New insects, new
herbicides discussed
at Central NY Corn Day
by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
A large turnout attended Central NY
Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 9th
annual Corn Day, which was held at
the
Otesaga
Resort
Hotel
in
Cooperstown on Feb 19.
The event, led by CNY CCE Regional
Field Crop Specialist Kevin Ganoe,
attracted folks from 12 counties in
New York State and also attendees
from Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
“Corn is an important crop for our
area and for the state,” Ganoe commented. “The combined value of both
corn grain and corn silage is at $75
million for the seven counties covered
by our team. From feed to ethanol it is
a crop that is in high demand and
growers are looking for information
that can lead to higher profitability.”
Event speakers included George
Wilkinson, Project Technician at
Cornell; Cornell University Livestock
and Field Crops IPM Coordinator Keith
Waldron and CCE Specialist &
Associate Professor Dept. of Crops &
Soil Science, Russ Hahn.
Wilkinson informed attendees on
corn planting units and how to get the
best performance from those units.
“Great corn starts with a great
planter,” Wilkinson remarked. He discussed down pressure applied by
planters. “You need to have that seed 2
inches in the ground. Check and see
how deep your seed is planted, don’t
assume too much!”
Ganoe explained although folks typically believe the seed only need be
planted one and one-half inch deep,
that extra half-inch makes a big difference for established corn stand.
Considering the growing point is actu-
CNY CCE Regional Field Crop
Specialist Kevin Ganoe introduces
Cornell University Livestock and
Field Crops IPM Coordinator Keith
Waldron to the audience at the
2013 Corn Day.
ally at three-fourths inch deep, you do
not want to plant the seed too shallow.
“Seed to soil contact is necessary for
germination and the seed needs to
imbibe water, to take water in, to germinate.” Ganoe said to think of the
seed as a sponge, absorbing water and
soil nutrients in a type of digestion
process. “We want to leave plenty of
area for the roots to develop.”
An additional reason to plant deeper is because of damage caused by
birds, especially crows, which has
been documented.
“The two-inch depth success is
reached by applying down pressure to
the row unit and double disk openers,”
said Wilkinson. “Farmers should evaluate the planters ability to do this
before the planting season starts and
continually
make
adjustments
through the season.”
IPM Coordinator Keith Waldron
advised attendees on what they may
expect in the upcoming growing season. “Last summer — from the pest
management standpoint — boy, did we
have a summer to keep us all busy!”
Waldron stated.
Waldron reported on a new pest to
corn that has come into New York State.
The invading, over-wintering Western
Bean Cutworm (WBC), who has caused
significant damage to crops in the midwest. It effects field corn, pop corn and
sweet corn and dry beans.
This moth has migrated across the
country causing a 40 percent loss of
crop yields and is now found in the
New England States. Environmental
conditions that favor survival of these
insects includes sandier soils where
the larvae burrow 10 or 12 inches into
the ground and over-winter. Reduced
till and no-till residue where the
insects lie undisturbed enhances their
over-wintering survival. Lake effects
snow areas insulate and protect larvae
from freezing. High humidity areas
help the eggs and young larvae to survive. Multiple host crops increase the
population. Waldron pointed out that
all of these conditions are found in the
Great Lakes Region.
The moths are observed in mid-June.
WBC lay eggs in pre-tassel corn, on the
top surface of the leaves in whirls, close
to the pre-tassel area. Once the eggs
hatch, the very active larvae move into
the corn ears where they burrow
inside, consuming kernels and causing
ear molds to form. Multiple larvae may
infest the same ear.
“Western bean cutworm larva feed
on developing corn kernels, dry bean
seeds and pods causing direct damage
and leave them vulnerable for potential
infection by fungal pathogens,”
Waldron stated, remarking that this
can present a problem when feeding
the corn to cows, as it may contain
mycotoxins.
Waldron reported that guidelines
suggest field and sweet corn should be
treated with an insecticide if 5 percent
or more of 100 plants had egg mass or
Central NY CCE 2013 Corn Day speakers included (from left) Cornell University
Livestock and Field Crops IPM Coordinator Keith Waldron and CCE Specialist &
Associate Professor Dept. of Crops & Soil Science, Russ Hahn; CNY CCE
Regional Field Crop Specialist Kevin Ganoe and George Wilkinson, Project
Technician at Cornell.
