Landscape and nursery
§ Using horticultural oils on landscape plants
§ Will we see a lot of winter injury this spring?
Turfgrass
§ Turfgrass slow to thaw
Christmas trees and forestry
§ Using traps to time white pine weevil emergence
§ Optimizing your Christmas trees irrigation with soil tensiometers
§ Gypsy moth certification for spruce, fir and Douglas-fir
Around the home
§ Environmental trends in gardening
§ Invasive Plants 201: A workshop for the thoughtful gardener
§ Landscape design class in Waterford, MI
Other news
§
§ New pesticide applicator core manuals available
Next issue April 4
It’s spring and the snowy forecast reminds me I live in
Our Internet readers will want to note that beginning this month we intend to post articles throughout the week as we receive them from authors. In the past, articles were collected and then published on the web and in print once a week.
We appreciate suggestions from you, our readers. Please feel free to contact Andrea Buchholz at (517) 353-4703 or email catalert@msu.edu. Internet readers can also sign up to receive a brief email when we post new issues on the Internet. Details are at: http://ipm.msu.edu/email-field.htm
We look forward to joining with MSU’s faculty and educators in providing you information for a beautiful and productive growing season. – Joy Landis, editor, and Andrea Buchholz, assistant editor.
Dave Smitley, Entomology
Horticultural oils have been used on a wide variety of landscape plants for suppression of many insects and mites. Oils are desirable to use because they are safe for people, pets and most non-target organisms. Although safe to animals, horticultural oils may damage some plants, so landscapers and arborists should only use highly refined oil products and know what rates to use and which plants are sensitive. I can summarize what you need to know about oils under three categories: insects susceptible to oil, when and how to spray oil, and sensitive landscape plants.
Horticultural oils work as a contact insecticide and have very little residual activity. This is good for beneficial insects, but it means that your oil spray only works on the day you apply it. Still, horticultural oils may be very useful, especially when trying to preserve natural enemies, or when a very safe product is requested. Horticultural oils applied during the growing season have been reported to give control of the following insects:
§ Boxwood psyllid
§ Cottony maple scale crawlers
§ Euonymus scale crawlers
§ Pine needle scale crawlers
§ Golden oak scale crawlers
§ Honeylocust plant bug
§ European pine sawfly
§ Sycamore lace bug
§ Elm leaf beetle eggs
§ Grape leafhopper larvae
§ Codling moth eggs
§ Pine tortoise scale crawlers
§ Spruce spider mite
§ Elm leaf beetle larva
§ Sycamore plant bug
§ Imported willow leaf beetle
§ Birch aphid
§ Eastern tent caterpillar
§ Japanese beetle
§ Fletcher scale
§ Apple aphid on crabapples
§ Honeylocust spider mite
The insecticide that oils are used for the most are armored scales (pine needle scale, euonymus scale, oystershell scale). Applications of horticultural oils during the dormant season (March to bud-break) are usually made to help suppress scale insects, mites, aphids and psyllids.
I suggest using horticultural oils at the summer rate, which is usually listed on the label as a two percent concentration. Although some labels say that you can use a three to four percent concentration during the dormant season, a two percent concentration is best to avoid plant injury. Dormant applications to suppress scale insects, mites and aphids are most effective in April when temperatures are warmer and some insects begin to become biologically active again, even if they aren’t moving. Oils should not be used when the temperature is below freezing. It is also best to avoid horticultural oils during the period of leaf expansion. Once the leaves are fully expanded, horticultural oils can be used at any time during the summer, except on sensitive plants. Avoid spraying oils when the temperature is above 90ºF. The most popular use of horticultural oils is as a crawler spray for pine needle scale (mid-May, lilac bloom), euonymus scale (early to mid-June), oystershell scale (early June) and other armored scales. Horticultural oils work as well as most insecticides for control of armored scales, because they are highly effective against crawlers, and they don’t leave long-lasting residues that kill predators and parasites.
