Howdy!!!

Wow, what do we do next?  What a fall we have had!!!!  So much got done this fall to even include a fair amount of nitrogen applications.  So, what do we do next?  Wellllllllllll, we can start thinking about next years’ growing season.  We really don’t know what the winter will bring with snow amounts or how early or late the spring will be but one thing is for sure we will be planting a crop again.  Prevent plant is also an option but managing those saline areas become a great concern when using prevent plant.

There were some issues this past growing season with spring wheat.  Many had fairly decent crops and others had wheat yields quite low.  What happened and why will be discussed at Lake Region Extension Roundup, Tuesday, January 3,2012.  Timing was really a big issue for a fungicide application and that will also be discussed.  Who knows, we may a normal spring and we might also have a normal growing season where it is not raining nearly every day during flowering.  Talking of Spring Wheat I should mention that Ramsey County Crop Improvement association will have two lots of Prosper HRSW for sale this coming year.  The growers were Bryston Berg (Starkweather) and Mark Blanchfield (Penn).  The samples look very good and the yield was better than most, according to the growers.  Ramsey County Crop Improvement will advertise the lots starting December and then will be taking applications for requested bushels.  There will be a dollar deposit on requested bushels. 

The last thing I would like to mention is please be thinking about your pesticide rotations for the upcoming years.  Roundup has been the herbicide of choice for two reasons: cost and ease of use.  How does it get any better than  that.  Well, we are running into t a problem with herbicide resistance.  You will hear a lot about that issue this winter and at Lake Region Extension Roundup.  I presently have six different locations in Ramsey County that will be watched closely for resistant kochia.  We do not need to get that going.  We need to be making herbicide applications that have contrasting modes of actions to break that bridge of the same herbicide each year.