Volume 5 Issue 11     August 5, 2008

Glyphosate Resistant Weed Survey: Do you have a RR soybean field with suspicious broadleaf weed escapes?
The University of Minnesota Extension and North Dakota State University are collaborating on a survey of RR soybean fields to evaluate possible resistance to glyphosate in broadleaved weeds that have survived herbicide treatment.

How to Easily Tell Whether Wheat Is Physiological Mature
Physiological maturity is reached when the maximum amount of dry matter has accumulated in the developing kernel and dry down of the kernel is all that remains before harvest can commence. 

Soybean Aphids are Here . . . but for How Long???
There have been heavy flights of soybean aphids over the past week, resulting in lots of winged aphids being found in many fields in the region.  Environmental conditions are also pretty good for aphid reproduction and although numbers of natural enemies seem to be increasing, soybean aphid populations in some fields may be growing beyond what these predators and parasitoids can control.

Update on Sunflower Rust:  Folicur receives label for Sunflower
Minnesota Dept of Ag Plant Pest Surveyor, Ardell Knudsvig has identified a localized epidemic of rust on a field of susceptible sunflower in the west Polk Co. area of the Red River Valley.  The disease was identified on heads and at a damaging severity on upper-canopy leaves.

Salt Index and Starter Fertilizers 
Starter fertilizer use has been a hot topic over the past year and most of my talks related to the topic have received a lot of interest due to the fact that there seems to be a lot of uncertainty about fertilizer supply and what grades to use. Talks of shortages of 10-34-0 this past spring and for the upcoming spring have raised a lot of questions on what fertilizers can be used instead of 10-34-0.

Strip-tillage Demonstration at Big Iron Show
   September 10, 2008
   Red River Valley Fair Grounds  -  West Fargo, ND 
The demonstration is a part of the annual NDSU Extension Service educational program at the Big Iron Farm Show.

Fall Establishment of Alfalfa 
Planting new stands of alfalfa during the late summer is an excellent way to establish alfalfa.  Late summer alfalfa seeding is not necessarily better than spring planting, but it does provide another option that may better fit your work schedule or rotational practices. 

Hay Prices and Pricing Hay 
Sorry, I’m not going to calculate a hay price for you here. The goal is to identify a couple of things people should consider and a couple of resources that might be useful. 

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