A study on phytotoxicity of horticultural oils to landscape plants was published in the Journal of Arboriculture in 1990 (4): Davidson, Gill and Raupp. They sprayed trees and shrubs with a two percent horticultural oil once per month in May, June, July and August--four applications total. Some 75 types of landscape trees and shrubs were sprayed. The ones found to be sensitive are:
§ Juniperus communis var. depressa
§ Magnolia quinqupeta ‘Betty’
§ Picea abies (Norway Spruce)
§ Tsuga Canadensis ‘Sargentii’
§ Acer rubrum ‘October Glory’
§
Acer
saccharum ‘
§ Juniperus chinesis ‘Sky Rocket’
§ Picea pungens (Colorado Spruce)
§ Quercus rubra (Red Oak)
§ Thuja occidentalis
*Others reported to be sensitive in different studies:
Dormant oils: maples, hickories, black walnut, beech, redbud, Japanese holly, spruce, Douglas fir, and fall applications to juniper and ash, Butternut, Cryptomeria.
Summer oils: Smoketree, Azalea, Japanese holly, Savin junipers, Photinia, Amur maple, blackberry, raspberry, Japanese holly.
For all applications, make sure the spray tank is well agitated because oils can separate from water, which is sure to cause a problem. Finally, avoid spraying horticultural oils after October 1. Several different publications on horticultural oils suggest that fall sprays may cause damage that is not visible until the following spring.
Bert Cregg, Horticulture and Forestry
Next to “Will we have good fall color this year?” this
question on winter injury is the one I dread the most. In both cases, we
usually don’t know the final answer until the event is actually upon us. So
far, the winter of 2007-2008 has been the closest thing we’ve had to an
“average” winter since I moved to
Based on temperature patterns so far, we wouldn’t expect to see major issues with freezing injury. Heavy snowfall, on the other hand, could raise some concerns. Some parts of the state experienced near-record snow-fall totals this winter. This raises the possibility of several other forms of winter-related problems including broken limbs on trees and shrubs from heavy snow loads, salt damage and animal damage.
Most trees and shrubs are best pruned when they are dormant so snow-broken limbs can be pruned whenever weather permits and it’s safe to do so. Large, hanging limbs are extremely dangerous and may best be handled by a professional arborist. Remember that trees such as maples and birches are “bleeders” and will produce a lot of sap from the pruning wound. The U.S. Forest Service has a nice “how to” guide on pruning trees at: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm
Salt damage to trees and shrubs may also appear this spring. Studies have shown that salt spray can travel over a quarter of a mile, especially from roadways with high-speed traffic. For conifers, look for scorched or dead needles, mainly on sides of trees facing roadways. Eastern white pines are particularly sensitive to salt exposure. For broadleaved trees and shrubs, salt damage often appears as stem or branch die-back. In some cases, trees may also form “witches’ brooms” or clumps of adventitious shoots near the branch terminals.
A variety of mammals such as deer, mice and rabbits can
cause browse damage. Because of the greater snow depths this year, you may be
surprised at the height of plants where damage occurs. Physical barriers
(fencing, netting, wire cages) are the best way to prevent animal browse
damage. Reducing weeds and eliminating cover can help to reduce damage from
mice and rabbits. Deer repellants vary in effectiveness from very effective to
not at all. This bulletin from
The last thing to note about winter injury is, to quote Yogi
Berra, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Late winter injury (freezing injury that
occurs in late winter/early spring) is probably the most common form of winter
damage that we see in
So, will we see a lot of winter damage this year? We will certainly see some. How much? Ask me again in June.
Kevin Frank, Crop and Soil Sciences
Winter seems to be dragging on and on this year as I await
the opportunity to fire up the mower for the first time. With several locations
around
When it comes to golf course superintendents scheduling
growth regulator applications to suppress Poa
annua seedheads, the one stop information source is www.gddtracker.net.
