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Extension Update
By Gary Zoubek
Field updates
If you have not been out in a cornfield this last week, I’m sure you could see it grow this past week. I monitor four ETgages in the York area each Friday and this past week they dropped from 1.20” to 1.35” and averaged 1.25” for the week. Rainfall varied from .2” to .8”. These fields are all in the 11 leave stage or so. The crop coefficient is for 10 leaf corn is .69 and for 12 leave corn it’s .88 so for 11 leave corn it’s .80”. For the week the crop used about 1”. Later planted corn in the 8 leaf stage would have used .45” and most of the early planted soybeans have used less than and inch or so.
I checked the watermarks sensors in some of these fields and the soybean fields were generally almost completely filled, while the top foot in some of the corn fields were reading 35-40% depleted, however the 2 and 3’ sensors were still reading wet.
Information about crop water or ET is also available online for sites across the state. Please go to: http://water.unl.edu/cropswater/nawmdn and in the right-hand column, click on “view weekly ET gage data”. Click on the county then the location closest to your farm to determine the local ET for your area. We have several producers, crop consultants, Extension Educators and NRD staff inputting this info on a regular basis. We’re just getting started for the season, so I hope you’ll check the site out.
You can also go to http://cropwatch.unl.edu/ to get updated water use information from our local weather station along with growing degree data. The two links are:
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/weather/gdd-et.html
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/weather/ET_resources.html
The first link has corn and soybeans and emergence dates with estimated water uses for the day, three days and week and estimate for the coming week based on a 30 year average. The second link has a map of Nebraska with the week and days estimated crop potential ET figures. This is similar information to the ETgage data I provide each week, and typically are a little higher than what the ETgage predicts.
Over the past several years, we’ve found that the ETgages have worked well at estimating crop water use. The Extension Hotline is up and going, that number is 402-362-7040. I’ll try and keep it updated on a regular basis.
York County Fair books available
Last week I mentioned that the York County Fair books are available at our office. Steph has been working on our York County Webpage and now has the fair book on line. It’s available online and in sections so that you can check it out at: http://york.unl.edu/yorkcountyfair. The schedule and several entry forms are also available. If you’d like a copy of the fair book, stop by and pick one up along with open class entry forms if you need them. Hopefully we’ll see you “Groovin’ at the York County Fair August 6-9, 2009”.
Lawn &
Garden update
It’s been kind of a quiet week for horticulture calls, but I did have one asking about squirrels chewing off twigs and dropping them onto the lawns below. The question was “Why do squirrels chew off twigs and drop them to the ground?” My response was because they want too, but I also asked are they sure that it’s the squirrel? Fox squirrels typically feed on wild fruits and nuts in fall and early winter with acorns, walnuts and osage oranges among their favorite foods. In town, they also like corn when it’s feed to them and will eat other fruits and berries, tree buds and even bark with food is scare. They will also eat insects.
Another possible pest could be an insect called a twig girdler. This insect chews around and around the small branches the size of your index finger or smaller and eventually the drop to the ground. They kind of look like a sharpened pencil when they fall to the ground. It’s a little early for them, but before blaming the squirrels, check to make sure it’s not twig girdlers causing the problem. In most cases neither will cause serious damage to the trees.
If you have not been out in a cornfield this last week, I’m sure you could see it grow this past week. I monitor four ETgages in the York area each Friday and this past week they dropped from 1.20” to 1.35” and averaged 1.25” for the week. Rainfall varied from .2” to .8”. These fields are all in the 11 leave stage or so. The crop coefficient is for 10 leaf corn is .69 and for 12 leave corn it’s .88 so for 11 leave corn it’s .80”. For the week the crop used about 1”. Later planted corn in the 8 leaf stage would have used .45” and most of the early planted soybeans have used less than and inch or so.
I checked the watermarks sensors in some of these fields and the soybean fields were generally almost completely filled, while the top foot in some of the corn fields were reading 35-40% depleted, however the 2 and 3’ sensors were still reading wet.
Information about crop water or ET is also available online for sites across the state. Please go to: http://water.unl.edu/cropswater/nawmdn and in the right-hand column, click on “view weekly ET gage data”. Click on the county then the location closest to your farm to determine the local ET for your area. We have several producers, crop consultants, Extension Educators and NRD staff inputting this info on a regular basis. We’re just getting started for the season, so I hope you’ll check the site out.
You can also go to http://cropwatch.unl.edu/ to get updated water use information from our local weather station along with growing degree data. The two links are:
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/weather/gdd-et.html
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/weather/ET_resources.html
The first link has corn and soybeans and emergence dates with estimated water uses for the day, three days and week and estimate for the coming week based on a 30 year average. The second link has a map of Nebraska with the week and days estimated crop potential ET figures. This is similar information to the ETgage data I provide each week, and typically are a little higher than what the ETgage predicts.
Over the past several years, we’ve found that the ETgages have worked well at estimating crop water use. The Extension Hotline is up and going, that number is 402-362-7040. I’ll try and keep it updated on a regular basis.
York County Fair books available
Last week I mentioned that the York County Fair books are available at our office. Steph has been working on our York County Webpage and now has the fair book on line. It’s available online and in sections so that you can check it out at: http://york.unl.edu/yorkcountyfair. The schedule and several entry forms are also available. If you’d like a copy of the fair book, stop by and pick one up along with open class entry forms if you need them. Hopefully we’ll see you “Groovin’ at the York County Fair August 6-9, 2009”.
Lawn &
Garden update
It’s been kind of a quiet week for horticulture calls, but I did have one asking about squirrels chewing off twigs and dropping them onto the lawns below. The question was “Why do squirrels chew off twigs and drop them to the ground?” My response was because they want too, but I also asked are they sure that it’s the squirrel? Fox squirrels typically feed on wild fruits and nuts in fall and early winter with acorns, walnuts and osage oranges among their favorite foods. In town, they also like corn when it’s feed to them and will eat other fruits and berries, tree buds and even bark with food is scare. They will also eat insects.
Another possible pest could be an insect called a twig girdler. This insect chews around and around the small branches the size of your index finger or smaller and eventually the drop to the ground. They kind of look like a sharpened pencil when they fall to the ground. It’s a little early for them, but before blaming the squirrels, check to make sure it’s not twig girdlers causing the problem. In most cases neither will cause serious damage to the trees.
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