Farm stressors can come from many directions including the agricultural system, farm and family finances, mental and physical health challenges, and relationship difficulties. A healthy response to these challenges involves paying attention to the stressors within all of these areas and determining coping strategies that are useful in each area.
5-Step Stress Management Process
To manage stress, it can be helpful to be reflective through a five-step process:
- Assess Needs and Impacts.
Any stressor can impact the individual, family, or farming operation. What is a need resulting from stress in your life? What is size of the impact (manageable or not manageable)? For example, a need in your life might be more or restful sleep. - Identify and Access Resources.
What is needed to help manage the need you identified? Are the resources available to you? Resources can be tangible (knowledge, creativity, optimism) or material (money, land, equipment). For example, if the need is more or restful sleep, you might try to establish a sleep schedule, take a warm shower before bed, and turn off the TV. - Pursue Good-Quality Decisions.
Decision-making involves assessing the options and determining how to respond. How should you use your resources? How can you be more open to change? In assessing your options, it can be helpful to become as informed as possible while thinking about the benefits vs. costs. Clarify your values and goals and discuss the options with those you trust (family, friends, professionals). - Connect with Sources of Support.
An important aspect of decreasing stress is to engage in a support system. What type of support is most helpful for you to pursue quality decisions? Do you need to talk to someone at a bank regarding financial decisions, or would a more appropriate source be a counselor or pastor to discuss personal concerns? Find a support system that fits for you, whether the support is informal (close friends, neighbors, fellow farmers), within your family, or formal support (faith community leaders, medical providers, counselors). - Use Effective Coping Strategies.
Think about the coping strategies that you use. Are they harmful (alcohol use, tobacco, unhealthy eating), or are they helpful (exercise, mindfulness, watching a movie, family conversations)? Think about matching a coping strategy with an identified need. It also does not hurt to learn new strategies to help alleviate stress.
In Summary
With all of the factors that cannot be controlled in farming and ranching, using this five-step method for stress management may help farmers become better prepared for tough times. By identifying needs, resources, and sources of support, farmers can identify factors that can be controlled. Establishing a support system and using effective coping strategies are important in self-care and can help improve one’s overall health and well-being.
Source: Andrea Bjornestad, iGrow
Heavy rain in areas has created waterlogged and ponded areas in many soybean fields. The excess soil water is detrimental to soybeans for several reasons and affected producers need to know how to assess any yield reductions that may be associated with the flooded conditions. The following factors determine the level of yield loss:
- Duration of saturated soil conditions
- Daytime and nighttime temperatures
- Solar radiation
- Growth stage of soybeans
- Depth of water in relation to plants
- Moving water versus ponded water
- Level of Phytophthora resistance or tolerance of soybean variety
Soybeans require oxygen to respire and produce energy and they obtain their oxygen from the soil. Because water contains very little oxygen, respiration and energy production is significantly reduced in waterlogged or saturated soils. In general, the longer the soil remains saturated, the greater the potential for yield losses. Soil texture, soil structure and tile drainage all affect the duration of the waterlogged conditions. High temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny conditions also increase yield losses as they increase respiration rates and oxygen depletion. More rapid oxygen depletion occurs with larger plants and under ponded conditions.
If areas are waterlogged for two days, yield losses may be minimal. However, waterlogged conditions lasting for four days can cause significant yield reductions. Yield losses can range from 17 to 43 percent for plants in the vegetative growth stages. If the waterlogging continues for six days or more, plants will not recover and will die.
Soil borne diseases may also infect surviving plants after the water recedes. Phytophthora root and stem rot is the most likely culprit because it is favored by wet soils and warm temperatures. There is nothing that can be done to protect plants from Phytophthora at this point in the season. However, varieties vary significantly in their resistance or tolerance to Phytophthora, so associated yield losses will also vary.
Saturated soils also reduce biological nitrogen fixation and cause root nodules to die if the waterlogging persists for more than six days. This could lead to further yield losses due to a lack of nitrogen.
Producers should evaluate plants after the water recedes. Look for signs of new shoot growth from the main growing point and any of the existing leaf axils. If saturated conditions lasted for six days, dig up some roots and inspect the nodules. Healthy nodules should be firm and white or reddish-pink on the inside. If they are green, brown or mushy, they will no longer fix nitrogen and the plants may benefit from a supplemental nitrogen fertilizer application during the R1 to R2 growth stages.
Source: Michigan State University Extension
Today’s soybeans are typically golden yellow, with a tiny blackish mark where they attach to the pod. In a field of millions of beans, nearly all of them will have this look. Occasionally, however, a bean will turn up half-black, with a saddle pattern similar to a black-eyed pea.
”The yellow color is derived from a natural process known as gene silencing, in which genes interact to turn off certain traits,” explains Lila Vodkin, professor emerita in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois. “Scientists make use of this process frequently to design everything from improved crops to medicines, but examples of naturally occurring gene silencing – also known as RNA interference, or RNAi – are limited. A better understanding of this process can explain how you can manipulate genes in anything from soybeans to humans.”
