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Stay tuned
Rebecca Lamb, Asst. Editor
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This week, the Field Crop CAT Alert contains
information on harvesting. The Field Crop CAT Alert team
is watching the situation closely and may have a special alert in
coming weeks to get more information out to readers. Please stay
tuned to the CAT Alert over the next few weeks so you don't
miss important information.
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Frost on corn for
silage
Herb Bucholtz and Mike Allen
Animal Science/Dairy Nutrition
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This year's corn crop has been significantly behind
in maturity when compared to previous years. Because of this, there
is concern about a frost occurring before the corn crop is fully
dented and what affect this will have on corn silage.
An early September frost may stop all plant growth/maturity
activity but the crop can still make good corn silage. The key in
harvesting corn for silage is the dry matter content of the silage.
Freezing of the corn will cause rapid drying and farmers will need
to monitor the dry matter of the corn and start harvest when the
corn reaches 30% dry matter. Frosted corn doesn't need to be chopped
immediately after a frost as it may require additional time to dry
to 30% dry matter. However, if the corn is near 30% dry matter when
a frost occurs and then followed by dry, windy days, the plant may
very rapidly dry down and the corn silage will become too dry for
good fermentation.
Summary
§ Frost
will not adversely affect the quality of corn silage.
§ Harvest
corn for silage when it reaches 30% dry matter; the dry matter range
for corn silage is 30-45%.
§ Don't
harvest below 30% dry matter just because it was frosted. Wet silage
undergoes extensive fermentation and yields poor quality and unpalatable
silage.
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Harvesting immature corn for silage
Mike Allen
Animal Science
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Much of the corn harvested for silage in Michigan
this year may be immature at harvest because of delayed planting
and a cooler growing season. Although silage from immature corn
can be an excellent forage, certain factors related to harvesting
and feeding should be considered.
When to harvest
Immature corn is considerably wetter than normal and
seepage from the silo will be extensive if harvested too wet. In
addition, very wet corn silage may reduce dry matter intake if it
is included in the diet at high levels. Moisture content should
be less than 72% when stored in bunker silos and less than 65% when
stored in upright silos. This is likely to require harvesting after
a frost, particularly for corn planted in late June or early July.
The best way to determine when to harvest is to harvest a representative
sample of each field (not border rows) and determine the moisture
content using a microwave or forced air drier. Do not decide when
to harvest by just looking at the corn; leaves dry quickly and turn
brown following a frost and then corn appears to be drier than it
really is. Leaves are a small fraction (less than 15%) of the entire
plant and the plant may still be too wet when the leaves are brown
and dry.
Silage additives
Immature corn should ensile will if harvested at the
appropriate moisture content. There will be a more than adequate
supply of sugars for the microbes to ferment because less sugar
has been translocated to the ear and converted to starch. Avoid
treating corn forage that is greater than 70% moisture with anhydrous
ammonia as it might encourage growth of undesirable organisms resulting
in a poor fermentation. Inoculants shouldn't be necessary if the
corn is harvested during warm weather but should be considered for
corn forage harvested during cool weather late in the season. If
the daily high temperature is less than 55 to 60°F for several days prior
to harvest, inoculants should be considered because the naturally
occurring microbes which are desirable may be low in number.
Length of cut
Chopping coarsely will increase the effectiveness of
fiber at stimulating chewing and salivary buffer flow into the rumen.
Immature corn forage can be chopped more coarsely than mature corn
for silage because the ears are much less developed and kernels,
if present, are soft and do not need to be ruptured during harvest
to be digested. Cob disks will also be less of a problem with immature
ears.
Feeding value
The feeding value of silage from immature corn depends
partly on the degree of maturity at harvest. In general, it will
have higher fiber, slightly higher protein, and slightly lower energy
content than normal corn silage. The fiber content may exceed 55%
NDF for very immature corn silage or for wet corn silage that has
had extensive seepage. Digestibility might be 10 to 15% lower for
very immature corn silage because of the higher fiber content and
diets based on these forages must be adjusted with higher concentrate
levels.
Silage from corn that is only slightly immature
may have fiber levels that are close to normal even though the grain
content may be considerably lower. This is because grain filling
occurs by translocating sugars from the stover and the total sugar
plus starch content of the plant may change little during grain
filling. Slightly immature corn silage has similar or even higher
digestibility than mature corn silage. This is because digestibility
of starch and fiber decreases as the corn plant matures. Although
the grain content increases, the grain becomes harder and more kernels
pass through the cow undigested. The non-structural carbohydrates
of immature corn are highly digestible sugars and starch. The digestibility
of fiber decreases as the corn plant matures giving an advantage
to immature silage. Although silage from immature corn may require
more grain in the diet than normal, if it is harvested at the appropriate
moisture content, it might improve milk production because of higher
starch and fiber digestibility.