There are several different growing degree day (GDD) predictors that can be
used to schedule either Embark or Primo/Proxy applications. In addition to
scheduling growth regulator applications, the site also includes GDD models to
predict spring broadleaf herbicide applications, crabgrass preemergence
applications, and weed flowering. The weed flowering predictor will help ensure
that herbicide applications are at their most effective. Second to fall
applications in effectiveness is to hit the weeds when they are flowering. Probably
my favorite feature on this website is the “flashback” option which allows you
to see how many GDDs were accumulated last year on the same date. As of March
17 in
My favorite site for identifying weeds is a new and enhanced version of http://www.msuturfweeds.net/. Ron Calhoun, Extension turfgrass weed specialist at MSU, has spent some significant time in updating this site so that identification is now just a couple clicks away. You can either select weeds from pictures or you can click your way through identification keys to identify the weed that’s troubling your turf. Start with choosing between broadleaf or grasses and then you’re on your way. You can identify growth habit, leaf shape, leaf margin, leaf arrangement, and flower color to narrow your selections. Grass identification should be up and running any day now.
Finally, don’t forget about http://www.turf.msu.edu/ for all your turf information needs. Turf.msu.edu has all of the extension fact sheets, research reports, podcasting, and hot topics.
Until our next issue on April 4, your best turf tips are to sharpen your mower blades and resist the urge to apply fertilizer or preemergence crabgrass herbicide to the turf. We’re really not even close right now as some areas are still snow covered, some frozen, and some just starting to emerge from dormancy.
Jill O’Donnell
Christmas Tree ICM educator
The last several years we have seen many leaders on
The adult weevils over-winter on the ground, protected and insulated by the litter (fallen needles). Once they warm up, the weevils move up to the tops of the trees in the late afternoon or early evening and feed on the terminal leader. Each time a female weevil makes a feeding wound on the terminal, she lays one to four eggs in the wound. Those eggs will hatch within a few weeks and the larvae chew their way through the bark. They will feed in the phloem under the bark for several weeks, pupate and then emerge as new adults around midsummer. If you need to control white pine weevil, your one opportunity is early in the spring. We have targeted insecticide application to the terminal leader once it begins to warm up - somewhere around 25-65 GDD50.
To help better time this early application, a few years ago we tried placing tedder traps in fields to detect the emergence of over-wintering white pine weevil adults and have had good success. These traps are placed in the field next to trees that were damaged the previous year. The traps are “baited” with vials containing alcohol and turpentine. Weevils over-wintering at the bases of the trees are attracted by the scents of alcohol and turpentine that mimic the odor of pine trees.
Monitoring traps in previous years, we found the first
adults in southern Lower Michigan April l, and in northern
Apply a registered pesticide as soon as possible after you find the first weevil. It's better to be a bit early than to be late with this application. Make sure to use a persistent product, because the adult weevils don't all warm up at the same rate. You could have weevil adults feeding on the terminals for three weeks or perhaps longer. If you can just treat the terminal and avoid spraying the rest of the tree, you will conserve beneficial species like predatory mites. Also, growers who have had success in controlling this weevil have used a two-pronged management strategy involving applying an early spring insecticide spray and then removing and destroying infested leaders in June/July to prevent weevil emergence.
Note: These traps have also been used effectively in
Pascal Nzokou, Forestry
Snow is quickly melting and we are all getting prepared for the new growing season. Even though we have lots of moisture now, last year’s dry growing season is not far from our thoughts.
One very useful tool for irrigation scheduling in Christmas tree production is a soil tensiometer. A soil tensiometer is a device used to measure the soil matric potential, which is basically the amount of vacuum that trees’ roots are applying to absorb water from the soil. Tensiometers are sold as 12-inch, 18-inch and 24-inch, and the one you elect to use in your system will depend on your soil depth and the age and size of your trees. We recommend using 12-inch tensiometer for fields with trees less than five feet tall. If you are thinking about installing tensiometers this spring, you should be looking for a vendor now and ordering them before the season goes into full swing. You will also need some time to familiarize yourself with them and become comfortable using them.
Your tensiometer devices should be placed in the drier spots in your fields and you should install several to make sure that the entire field is well covered. Ideally, install tensiometers at the beginning of the growing season, shortly after bud break, but before the beginning of your irrigation season. I recommend putting them in the ground sometime in early May after you are done with your planting operations and first pesticide applications. Information on how to install, maintain and service tensiometers will be provided by the vendor, but are also contained in MSU Extension bulletin E2977 “Using Tensiometers for Scheduling Irrigation of Fraser fir in Christmas Tree Production” available at the MSU Extension Bulletin office, (517)353-6740 or your local county Extension office.
