Grain Sorghum Board, and University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, the programs will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. The noon meal will feature the traditional sorghum pancake feed with all the fixings. Agribusiness representatives will have exhibits to showcase new products and production/management information.

Sorghum Seminars

Monday, January 10 at the Red Willow County Fair Board Community Building in McCook

Tuesday, January 11 at the Harlan County Ag Building in Orleans

Wednesday, January 12 at the Auditorium in Hardy

Thursday, January 13 at the City Auditorium in Milligan.

The annual one-day seminar will be held from 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. A complimentary lunch will be included, but reservations are required by Nov. 22. For more information or to make a reservation, contact JoAnn Collins at the UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at 402-472-2811.

The poster session will be open all day and staffed at identified breaks so that you can stop by and visit with the researchers about their findings. Following are just some of the crop production topics to be presented through poster:

• Corn Responses to Early & Mid-season Wind: Leaf Placement & Greensnap, by Roger W. Elmore.
• Glyphosate’s Influence on Chlorophyll Content in Glyphosate Resistant Soybean, by Lori Abendroth, Roger Elmore, and Fred Roeth.
• Soybean Drought Tolerance: Some Phenotypic and Genomic Insights, by James E. Specht.
• What growth analysis reveals when the management goal is soybean yield potential by Angela M. Bastidas, A. Doberman, R. W. Elmore, and James E. Specht.
• Site-Specific Hybrid Management for pH-Induced Iron Chlorosis, by Richard Ferguson, David Tarkalson, Gary Hergert and Roger Elmore.
• Field-Scale Variability of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Soil Properties in the Western Corn Belt by Susanna Grigera, Rhae Drijber, and Brian Wienhold.
• Description of a High-Clearance Applicator For Making Variable Rate N Applications To Corn Using Active Sensor Readings by J. F. Shanahan, R. Inamasu, J. S. Schepers, D. D. Francis, M. R. Schlemmer, R.E. Caldwell.
• Hybrid-Maize: A Simulation Model For Improving Corn Management, by H.S. Yang, A. Dobermann, K.G. Cassman, D.T. Walters.

”This workshop will examine the reintroduction of the Livestock Risk Protection program since it was taken off the market last year after the bovine spongiform encephalopathy incident in the United States,” said Doug Jose, university farm management specialist. “There also will be a focus on the weather with a discussion on the outlook for 2005.”

Other topics include availability or reinsurance to make insurance programs work and the Geographic Information System used by the Farm Service Agency.

The three-state workshop has been offered annually for the past five years. The workshop also will be available Nov. 16 in Brush, Colo., and Nov. 17 in Great Bend, Kan.

Presenters include faculty and staff from the three universities, government and industry representatives. Continuing education credits will be available for insurance agents.

This course will address resistance of crop insect pests, pathogens and weeds to pesticides, management techniques, and the evolutionary biology, genetic and pest biology principles underpinning pest resistance and its management. The role of transgenic crops in pest resistance management also will be examined. Students completing this course will be able to evaluate and design pest resistance management strategies.

Instructors will include Alex Martin, Extension weeds specialist; Donald Lee, agronomy professor; Thomas Hunt, Extension entomologist; Blair Siegfried, entomology professor, and Loren Giesler, Extension plant pathologist.

Attendance at the Lincoln sessions is recommended; however, the workshop will be taped and video delivered to registered students unable to travel to Lincoln. Internet access is required for the course. To receive credit, students will need to complete on-line quizzes, participate in the workshop and complete a comprehensive final exam.

The Nebraska Agricultural Technologies Association and University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension will sponsor the Using Aerial Imagery in Crop Production Clinic Tuesday, Dec. 7, at College Park, Grand Island. The program is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

”Aerial imagery is a relatively new crop management tool that growers and consultants are using to fine-tune their agronomic practices,” according to Extension Educator Dave Varner. Ten Nebraska producers and a couple of Kansas producers cooperated with NeATA to capture imagery of their fields this past year and will be on hand to discuss their experiences at the clinics.

The registration fee of $50 for non-NeATA members and $25 for NeATA members includes lunch and program materials. Registration should be sent to NeATA, 1206 West 23rd St., Fremont, NE 68025. Certified Crop Advisor Credits applied for include 4.5 in the crop management category. For further information or to register contact Varner at (402) 727-2775 or dvarner1@unl.edu.