The RNAi pathway was discovered about 20 years ago as a naturally occurring process in a tiny roundworm. The discovery and follow-up work showing its biomedical potential won scientists the Nobel Prize in 2006. In plants, RNAi was discovered in petunias. When breeders tried to transform one gene to cause brighter pinks and purples, they wound up with white flowers instead. The gene for flower color had been silenced.
“Before they were domesticated, soybeans were black or brown due to the different anthocyanin pigments in the seed coat,” says Sarah Jones, a research specialist working with Vodkin on the study. “Breeders got rid of the dark pigments because they can discolor the oil or soybean meal during extraction processes.”
Vodkin clarifies, “The yellow color was a naturally occurring RNAi mutation that happened spontaneously, probably at the beginning of agriculture, like 10,000 years ago. People saw the yellow beans as different. They picked them up, saved them, and cultivated them. In the germplasm collections of the wild soybean, Glycine sojae, you don’t find the yellow color, only darkly pigmented seeds.”
Previous work from the team showed that yellow soybeans result from a naturally occurring gene silencing process involving two genes. Essentially, one of the genes blocks production of the darker pigment’s precursors. But the researchers weren’t sure why black pigments sometimes reappear, as in saddle-patterned beans. Now they know.
Vodkin and her team searched for beans with unusual pigmentation in the USDA soybean germplasm collection, housed at U of I. The collection contains thousands of specimens, representing much of the genetic diversity in domesticated soybean and its wild relatives.
“We requested beans with this black saddle pattern,” Jones recalls. “We wanted to know if they all get this pattern from the same gene.” Some of the samples had been collected as far back as 1945.
The team used modern genomic sequencing techniques, quickly sifting through some 56,000 protein-coding genes to identify the one responsible for the pattern. The lead author, Young Cho, made the discovery as a graduate student when he noticed a defect in the Argonaute5 gene. The team looked at additional beans with the saddle and found that the Argonaute5 gene was defective in a slightly different way in each of them.
“That’s how you prove you found the right gene,” Vodkin says, “because of these independent mutations happening at different spots right in that same gene.”
When the Argonaute5 gene is defective, the silencing process – which normally blocks the dark pigment and results in yellow beans – can no longer be carried out. The gene defect explains why the dark pigments show up in the saddle beans.
Before the team’s discovery, there were very few examples of how gene interactions work to achieve silencing in naturally occurring systems. Today, bioengineers use genetic engineering technologies to silence genes to produce a desired outcome, whether it’s flower color, disease resistance, improved photosynthesis, or any number of novel applications.
“The yellow color in soybeans could have been engineered, if it hadn’t occurred naturally,” Vodkin says, “but it would have cost millions of dollars and every yellow soybean would be a genetically modified organism. Nature engineered it first.” She says this study also emphasizes the value of the soybean germplasm collection, which preserves diversity for research and breeding purposes.
The article, “Mutations in Argonaute5 illuminate epistatic interactions of the K1 and I loci leading to saddle seed color patterns in Glycine max,” is published in The Plant Cell. The study’s lead author, Young Cho, is now a postdoctoral researcher for the Institute of Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois. The work was funded by the United Soybean Board, the USDA, and the Illinois Soybean Association.
Source: University of Illinois
Despite significant technological advancement in modern agriculture such as improved genetics, modern chemistries to control pests, equipment to aid in efficiency, and several other up-to-date management strategies, we still largely depend on nature to maximize crop production and profitability. Weather conditions (both short- and long-term) significantly affect major crop production. Crop producers are concerned with precipitation and temperature on a day-in-day-out basis.
Drought & Heat Stress: Impact on crops
South Dakota has seen higher than average temperatures in the last few weeks and the current U.S. drought monitor (June 6, 2017) shows that almost 80% of the state is facing moisture deficit conditions with Central and North Central region facing the worst—other parts of the state even though not as severe still show large areas of dry conditions. Producers generally think this is too early in the season to be in such situation. Weather conditions are highly variable within a small geographical area and so can the soil moisture depending on the growing region and the type of crops planted on any given time.
Winter Wheat & Small Grains
Generally, fields with winter wheat and other spring small grains can show less moisture in the soil profile than corn and soybean fields as small grains start growing and using moisture earlier in the season. Moreover, winter wheat growing regions such as Central and Western S.D. are showing more moisture deficit conditions because soils were already dry last fall when the crop was seeded. Crops in these fields were showing typical drought symptoms such stunted plants, rolled up leaves, and in some cases highly dried leaves as early as late May. Many producers in these Regions, especially those with livestock, were even considering harvesting the crop as hay rather than grain.