Photos by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
George Wilkinson, Project Technician at Cornell, explains the importance of proper
double disk opener blade shimming for good seed placement to Henry Huxtable of
West Winfield, NY at the Central NY CCE’s 2013 Corn Day event.
small larvae. Insecticides for control
should be applied when corn is 95 percent tasseled. Spray is only effective on
small larvae, prior to them entering the
ear. Pheromone traps and evaluations
of adjacent cornfields for presence of
WBC egg masses provide a good basis
for spray decisions. Transgenic Bt
hybrids labeled for control of WBC are
available.
Waldron’s discussion included an
update on the detection of Bt resistant Corn.
Root Worm (CRW) beetles in the
Midwest. “Avoid potential risk of our
CRW beetles developing resistance,” he
advised. “Adhere to the refuge requirements when planting the Bt containing
hybrids as required by law (on the
label) as a means to protect the viable
use of this technology.”
Crops & Soil Science Specialist Russ
Hahn discussed herbicide uses and
updates, herbicide resistant weeds and
herbicide resistant crops. He reported
that through a “long, torturous path,”
Acetochlor Herbicide has finally been
approved for use in New York State.
Herbicide resistant weeds are on the
rise and Hahn advised rotating genetics in crops.
“If you go from Roundup Ready corn
to Roundup Ready soybeans you’re not
changing the weed control program.”
Rotating herbicides and using tank
mixes of sequential herbicide applications as well as cultivating to control
weeds was also advised. “I know of very
few weeds that are resistant to iron!
Resistance is really manageable.”
Contact CNY CCE Regional Field
Crop Specialist Kevin Ganoe for more
information on these topics at
[email protected].
Farm safety goes online
by Sally Colby
Farm safety training isn’t a topic
that draws a lot of excitement, but a
group of ag safety professionals have
found a way that makes learning easy
— and even fun.
The concept is web-based safety
training. Dr. Aaron Yoder, instructor
and safety extension associate in the
Ag
and
Biological
Engineering
Department at Penn State University,
says the online course appeals to a
broader audience, reaching those who
don’t have access to or who might not
seek ag safety training.
“The program is based on another
safety program called The National
Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation
Program (NSTMOP),” said Yoder. “NSTMOP was aimed at meeting a regulation that requires 14 and 15 year old
youth to have specialized training to
operate a tractor on anyone’s farm
(other than their parents’) for compensation. We took those materials and
developed online training to get it out
to more people, knowing that we don’t
have to do the hands-on training and
testing that we’re required to do for 14
and 15 year olds.”
The online training program is
geared to attract those who don’t come
from a farm background, but is perfectly suitable for all farm workers.
Yoder says the program applies to a
broader audience such as new and
beginning farmers and sustainable ag
groups. “It’s great to work with such
groups because they’ve either had a
safety culture in their former career, or
they know they don’t know anything
about farming and they’re willing to
learn,” said Yoder.
Yoder noted that because a lot of new
and beginning farmers already use the
internet as a resource, including
searching for and purchasing equip-
ment, it isn’t a stretch for them to take
an online safety course. “Many of them
may not know about extension, so
they’re going to Google to ask questions
rather than calling their county office,”
he said. “It helps attract that new audience with our ‘repackaged materials’.”
The original tractor and machinery
operation program was presented on
line with written materials, while the
new program incorporates videos that
can be found on the AgSafety4u
YouTube channel. “These videos are
out there for other people to find, so it
draws them back into the training,”
said Yoder. “We advertise the training
in the text below the videos.”
The program is broken down into
modules, so participants can watch
the videos, take a quiz, then move on
to the next module. Yoder says the program content focuses on tractors and
machinery, but also includes some
general ag and mechanical safety
information.
