Agronomy News-May 2022

Fusarium Head Blight Update

Nidhi Rawat, Small Grains Pathologist, University of Maryland, College Park

Wheat in the Eastern Shore of Maryland will be flowering (50% of the main tillers showing yellow anthers) in a couple of days. Although the weather has been...Read more

Soybean Seedling Diseases and Fungicide Efficacy

Alyssa Koehler, Extension Field Crop Pathologist, University of Delaware

Seedling diseases are common across many crops, including soybeans. The most common seedling pathogens Pythium spp., Phytophthora sojae, Fusarium spp., and Rhizoctonia solani are often naturally present in the field, but certain environments, like...Read more

Scouting for Fusarium Head Blight

Alyssa Koehler, Extension Field Crop Pathologist, University of Delaware

Wheat anthesis will be occurring over the next few weeks. So far this season we have been at low FHB risk, but we will keep a close eye on the rain events...Read more

2022 Corn, Soybean, and Wheat Fungicide Efficacy Tables

Andrew Kness, Agriculture Agent, University of Maryland Extension, Harford County

Each year, data from Universities around the country are aggregated and used to update fungicide efficacy guides for corn, soybean, and wheat. These tables...Read more

FREE Weed Science Webinars

The Office of Pest Management Policy is happy to present two free virtual webinars in May 2022: Information about the webinars is below.

GROW: A National Response to the Herbicide-resistant Weeds Epidemic
Date: May 10th, 2022  |  Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
Description: Steven Mirsky is a Research Ecologist in the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), Beltsville, Maryland. His research merges precision and sustainability solutions by assembling highly coordinated transdisciplinary research and outreach teams, commodity boards, farmers, and public/private partnerships. This work quantifies how climate, soil, management, genetic and social factors interact, provides site-specific sustainable management practices for growers, and develops web-based decision support tools for agricultural professionals and farmers to guide real-time decision making and long-term planning. In this webinar, he will talk about the national GROW: Integrated Weed Management team, and their contributions to herbicide-resistant weed management for researchers, farmers, and agricultural professionals. Register

EPA’s ESA Workplan: What Does it Mean for Growers?
Date: May 16th, 2022  |  Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET
Description: In April 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a comprehensive workplan to address the challenge of completing Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultations for pesticide registrations under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The Workplan, entitled Balancing Wildlife Protection and Responsible Pesticide Use: How EPA's Pesticide Program Will Meet its Endangered Species Act Obligations, addresses the decades-long challenges the Pesticide Program has faced in meeting its ESA obligations, and presents strategies and actions for future success. Join us as EPA Pesticide Program leaders give an overview of the Workplan and discuss what it means for growers and other agricultural stakeholders.  Register

April 2022 Grain Market Report

Dale Johnson, Farm Management Specialist, University of Maryland Extension
(Information summarized from the USDA WASDE report)

Corn
There were no changes on the corn supply side from the March 9 WASDE estimates. On the demand side, there were minor changes but total use and Ending stocks...Read more

Farming for Healthy Soils Program

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) is accepting applications. For more information

Organic Farming Field Day

Michel Cavigelli, Research Soil Scientist and Lead Scientist, USDA

You are invited! On Monday, May 16, 2022, we will showcase results from 26 years of organic farming research at the Sustainable Agricultural System Lab (SASL) in Beltsville, Maryland, and will solicit input from attendees to help guide the next five years of our organic farming research program.

Schedule:

Our research addresses long-term crop production, including yield-limiting factors (weeds, weather, soil moisture, crop varieties), soil fertility, manure management, soil carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, soil microbiology and related topics. Results from our long-term research site and on-farm work will be included. Collaborators from University of Maryland Extension will also participate.

USDA-ARS reviews its research programs every five years, and this is your chance to provide input on future directions for our organic farming research. Farmers, agriculture professionals, NGO personnel, and Congressional representatives and staff are invited. We are fortunate to have lunch sponsored by Friends of Agricultural Research-Beltsville.
Please respond to Michel.cavigelli@usda.gov by May 11 if you are interested in attending. Please specify if you will attend in person or via zoom. We plan on making the 10-12 and 1-2:30 sessions available on zoom at this link: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1615588930

Directions to the research field can be found by entering “Farming Systems Project” in Google Maps.

Due to current covid restrictions, the portion of the event that is indoors will be limited to 50 people (with additional people on zoom), with individuals sitting 6 feet apart. We will alert you to any changes in the venue (e.g., needing to be held completely virtually or outdoors, or if mask requirements are fully lifted) no less than 48 hours before the event.