Corn & Soybeans
The soil in corn and soybean fields can sometimes reveal a different picture—since plants are fairly small and may not have used as much moisture like small grains. However, they may still show stress, which could be due to drying up of the top 1-3 inches of soil as a result of consecutive warmer temperatures during the last few weeks. There could still be enough moisture deeper in the profile for plants to utilize as they develop their root system.
Assessing Soil Moisture
The best way to assess soil moisture is to use a soil probe and “feel” the extracted soil from deeper profile for moisture. In this situation, plants can show drought-like symptom such as curled leaves in the morning, which could be entirely due to extreme heat rather than soil moisture deficiency. Although drought and heat stress can go hand-in-hand most of the times on a production system, they can have different outcome depending upon the soil type and crop growth stage. In the current SD situation young corn and soybean plants showing heat stress may recover quickly and efficiently when compared to small grain crops which are more advanced in their growth stage.
Source: David Karki, iGrow
With drought conditions occurring throughout much of South Dakota, it is important to begin monitoring field margins for grasshopper defoliation. Grasshopper populations are usually observed in grassy areas like ditches and field margins. They do not typically move into crops until later in the summer and early fall. However, grasses can prematurely dry down during droughts, causing grasshoppers to seek out other green plants. These green plants are often neighboring crops, which can undergo severe defoliation due to large concentrated populations of grasshoppers. In addition to the 2017 drought conditions, grasshopper populations were high in 2016 and have likely increased due to the long warm fall that we experienced.
Scouting Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers can be scouted using visual searches or by using sweep nets. However, scouting can prove difficult as grasshoppers move rapidly within crops. One of the easier methods for soybean is to scout based on defoliation. For soybean, the pre-bloom defoliation threshold is 40%. For corn and other crops, management is recommended once grasshoppers reach 21-40 per square yard or 3 sweeps. The three most commonly observed grasshoppers in South Dakota fields are the differential grasshopper, redlegged grasshopper and the two-striped grasshopper. There is the possibility that only a single species may be present, or that there may be a combination of two or three species present.
Management
Managing grasshopper populations typically does not require insecticide applications. However, if excessive defoliation is occurring or populations exceed threshold levels, insecticide use should be considered. Please refer to the most current edition of the South Dakota Pest Management Guides for Corn and Soybean for insecticides labeled for grasshopper management.
Source: Adam J. Varenhorst, iGrow
Stripe rust continues to be found in several winter wheat fields mainly in areas that have had rainfall in recent days. Some of these fields have severe stripe rust developing (Figure 1). However, since it has been dry with warm temperatures growers are wondering if a fungicide is still necessary.
Strip Rust Development: Weather Impact
Stripe rust development, like any other fungal disease, is driven by weather. The favorable weather conditions for stripe rust are cooler temperatures (<65°F) and wet weather (leaf wetness/dew for at least 8 hours). These are the conditions we experienced in the past weeks that have led to high inoculum for this rust.
Fungicide Considerations
The current weather conditions though do not favor stripe rust infection. However, because of the heavy inoculum in the area, future favorable conditions could lead to severe stripe rust developing especially in spring wheat. Winter wheat that is at flowering may not benefit from a foliar fungicide to protect against stripe rust. However, scouting should be done for spring wheat and a fungicide planned to protect flag leaf if stripe rust is observed.
Source: Emmanuel Byamukama, iGrow
Conditions are favorable for soybean seedling disease in many areas. Wet soil, slow emergence, and delayed planting have been favorable for seedling diseases in many areas of southern and central Minnesota. Now as the soil dries and warms up, infected plants may wilt and collapse rapidly due to damaged root systems.
Problems with seedling disease have been reported from several areas, and more will likely be noted as plants continue to emerge. Given that seedling diseases have developed in some of the well-drained soil at Rosemount, MN, these problems are not restricted to poorly-drained fields this year. This is a good time to scout fields for seedling disease problems.
How to know if seedling diseases are developing? Infection of seedlings before or after emergence can result in missing plants, plants that are stunted and dead, rotted roots, and wilting. Slow plant emergence could be due to many factors, including seedling disease and crusting. Vigilant scouting and diagnosis are often required to identify the main cause of a problem.
Scouting can reveal where and which diseases are developing, and can assist in managing them and understanding efficacy of seed treatments for future years.
Scouting and Diagnosis: Timely scouting is important because seedling diseases often develop rapidly and seedlings can decompose quickly. Fresh, intact plants with clear symptoms and without extensive rotting are needed for diagnosis. Samples can be submitted to the University of Minnesota Plant Disease Clinic (pdc.umn.edu/) or other diagnostic laboratories for diagnosis.
Common Seedling Diseases. Pythium root rot, Rhizoctonia root and stem rot, Fusarium root rot, and Phytophthora root rot are common soybean seedling diseases in Minnesota. The soilborne pathogens that cause these diseases are widespread and persistent in field soils across the state. These pathogens are also key targets for most fungicidal seed treatments.