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Perennial and biennial broadleaf
weed control in the fall
Kathrin Schirmacher, Christy Sprague, and
Jim Kells
Crop & Soil Sciences
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Wheat fields offer an excellent opportunity to
control perennial and biennial broadleaf weeds with fall-applied
herbicides. Perennial and biennial broadleaf weeds are best controlled
in the fall as they move sugars and carbohydrates from their leaves
to their underground storage structures. As a result, a greater
amount of a systemic herbicide such as glyphosate will move with
the sugars and carbohydrates to underground structures where they
can potentially kill the plant.
The ideal timing for fall herbicide application
is generally when the perennial or biennial weeds have reached the
bud to flowering stage, but before the plants are damaged by frost.
Weeds vary in their sensitivity to frost; therefore, the application
window is smaller for some species than for others. For example,
perennials such as Canada thistle and dandelion survive light frosts
and are most effectively controlled when the herbicides are applied
through late October and early November. Perennials such as hemp
dogbane and common milkweed will complete their life cycles by late
summer and do not tolerate frost well, so herbicide applications
cannot be delayed until late fall.
For fall applications of Banvel refer to the label
for rotation crop restrictions. Table 1 contains
a list of recommended herbicides for controlling common perennial
and biennial broadleaf weeds with fall herbicide applications. Table 2 provides
the glyphosate product application rate in fl oz/A based upon glyphosate
formulation and rate in lbs ae/A as found in Table 1. Always add
ammonium sulfate (AMS) at 17 lbs/100 gal of spray solution to all
treatments containing glyphosate.
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Precautions for preharvest treatments
in dry edible beans
Christy Sprague
Crop & Soil Sciences
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Recently, three
Roundup (glyphosate) brand products received supplemental labeling
for preharvest and spot treatment of weeds in dry beans. These products
are Roundup WeatherMax (22 fl oz/A), Roundup UltraMax (26 fl oz/A),
and Roundup OriginalMax (22 fl oz/A). Applications of these products
are intended to be used to control weeds that may hinder harvest.
DO NOT use these products for vine dessication,
as residues of glyphosate have been found in harvested beans if applications
are made too early. For preharvest purposes only, glyphosate should
be applied when beans are in the hard dough stage (30% moisture or less).
Applications of glyphosate should also be made seven days before harvest
and only one application should be made per year. DO
NOT apply glyphosate to beans grown for seed, and DO
NOT feed treated vines and hay from these crops to livestock.
If a vine dessication treatment is needed paraquat (Gramoxone Max) should be used.
Details for this type of application can be found in Table 5B of the 2004
Weed Control Guide for Field Crops. |
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National FSA American Indian Credit
Outreach Initiative
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Are you an American Indian farmer, rancher, or
youth (10-20 years) searching for financing for an agricultural
business or project? If yes, the National FSA American Indian Credit
Outreach Initiative (ICOI) can help. Teresa Magnuson is the ICOI's
Outreach Liaison for Michigan and Indiana and has the honor of assisting
tribal people secure the financing necessary to fulfill their agricultural
business needs and dreams.
The National FSA American Indian Credit Outreach
Initiative Program stems from an innovative cooperative agreement
with the National Tribal Development Association and the USDA's
Farm Service Agency. The ICOI is a creative approach designed to
address the unique agriculture credit needs of the American Indian
community. The project incorporates outreach, education, and loan
application preparation services to ensure American Indian farmers,
ranchers, and youth have access to the full range of FSA credit
opportunities.
If
you are interested in learning more about the National FSA American
Indian Credit Outreach Initiative or would like to schedule a presentation
for your organization or department, please contact Teresa Magnuson,
4470 Cricket Ridge Dr. Apt. 202, Holt, MI 48842, phone: (517) 694-7784,
teresa@indiancreditoutreach.com
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5
- Thumb
Mark Seamon
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Weather
Temperatures in the high 70's and 80's have been a welcome
change. Rainfall over the past week was somewhat variable but most
areas received at least 1.5 inches of rain. This is too late for
some crops but will sure help most.
Commodity reports
In sugar beets, cercospera leafspot continues
to develop but the September calendar has some growers evaluating
how much longer we will need chemical protection. This beet crop
shows good yield potential that we don't want to lose to a controllable
disease.
Corn is making the most of the recent accumulation
of GDD's. Corn maturity is variable with some of the early corn
showing the milk line advancing nicely while others are still in
the full milk stage.
The recent rain and increased temperatures shows
some promise for soybeans as well as corn. There are a lot
of small (0.5 to 1 inch) pods on the top of plants that are going
to need a perfect finish to the growing season to make an impact
on yield.
