Weekly Ag Update
Weekly Field Crop IPM Report; By Ned Birkey, MSU Extension Educator Emeritus/ Spartan Agricultural Consulting; [email protected]; February 26, 2025
?The agricultural weather from the National Weather Service Climate Predication Center 8-to-14-day outlook for March 5 to 11, 2025, updated February 25 is predicting a “near normal” outlook for temperature and near normal chances for precipitation.? Day length hours are increasing, with over 11 hours now, and just 3 weeks till Spring and 12 hours of daylight.
?Frost Seeding into Wheat???? Now may be a time to frost seed some red clover into winter wheat.? MSU has looked at seeding Mammoth and red clover into winter wheat just prior to green-up to get a nitrogen boost, reduce weed pressure, increase soil organic matter, improve soil health and increase water holding capacity.? Seeding rates range from 6 to 18 pounds per acre, with 12 pounds showing the most consistent stand.
?Alfalfa??????????? Now is a good time to assess overwintering alfalfa stands.? Once green-up has finished, farmers can begin to assess crowns and stands.? The number of plants per square foot declines with the age of the stand.? A two-year-old stand should have at least 8+ plants.? A three-year-old stand should have 6+ plants per square foot.? Stands that were healthy and vigorous going into the winter should recover okay, especially those fields with good soil fertility, drainage, and that were not cut in the mid-Fall period.? Fields with more frost/ freeze damage or with more root heaving may need additional time to recover this Spring.?
?Cover Crops???????????? Cover crops in the western basin of Lake Erie are an important nutrient management tool that many farmers in southeast Michigan need to consider as a part of their farm plan.? Knowing what to plant, and when, is important.? Equally important is thinking how to kill the cover crops.? As the spring growing season progresses, terminating cover crops may be one of the first field activities.? Complete termination of a cover crop is essential to prevent poor spring crop seed placement, allelopathy, potential insect issues and crop competition.? Failed or incomplete termination often deters future cover crop use.? MSU has released “Cover Crop Termination” a new publication coauthored by weed extension specialist Christy Sprague and weed science diagnostician Erin Hill.? Cover crop termination methods include winter kill, mechanical methods and herbicide options.? This new publication can be downloaded at; https://www.canr.msu.edu/cover_crops/uploads/files/Termination2018.pdf. This five-page publication, MSUE CC-01, includes a table that details the effectiveness of the three methods for specific cover crop species, including suggested herbicide rates.? The table also lists the rotation intervals required for subsequent cash crops following the listed herbicide applications.
?How long do garden seeds last? Some warmer weather, and now that March and meteorological spring are here, have home gardeners wondering about using left over seeds?? The easiest way is to check seed viability is to do a warm germination test, which can be done even on the kitchen table or counter space.? Put 10 seeds onto half of a damp wash cloth, cover them with the other half and wait several days to see how many germinate.? Seeds can survive for varying numbers of years.? One example of viability of over 100 years was demonstrated when some work on old buildings at Michigan State uncovered seed and some germinated!? Realistically, most seeds last for between one and five years, depending upon several factors, including how they were stored, such as in a cool, dry and dark place.? Lettuce, onions, and parsley should be good for one year, while corn, okra and pepper seed up to two years.? Asparagus, beans, broccoli, carrots, celery, peas and spinach seed may be viable for up to three years. Lower germination seed can still be planted, but the seed count will need to be much higher, and some seed may not have as much vigor.