Weekly Ag Update

Weekly Field Crop IPM Report; By Ned Birkey, MSU Extension Educator Emeritus/ Spartan Agricultural Consulting; [email protected]; July 3, 2024

?Weather forecast for agriculture, by the National Weather Service’ Climate Predication Center, is calling for a probability for above normal temperatures in their 8-to-14-day outlook for July 8 to July 14, updated June 30, and is leaning to above normal chances for precipitation.? Eric Snodgrass of Nutrien Ag Solutions summarized June as being warmer and wetter than normal, with July being a critical weather month for crop growth, particularly as they transition from vegetative growth stages to reproductive growth stages.? The U.S. seasonal drought forecast for July 1 through September 30 does not include southeast Michigan.? He does think our area has a good chance of some rain, perhaps an inch or more, from Hurricane Beryl over the next 15 days.? The 3-4 week forecast for July 10 to August 3 is calling above normal temperatures and normal precipitation.?

?Custom work rates help farmers and landowners settle up spring work so work done is paid for.? MSU, OSU, Purdue and U of IL all have estimates of costs to perform various farm, trucking, scouting and other related tasks.? MSU has a 2023 summary, while OSU, Purdue and Illinois have updated 2024 custom rates.? OSU’s farmer survey for the average cost to plant corn, in 30-inch rows is $23.51per acre or $24.77 with fertilizer.? MSU divides up the cost, depending upon the size of the planter, with a 12-row corn planter cost at $21.98 per acre.? OSU’s cost of tillage with a high-speed disk ranged from $45 to $13.75, with an average of $27.05 per acre.? MSU’s cost for a 120-foot self-propelled boom sprayer is $9.57 per acre. OSU’s cost for a late season high clearance sprayer is $12.61 per acre.? Planting with a grain drill is estimated at $19.51 in Ohio or $29.99 for a 52-foot air seeder drill with a cart in Michigan.? OSU’s cost of combining wheat, with a grain cart and haul to the farm $37.80 per acre.? Grain hauling from farm to the elevator is 17 cents per bushel, with an average distance of 22.7 miles (one way).? Other costs are available by google; (the state) and custom machine work rate.?

?Updated USDA survive Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary for the calendar year 2022 has been released.? In summary, more than 99 percent of the products sampled had pesticide residues below the established EPA tolerances.? In 2022, 10,665 samples of fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, corn grain, soybean grain, peanut butter were analyzed, of which 8,512 were fresh and processed fruit and vegetable samples.? States participating in the survey included Michigan and Ohio, plus California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, Texas and Washington.? Sampling also included imported products, as well as domestic.? Sampling includes the types and amounts of food consumed by infants and children.? Fresh and processed fruit and vegetables tested were; baby food green beans, peaches, pears and sweet potatoes, blueberries (fresh and frozen), carrots, celery, grapes, green beans, mushrooms, peaches (fresh and frozen), pears, plums, summer squash, tomatoes and watermelon.?

Keep animals that are eating the garden out!? Rabbits, ground hogs, squirrels, chipmunks and deer can be commonly found eating garden plants and produce. Netting, predator urine, fences, some garden plants or flowers are the first line of defense against unless there are lot of them.? The Connecticut Ag Experiment Station tested a number of repellents and found that Bobbex-9 worked best.? It is an all-natural remedy.? Dogs, with access to outside areas near the garden, can also serve as a deterrent.??