Gage County
1115 West Scott St.
Beatrice NE 68310
Phone: (402) 223-1384
FAX: (402) 223-1370

News Column

Paul C Hay, Extension Educator

Rambles Through the Brambles

An old neighbor of my family in rural Michigan took pen in hand after his health forced him to retire. His weekly, "Rambles Through the Brambles", column was a popular item in the local newspaper until he made rather colorful poetic references to the yellow paddy wagons which three different school districts drove by his house every day. I will borrow Mr. Dana Bridges meandering title to discuss several topical areas of information.

Mosquitoes and West Nile Virus remain an area of concern. I'm not sure exactly how related it is, but the calls on thirteen lined ground squirrel and woodchuck damage problems have increased. Could this be related to the thinning populations of owls and hawks? Red fox and badger sightings have also increased. The vaccine for horses seems to be working very well. The massive loss of horses was curtailed in 2003, the second West Nile season. Reduce standing water from eave troughs, cans, bottles and old tires. Do not consider summer cold and fever symptoms as everyday, take them seriously.

Most of the soybeans and an increasing amount of the corn grown in our area use the Roundup Ready technology. This means that drift potential to damage non-Roundup Ready crops is a concern. New University of Nebraska research has discovered new information on spray nozzle performance which will help farmers and commercial applicators reduce drift. It seems that the spray particle size is greatly affected by the pesticide and additives in the spray. Certain spray nozzles have excellent rating for drift reduction using the standard classification method with water. Drift potential is greatly increased when tested using actual herbicide mixtures.

Soybean aphid and soybean rust (if and when it gets here) are going to challenge spray systems. We are going to need excellent coverage of foliage throughout the plant. Most current sprayers are not well adapted. Both Kansas State and the University of Nebraska are conducting tests of various spray setup options to find the best solutions before the crisis arrives.

Donuts are a continuing problem around trees and shrubs as larger zero turning radious mowers are used on small lawns. The homeowners and professional mowers follow the same pattern around the tree - for speed and because the size of the large mower and samll lawn nearly force the pattern. The compacted donut area results in thinning grass and lower ozygen levels to the tree roots. Using small equipment and/or the careful planning of driving patterns is necessary to avoid the problem.

Smut always finds a way to create a stink. Common bunt or smut has again affected a number of wheat fields in the county, reducing sale value by smelling like rotten fish. Sardine flavored bread is not likely to be a popular choice. The solution is simple. All what planted this fall needs to be treated with a fungiicde effective against smut.

View other Gage County News Columns & News Letters: http://gage.unl.edu/news/news.htm

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