4. NOW IS THE TIME TO FIND BUCKTHORN, the overwintering host for soybean aphid.

 

Most trees and shrubs have changed color and leaves are dropping.  Buckthorn is still dark green and covered with leaves - very obvious even at 70 mph.  So if you are interested in mapping buckthorn in your area, now is the time.

 

For tips on ID, check out the bulletin that Steve Gower and I wrote in 2002 E2803, Buckthorn in the Landscape: Identification and Control

 

 

5. SAMPLE YOUR FIELDS TO AVOID YIELD LOSSES

TO SOYBEAN CYST NEMATODE

 

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) are microscopic roundworms that cause more economic losses to soybean growers than any other soybean pest. These tiny invaders can completely destroy a crop, and yield losses as high as 10 to 15 bushels per acre can occur before symptoms such as yellowing or stunting are visible.  Research has shown that yield losses due to SCN can be significantly reduced or avoided with careful management.

Determining the severity of infestations is the essential first step to limiting yield losses from SCN. The best way to do this is to collect fall soil samples and submit them to Michigan State University (MSU) Diagnostic Services. This is a free service that is funded by the Michigan Soybean Checkoff.  

On the basis of results of the analysis, which show the SCN population densities for each field, growers can implement management strategies and tactics.

Correctly taking and handling the samples is critical to the success of any SCN management efforts.  To collect accurate samples:

      --  Pick up a free SCN soil sampling packet from any county MSU Extension office.  The Michigan Soybean Checkoff pays for the first 20 samples per farm per year.

     

      --  Use a soil probe to collect soil samples from a depth of 6 to 8 inches.

     

      --  Collect about 50 soil cores from each field or uniform area up to 20 acres within a field.  Walk a Z or a W pattern to ensure that the cores are collected randomly.

     

      --  Growers who produce soybeans and sugar beets should submit soybean root samples along with the soil sample when possible.

 

      --  If a field is being tested for SCN for the first time, sample areas where SCN is most likely to establish -- where equipment enters the field, coarse-textured soils, soils with pH levels greater than 7 and areas where yields have been lower than expected.

 

      --  Place all the samples in a bucket and mix them together thoroughly.  Place about 1 quart of soil in the plastic bag provided in the SCN sampling packet.

 

      --  Keep the samples out of the sun and cool until they are sent to Diagnostic Services or delivered to the local MSU Extension office.

 

      --  Complete the "Grower Information" section of the SCN submittal form and include this with the soil sample.

 

The results of the SCN analysis and management recommendations will be sent directly to the farmer. Any MSU Extension agriculture and natural resources educator can help interpret the results and offer suggestions for implementing recommendations.

For more information, visit the MSU Diagnostic Services Web page at www.pestid.msu.edu/services/howto.html or pick up a copy of MSU Extension bulletin E-2199, “Detecting and Avoiding Nematode Problems.”

For more information about improving Michigan’s soybean crop, visit the Soybean 2010 Web page at http://web1.msue.msu.edu/soybean2010/. Soybean 2010 was developed to help Michigan growers increase soybean yields and farm profitability. Funding for Soybean 2010 is provided by MSU Extension and the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee.

 

6. New Web Marketing Opportunity for Small Farms

Submitted by Sustainable Ag Network (SAN) for Simon Huntley.

 

A new Internet marketing project is being initiated that will bring

the cost of web development for small farms down to an affordable

level. This is not a listing service like localharvest.org; this is a

service that allows farmers to create individual professional web

sites for their farm. Read more at http://www.smallfarmcentral.com

 

We want this project to act like a cooperative between small farms to

allow the price of web marketing to come within your budget. That is

 why we are asking for feedback on our ideas - please visit

http://www.smallfarmcentral.com to read the rest of the abstract and

fill out our survey. We are also in the process of forming a core

 group of farmers who will work closely with the development team

 throughout the process and then receive free access to the development services.

Please forward this email on to any farmer or group that you think may

 be interested in being a part of this project.

 

You might want to add blog software to the applications you make available to them.