Pythium root rot. The wet and cool soils that occurred in many areas with the frequent rains in late May have been especially favorable for Pythium seed and seedling root rot. Pythium infections typically result in brownish-colored, rotting tissue. We have identified over 20 species of Pythium that infect soybean in Minnesota. Many of them can also infect corn seedlings, and some prefer warmer soil conditions than the others.
Phytophthora root rot is also favored by wet and saturated soils, although it generally prefers warmer soil conditions than Pythium root rot. The light, soft-rot symptoms on roots caused by Phytophthora are very similar to those caused by Pythium, and laboratory diagnosis may be required to tell which disease it is.
Phytophthora can damage soybean seedlings or initiate infections in the spring that may result in severe root and stem rot in July and August. Two species of Phytophthora (P. sojae and P. sansomeana) are known to infect soybean in Minnesota.
Rhizoctonia root and stem rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani is also a widespread problem in Minnesota. Warm and moist soils favor Rhizoctonia root and stem rot. Plant stand loss can be high when soil is warm (>74F) and wet while seedlings are in the VE to V1 growth stages, as these are prime conditions for disease development.
Thus late May to early June emergence in wet and warm soil favor Rhizoctonia root and stem rot. Reddish to dark brown, firm and often sunken, lesions caused by Rhizoctonia develop on the stem and often girdle stems near the soil line. The symptoms can be confused with those caused by other seedling diseases.
Fusarium root rot is another common soybean seedling disease in Minnesota that can cause significant damage. The typical symptoms are damping-off and root-rot with dark brown lesions. As with Pythium, there are multiple species of Fusarium (over 10) in Minnesota that can cause root rot on soybean (and corn). Many different conditions can favor disease development by the different species of the Fusarium pathogen.
Source: Dean Malvick, University of Minnesota
Many parts of the state where alfalfa is grown are experiencing moderate to severe drought, which is causing spring alfalfa growth to wilt, and shoots and leaves to dry.
“During drought, forage is likely in short supply and farmers are likely to try to get as much forage as possible,” says Marisol Berti, a forage and biomass production researcher at North Dakota State University. “But harvest timing decisions are important to keep a healthy and productive alfalfa stand.”
Alfalfa is a perennial crop, and keeping it perennial is important to have forage in the future, she notes. Whenever alfalfa plants are stressed, their response is to replenish the root and crown reserves (sugars, proteins) as soon as possible. Reserves are vital to support new growth from the buds in the crown once soil moisture is available.
The lowest root reserves occur when the plant is 6 to 8 inches tall in the spring before the first cut. Reserves are replenished about the time the plant blooms.
Drought-stressed alfalfa will flower early when still very short. The plant is accelerating its life cycle in an attempt to produce seed in the event that drought stress continues and the mother plant dies. If drought persists, alfalfa will drop its leaves and go dormant until conditions improve.
Alfalfa is well-adapted to survive a drought when managed correctly to avoid additional stresses on the plant, according to Berti.
The big question for producers is whether to clip or mow droughty alfalfa.
“Clipping drought-stressed alfalfa will not help the plant regrow faster when rainfall or moisture comes back,” Berti says.
She advises producers that if stands are not 12 to 15 inches tall or yield is not enough to cover the cost of harvest, they should leave the alfalfa uncut until rain falls and the alfalfa’s dormancy is broken. Clipping or harvesting droughty alfalfa at 6 to 8 inches would cause additional stress on the plant, reducing future regrowth and possibly causing plant death.
“Remember, the root reserves are at the lowest at 6 to 8 inches, so do not clip or mow alfalfa if shorter than 12 to 15 inches,” Berti stresses.
A common concern for farmers is that if the alfalfa flowers and never reaches 12 to 15 inches, will it flower again this year?
“The answer is yes,” Berti says. “If it rains and soil moisture conditions improve, buds in the alfalfa crown will grow new shoots. If soil moisture is available, the shoots will grow to a normal height for a second cut (18 to 22 inches). Then your harvest stage should be the 10 percent bloom stage to keep high-quality hay.”
Avoiding any additional stresses on the plant, such as nutrient deficiency or insects and diseases, is important. Berti recommends producers fertilize with phosphorus and potassium if they have not done so and their soil test indicates fertilization is needed. Potassium (potash) is particularly important because this nutrient helps the plant mobilize sugars back to the root to tolerate the drought stress.
“Also, when soil moisture is replenished, alfalfa will have all the nutrients it needs to resume a vigorous growth,” she adds.
Source: North Dakota State University
The goals of applying any crop protection products include increasing effectiveness, mitigating drift, and maximizing profits. We will focus on mitigating drift, even though all three interact with each other. Mitigating (decreasing) drift will increase spray effectiveness and in turn maximize profits.
Why should we be interested in drift?
Drift may cause spotty pest control, wasted chemicals, off-target damage to high value specialty crops, higher production costs, and negatively affect the environment (water and air quality). Drift also increases the occurrences of problems arising with neighbors and the public’s negative perceptions of pesticides.