Tensiometers have a vacuum gauge graduated from 0 to 93cb.
The higher the reading, the drier the soil, and the harder your trees are
working to absorb water.
Tools like tensiometers can help you optimize your water usage, improve your irrigation decisions and help you maintain good records and history of the soil water in your site (meeting water use reporting requirements.)
For more information, contact Dr. Pascal Nzokou, email: nzokoupa@msu.edu
Mike
Firms that ship trees and shrubs out of
The MDA program requires at least one treatment for gypsy moth and an inspection by MDA before a certificate can be issued. The treatment must be properly timed so that it is effective. The time period is described as a spray window. The window corresponds to the period of egg hatch through late instars. Growers may choose from over a dozen compounds which have been approved by USDA for gypsy moth. A list of compounds approved for 2008 is posted on the MDA web site: www.michigan.gov/mda
In these early weeks of spring, firms often start shipping balled and burlapped stock as soon as they can start digging. This is permissible for stock previously treated up to the point when hatch occurs. Once gypsy eggs begin hatching, the certification clock is reset. At that point, a new treatment is required along with a new inspection. MDA advises that out of state shippers discuss shipping requirements early with their district inspector. Additional certification requirements for Japanese beetle and noxious weeds may apply when shipping spruce, fir and Douglas-fir as live nursery stock.
Rebecca Finneran, Kent Extension Horticulture Educator
Have you ever taken time to consider how much waste you generate during the gardening season? It can be quite an eye-opener. If I measured every load of plastic including pots, flats and plant tags that I dump in our garbage each season, I shudder to think about my contribution to our local landfill.
Dr. Bridget Behe, MSU professor of horticulture marketing believes that baby boomers haven’t had the last say in influencing the world of gardening yet. “I think that boomers are instilling in their kids a value for the environment based upon what we have learned over the years where we went wrong,” she said. Behe believes that children of boomers will be leading the charge in the area of environmental stewardship and taking responsibility for what we do for the future.
A good example is recycling plastic. In the world of horticulture, plastic plays a key roll both in the finished consumer product, but also at growing operations. Horticultural businesses have been working more towards recycling the plastic that covers their greenhouses and collecting the pots and flats for the same end. “I think that much of the reason consumers haven’t recycled plastic containers very well is that they don’t have the right number labeled in a triangle such as a milk jug,” says Behe. “That doesn’t mean they can’t be recycled though.” Behe cited that some businesses and out-of-state garden centers are not only collecting, washing and recycling containers, but are making money selling the plastic to a recycler.
The potted plant of the future may also be more earth friendly, says Behe. New technology allows growers to plant directly into containers of potting media formed with a light net-like material. It is set up to be compostable, thus reducing the need for a double flat. Other technology incorporates rice into the container, making it compost friendly in a three to six-year time frame.
Rick Vuyst, President of Flowerland a
Many horticulture products are becoming more recyclable and are being made of naturally occurring substances. Vuyst notes that because these products tend to cost a bit more, the question will be whether or not consumers will actually open their wallet to match their values.
Vuist says that a more immediate trend is the diminishing amount of spare time folks have. Any product that makes gardening take less time, such as a seed tape that simply needs to be planted into the garden or a pre-planted container that is inserted into a permanent pot at home, are ways that consumers can enjoy the benefit of living things without the work.
Personally, the work for me is part of the enjoyment. I am very concerned about the way people in general want instant gratification in the garden and are not willing to put in the sweat equity to reap the reward. Remember Henny Penny? I use gardening as a hobby to lose all the extra weight I gain in the winter and to strengthen my bones and repair my digestive system. The health benefits go on and on. Behe admitted that it is a little scary to have a whole generation growing up pressing buttons on a controller instead of pushing seeds into the soil. It’s her view that if boomers have their way, when their kids own homes and come of age, they will return to the same gardening hobbies that their parents enjoyed with a whole new round of technology to help. Let’s hope.
Howard Russell, Diagnostic Services
It started on October 1, 2007, as a routine email request
from Norm Myers, MSUE Oceana county extension director, for information on the
so-called winter cutworm, Noctua pronuba.
