2007 CropWatch Archive

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-28, December 14, 2007, updated in 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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-27, November 30, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-26, November 16, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-25, October 26, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-24, October 12, 2007: 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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-23, September 28, updated October 5, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-22, September 7, updated September 14 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-21, August 24, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-20, August 10, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-19, July 27, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-18, July 13, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-17, 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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-16, 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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-15, 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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-14, 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; UNL's 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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-13, May 25, 2007; Updated June 1, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-12, May 18, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-11, May 11, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-10, May 4, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-9, April 27, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-8, April 20, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-7, April 13, 2007

In this issue: 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 forecast; risk for 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.

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-6, April 6, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-5, March 30, 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-4, March 16 2007

Crop Production: UNL 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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-3, March 9 2007

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

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-2, February 2007

Soil Fertility: UNL revises nitrogen recommendation in light of improved corn prices
Wheat and Alfalfa: Shorter rotations benefit alfalfa yields; Brown mid-rib forages offer improved digestibility; Selecting forages for low-water situations

CropWatch Newsletter No. 07-1, January 2007

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