So what is drift?
Drift is movement of spray particles and vapors off-target causing less effective control and possible injury to susceptible vegetation, wildlife and people. Vapor drift is associated with volatilization (gas, fumes). Particle drift is movement of spray particles during or after the spray application.
Factors affecting drift
Factors affecting drift are the spray characteristics of the actual chemical, chemical formulation, droplet size, and evaporation. Application equipment such as nozzle type, nozzle size, nozzle pressure, height of release chosen by the applicator, and sprayer calibration can impact drift. Weather factors affecting drift include air movement (wind direction and speed), temperature and humidity, air stability/inversions and topography.
Wind
Wind direction is very important. Applicators should know the location of sensitive crop areas and consider safe buffer zones. Drift potential is lowest at wind speeds between 3 and 10 mph (gentle but steady breeze) blowing in a safe direction.
“Dead calm” conditions are not recommended, because drift potential may be high. This is because light winds (0-2 mph) tend to be unpredictable and variable in direction. Calm and low wind conditions may indicate presence of a temperature inversion.
Wind speeds may be different when moving from within the crop canopy to above the crop canopy. Wind speed and direction can drastically affect spray droplet displacement, as structures can affect the wind currents around windbreaks, tree lines, houses, barns, hills and valleys.
Inversions
Under normal weather, air tends to rise and mix with air above. Droplets will disperse and will usually not cause problems. Temperature inversions are caused when the temperature increases as you move upward in the atmosphere. This prevents air near the surface from mixing with the air above it. Therefore, inversions cause small-suspended droplets to form a concentrated cloud visit https://canceltimesharegeek.com/how-to-cancel-wyndham-timeshare-within-10-days/, which can move in unpredictable directions.
Temperature inversions often occur under clear to partly cloudy skies and light winds during the overnight hours; a surface inversion can form as the sun sets. Under these conditions, a surface inversion will continue into the morning until the sun begins to heat the ground. Be careful near sunset and an hour or so after sunrise, unless there is low heavy cloud cover, if the wind speed is greater the 5-6 mph at ground level or there is a 5-degree temperature rise after sun-up.
Source: Gared Shaffer, South Dakota State University, iGrow
The pre-sidedress soil nitrate test (PSNT) for corn was developed by Fred Magdoff in Vermont in 1984. When done correctly, the PSNT is an excellent tool to determine available nitrate-N from organic matter mineralization. It will enable farmers to reduce their N fertilizer rates without risking yields. Identifying the right fields based on the field’s history and some preparation work are critical to the success of the PSNT. The following are some points to remember when taking a PSNT.
The test needs to be conducted on fields with high N mineralization potential, such as fields having a history of manure or forage legumes like alfalfa and clover. The PSNT was developed for these kinds of situations. It is an index of N mineralization potential and its best use is to identify corn fields that will not respond to N fertilizer. Michigan State University Extension recommends fields having repeated applications of livestock manure, biosolids or recent forage legume crops as good choices for PSNT. Other fields that may show high soil nitrate-N include medium to fine-textured soils that have been heavily fertilized in the previous year. Fields that do not have these backgrounds will not show sufficient N credit to justify the time and cost of doing the PSNT.
Once the fields are selected, no broadcast, incorporated pre-plant or plant N fertilizer should be applied. A modest amount of starter N up to 40 pounds per acre could be band-applied near the seed. This band-applied N should not interfere with the soil samples that are taken right between the corn rows. If N fertilizers were broadcast before the test, the PSNT soil samples may reveal hot spots and the test results may not be reliable.
Whenever possible, the PSNT soil samples are best taken shortly before sidedressing when corn is between 8-12 inches tall. Soil samples taken earlier will not give a full measure of N mineralization; therefore, the amount of N credit will be smaller.
Soil cores should be taken midway between the corn rows, avoiding the starter fertilizer band. The sampling depth is 12 inches. Each sample should be a composite of 15 to 20 soil cores and represent no more than 20 acres. Air-dry the sample in paper bags near a fan or heated air vent. Do not place wet soil in plastic bags.
The test will measure the nitrate-N concentration in parts per million (ppm). The critical level is 25 ppm above which no N fertilizer is recommended for corn. When the concentration is below 25 ppm, the N fertilizer recommendation is adjusted accordingly. To determine the N credit, refer to “Michigan’s Soil Nitrate Test for Corn” by MSU Soil and Plant Nutrient Laboratory.
Dry soil samples should be sent for testing as soon as possible to a soil lab, such as the MSU Soil and Plant Nutrient Laboratory, 1066 Bogue St. Room A81, East Lansing, MI 48824-1325. It takes a few days to collect and get the samples analyzed. You can contact the MSU Soil and Plant Nutrient Laboratory at 517-355-0218. The turnaround time is 48 hours and the fee is $10 a sample. The results will be emailed or faxed. Some private soil test labs in your area may be offering the same test.