Topics will include the scope and trends of precision agriculture in 21st century, Global Positioning System technology and data acquisition equipment, good habits of grain yield mapping, principles of emerging plant and soil sensor technology, common approaches to spatial data interpretation, field investigations using precision agriculture tools and methods, and site-specific crop management in Nebraska.

An advanced level Precision Ag Workshop will be held Dec. 10 at L.W. Chase Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, East Campus. Cost is $65 before Dec. 3 and $75 afterward.

The program is taught in two weekend sessions. The first session will be Dec. 10-11 and the second session will be Jan. 7-8, 2005. Both sessions will be held at the Lancaster County Extension Office. Participants are expected to attend both weekends. Registration is limited to 15 families. The registration fee is $200 plus $10 per person for breaks and meals. To register call 1-800-535-3456.

“This approach to cleaning Utica’s municipal groundwater contamination will also provide habitat for waterfowl,” said Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman. “Through the beneficial reuse of water, this technique can treat contaminated water, which can then be used for beneficial applications, such as irrigating croplands or creating wetlands.”

Concern about contamination in Utica’s water and that of other rural areas has focused on fumigants commonly used in the 1940s and 1950s which contained carbon tetrachloride to treat stored grain. A small-scale USDA pilot project was launched in 2000 to clean up Utica’s groundwater. Its success led to today’s prototype in the North Lake Basin just north of Utica.

This project uses spray irrigation technology and wetland restoration to restore contaminated groundwater through beneficial reuse. The prototype uses specially designed irrigation equipment to “volatilize” or evaporate the carbon tetrachloride contaminants into the air in a manner that will protect public health. The method, which eliminates up to 98% of the contaminants, was first demonstrated by the University of Nebraska under initial USDA and Environmental Protection Agency funding. USDA expects to use a similar approach in other rural areas in Nebraska and Kansas, benefiting public health, wildlife and the environment.

"Irrigated and dryland corn yields are being reported at record high levels in the eastern third of Nebraska. These yields combined with strong production numbers in many other areas have resulted in the record high production and yield. For soybeans, with harvest virtually complete, final production numbers pushed yield averages to a new state high," said Mark Harris, director, Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Service.

Soybean production is forecast at 228 million bushels, a new record high, up 2% from last month and 25% above last year. Yields are expected to average a record high 48 bushels per acre, up one bushel from last month and 7.5 bushels per acre above 2003. Sorghum production is forecast at 37.8 million bushels, up 22% from last year. Yields are expected to average 90 bushels per acre, up 8 bushels from last month's forecast and 28 bushels above last year. Sugar beet production of 1.02 million tons is up 18% from 2003. Yield at 21.4 tons per acre is the largest since 1986.

Potato production of 8.94 million cwt is down 8% from last year. Yields are expected to average 410 cwt per acre, second highest to 2003 when 420 cwt per acre was harvested.

Ag Briefs

The soybean harvest has been complete for several weeks with irrigated yields in the 55-65 bushel range depending on white mold, aphids etc. People with livestock have been anxiously awaiting the completion of harvest so that cattle can be moved to the stocks. Potato yields were excellent this year with the cooler weather probably being the difference. Dry beans also did very well and were harvested earlier than usual.

Crop condition

At the start of this week harvest was a week-and-a-half behind average due to high grain moisture content, capacity of grain drying facilities, and available storage space, according to a Nov. 8 USDA Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Service report.

Corn harvest was 73% complete, a week behind last year at 88%.

Soybean harvest was nearly complete at 98%, behind last year at 99% and the same as average.

Sorghum harvest was 75% complete, a week to ten days behind last year and average at 91%.

Dry bean harvest, at 97%, continued to lag behind last year and average by at least a week.

Wheat conditions rated 0% very poor, 3% poor, 33% fair, 51% good, and 13% excellent, above average.

When beetles become too much of a good thing

If you’ve got a few too many coming in along with the perennial boxelder bugs, the best solution is to vacuum them up and dispose of the bag. Avoid swatting or picking up Asian lady beetles because they can release a smelly yellow substance which can stain walls. They also can “nip” homeowners. but the effect should be short-lived.

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Copyright 2004 by the University of Nebraska

Published by University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperating with the counties and the U.S. Department of Agriculture

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