Within a couple of days, we received reports of thousands of cutworms in yards
and crawling on homes in
The winter cutworm is brownish with two rows of black dashes along the back. The species overwinters as a larva and is known to feed on mild days throughout the winter.
This bug was first discovered in North America in
Rather than trying to retell the story, we think it would be far more interesting if we let the first responders tell it as it happened. Here are some excerpts from some of the e-mail we received from the extension educators who were waist deep in last fall’s outbreak.
October 1, Norm Myers, Oceana CED: “We had a big problem with cutworms getting in to homes and garages last fall. I have had a call from a chemical dealer already this fall and it sounds like the same problem, only this time it is at food processors.”
October 3, Sheri Pollington, MSU/E Wexford County: “This lady brought these in today and she said they are EVERYWHERE...she's being overtaken by them. She doesn't understand where they are coming from as she doesn't have any trees close to her home. She says they are on her deck, driveway and the side of her house and there are hundreds and thousands of them.”
October 5, Norm Myers, Oceana CED : “I collected 100-plus from the floor of a young cherry orchard. The processor showed me one of his migrant houses where the insect had clustered in what were probably the millions before it was treated.”
October 8, Norm Myers, Oceana CED: “My first reports of this were from homeowners, but I have since had reports from orchardist where they were eating out the grass middles in cherry orchards. Today, I had my first report from a crops farmer, where they were eating a hay field. My suspicion is that it is the grass they are eating, but I haven't seen the field so cannot say for sure. They act much like an armyworm, showing up literally in the millions and moving in mass from one area to another. I am a little concerned that they represent a threat to emerging winter wheat (which we have a lot of this year) if this is more than an outbreak in an isolated area.”
October 16, Jerry Lindquist, Osceola CED: “Here are some photos of the farm
in
Back at home he found more in another cut alfalfa field. The picture shows feeding damage on the edge of an adjoining field of alfalfa and volunteer oats that they started to move into. He said that within a day of moving into this field they reversed course and headed to his white plastic ag bags of stored silage and either died on the surface or disappeared. We had temperatures down to 28 degrees on Saturday night, so when I was there on Monday there were few live larvae still visible. I did notice a large flock of about 100 crows that seemed to be feeding in the cut hay fields on the remaining worms on Monday.
I am also getting reports of them in
October 23, 2007, concerned homeowner,
October 26, 2007, Norm Myers, Oceana CED: “I have been hearing stories of Noctua pronuba feeding on cereal grains, but now I have proof. This is a rye field adjacent to an alfalfa field. The worms ate the alfalfa and moved into the rye. Fortunately, we got down in to the high 20s yesterday morning and there were very few worms left.
October, 2007, Jerry Lindquist, Osceola CED: “I got a rye call this morning as well. This was not as conventional as it was a rye field for wildlife viewing. The field was sown last fall and the headed rye was mowed down in August of this year to re-seed it. The field was not tilled this summer, so the cutworms emerged, fed in October and devoured the three acre field, and are now moving onto the homeowner's lawn in a feeding wave.”
October 29, 2007, Duke Elsner, Grand Traverse County: “In my area there has been a lot of larval mortality in the last two weeks - they just crawl along and slow down, then sort of decay in place. Very soft, mushy corpses, and no sign of fungal sporulation on any I have seen so far. I am wondering if this is something viral?
I have attached some pictures of what certainly looks like a box elder bug feeding on one of the dead larvae. These were taken on my deck, where a number of larvae have died in recent days.”
October 31, 2007, Jim Breinling,
November 12, 2007, Mary Dunckel, Alpena CED: “Three more occurrences in Alpena...
1. Two oat fields completely eaten last Wednesday.
2. I was in the veterinarian's office Friday and while at the counter paying for my cat's vaccination a woman came running in with a bag. She was completely frantic as her dog had just vomited up the contents of the bag. Yes, you guessed it....probably 40-50 noctua pronuba!
3. On Saturday, I did my usual fall cleaning of my goldfish pond and there they were again...sucked into the filter (lots of them).
These guys are everywhere.”
