The climate outlooks from the national Climate Prediction Center are indicating significant confidence for below-normal precipitation through the first week of October and the monthly precipitation outlook for October is indicating slight confidence for below-normal precipitation throughout the month.
For those keeping track of my articles over the last few weeks, the outlooks of wetter and cooler than normal conditions have been the theme. The cooler temperatures never really came to fruition. In fact, most of Indiana was 1°F to 3°F above normal over the past two weeks (Figure 1)! Regarding the wetter-than-normal precipitation outlook, northern counties, northeastern Indiana, as well as along the Ohio River received above normal precipitation. However, the rest of the state experienced 1” to 2” less-than-normal precipitation over the past 2-week period (Figure 2). Even the above-normal precipitation in the northern and northeastern counties have had little impact relieving the developing drought conditions!
When early September arrives, hay harvest is coming to a close for another year. It is important to now follow through and Sample, Test, Allocate, and Balance or STAB your hay. Doing the STAB is an important best management practice to keep your livestock healthy.
Many hemp growers are beginning to harvest or are gearing up to harvest. Growers are spending more time in the field observing plants and collecting samples for testing to measure THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD (cannabidiol) and CBG (cannabigerol). Growers should also continue to scout for pests.
This is a wonderful time of the year in the Hoosier state, as we drive through the countryside, we are greeted with the pleasing sight of several colorful butterfly species gliding across and roads, near puddles of water, or on fall flowering plants. Many of these beauties originated from larvae that likely fed on soybean or alfalfa. However, it is rare for any of these species to cause significant yield losses from defoliation. Below is a listing, with pictures, of some of the common butterflies and their caterpillars this time of year. Although you will find some of these feeding in crops, none are pests.
Droopy ears are cute on certain breeds of dogs, but droopy ears on corn plants prior to physiological maturity are a signal that grain fill has slowed or halted. Ears of corn normally remain erect until some time after physiological maturity (black layer development) has occurred, after which the ear shanks eventually collapse and the ears decline or “droop” down. The normal declination of the ears AFTER maturity is desirable from the perspective of shedding rainfall prior to harvest and avoiding the re-wetting of the kernels. PREMATURE ear declination, however, results in premature black layer formation, lightweight grain, and ultimately lower grain yield per acre.
The following video addresses bean leaf beetle identification, biology, and late-season damage to soybean while keeping the marketable portion of the crop foremost in mind.
I had the opportunity yesterday to deliver a laboratory lesson to over 40 Purdue University undergraduate agriculture students enrolled in Dr. Ron Lemenager’s beef management class.
Within the past week, we’ve noticed a movement of bean leaf beetles from an early-maturing soybean field, i.e., yellowing leaves, to nearby “green” fields.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Lei Zhang as our new Nematologist at Purdue University.
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