Weekly Ag Update
Weekly Field Crop IPM Report; By Ned Birkey, MSU Extension Educator Emeritus/ Spartan Agricultural Consulting; [email protected]; October 19, 2023
?Soybean Seed Project The University of Minnesota has had a soybean quality survey since 1986 to document U.S. farmers’ efforts to produce some of the best soybeans in the world.? Any farmer wanting to participate in this free project by requesting and submitting a two-pound sample to UMN.? Contact Seth Naeve at: [email protected] or 612-625-4298
?Winter Meeting Season Registrations Starting????? One of the first winter educational meetings is the MSU Integrated Crop and Pest Management Update on December 19, 2023 at the MSU (Livestock) Pavilion, 4301 Farm Lane, Lansing, MI 48910.? This update will be held from 9am to 4pm, cost $65 and give participants 5 pesticide re-certification credits and/or CCA credits and a hard copy of the 2024 MSU Field Crop Weed Control Guide.? Registration is due by December 10 for the in-person meeting.? Interested persons can google: MSU crop and pest update meeting, or contact Eric Anderson at: [email protected] or 269-359-0565.? Another option is to register for the zoom event for $35, which is due by December 14.?
?Candy Corn and Halloween???????????? Getting blood drawn last week, I noticed that the technician had their fingernails painted in candy corn colors.? We already know there are six types of corn; field corn (#2 yellow dent corn), sweet corn, seed corn, #1 food grade corn, popcorn and ornamental (Indian) corn, but there is also a 7th type of corn; the iconic candy corn.? Despite this type of candy being around since before 1898, it was during the 1950’s that modern manufacturing allowed the mass production of this type of candy, with its distinctive colors of white, yellow and orange.? This distinctive pattern was “perfected” by a fellow named George Renninger in the 1880’s, who knew he had the perfect shape when he threw some of this candy towards the family’s chickens and they finally started coming after the corn.? Although other candies rank higher on the “trick or treat” list today, the candy industry produces about 35 million pounds, or 9 billion kernels of candy corn a year.?
?Pumpkins Fall and pumpkins go together.? A pumpkin is really a squash and member of the Cucurbit family, which includes squash, cucumbers, melons and pumpkins.? Pumpkins come in at least 8 colors; white, tan, yellow, orange, brown, red, green and blue.? The largest pumpkin grown in Michigan(that I could google) weighed in at 2,404 pounds, while the current world record is 2,749 pounds.? Michigan ranks 5th in the number of pumpkins grown, with Illinois being the #1 pumpkin state.? At the MCCC Student Ag Farm this year, we grew some exciting and different kinds of pumpkins, including blue and orange “stackable” pumpkins and the ugliest yellow, warty pumpkins that are really cool!? Pumpkins are great to eat as pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pancakes, soup, stew or baked.? Roasted, the seeds taste similar to sunflower seeds.? Pumpkins are low in calories, fat and sodium and high in fiber.? They are good sources of vitamin A, B, potassium, protein and iron.? Beef, sheep, goats and other animals will eat pumpkins as a part of their diet.
?Testing Garden Seeds for 2024??????? Fall and winter, are good times to look over any leftover packets of garden seeds.? Are they viable for next year?? How long do garden seeds last?? Now, before the new seed catalogs appear in the mailbox, it is simple to see if what you have will grow for next year.? Inventory your seed packet supply and sort out any seed and varieties you don’t want to save.? A simple test is to take 10 seeds and arrange them on a damp paper towel or old washcloth, fold it up, put it in a warm place in the house and keep it lightly damp, but not wet or drenched.? A week or so later, come back to see if any of the seeds have sprouted.? If only 3 of 10 have germinated, you know the viability is low (30 percent).? Unless you really want to keep the seed and plan to “overseed,” throw the packet into the compost pile and order something new.? Or, you can google “garden seed viability chart” and get an idea how long to keep various garden seed.?
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