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Fire Ant Control and Insect Management
Texas AgriLife Extension Extension Service, the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and Myers Park and Event Center are co-hosting a "Fire Ant Control and Insect Management Program" on Friday, October 10th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The program will be conducted at Myers Park and Event Center Northwest of McKinney.
Livestock
Assess body condition of cows at weaning. Cows have a minimum body condition score (BCS) of 5 at calving next spring. These cows will have less calving difficulty, higher quality colostrum, and re-breed quicker than those under a BCS 5 at calving. If necessary, sort thin cows at weaning into a separate feeding group so they can be fed to a BCS 5-5.5 by calving next spring.
Clay Wright, jcwright@noble.org, 580-224-6454
Horticulture
Continue to monitor pecan weevil traps for late emerging adults up to harvest time. Fall rains will bring out the remainder of this year's crop of weevils where emergence has been delayed by drought. Control wildlife (squirrels, crows, blue jays, and hogs) that will damage your pecan crop throughout harvest. The best methods of controlling are hunting, scare devices, harassment and habit manipulation. Be sure to obey the state hunting laws for that species if you elect to use hunting as a control measure.
Charles Rohla, ctrohla@noble.org, 580-224-6451
Wildlife and Fisheries
NF 3 has a new wildlife and fisheries consultant. Will Moseley received his B.S. degree from Texas Tech University in wildlife and fisheries management, and his M.S. degree from Texas A&M University - Kingsville in range and wildlife management. Will's thesis was over the impacts of supplemental feeding and density of white-tailed deer on non-target species. Will is looking forward to assisting everybody in the NF 3 service area with their wildlife and fisheries needs. White-tailed deer archery season is open and rifle season is soon to follow, so have your harvest forms ready. Remember to record weight, sex, antler measurements, estimated age, and location of harvest. Happy hunting!
William Moseley, wamoseley@noble.org, 580-224-6455
Pasture and Range
Armyworms have already been spotted in wheat and bermudagrass fields this fall and some producers have already sprayed for control. Scout field margins and fields for signs of activity. In wheat look for window pane effects on leaves and circular patchy areas that have a general off color or slightly purple tinge. On bermudagrass look for areas that have brown or off color leaf tips that might appear to be drought stressed. Scouting for armyworms can be difficult. In early instar stages worms are very small and hide under dirt clods or field debris during the day which will require you to get on your hands and knees and do some hard looking. By 3-5 days after hatching you should not have any trouble finding evidence of worm presence as the worms will be easy to spot and may be moving up into the canopy and creating quite a bit of damage. Below are images and descriptions of armyworms to help you identify them.
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Fall Armyworm - Brown, green or black caterpillar with an inverted "Y" on the head. They generally will hide during the day under thatch and feed at night on leaves with heaviest infestations along field margins. When scouting, examine worms for the presence of small white eggs just behind the head which indicates they have been parasitized and treatment is not required. The treatment threshold is 3-4 unparasitized armyworms per linear foot of row in small grain. In bermudagrass treat when worms are abundant and foliage is being destroyed.
Beet Armyworm - Generally bright green with dark lateral stripes, a small dark spot on the second segment behind the head becomes evident as the worm matures. In the literature these worms have not been reported in small grains but in scouting small grains the last two years they have been found by Noble Foundation consultants. It is important to determine the presence or absence of beet armyworms as they are harder to kill than the Fall armyworm. Thresholds for control will be the same as with the Fall armyworm.
Both of these pests are controlled easier when they are in early instar stages. Once they have matured, they can be tough to control. Several insecticides are available for control of both of these pests but particular caution must be made concerning grazing and harvesting restrictions. Also keep in mind your health when applying insecticides and take all precautions necessary to be safe and not jeopardize your health. Read the product label before application, it is the law.
James Rogers, jkrogers@noble.org, 580-224-6466
Ag Economics
For many cow calf producers who have spring calving cow herds, the month of October is weaning time – or at least time to remove the calves from the herd. If you plan to "strip and sell" your calves, meaning sort them from their mothers and haul them to a local sale, be prepared to receive a larger discount than normal (compared to weaned calves with a round or two of shots). The market is bidding much less for un-weaned calves with no shots relative to preconditioned calves than in the past. Producers with calves needing to be separated from their mothers should strongly consider removing their calves from the herd and retaining them for a minimum of 45 days, administering vaccinations according to a veterinarians' recommendation and marketing them as preconditioned with vaccinations. The market is paying high prices for added gain and preconditioning.
Dan Childs, mdchilds@noble.org, 580-224-6453
Soils and Crops
Before planting any legumes this fall, be sure you have a current soil test (taken within 3 years or 6 months after a lime application). We don't want to plant legumes on soils with a pH under 6.0 or phosphorus levels below 40 as legume growth and persistence will be reduced.
David Annis, dcannis@noble.org, 580-224-6458
Young, Beginning and Small - Farm/Ranch
When purchasing legumes for planting, be aware that around 40%-50% of the seed sold in our area is coated. The coating can consist of limestone, inoculant and a fungicide which may account for 30% (or even more) of the weight of the seed. For example, if you intend to plant 8 lbs/acre of clover and you purchase and plant seed where 30% of the weight is coating and you do not adjust for the coating, you will only be planting 5.6 lbs/acre of actual seed. Another consideration is the percentage of pure live seed or PLS. Additional information on how percent PLS affects planting rates can be found at http://www.noble.org/Ag/Forage/SeedPurchase/Index.htm. Take time to look at the tag on the seed bag and determine how much you need to adjust your planting rate.
David Annis, dcannis@noble.org, 580-224-6458
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