Current Topics:
Rainfall in Tazewell County During
2006
Growing Season
Township
|
Week Ended
August 20
|
06 Total
|
05 Total
|
Diff.
|
Boynton
|
.40
|
21.48
|
na
|
na
|
Cincinnati
|
.50 |
24.75
|
9.20
|
15.55
|
Deer Creek
|
.70
|
17.30
|
na
|
na
|
Delavan
|
00 |
18.80
|
8.13
|
10.67
|
Dillon
|
.50
|
15.30
|
na
|
na
|
Elm Grove
|
.58
|
16.69
|
10.70 |
5.99
|
Fondulac
|
1.50
|
22.90
|
13.81
|
4.29
|
Groveland
|
1.30
|
19.40
|
13.51
|
5.59
|
| Hittle |
.85
|
17.10
|
na
|
na
|
Hopedale
|
.80
|
23.40
|
8.95
|
14.45
|
Mackinaw
|
.80
|
17.29
|
11.77
|
5.52
|
Morton
|
.55
|
18.15
|
11.15
|
7.00 |
Pekin
|
.40 |
14.66
|
8.65
|
6.01
|
Sand Prairie
|
.30
|
16.10
|
8.90
|
7.20
|
Spring Lake
|
.35
|
12.13
|
na
|
na
|
| Tremont |
.45
|
17.75
|
9.19
|
8.56
|
Washington
|
1.00
|
15.20
|
8.75
|
6.45
|
Normal PIA
|
.70
|
17.47 |
All readings in inches.
Bin Buster???--I
have been flying over Tazewell and Logan Counties the last month and
have observed from a "birds eye view" that the crops look fantastic!
The only trouble spots I did see were patches of drowned out areas, but
those were few and far between. I did see some soybean fields
with brown streaks running through the fields the same direction as the
rows. Not sure what happened there, but I would have to walk into
the fields to check it out. Could be cyst since it showed that
type of pattern or chemical damage.
I know the crop isn't in the bin
yet, but as of today, it appears we are in line for another bin
buster. According to local markets, there is a huge premium
for storing this year's grain, so that should tell us something.
Why didn't I sell more $6 beans and $3 corn when I had the chance
earlier this summer? --Keith
Worner
Auction
is Tough Sell -- Drove over to Stanford the other day to
check out the Ron and Sharon Dubbelde farm sale. Robert Yoder,
auctioneer, earned his pay that day. Bidders wanted to start out
at rock bottom prices and work up to the true value. Seems like
everyone wanted a bargain and it was hard for the auctioneer to get a
minimum bid in order to get started on an item. Made for a long
sale day and a ton of patience.
Here is a thumbnail report of his sale: IH490 disk
$1575, Tandemaster $1750, Paraplow $375, White 6 bottom plow $400, JD 6
bottom plow $350, JD four bottom plow $550, Glenco Soil Finisher $700,
JD510 Disk Ripper $6750,JD Field Cultivator $350, Wilrich Field
Cultivator $775, JD 7000 12 row planter $1600, Unverferth 6500 auger
wagon $7600, Brent 440 wagon $4600, IH1460 combine $1350, 820 platform
$650, IH963 corn head $975, JD 7720 $3900, JD 224 platform $2400, GMC
tandem grain truck $7300, JD 4430 tractor $11,700, JD 4630 tractor
$9700, JD 8650 tractor $14800.
-- KeithWorner
Farm Pond Information -- Mason County Extension will
present Farm and Home Pond meeting on Wednesday, August 30 just south
of Manito, starting at 6:30 p.m. rain or shine. Maintenance
techniques will be covered. Many thanks again to the Bob Fornoff
family for allowing us to use their pond. The weather is going to
be perfect and bring your lawn chairs.
Annual Beetle Invasion --I had just
settled into my favorite chair one evening when in burst my wife from
the back yard patio in total distress. "We have been invaded" she
shrieked. My first inclination was to call homeland security or
911, but upon further inspection I noticed she had on her gardening
gloves and was carrying a pruner in her hand. So being the sharp
individual that I am, I deducted our "invasion" had something to do
with the flower beds she so lovingly takes of and spends hours and
hours every evening after she gets home from work.
After I got her
calmed down, she pointed to the back yard and said, "Look!" As it
turned out, we had been invaded by swarms, and I mean tens of
thousands, of Japanese Beetles. The air was thick with those
little varmints. It reminded me of a swarm of bees, which I first
thought we had. By the time I got my ATV sprayer mounted and
loaded, the beetles had settled in on our Russian Olive bush, bending
the branches down due to the total weight of all those beetles. I
thought it was pretty gross watching that Russian Olive come alive with
these critters, so I really enjoyed giving them a chemical bath of
Sevin and watching them drop like rain onto the patio. That was a week
ago. Not end of story. They showed up again last Sunday bringing with
them reinforcements! This time I still had my ATV sprayer mounted
and was ready with a full frontal attack of Sevin. They left the
Russian Olive alone and went for the box elder, Boston ferns, and
hyacinths. The Japanese beetles can really devastate about any
plant in a very short period of time so be prepared.