November 13, 2007, Jill O’Donnell,
November 14, 2007, Dr. Christina DiFonzo, MSU: “I just got off the phone with Paul Ponik, a Posen area farmer. He gave me a report of what the cutworm is doing and it is still very active. According to him, they seem to prefer alfalfa, leaves first, then stems. They went into a new seeding with oats and left that field soon after, so maybe they don't like oats or something they give off. They went into his father's lawn and seem to cut the grass off right at the soil level. He also believes that they are working under the soil surface as well. He is concerned that if they take down wheat like this, at the soil level or even below soil level, will the wheat come back from that? We know wheat grows back from winter grazing, but this is lower. Where is the growing point?
His father took a hand sprayer with Sevin to them Tuesday and seemed to kill them. It appears to Paul that there are two different hatches involved, with some larva being an inch long and others up to three inches in length. He timed their progress over a highway and clocked them at eight inches per minute.
During the day, they hide under corn stalks or leaves. They feed from about 4:00 PM to 4:00 AM. In the morning, they are as big and fat as this big man's little finger. By afternoon, they have shrunk in size.
They are still moving. They have just entered a clover field.
He asks whether they will gnaw at alfalfa crowns, and whether they will work under the snow on wheat. What will happen to wheat if they eat below the soil surface? He hopes that maybe some Canadian scientists have learned some things to share with us.
So far, he is teaching me about this worm, but he prefers it be the other way around.”
November 15, 2007, Ben Bartlett, Cheboygan CED: “I’ve received confirmation that it’s in Otsego, Presque Isle and most recently – Cheboygan counties (on a lawn) have them in good numbers. They are primarily working on wheat fields up here. Some alfalfa as well, but they aren’t fond of orchardgrass. The questions that I can’t answer are;
1) What will the moths do in the spring? Stick around for another generation or fly off bugging someone else.
2) No thresholds, but if they spray this fall, will it be useful only if they are actively feeding in this cold weather?
3) Why do squirrels eat them? (just kidding, but the lawn owner observed squirrels getting their winter protein!)
November 16, Jerry Lindquist Osceola CED: “Here is another
bizarre impact of the winter cutworm (Noctua
pronuba) outbreak that has occurred in another area of the state, making it
in my mind not just another freak occurrence. The report of a second dog
getting sick by consuming winter cutworms has come in. A black lab in the
The dog owner from
November 21, 2007 Jill O’Donnell,
Howard Russell, Diagnostic Services and
Dr. Ned Walker, Microbiology and Entomology
Last fall we received two ticks from
It has been known for some time that blacklegged ticks were
spreading along the Lake Michigan coast from
Howard Russell, Diagnostic Services
Beetles collected from Arrowhead Viburnum in St. Clair
County last August were confirmed by Jim Zablotny and the USDA Systematic
Entomology Laboratory to be Pyrrhalta viburni
(Paykull), the Viburnum leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). This
represents a new state record for
We are very interested in knowing if this beetle occurs
elsewhere in
Howard Russell and Duke Elsner,
Last September, Duke Elsner submitted a very nice metallic wood-boring beetle that just emerged from a pacific fir window
casing in
There many examples of the prolonged or extended life cycles among the beetles. The ivory marked beetle, Eburia quadrigeminata (Cerambycidae) a wood boring beetle known for delayed emergence when feeding in dry wood holds the record. This beetle finally emerged from a birch bookcase that was 40-years-old.
The University of Florida Book of Insect Records names insect champions and documents their achievements. Each chapter deals with a different category of record. If you are interested, visit the site at http://ufbir.ifas.ufl.edu/
Saturday, March 29, 2008
8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
$60.00, includes break refreshments, lunch and printed materials
This program focuses on enhancing our understanding of invasive characteristics and plant behavior, discussing environmentally responsible approaches to landscape design and management; and most importantly exploring the diversity of plants for our gardens. Invasive Plants 201 sets the stage for Thoughtful Gardening and Responsible Plant Use.
What is an Invasive Plant?
Amy
What Makes an Invasive Plant?