Work on the online course started
about two and a half years ago and was
funded by a USDA grant. Components
of the program include identification
and control of farm hazards, with
emphasis on hazards related to tractors, implements, farm structures, animals, chemicals and the outdoor environment. The course also covers material handling (ATVs, telehandlers, skidsteers). Yoder, who has extensive experience in ag safety at both Purdue and
Penn State, says tractors and machinery are still the main source of safety
issues. “Tractor rollovers are the
biggest problem, so we emphasize
that,” said Yoder. “The newer, bigger
tractors have cabs, which are safer, but
there are still many farms using 30year old tractors.”
The appeal of the online course is
that anyone can participate from any
Dr. Aaron Yoder, who was instrumental in developing an online ag safety course for
farmers, reviews grain bin safety with a group of farmers.
Photo by Sally Colby
location. Yoder says they’ve had online
participants from across the United
States, and several from other countries. Upon completion of the course,
participants receive a certificate. “If an
employer needs to train an employee
and show proof of training, there’s documentation,” said Yoder. “The course
can also be used for 4-H and FFA
training as well as farm safety days.”
Yoder is relying on social media to
spread the word about online farm safety training. “We’re trying to brand
‘AgSafety4u,” said Yoder. “We’re on
Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Our
NSTMOP program comes up pretty high
in web searches if you’re looking for ag
safety training material.” Yoder is currently working on developing an app for
smartphones he says will be somewhat
game-like, but believes it will draw people to the AgSafety4u branding.
One goal in developing the videos
was to appeal to a broad audience.
“Most of the videos are from a different
project where the instruction was in
Spanish,” said Yoder. “Our actor is
Hispanic, so it brings in that aspect. A
lot of the employers who will be using
the videos will be working with
Hispanic workers.”
The instructors’ guide is in both
English and Spanish. “What we’ve
found in working with the Hispanic
population is that a lot of them don’t
read Spanish,” said Yoder. “The instructor, whether they’re Spanish-speaking,
English-speaking or bilingual, can help
them through the process.”
The certification program will soon be
available in Spanish, but Spanish
training material is available at no
charge through eXtension; an internetbased collaborative of Land Grant
Universities through which objective,
research based knowledge can be
shared.
Visit the AgSafety4u YouTube channel,
and learn more about the training and
certification at http://extension.psu.edu
/agsafety/news/2012/agsafety4uonline-ag-safety-course.
Congress should pass a cost-saving farm bill
by Chairman Frank Lucas
What piece of legislation would have
saved taxpayers $35 billion, eliminated
old and duplicative government programs, closed wasteful loopholes and provided regulatory relief for small businesses while giving certainty to an economic
sector that has managed to be successful
in the midst of economic darkness?
Not many would guess the legislation
I just described is the farm bill that
advanced out of the House Agriculture
Committee last summer. But, then
again, it was not a typical farm bill.
Last year, in a Congress where bipartisanship was the exception and not
the rule, the Committee on Agriculture
marked up a bill called the Federal
Agriculture
Reform
and
Risk
Management (FARRM) Act in a remarkable display of an open legislative
process. The markup lasted more than
15 hours, with debate and consideration of nearly 100 amendments. Many
new members felt the thrill of actually
debating and legislating in a committee
for the first time. The bill passed in a
large bipartisan vote of 35-11.
Last year, in a Congress where there
was much debate about cutting spending, but little progress in tackling the
drivers of our debt, the Committee on
Agriculture advanced a bill that cut
government spending by more than
$35 billion and improved agricultural
programs to be more cost-effective and
market-oriented. The FARRM Act
reformed what is commonly referred to
as the farm safety net by cutting more
than $25 billion — or 30 percent —
from traditional commodity programs.
The reforms entailed ending benefits
for farmers who no longer farm and
ending benefits when the agriculture
economy is doing well. The committee
believes in providing a safety net,
rather than providing payments
regardless of market conditions. The
bill also repealed and consolidated
close to 100 programs.
Further, the committee did not avoid
the tough task of examining all programs for reforms, including the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP), or what is commonly
known as food stamps. SNAP serves a
noble purpose to help the needy
among us, but that does not mean it is
beyond oversight and reform.
Our approach to reforming SNAP
started with a basic, common-sense
premise: if an individual qualifies for
SNAP benefits, according to the eligibility requirements in the law, that
individual will receive SNAP benefits.