Source: Michigan State University Extension
With Memorial Day and the start of the summer driving season, Purdue University energy economist Wally Tyner believes reduced demand and higher inventories will help keep the brakes on oil prices.
“This week, OPEC agreed to extend their production cuts through March of 2018,” said Tyner, James & Lois Ackerman professor of Agricultural Economics. “However, all their production cuts have done so far is keep crude oil prices from falling. The big reason the cuts have had little impact on crude oil prices is that U.S. shale oil production has been growing rapidly. In fact, US shale oil production has grown 600,000 barrels per day since the OPEC cuts were first announced.”
By the end of this year, it is likely that U.S. shale oil production will have grown 1.2 million barrels per day, Tyner said, equaling the total cut by OPEC – the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
“In other words, by propping up the crude oil price at around $50 per barrel, OPEC has provided incentives for increased investment and drilling by U.S. producers,” said Tyner. “Shale oil production costs have fallen by about 30 percent over the past three years, making it profitable to produce in many fields at $50 per barrel. This dynamic is the major driver of keeping summer prices this year near where they have been recently.”
In addition, two other factors come into play, he said:
- Demand is lower this year than last year because, even though consumers are driving more, they are driving more fuel efficient cars and the reduced demand puts downward pressure on prices.
- Inventories of both crude oil and gasoline are above their five-year average, which tends to depress prices.
The U.S. Department of Energy projects gasoline prices to average $2.39 per gallon this summer nationally. Prices in the Midwest tend to be a bit lower than the national average, according to Tyner.
“We can expect prices this summer generally to range between $2.10 and $2.50 per gallon. Prices this summer will be a bit higher than last summer but the second lowest since 2009.”
Source: Purdue University
While researchers say it is difficult to determine whether unusual weather patterns this winter and spring will lead to larger mosquito and tick populations in the Upper Midwest this summer, one thing is certain – anyone planning to spend time outdoors should take steps to avoid the potentially dangerous pests.
“Every year we face the same risks and every year it is wise to take precautions,” said Catherine Hill, Purdue University medical entomologist. “If you’re going to be outside anytime from early spring to late summer and early fall, you need to be thinking about prevention and protection.”
Both mosquitos and ticks can carry a number of pathogens that could pose a serious threat to people and animals. Mosquitos can transmit several viruses that can cause severe encephalitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord), including Zika and West Nile virus, among others. Ticks are known carriers of Lyme disease, which infects about 300,000 people each year, as well as less common but equally dangerous conditions such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
To avoid mosquito bites, the best advice is to stay indoors during peak biting times, which is typically dusk to dawn for the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus and during the day for mosquitoes that transmit Zika.
“If you have to be outside during those times, it is best to wear clothing that can help prevent bites,” Hill said. Appropriate wardrobe choices include long-sleeve shirts and long pants tucked into socks. It is also advisable to use an effective repellant, such as products containing a minimum of 20 to 30 percent – of diethyltoluamide, commonly known as DEET. The Centers for Disease Control also recommends products containing picardin, lemon of eucalyptus and IR3535. More information is available on the CDC website at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2016/the-pre-travel-consultation/protection-against-mosquitoes-ticks-other-arthropods.
Mosquitoes breed in standing water and their larvae and pupae need water to develop. Homeowners can help reduce mosquito populations in their back yard by dumping standing water out of buckets and wading pools, keeping lawns mowed and removing piles of brush or yard waste, Hill said.
Ticks can thrive in back yards as well, particularly those adjacent heavily wooded areas, in tall grass and brush and under leaf piles.
Hill said the warmer winter and wet spring could have created ideal conditions for ticks in some areas although conditions vary significantly from region to region.
“We’ve already been getting plenty of ticks,” Hill said. “They’re certainly active.”
The best defense against ticks is to wear light colored clothing with long sleeves and pants and to use a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved repellant. It is also a good idea to check your body and clothing for ticks immediately after coming back indoors.
“If you can remove a tick within 24 hours, you have a very good chance of catching them before they transmit,” Hill said.
Ticks feed on blood and tend to attach themselves to tender areas of the skin, including around the hairline and in the armpit and groin.
To remove a tick, apply a pair of fine-tipped tweezers to the skin, grasp the tick by the mouthparts where it is attached to the skin, and pull upwards, being careful not to break the tick. Do not try to remove a tick by burning it with a match, smothering it with mayonnaise or freezing it. That could cause the tick regurgitate back into the wound, increasing the risk of infection, Hill said.
It is also important to be aware of the symptoms of tick-borne diseases, she added. These can include headache, fever, fatigue, rash and muscle aches and pains. Anyone who has been in a tick habitat or has a tick bite should seek immediate medical attention if they experience those symptoms, Hill said.
For more information on mosquito and tick prevention, go to the Purdue medical entomology page at https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publichealth/insects/mosquito.html.
