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
Dr. Chris
DiFonzo
243 Natural
Science Building Office Address: 331 Natural Science Building
East
Lansing, MI 48824
tel:
517-353-5328
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 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. For additional sources of information on food safety, see
the list of Web sites listed below. |
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8. Reduce Your
Risk |
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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 Produce Marketing Association Visit the sites listed below for
information on food safety, traceback, Good Agricultural Practices, and Best
Management Practices. GAPsNET 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 Microbial Food Safety National Food Safety FDA Guidance Documents Agricultural Best Management
Practices |