Current law requires that an applicant must meet an asset and income
test. We did not change those provisions. Rather, we ensured that states,
which administer the program, cannot
circumvent current law and endanger
the integrity of the program. We
ensured that those receiving assistance
actually meet the eligibility requirements. If one believes we should expand
eligibility requirements or increase
SNAP benefits, then let us have that
debate, but it is irresponsible to allow
states to evade the law set by Congress.
Additionally, we closed a loophole to
prevent states from sending households $1 checks through another government program in order to increase
that household’s SNAP benefit levels.
We ended the practice of giving states
bonuses for responsibly administering
SNAP, which is their duty. We tightened restrictions to prevent lottery
winners and traditional college students from participating in the program. And, we limited the Department
of Agriculture from advertising SNAP
on radio and television shows, such as
soap operas.
Some say the reforms to SNAP were
not enough; others say they went too
far. The committee did what is too
often criticized: we compromised.
This brings me to my final point: the
FARRM Act was not a perfect bill — no
bill ever is. But this was a significant
step in the right direction that fulfilled
the promises we made to the American
people to have an open process, to
eliminate government spending and to
eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in
government programs. The committee
effort was just a step in the overall
process of legislating. The next step
would have been and should have been
consideration on the House floor
where, as a whole, we engage in spirited debate and make the final determination regarding any comprehensive
legislation.
Moving forward, the committee will
continue to look for ways to improve
upon this common-sense, reformminded and fiscally responsible bill.
But, we cannot act alone. Faced with
the decision of either passing a bill
with significant savings or extending
current policy without any, I hope this
Congress will learn from the past and
make the right and obvious choice.
Representative Frank Lucas, R-OK, is
chairman of the House Agriculture
Committee.
National agricultural priorities spelled
out by New York Farm Bureau
by Julie Cushine-Rigg
On Tuesday, Feb. 19, the New York
Farm Bureau held a conference call to
outline their top agricultural priorities
to be examined on a national level.
Steve Ammerman, manager of the
bureau’s Public Affairs said the call
was an opportunity to talk about what
the bureau would be advocating for in
the coming months in Washington,
D.C.
Bureau President Dean Norton said
while everybody was hoping for a 2012
Farm Bill, sadly as we all know, that
was not to be, though it was on the
agenda to get finished this year.
“The House Agricultural Committee
passed it, but it was never taken up by
The House,” said Norton of the 2012
Farm Bill. That coupled with the Fiscal
Cliff, he said led to negotiations that
ultimately did lead to the bill’s extension.
He also said the bureau was “a little
concerned this year” regarding baseline numbers, because of the extension. Specifically, about the allocation
of funds and the likeliness of having
some farmland protection plans in
place within the new Farm Bill. Last
year’s Senate version of the bill, said
Norton included over $23 billion in
cuts over 10 years. The House’s wasn’t
any better, with $35 billion in cuts over
the same time period.
“We are somewhere in the middle, we
believe...we’ll be working with both
sides of The Hill and both sides of the
aisle to get that (the Federal Farm Bill)
done,” said Norton. He continued to
say our nation’s food supply is a
national security issue and that the
bill is “worth the investment.”
Issues within the dairy industry are
slated to be highlighted in the coming
months by the bureau and Norton said
a proper transition from “no safety net”
to a new one was to be one of their top
priorities. “Currently those protections
are not in place and we’ll be looking to
make those a part of the next Farm
Bill,” he said.
As far as New York, Norton spoke to
the need for us to “maintain our diversity” when it comes to crops and goods
produced by farms and the need for
Cover photo by Sally Colby
Dr. Aaron Yoder, instructor and safety extension associate
at Penn State, demonstrates the safe way to assist a person who is trapped in a grain bin.
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attention to environmental stewardship.
“Farmers are the original environmentalists... We want to make sure
environmental protection programs
are kept in place and we’ll continue to
do our part to maintain a very healthy
environment,” he said.
Julie Suarez, the bureau’s Public
Policy director said immigration reform
is also a key issue for the bureau as
well as the state’s farms and farm
employees and for consumers who
want to continue to enjoy local farm
products.