Source: Purdue University
According to the USDA/NASS, for the week ending May 21, corn was 73 percent planted, which was 24 percent ahead of last year and the same as the five-year average.
However, persistent rains and saturated soil conditions have resulted in replanting and delayed corn planting. The weather forecast this week indicates the likelihood of more rain so it is probable that many soggy fields may not be drying out soon.
Given this outlook, is there a need to switch from full season to shorter season hybrids? Probably not – in most situations full season hybrids will perform satisfactorily (i.e. will achieve physiological maturity or “black layer” before a killing frost) even when planted as late as May 25, if not later in some regions of the state.
Results of studies evaluating hybrid response to delayed planting dates indicate that hybrids of varying maturity can “adjust” their growth and development in response to a shortened growing season. A hybrid planted in late May will mature at a faster
thermal rate (i.e. require fewer heat units) than the same hybrid planted in late April or early May).
In Ohio State and Purdue University studies, we’ve observed decreases in required heat units from planting to kernel black layer which average about 6.8 growing degree days (GDDs) per day of delayed planting.
Therefore a hybrid rated at 2800 GDDs with normal planting dates (i.e. late April or early May) may require slightly less than 2600 GDDs when planted in late May or early June, i.e. a 30 day delay in planting may result in a hybrid maturing in 204 fewer GDDs (30 days multiplied by 6.8 GDDs per day).
There are other factors concerning hybrid maturity, however, that need to be considered. Although a full season hybrid may still have a yield advantage over shorter season hybrids planted in late May, it could have significantly higher grain moisture at maturity than earlier maturing hybrids if it dries down slowly.
Moreover, there are many short-to mid-season hybrids with excellent yield potential. Therefore, if you think you may end up planting in late May or early June, consider the dry down characteristics of your various hybrids.
In recent years we’ve seen a range of drying conditions. In years with hot, dry conditions in September, some mid- to- full season hybrids had grain moisture levels at harvest similar to those of short season hybrids because of rapid dry down rates.
However, in other years, cool, wet conditions after maturity slowed dry down and major differences in grain moisture at harvest were evident between early and full season hybrids.
Late planting dates (roughly after May 25) increase the possibility of damage from European corn borer (ECB) and western bean cutworm and warrant selection of Bt hybrids (if suitable maturities are available) that effectively target these insects.
In past OSU studies, Bt hybrids planted after the first week of June consistently outyielded non-Bt counterparts even at low to moderate levels of ECB.
For more information on selecting corn hybrids for delayed planting, consult “Delayed Planting & Hybrid Maturity Decisions,” a Purdue/Ohio State University Extension publication available online.
Source: Ohio State University
Many foraging honey bees will encounter neonicotinoids during corn planting season, and the common seed treatments produced no improvement in crop yield, according to a Purdue University study. (Click http://purdue.ag/perilstopollinators for a video abstract).
Neonicotinoids, including clothianidin and thiamethoxam, are a class of insecticide commonly applied as a coating to corn and soybean seeds to protect them from early-season pests. Since the coatings are sticky, a talc or graphite powder is added to vacuum systems in planters to keep the seeds from clumping. Powder exhausted from the planter contains neonicotinoids.
The United States is losing about one-third of its honeybee hives each year, a significant problem since the bees pollinate many crops used to feed people and livestock. Neonicotinoids, which are highly toxic to honeybees, are being scrutinized as a possible contributor to the losses.
Christian Krupke, a professor of entomology, showed in 2012 that exhausted insecticides collected on flowers that border agricultural fields and were present in hives near those fields. Bees in those hives showed physical signs of insecticide poisoning, and dead bees tested positive for the neonicotinoids used as seed treatments of corn and soybeans.
Now, Krupke, along with collaborators Jeff Holland at Purdue, Elizabeth Long at Ohio State University, and Brian Eitzer with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, have measured the drift of those neonicotinoids from fields and found that the insecticides can settle on flowers up to 100 meters from the edge of the planted fields, the farthest distance examined in the study. Their findings are published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
Mapping Indiana’s corn acreage, as well as the areas that may receive drift, the authors say that 42 percent of the state is exposed to neonicotinoids during crop planting. Looking at public data on the location of apiaries and projecting the range that honey bees forage, they found that 94 percent of bees could fly through areas that contain lethal doses of the insecticides during the period when corn is planted.
“Our previous study showed that these neonicotinoids are likely to leave the field, but we wanted to demystify that distance and show how far the material moves, at what concentrations and what the actual risk is,” Krupke said. “There was a misconception that any bees not living near corn were likely to be fine. But that’s not true, and it’s clear that these insecticides are reaching into the places bees forage and putting them at risk.”
Krupke’s team set up dust collection stations at 12 Indiana fields where corn was being planted and collected samples for two years at distances up to 100 meters. Analysis of the collected dust showed lethal doses of neonicotinoids were reaching the farthest traps. Added to the clouds over the fields during planting, Krupke said bees are exposed to significant risk.
