October 16, 2015

 

FREEZE AND FORAGES

 

The first freeze of the Fall always raises questions and concerns about the safety of grazing or mechanically harvesting forages. The bottom line is that there are two concerns.

1.    Farmers who have planted sudangrass or sorghum-sudangrass hybrids as an annual forage should exercise good management to avoid prussic acid poisoning.

2.    There may be a slight increase in bloat potential from alfalfa and clover.

 

Steve Barnhart addressed these issues in detail at http://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2009/10/flurry-forage-questions-come-first-fall-frost-and-freeze.

 

 

FERTILIZER APPLICATIONS

 

Nitrogen

 

In my October 12, 2015 newsletter, I mentioned an article written by John Sawyer last year regarding nitrogen applications in the Fall. Shortly thereafter, John wrote another one, which is at http://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2015/10/fertilizer-nitrogen-application-fall. Again, Sawyer's article from last year can be found at http://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2014/10/fall-nitrogen-applications-and-soil-temperature.

 

As always, be sure soil temperatures are 50 degrees or lower and falling before applying nitrogen sources, including manure. Soil temperatures can be monitored at http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/NPKnowledge/soiltemphistory.html.

 

 

FOR YOUR CALENDAR

 

Continuing Instruction Course for Commercial Agricultural Pesticide Applicators

9:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Many ISU Extension and Outreach offices (Check with yours.)

Details and registration for this and other C-CICs are at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/psep/ComAp.html.

 

15^th Annual Iowa Organic Conference

2:00 p.m., Sunday, November 22 - Monday, November 23, 2015

Iowa City, IA

Details are at http://sustainability.uiowa.edu/framework/main.php?url=/2015-iowa-organic-conference.

 

Ag Chemical Dealer Update

9:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Iowa City, IA

Details will soon be at: http://www.aep.iastate.edu/acu/.

 

Private Pesticide Applicator Continuing Instruction Courses (P-CICs)

December 1, 2015 - April 15, 2016

Tentative dates and times for this winter's P-CICs in east-central and southeast Iowa are posted at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/eccrops/pcic.html.

 

Integrated Crop Management Conference

December 2-3, 2015

Ames, IA

Details will soon be at: http://www.aep.iastate.edu/icm/.

 

Crop Advantage Series

9:00 a.m., January 8, 2016 - Burlington, IA

9:00 a.m., January 14, 2016 - Moravia, IA

9:00 a.m., January 22, 2016 - Iowa City, IA

9:00 a.m., January 29, 2016 - Moline, IL

Details will soon be at: http://www.cropadvantage.org.