Dry bean maturity is progressing nicely
in most fields. There are a few exceptions of later planted and
later maturing beans that are very green yet. These late fields
appear to have great potential if we can get enough time for natural
plant death and dry down.
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First
freezing temperatures of the fall season
Jeff
Andresen
Agricultural Meteorology
Geography
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With some crops lagging far behind normal phenologically,
the date of first freeze may be a major factor in determining final
yields as well as grain quality this fall. Unfortunately, from a
meteorological perspective, there is no reliable way to forecast
these events more than a few days in advance. First fall freeze
events (and last freeze events of the spring season) are the result
of a complex mix of large, synoptic-scale and local, micro-scale
factors. The best strategy for prediction is simple: a knowledge
of the climatological statistics of a given area, and consistent
monitoring of the 6-10 day outlooks for future movement of large,
Canadian-origin high pressure air masses into the region. At this
time of the year, frost and freezing temperatures are not possible
without clear, calm conditions and low dew point temperatures (all
of which tend to be associated the air masses mentioned above).
In the 6-10 day outlooks, look carefully for forecasts
of below normal or much below normal temperatures in the Great Lakes
region as well as a northerly or northwesterly configuration of
the jet stream (i.e. from northern Canada southward into the central
U.S.). Also, freezing temperatures tend to occur more easily in
low-lying areas where cold air draining off surrounding topography
can collect or "pond," and on dry, well-drained soils in which the
air in the soil pore spaces acts as an insulator and reduces the
amount of heat energy stored in the soil profile from reaching the
surface.
From a climatological perspective, Figures
1A, B, and C give the average (50th percentile), 10th percentile,
and 90th percentile date of first fall freezing temperatures (32°F or lower at the 5-foot
instrument shelter height), respectively. The 10th percentile dates
refer to the earliest 10 percent of observed first freeze events
while the 90th percentile refers to the date at which 90% of all
first freezes have occurred. With the first and last of these dates
for a given location, one could determine a representative range
of first freeze dates, from the 10th percentile to the 90th percentile,
which statistically comprises 80 percent of all possible events
in the period of record. Surprisingly, at most locations, this range
of dates is only about three or four weeks. For example, at Lansing
the figure indicates the average first freeze date to be about October
5, and in 1 out of 10 years it is as early as September 22 (the
10th percentile) and as late as October 17 (the 90th
percentile). It is important to note that these statistics refer
to temperatures taken at a 5-foot level inside an instrument enclosure.
Actual temperatures near the surface may be several degrees colder,
especially under clear, calm, stratified conditions, even though
the 5-foot shelter/enclosure temperature is still above freezing.
Geographically, the average date of first fall freeze in Michigan
depends greatly on proximity to the lakes, with several weeks separating
the earliest occurring events in interior sections of the Upper
and Lower Peninsulas to the latest events at stations right along
the lakeshore in the south.
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Weather
news
Jeff Andresen
Agricultural Meteorology
Geography
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Major changes in the jet stream orientation across
North America took place last week, with the formation of a trough
across western sections of the continent and a broad ridge across
the east leading to above normal temperatures and widespread rainfall
across Michigan through last weekend. This week, the jet stream
pattern remains similar with the upper air ridge and low level high
pressure leading to mostly warm and dry weather conditions. The
passage of a weak frontal boundary through the state and the movement
of more humid air into the region from the southwest will lead to
the chance of a few scattered showers or thundershowers during the
next couple of days, although most areas of the state will remain
dry into the weekend. Temperatures will remain at above normal levels
through the end of the weekend with slightly cooler weather early
next week. Look for highs to generally range from the upper 70's
north to the mid 80's south statewide with low temperatures from
the mid 50's to mid 60's. Next week, significant rainfall is possible
across the state and region depending on the exact track of Hurricane
Frances, which is expected to make landfall as a powerful category
4 or greater hurricane somewhere along the southeast coast of the
U.S. early in the weekend. One forecast scenario includes the possibility
of the remnants of this storm could combine with another weather
system moving eastward out of the Great Plains by the middle of
next week with the potential for a significant rainfall event somewhere
in the Upper Midwest. Remember that tropical weather systems are
inherently difficult to forecast, especially several days in advance,
so the potential for such an event may change with time.
Further upper air changes are expected during the
next one to two weeks with a fast, zonal (west to east) pattern
suggested by the medium range forecast models. The NOAA CPC 6-10
day outlook for September 7-11 calls for near normal temperatures
statewide and for precipitation to range from near normal in western
sections to above normal in the east. In the 8-14 day time frame
covering September 9-15, the outlook calls for above normal
precipitation totals statewide and for temperatures to range from
near normal in northern sections to below normal in the south. Unfortunately,
because of major differences between some of the forecast tools
used to create the outlook in the 8-14 day time frame, forecaster
confidence is considered much lower than normal.
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