“As planter exhaust is blown up and away from the equipment, it gets into the air stream and is at the mercy of whatever is going on with the wind,” Krupke said. “It’s not all that different from the pesticide drift that we’ve talked about for years, but these products were supposed to solve that problem. Now we know that they also drift.”
In the same study, the researchers found no evidence that neonicotinoids increased yield in corn. The authors tested untreated corn seed, and seeds coated with neonicotinoids and fungicides at both high and low doses, at three locations around Indiana. There were differences in pest damage at one site, but those did not translate into yield loss.
The authors conclude that the lack of benefit for corn yields in their study, as well as inconsistent findings in U.S. corn, soybean and oilseed rape in Europe, “suggest that the current use levels of insecticidal seed treatments in North American row crops are likely to far exceed the demonstrable need, and our results likely reflect a scarcity of target pests.”
The industry continues to work on alternative seed lubricants to reduce dust movement at planting, but to date progress has been limited. According to a Penn State study analyzing USDA pesticide use data, the rates of neonicotinoid use in corn have doubled since 2012.
Finally, the authors say that the risk to bees and other non-target organisms could be more significant than their paper suggests. They only examined cornfields in this study, and soybeans are also typically treated with neonicotinoids. The study transects were limited to 100 meters from field edges, but it’s possible that lethal doses reach further. And they did not account for the fact that bees create static charges on their bodies during flight, which means they may be attracting insecticide-tainted dust during flight and not just when landing on flowers.
Neonicotinoids are on almost all corn and most soybean seeds sold in the U.S., though Krupke said that this study and other reports of inconsistent yield benefits, show that widespread use is unnecessary and farmers could benefit from access to seeds not treated with insecticide. He will focus research on determining the circumstances in which neonicotinoids are useful for improving yield, and he will encourage farmer access to neonicotinoid-free seed, which is almost non-existent in the current market.
“The good news is that because farmers often don’t need these additions to seeds or benefit from them, we can easily and rapidly reduce the risk simply by having untreated seeds available,” Krupke said. “That would also allow farmers to make some side-by-side comparisons in their own fields.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council supported the research.
Source: Purdue University
Providing an attractive and appealing place to live is a concern for small towns across Iowa. What are things a town can do to attract new residents, and what are things that push them away?
This concern is discussed by David Peters, associate professor and extension rural sociologist at Iowa State University, in his newest publication “What Drives Quality of Life in Iowa Small Towns?” (SOC 3082).
The data on quality of life and social conditions used in the publication are from the Sigma Study, a long-term USDA-funded research effort in Iowa. Residents of 99 small towns (population between 500 and 6,000) were surveyed in 1994, 2004 and 2014 and were asked to subjectively rank their community on things like overall quality of life, jobs, medical services, schools, housing, child and senior services, retail and entertainment.
small Iowa town main streetWhile quality of life is usually thought of in economic terms, Peters found a much different result.
“I have always thought high quality of life was associated with higher incomes, lower poverty and lots of jobs – typical economic factors,” Peters said. “What I found instead was that there was no difference in income, poverty levels and mix of jobs in high and low quality of life towns.
“The strongest driver of quality of life were social capital and civic measures. This study shows participation in a community and whether the community provides social supports, those intangibles are more important. So there are opportunities to increase quality of life in a community without creating more jobs.”
Recruiting large businesses to a town can be an expensive, time-consuming process that requires a significant and coordinated effort. Alternatively, investing in social capital projects can prove to be a more resource-efficient strategy for small towns. These projects focus on building and strengthening the community’s social connections and networks, fostering a sense of shared identity and collaboration. By channeling efforts into initiatives that enhance social capital, such as community events, educational programs, or local development projects, small towns can create a more attractive and supportive environment. For those interested in exploring innovative community-building approaches, incorporating aspects of my MyAngelNumbers could offer a unique and spiritually resonant perspective, potentially enriching the social fabric of the town.
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“It is within a community’s control to get people to participate in projects and efforts within that community,” said Peters. “These type of initiatives do not cost a lot of money. The degree in which people participate in the town and feel safe, supported and trusted in the community is something a town can do to better itself.”
Raising a town’s quality of life can then make it more attractive to others.
“The hope is that if a town does have a high quality of life, it might be more attractive to new residents or smaller firms that might not create a lot of jobs but who want to be in a community with a quality of life that matters to them,” Peters said.
According to the study, overall quality of life has improved in Iowa’s small towns over the last 20 years. The only area to decline in that time period has been senior services.
“As the population of small towns age, having quality senior services is more important than it was 20 years ago,” Peters said. “Communities are going to need to make a larger effort into making sure seniors have access to good services in those towns or they will risk losing these people, many who have lived in that community for a long time and are leaders in the community, to larger cities where they have access to the services they need.”
Source: David Peters, Iowa State University