“It’s absolutely critical that we have
our Washington, D.C. lawmakers act
on real immigration reform,” she said.
She also said there currently is a window of opportunity where immigration
reform may happen — pointing out
that the last time an immigration
reform bill was acted upon was 1986.
“Clearly, it’s time for them to modernize their system,” she said.
Suarez also spoke to the farm labor
needs in the state, noting New York’s
shorter growing season compared with
farms out west and the need for the
state’s dairy farmers to have access to
a stable work force year-round.
“New York Farm Bureau is really
fighting for a program which would
provide legitimate visa status for workers who are already here but with
sometimes questionable documentation who are willing and able to do the
work farmers depend on.”
The bureau is also advocating for a
new temporary visa program with both
contract and non-contract options
available, providing for flexibility and
protection. Further, the bureau supports Senator Charles Schumer’s
reform plan which includes recognition for immigration reform.
Kelly Young, the bureau’s senior
associate director for National Affairs
addressed disaster assistance relief,
calling attention to the need for adequate and stable funding for programs
like the Emergency Conservation
Program and a more efficient delivery
system of funds in time of need. The
bureau is also proposing that disaster
assistance programs in the new Farm
Bill be retroactive to December 2011
when they expired.
She also talked about a plan for
farmers to be able to save money without being penalized.
“One of the suggestions that we have
made to Congress is to develop a new
farm savings account that would allow
farmers to make withdraws in times of
need,” said Young. She added that the
accounts would work much like an IRA
or college savings account whereby
farmers could also save in “good years”
for the more difficult ones. As it stands
now, she said, the tax code does not
help farmers save but in fact penalizes
such savings. The account would also
allow farmers to be more self-reliant in
bad years.
As the bureau advocates for the savings account and the other measures
outlined by this phone call, Country
Folks will do its best to keep readers
informed of their developments and
that of the fate of the Farm Bill.
Over 150 organizations
call on Congress to
fix disastrous Farm Bill extension
Over 150 local and national organizations wrote to the full Congress urging
support for Senate Appropriations
Chair Barbara Mikulski’s proposal to
end direct farm subsidy payments and
use a small portion of the savings to
restore funding for critical farm bill programs that were left out of the fiscal cliff
deal passed on Dec. 31, 2012. The farm
program changes are part of a larger bill
to stop automatic across-the-board
budget cuts and substitute a larger, targeted, balanced package of spending
cuts and tax loophole closings.
The direct payment program had
been eliminated in the 2012 Senatepassed
and
House
Agriculture
Committee-passed farm bills but was
nonetheless then included in the Farm
Bill extension, while funding for
dozens of other cost-effective programs
included in those bills were zeroed out.
The letter stated “A fiscal package
compiled by Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid would correct the disastrous
farm bill extension measure contained
in the New Year fiscal cliff deal… As supporters of sustainability and equity, we
believe the package or one substantially
similar has merit as a fairer farm bill
extension and a pathway to a better
approach to deficit reduction than
across the board cuts.”
Among
other
provisions,
the
American Family Economic Protection
Act would use savings from the elimination of direct payments to reinstate
funding for programs eliminated in the
extension deal, including $452 million
for agricultural research, rural development, renewable energy, and support
for local, organic, specialty crop, beginning, and disadvantaged farmers.
These small but vital programs help
farmers expand their businesses and
meet the growing demand for local,
healthy and organic food. They also
spur job creation, build healthy rural
communities and support a new generation of farmers to replace the aging
farmer population.
The Mikulsi-Murray-Reid proposal
would also restore funding to the
Conservation Stewardship Program for
the 2013 farmer sign-up, funding that
was inadvertently left out of the continuing resolution that is currently
funding government programs. It
would also provide immediate funding
for livestock and other farm disaster
assistance, another item left out of the
fiscal cliff farm bill extension deal.
The bill would also remove all Farm
Bill spending from the automatic budget cuts referred to as sequestration.
Sequestration will otherwise reduce
farm commodity and conservation program support by between $6 and $7
billion. For full letter, go to www.ruralco.org/GOATPressReleaseFeb2013
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