MID COLUMBIA FARMERS NEWSLET-

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1 MID COLUMBIA FARMERS NEWSLET- TER OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERVICE Sandy Macnab, Sherman County 409 Hood Street P.O. Box 385 Moro, OR (541) April, 2009 GRAIN AND RAIN The average Portland price of soft white wheat for March was $5.53 per bushel. Club averaged $7.23. Portland barley prices averaged $100 per ton. Precipitation as reported at the Sherman Experiment Station was.73 inches in March, which is.29 inches below long term average. Crop year precipitation at the station is 77% of average. BEING A GOOD SPRAY NEIGHBOR I ve never met a wheat grower who wanted to purchase an orchard or vineyard or other crop, unless he also wanted to own it. But that could be the case if we don t practice being a good neighbor during spray season. Grapes and cherries are moving into our traditional wheat growing regions, they have that right; it just means that when spraying we need to exercise even more caution. These are important economic contributors in the region (example: Maryhill Winery was just selected as the top winery in Washington). Proper management can reduce the risk of crossing the good neighbor fence. Umatilla County Agent Mary Corp has put together this brief flyer regarding plans for spring weed control while reducing these risks. While written for her growers in Umatilla, it is certainly applicable on the west end of the Columbia Plateau, especially with local cherries just about to break into bud which is their most pesticide sensitive season. GOING MAD WAITING FOR SPRING By Mary Corp March madness in local winter wheat fields has been more about cold temperatures, frigid winds and a slowly developing wheat crop than about basketball brackets. This slow approach of spring has turned winter wheat weed control efforts into a waiting game for local growers and applicators. With April 1 st coming just next week, growers are also facing a cutoff date of applications of some herbicides especially in Milton- Freewater and the adjacent Walla Walla Valley. A quick check with Milton- Freewater fruit and grape growers today, indicates that leaves are starting to emerge on horticultural crops in the Walla Walla Valley, which raises the need for additional care to be taken as herbicide applications on wheat are moved later into the spring this year. This need for care is not new information by any means, but there are some new herbicides that can help lessen the worries for all parties concerned. For downy brome control, Powerflex and Olympus Flex are good choices. Powerflex offers a 9 month plantback restriction which offers some flexibility in future planting decisions. Dan Ball, OSU Weed Scientist recommends a full 3.5 oz rate for a spring application of Powerflex. It has good crop safety, and while he has noted some yellowing with Powerflex under cool application conditions but he hasn t seen this to affect yield.

2 Table 1. Alternative herbicides for wheat less likely to If broadleaf weeds are a problem in the field, Huskie injure grapes. is a new broad spectrum herbicide, without the vola- Axial Hoelon Olympus tility issues of growth regulator herbicides such as 2, 4-D and dicamba. Research has shown it to be effec- Buctril Huskie Olympus Flex tive against prickly lettuce and kochia, plus many Discover Linex Paramount others. Huskie should be ground applied at the 11 diuron (Karmex) Maverick PowerFlex 15 oz rate with a spray volume of 10 or more gallons per acre. Other herbicides are also available and a Everest metribuzin (Sencor) Puma partial list can be seen in Table 1. Grapes continue to be the most sensitive crop that we have in the area. Herbicide drift can injure foliage, shoots, flowers and fruits. If injury is severe enough, or occurs repeatedly, it can cause reduced yield, poor fruit quality, and occasionally, vine death. A partial list of common growth regulator herbicides and other herbicides that can injure grapes is found in Table 2. With these new tools available in the fight against weeds in the wheat fields, maybe this is our opportunity to not get mad, but to get even! Table 2. Herbicides that have potential to injure grapes. Growth regulators ALS inhibitors 2,4-D Dicamba Others Glyphosate Sulfonylurea Imidazolinone Others Amine 4 Banvel Bronate* Roundup Ally Arsenal Gramoxone Barrage Clarity Crossbow* Rodeo Ally Extra Assert Aim Esteron 99 Rave* Curtail* Roundup Ultra Amber Beyond Boa Formula 40 Landmaster* Roundup Canvas Pursuit Hi Dep MCPA UltraMax Cimarron Raptor LV-4 RT Master Roundup Express Plateau LV-6 Starane WeatherMax Finesse Saber Tordon Landmaster* Glean Salvo Turflon Glyphos Harmony Extra Savage Trimec Glypro Harmony GT Tricep WideMatch RT Master Oust Weedar 64 Touchdown Peak Weed-B-Gone Rave* Weedmaster Weedone This list is not all-inclusive; other herbicides also may injure grapes. *A prepackage mixture containing a growth-regulator herbicide as at least one active ingredient. For additional information on preventing herbicide drift the following publications are available on-line: EM 8860 Preventing Herbicide Drift and Injury to Grapes ( em8860.pdf) and EM 8737 Preventing Phenoxy Herbicide Damage to Grape Vineyards.