Bob Schutzki,
Doug Pearsall, The Nature Conservancy
Understanding the Impacts of Invasive Plants and Exploring Ways to Control Their Spread
Doug Pearsall, The Nature Conservancy
Brian Majka, JFNEW, Environmental and Natural Resources Consultants
Thoughtful Gardening and Responsible Plant Use
Bob Schutzki, MSU
Responsible Plant Use – Think Environmentally…Plant Responsibly
Herbaceous Perennials
Laurel Christiansen,
Shrubs, Groundcovers, etc.
Chris Howe, Hortech
Panel Discussion
Detailed information on Invasive Plants 201 is available at: http://www.hrt.msu.edu/invasiveplants/ or by contact Linda Smith at smithlin@oakgov.com or by 248-858-0887.
Wednesdays, April 2, 16, 23, 30, 2008
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
$225, includes all architectural drawing tools and paper for each student
This evening class will demystify the landscape design process and help you develop a landscape design that is both aesthetically pleasing and useful. Hands-on activities and coaching by a team of professionals are integrated into the sessions.
Topics for the four sessions are:
1.) Introduction to landscape design
2.) Components of a well-planned landscape
3.) The landscape design process
4.) Getting started
Instructors: Rebecca Finneran, MSU Extension horticulture
educator,
For additional information, contact Linda Smith at smithlin@oakgov.com or at 248-858-0887. Brochure with complete information and application are available at www.msue.msu.edu/oakland.
Vera Bitsch, Associate Professor and
Extension Specialist
Each quarter, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases farm labor statistics for the national level, broken down by regions. This article is based on the NASS release of February 15, 2008, and the data describe the situation during the week of January 6-12, 2008. While the data is considered reliable at the national level, data of individual regions often have a higher margin of error. In a time when agricultural employers are looking for benchmarks to base their decisions on, this is the most current and comprehensive data available. For more details, the complete release is available at the NASS website (www.usda.gov/nass/). Select “Publications” and then “Reports Calendar” or “Publications” and then “Search,” by “Title” or “Subject” (Farm Labor).
Due to budget constraints, the January 2007 Farm Labor Survey was not conducted. Therefore, comparisons to the previous year are not available in this report. Comparisons to 2006 are provided where appropriate.
During the survey week, the total number of hired workers is estimated at 778,000 individuals; that’s down from 794,000 individuals in 2006. In the reference week, 599,000 individuals were hired directly by farm operators. The average number of hours worked stood at 38.4, similar to 2006 with 38.2 hours.
The average wage rate was $10.77 per hour, compared to $10.10 two years ago. Field workers received $9.64, compared to $9.11 two years ago. Livestock workers earned $10.19, compared to $9.26 two years ago. Last October’s wage rate for livestock workers has been revised to $10.02 and the overall wage rate to $10.38 per hour. These wage rates do not include the value of benefits.
Hired workers include anyone, other than an agricultural service worker, who was paid for at least one hour of agricultural work on a farm or ranch. Worker subgroups, depending on what the employee was primarily hired to do, are field workers, livestock workers, supervisors and other workers (e.g., bookkeepers and pilots).
Field workers are employees engaged in planting, tending and harvesting crops, including operation of farm machinery on crop farms.
Livestock workers are employees tending livestock, milking cows or caring for poultry, including operation of farm machinery on livestock or poultry operations.
In addition to analyzing wage rates by type of worker, NASS
provides wage data by type of farm with slightly different results. These data
combine field workers and livestock workers, but exclude the other, typically
higher paid, subgroups. The average hourly wage rates in 48 states, excluding
This January’s survey week, the hourly wage rates in the
Other crops are farms producing vegetables, melons, berry crops, grapes, tree nuts, citrus fruits, deciduous trees fruits, avocados, dates, figs, olives, nursery, or greenhouse crops.
Contact Dr. Bitsch at mbitsch@msu.edu or visit her website at http://www.msu.edu/user/bitsch
New pesticide applicator core manuals available
Carolyn Randall, Coordinator Pesticide Safety Education Program
The long-awaited, newly revised and rewritten pesticide
applicator core certification manuals will be available for sale through the
MSUE Bulletin office and through
The Michigan Department of Agriculture has established a cut-off date of August 1, 2008 for taking the old core exam.
In the interim, applicants will be given the choice of taking the old core exam or the new core exam depending on which manual they studied.