June 2024 | Volume 15, Issue 3
Inside this issue:
- State Court of Appeals Overturns Circuit Court’s Right-to-Farm Decision
- Thoughts on Tar Spot Management
- Scouting for Fusarium Head Blight
- Paraquat Training Opportunities
- June IPM Insect Scouting Tips
- UMD Faculty Member Partners Nationally to Release Highly Anticipated Decision Aid Tool to Produce Maximum Crop Yield
- New Forage Enterprise Budgets
- Fungicide Efficacy Tables for Corn and Soybean
Drones In Agriculture
Learn about the use of drones in agronomic production systems and what you will need to operate legally. Topics: Intro to drones in agriculture, equipment overview, what you need to operate legally, using drones for spraying and cover crop seeding, and drone demonstrations.
Dates:
- June 25, 2024 - Harford County Ag Center, 3525 Conowingo Rd., Street, MD. 21154
- August 1, 2024 - Wye Research & Education Center,124 Wye Narrows Dr., Queenstown, MD. 21658
- August 2, 2024 - Upper Marlboro Research & Education Center, 2005 Largo Rd., Upper Marlboro, MD. 20774
For more details and registration, visit https://bit.ly/droneinag
Maryland Weed Management Tour
Date: June 26, 2024 | Wednesday
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Cost: FREE (registration encouraged, but not required.)
Location: Wye Research and Education Center, 211 Farm Lane, Queenstown, MD, 21658
Description: Visit research and demonstration plots and get updates on weed management issues in the region.
Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSclaMMgXn2-3C-X0ivEGGrMb4qNhyIgggtd8N4h3XKS7HFaYw/viewform?usp=sf_link
Forest Management for Wildlife Symposium: Ruffed Grouse, American Woodcock, Young Forests, & More
Date: Thursday, July 11, 2024 | Time: 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location: 818 Cacapon Lodge Dr, Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 (possible field trip after)
Cost: Free of charge; $20 donations (or more, cash or check only) are welcome to defray costs.
Register here: https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIqdOypqjsqGdE7nhHWtD4gBnfeWam38HHB#/registration
Why forest management?
Forests are the #1 land cover in Maryland and much of the mid-Atlantic, but many of our forests lack a healthy understory and the structural and age diversity that can help support a wide variety of wildlife. Sustainable forest management practices can significantly enhance habitat and provide habitat for a diverse array of wildlife species.
Objective
This symposium will provide landowners and land managers insights about how to implement forest management practices that can benefit a diversity of wildlife, including ruffed grouse, American woodcock, rabbits, wild turkey, golden-winged warblers, pollinators, and more. Specialists in wildlife, forestry, and financial incentive programs will present practical and sustainable tips for forest management, timber harvests, and financial incentives available to benefit wildlife on your property.
Live Workshopping
We plan to dedicate the final 45 minutes of the symposium for our speakers and specialists to rotate around the room to meet landowners and provide ideas and suggestions for forest management on printed maps of interested participant’s properties.
If you own forestland and are interested in receiving live suggestions about your property as part of the workshop, please let us know in the registration page and we will reach out about printing a poster-size map of your property that can be workshopped live and in-person during the final session at the symposium.
Logistics
This symposium will be held live at Cacapon Resort State Park in Berkeley Springs, WV, on Thursday, July 11, 2024, from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm (possible field trip after lunch). Lunch will be available to all, but we would welcome a $20 (or more) donation (cash or check only) to defray costs of venue and catering.
The event will be streamed live on Zoom and recorded for future viewing (you will receive a confirmation email with a Zoom link even if you choose to attend in-person).
Nate Bruce, Farm Management Specialist | nsbruce@udel.edu
University of Delaware University of Delaware has developed cool season hay forage budgets. The budgets may be accessed the associated Excel file. Cool season forages covered in the budgets include alfalfa, orchardgrass, timothy, fescue, orchardgrass/fescue mix, and orchardgrass/alfalfa mix. All budgets are given with a tab that shows estimated expenses and an actual expenses tab for producers to enter their own information. To streamline use of the budgets, expenses are given for both establishment and production on the same tab. If the forage is already established, remove the expenses with number one footnote from your own budget. Revenue in each budget is based on square bale production and prices. Budgets will be updated for round bale production in the weeks to come and be published on Weekly Crop Update.
Paraquat Training Opportunities
If you still need your paraquat training, Syngenta is offering more free online training opportunities in June. Seminars will be on Zoom from 2-3:00 PM on June 5, 18, 20, 25, and 26. Use this link to register: https://syngenta.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Gh1T5t4tTS-S3QbFJUJe-w#/registration.
As a reminder, anyone applying paraquat products must complete a training and certification course every three years. This training is specific to paraquat and separate from your pesticide license. You will also need this certification to purchase paraquat.
Training Webinars
- June 05, 2024 - 2:00-3:00 PM
- June 18, 2024 - 2:00-3:00 PM
- June 20, 2024 - 2:00-3:00 PM
- June 25, 2024 - 2:00-3:00 PM
- June 26, 2024 - 2:00-3:00 PM
Download Agronomy News, June 2024, Vol. 15, Issue 3 (pdf)
Agronomy News is a statewide newsletter for farmers, consultants, researchers, and educators interested in grain and row crop forage production systems. This newsletter is published by the University of Maryland Extension, Agriculture & Food Systems Agronomy Team every month during the growing season and will include topics pertinent to agronomic crop production. The subscription is free.