3 AVOIDING DRIFT After selecting the best herbicide choice, you can do even more by applying these simple principles to avoid drift risk: Use nozzles that produce large spray droplets: Larger droplets are heavier and drop to the ground faster and require a heavier breeze to move them off-target. Reduce distance between nozzle and target: The shorter the distance between the drop point and the target, the less likely to be impacted by risk factors. Reduce herbicide volatility: All pesticides can drift as droplets, but some are volatile enough that the fumes even from a well placed droplet can cause plant injury to off target plants. 2, 4- D or MCPA esters are noted for producing damaging fumes so switch to non-volatile formulations of such as 2, 4-D amine or MCPA amine. Spray when weather is cooler: This may be walking a fine line but low relative humidity and/ or high temperatures will cause more rapid evaporation for droplets between their release from the nozzle until they hit target. Avoid spraying in windy conditions: And especially avoid spraying when the wind is moving toward a susceptible crop. Use caution also when spraying in a dead calm as it may lead to drift that may occur from vertically stable air. Lower your sprayer pressure: Higher pressure rates force more material through the nozzle orifice creating a smaller droplet size. Smaller droplets can float longer before settling. Nozzles with a larger orifice should produce a heavier droplet than a smaller nozzle. Droplet Diameter Type of Droplet Time to fall 10 Ft Lateral distance drops travel (microns) falling 10 ft in 3 mph wind 5 Fog 66 minutes 3 miles 20 Very fine spray 4.2 minutes 1100 feet 100 Fine spray 10 seconds 44 feet 240 Medium spray 6 seconds 28 feet 400 Coarse spray 2 seconds 8.5 feet 1000 Very coarse spray 1 second 4.7 feet This chart from Ross and Lembi shows drift at 3 mph, but increasing the wind speed to just 5 mph, can increase the distance of lateral travel for a drop to 77 feet for 100 micron size drop and up to 15 feet for the 400 micron sized droplets. Image the risk when one spays in a 12 mph wind. And communicating is vital: As agricultural diversity increase it is important for each producer to know more about various crops whether you choose to produce them or not. Take the time to learn more from your neighbor, find out what they are growing and particular growth times or herbicides to avoid. Communicating before application is more pleasant than one that may occur after mis-application.

4 SEEKING NEW WHEAT COMMISSIONER The Oregon Department of Ag is currently seeking qualified candidates representing Umatilla, Morrow, Gilliam, Sherman, Wasco and Jefferson Counties willing to serve on the Oregon Wheat Commission. The three year appointment begins July 1, 2009 and is for the seat currently held by Chris Rauch of Morrow County. Chris is eligible for re-appointment. Interested persons should submit their application to ODA by May 8, 2009 including letters of reference. For more information contact the Commodity Commission Program Manager, Kris Anderson at PROTECT YOUR CELL PHONE All cell phone numbers went public in March, meaning numbers you once thought protected have now been released to telemarketers and you may begin receiving calls for which you will be charged. To avoid these annoying intrusions, have your number placed in the Do Not Call Registry. Call from the phone number you wish to protect and follow simple instructions. Your name and number will be placed in the registry and protected for 5 years. After 30 days, if you receive a telemarketing call you did not request, you can file against the caller and receive compensation for your effort. The call is free. Dial The first $400 of disposal cost is FREE. Minimal rates apply beyond that, but you won t be surprised when you arrive because it is required that you pre-register by calling the PSC Environmental Services team at Your pre-registration is not done to collect a record on you. It is done so the PSC Environmental knows how much to expect of what chemical so they can prepare to package them correctly according to state and federal codes. Different chemicals require different disposal techniques and it s much more efficient for them to have full drums at one location than to try hauling several partially filled ones. They can give you an approximate cost at that time so you will know if you exceed the $400 free level or not, before you even load the truck. In a perfect world, you will know the name of the product and the amount but often labels have worn off. Report these as unknowns or give your best guess as to what it might be. These may be the most important ones to clean off the farm and away from your kids and grandkids. Dates and times for these ag waste collections: FRIDAY, MAY 1 from 9 am to 2 pm at The Dalles Disposal, and SATURDAY,MAY 16 from 10 am to noon Sherman County Road Department, Moro Additionally, the May 16 date is one of the Oregon 150 Take Care of Oregon Days, a statewide designation for a number of events to clean up the state for its 150 th birthday. Safely dispose of your hazardous waste in Moro and serve two purposes! AG HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLEC- TIONS The Tri-County Hazardous Waste and Recycling Program is offering you the chance to clean out those old, un-used, or unwanted pesticides stored in the back of your shop or garage. These particular clean-up days are specifically for ag and small businesses, so you won t be waiting behind a handful of household lots. STATEWIDE MARKETING SESSION: The statewide marketing broadcast will be Thursday, April 9 beginning at 8 am in your local County Extension Office. Topics will be pertinent to the markets and your farming needs.

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6 Oregon State University offers educational programs, activities, and materials without discrimination based on age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, martial status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran s status. Oregon State University Extension Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Extension Service offers its programs and materials equally to all people. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to those with physical or mental disabilities in order to attend Extension programs. Please contact the Extension Office in advance to make arrangements. Sherman County Extension US POSTAGE PAID P.O. Box 385 Bulk Rate Moro, OR Moro, OR Permit #3 Farmer s Newsletter