- Corn & Cotton Strategy meeting will be held at the Birome Gin/Community Center, 175 FM 308 Spur Birome, Texas on Wednesday, March 29, 9 a.m. to Noon. Cost is $10 and includes a BBQ lunch. Space is limited, so reserve your spot by March 27. Call 254-582-4022. 3 CEUs Offered: 2 IPM, 1 General
- Corn planting is wrapping up and some producers have moved on to sorghum. Planting sorghum as early as possible is a good practice to potentially escape sugarcane aphid damage. Some corn is already emerging.
- Another rain over the weekend brought on average about half an inch to most of the county. Low chances of more rain continue for the next ten days. Highs will be in the 80’s and no freeze is expected for a while. The temperatures will aid leaf rust that persists in the wheat fields but will give a good start to the corn crop. Leaf rust has been benefitting from the extended hours of leaf wetness provided by the rain.
- Check out these tips for chinch bug control in corn by IPM agent Stephen Biles.
- Dr. Mark Welch, AgriLife extension economist, comments on the rising prices of fuel and all its possible impacts on a farm operation.
- Leaf rust continues to spread in untreated fields. Thicker stands have powdery mildew, and some have complexes. Thankfully, it’s been too warm for widespread stripe rust, which can cause a greater yield loss to wheat. Remember, fields have excellent moisture and this could boost yields high enough to accommodate for losses to rust. Wheat is still living life in the fast lane: a field in the scouting program is nearly 50% headed, and most other fields range from flag leaf emergence to boot. We are about two weeks ahead of schedule compared to last year. A frost earlier this week could have had an impact on some fields in the more vulnerable stages, but it may take a week or more to notice the freeze damage.
Texas Blacklands: Corn, Wheat Update; Corn & Cotton Meeting on March 29, Birome
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