As their name suggests, these beetles are native to
Japan. They were first seen in New Jersey in 1916 and have since
become a major pest in the eastern United States. They feed on
hundreds of different species of plants. The adult beetles are
present from June to October. They feed only in the daytime, and
are most active on warm, sunny days. The female lays her eggs
just under the soil surface in lawns. Grayish white grubs soon
hatch and feed on grass roots. As the weather turns cold in
the late fall, the grubs move 8 to 10 inches down into the soil, where
they remain dormant for the winter. When the soil warms up in the
spring, the grubs move back up near the soil surface and resume
feeding on roots. They soon pupate and reemerge as adult Japanese
beetles in late May or June. Liquid Sevin is your best product
for control after they emerge and begin their feeding frenzy. --Keith Worner
Fire Blight In Flowering Crab -- I got a frantic call
from a home owner wanting to know-"What is killing my ornamental white
crabs?" Just as soon as she mentioned white crab, I figured it
had to be one of two diseases, either scab or fire blight. Upon
visiting her front yard, I knew right away it was fire blight.
The bacteria that causes fire blight disease infects
only members of the rose family. Pears, apples, mountain ash,
hawthorn, cotoneaster, and firethorn. The bacteria spends the
winter in infected bark and oozes out in the spring, where it attracts
insects. Although fire blight may be spread by humans or
splashing raindrops, several insects, especially bees, transfer the
bacteria to blossoms. In warm, humid weather, the disease spreads
rapidly from the blossom into the twig and adjoining leaves.
How do you control fire blight you ask? Prune
fire blight "strikes" 12 to 15 inches below any visible discoloration
and destroy them. Be sure to disinfect shears between cuts with rubbing
alcohol. This will reduce the chances of infecting healthy trees
when you make other cuts. Apply a protective spray of a
bactericide before bud break in the spring. Repeat at intervals
of 5 to 7 days until the end of bloom. In the winter, prune out
any infected branches.
-- Keith Worner
Tree Planting
-- If you are planning to add trees to your landscape trees this
spring, proper planting is essential to ensure survival. For
bare-root trees, the hole must be deep and wide enough to hold the full
root system without bending or cramping the roots. For balled and
burlapped or container-grown trees, the hole should be at least
one-third wider than the soil ball or at least one foot wider all
around.
In well-drained soils, the bottom of the hole should
be just deep enough to place the top of the ball at the soil
surface. Digging deeper is not recommended because the tree will
settle and be too deep. Adding a root stimulant is ok and of
course make sure the newly planted tree gets a copious amount of water.
Mushroom Compost for Mulch --
My wife does most of the spring landscaping.
Not that I do not want to help out, I am just busy in the fields
planting corn. I call her the 'mushroom mulch lady', because she
really piles that stuff on! She will jump into my pickup with
that look in her eye, and say "see ya later", as she heads down the
drive off to our local landscaping establishment with visions of spring
plant material dancing in her head. Actually, the only time I
ever see her this excited is when there is a big sale at
Famous-Barr. Then there is that look of anticipation as she pulls
back into the drive with my Ram overflowing with mushroom mulch and
dozens of flats of plants bulging in the cab-and that is just the first
load! From then on, you can find her 24/7 slinging mushroom
mulch.
I keep reminding her one disadvantage of mulch is an
increase in insects. There are several insects and insect
relatives that find mulches very desirable to breed and live in.
Most of the insects are nuisance insects and therefore should be
ignored. For earwigs and slugs, control may be
necessary. Another downside, as I keep reminding the 'mulch
lady', is that mulch attracts voles and mice to the house.
However, on the positive side, organic mulches do
much more than add beauty to gardens and foundation plantings.
Visual appeal is definitely a plus, but organic mulch also maintains a
more consistant level of soil moisture, modifies soil temperature
fluctuations, aids in weed control, and slowly converts to soil.
Continually working mulch into the ground improves porosity and
moisture retention. As organic mulch converts to soil, new mulch
is easy to add or replace.
Mulches should be applied between 2 and 4 inches
deep if the particle sizes are not too large. Course large bark
and rocks may need to be thicker to cut down on light getting through
to the soil and encouraging weeds to grow. Do not place mulch
right up against the base of plants. There is the possibility
that the stems will rot and decay if they stay wet too long, because of
the water holding capacity of mulch.
I must give credit to where credit is due.
Cindy's plants are gorgeous and adds much beauty to the home all summer
long. I think she might be on to something with this mushroom mulch
stuff.--Keith Worner