Extension Field Reports August 3-7

Keith Glewen, Extension Educator in Saunders County: You know it is summer as we get our share of calls from folks who are angry about their gardens and sweetcorn being sprayed unintentionally by aerial and ground rig spray applicators. We encourage those with complaints to visit first with the applicator before contacting the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

The challenge facing some growers is whether to spray a fungicide for the control of corn leaf diseases. The economic payback with $3.50 corn, favorable weather conditions for development of certain disease pathogens, and the lack of treatment thresholds for some of these disease pathogens makes the decision difficult.

Grasshopper numbers are very high in grass waterways and road ditches. Some growers have sprayed these areas in an attempt to reduce the amount of feeding on adjacent cornfields. (Aug. 6)

John Wilson, Extension Educator in Burt County discusses how to avoid spray drift in this week's Crop Tech Cafe blog. He notes that while drift may not be eliminated, it can be reduced and it's the applicator's responsiblity to avoid it. See these practical tips for limiting drift. The Crop Tech blog is written by several extension educators in northeast Nebraska.

Gary Zoubek, Extension Educator in York County: The York County Extension Office received a little more than 1 inch of precipitation over the weekend. The ETgages I've been monitoring weekly dropped an average of 1.3 inches for the week. With much of the corn and soybeans in our peak stages for water use, if we multiply by the 1.1, the average water use has been about 1.43 inches for the week or about 0.20 inch/day. For the latest crop water use or ET go to: https://nawmn.unl.edu/ and click on "View weekly ET data." (Aug. 3)