Blogs, being interactive and allowing uploads of photographs and feedback submission, are a colorful and useful tool for small farming operations. Customers like seeing pictures of the farms and produce grown on them.

Google's Blogger offers free blog service and its pretty elegant for a freebie. Wordpress is good blog software.

Here's an example of what can be done with Blogger:

http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com

 

- Please forward this email on to any farmer or group that you think may be interested in being a part of this project.

 

Simon Huntley, Lead Developer

                          

7. Take The Right Steps    Steps to get safe food from the farm or your garden         www.americanvegetablegrower.com/articles/avg20060922_spinach.html   By John Inman    What can growers do to reduce the risk of their products   being involved in a situation like the ongoing spinach problem in   California’s Salinas Valley?    Step 1: Know what’s going on in   your production program so you have an idea where the critical points are,   i.e. those points where contamination could most likely occur.    Step 2: Be aware of potential   contaminants in your area. According to health officials, likely sources of   contamination in the Salinas situation include irrigation water, livestock   manure, or a contaminated processing facility. Make sure that these are not a   potential problem in your operation.    Step 3: Follow good field sanitation   practices. Insist field workers wash their hands with soap and water after using   toilet facilities. Provide rubber gloves for workers who are handling the   product. Park toilets along side the field, not in the field where spillage   might contaminate the product.    Step 4: Enlist the help of a third-party   auditor. If you do not now use an outsider or third party to periodically   check your operation from a sanitation standpoint, consider it. These people   can often see potential problems that haven’t even entered your mind.    Step 5: Consider controls on outside   people visiting your operations. Visitors might not respect the sanitation   practices and requirements of your operation and could bring in problems from   the outside.    These and more things are all part of the Food & Drug   Administration’s (FDA’s) GPA (Good Agricultural Practices) and GPM   (Good Manufacturing Practices) guidelines.   Growers should be following these guidelines.       For additional sources of information on food safety, see   the list of Web sites listed below.      John Inman is an AVG columnist and a professional engineer   and farm adviser emeritus with the Monterey County Agricultural Extension,   Salinas, CA.
	8. Reduce Your   Risk
	Growers need to take action to prevent a foodborne illness outbreak.    The E. coli outbreak in spinach   impacts the entire fresh produce industry. As most people know, the spinach   has been traced back to operations in Salinas, CA. FDA is investigating to   determine the exact cause of the outbreak. The question now is are you doing   all you can to ensure the safety of the vegetables you produce?    Because food safety and traceback   are such critical issues for growers – now more than ever – the   editors at American Vegetable Grower have compiled a list of Web sites   growers can turn to for more information on these critical topics.    For updates on the latest news   regarding the outbreak of E. coli in spinach, visit the following Web sites:    Spinach and E. coli Outbreak   http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/spinach.html    Produce Marketing Association   http://www.pma.com/   Click on the spinach resource page    Visit the sites listed below for   information on food safety, traceback, Good Agricultural Practices, and Best   Management Practices.    GAPsNET   http://www.gaps.cornell.edu/   Cornell University offers information on education and training for Good   Agricultural Practices.    University of California Good   Agricultural Practices http://ucgaps.ucdavis.edu   The University of California-Davis offers information on Good Agricultural   Practices with a focus on production, harvest, and processing of foods.    Guide To Traceback of Fresh Fruits   and Vegetables http://www.fda.gov/ora/Inspect_ref/igs/epigde/epigde.html   FDA’s guide to traceback of fresh fruits and vegetables implicated in   foodborne illness investigations.      Lettuce Safety Initiative   http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/lettsafe.html   FDA describes the objectives of its Lettuce Safety Initiative.    Microbial Food Safety   http://vric.ucdavis.edu/veginfo/foodsafety/foodsafety.htm   Researchers at the University of California-Davis and others address control   points for pathogens, such as E. coli.    National Food Safety   http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/fs-toc.html#prod   Overview of links to national food safety programs.    FDA Guidance Documents   http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/guidance.html   FDA’s comprehensive list of current food and cosmetic guidance   documents.    Agricultural Best Management   Practices   http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/0464.html   Summary guide for Best Management Practices from Ohio State University   Extension.