Green County DHIA Newsletter

Transcription

1 May 2015 Upcoming Events Green County DHIA Newsletter May 30 Green County Breakfast on the Farm, Wegmueller Farms, W4358 Montgomery Road, Monroe June 3 Spring Pasture Walk; 10 AM, Wegmueller Farms, W4358 Montgomery Road, Monroe State Dairy Nutrition Seminar Dubuque, Iowa 18 Green County Fair Auction Mandatory Orientation Meeting 8 PM, Green County Fairgrounds 20 Green County Dairy Day Cattle Show, Show starts at 9:30 AM, Cattle Check-in 7:30-9AM, Green County Fairgrounds, Monroe 30 District 6 Black and White Show, Green County Fairgrounds. July 6 Auction Buyer Cards due to UW-Extension Green County Fair All animals must be checked in and be in place by 4 PM on Tuesday, July 21st 2015 Alfalfa PEAQ Readings UW-Extension in Green County will again be monitoring alfalfa fields and recording Relative Feed Quality (RFQ) and plant heights twice a week in May. The results will be posted on the UW-Extension Green County Agriculture web page at: The results will also be broadcast on WEKZ AM on Thursday mornings through May. The first readings for 2015 were taken on May 9th and showed RFQ ranging from One field with a south exposure even had some small buds already forming.these numbers are about a week ahead of where the same fields were in 2014, but cooler weather predicted for the second week of May will likely slow the growth of the plants. PEAQ sticks are available at the UW-Extension Office. For top quality dairy forage it is recommended to start harvest at an RFQ of 170 which is equal to approximately 27 in plant height. Ag Plastic Recycling Farmers from 5 counties and 19 townships responded to an opportunity to dispose of low density polyethylene agriculture plastic from silo bags, wrapped bales, and bunker covers during a recent collection program in April. Area farmers brought in over 50,000 pounds of agriculture plastic to the Green County Landfill bringing the total amount of plastic collected to over 193,000 pounds since the program started. We are currently planning to offer another collection for farmers in south central WI from November 9-20, Farmers will again be able to dispose of plastic from silo bags, bunker covers and bales wraps at the Green County Landfill during that two week period. We are also exploring the possibly of offering on-farm pick-up or area pickup sites for used Ag plastic. Watch for an announcement regarding these possibilities in future newsletters.

2 Research Shows Little Benefit for Applying Fungicides to Alfalfa for Dairy The University of Wisconsin conducted 35 separate research trials (cutting per site per year) over a 4 year period to determine the efficacy and economic return of applying fungicides to alfalfa. In the majority of the trials, disease levels were low and no significant difference in foliar disease and defoliation was identified between treatments. Some detectable differences in quality were identified between treatments in some trials. However, relative forage quality was typically greater than 150 (Prime Grade) for both treated and non-treated alfalfa. Yield was statistically greater in fungicide-treated plots in 12 of the 35 trials. Average yield gain when applying Headline fungicide specifically was 0.11 tons of dry matter (220 lbs) per acre per cutting, which was a significant increase over not applying fungicide. Average yield gain when applying Quadris was 0.05 tons of dry matter (100 lbs) per acre per cutting, however fewer comparisons with the non-treated control were made with Quadris compared to Headline. Additional analyses evaluating cutting timing were also conducted. Based on these analyses, there was no advantage of applying a fungicide at a particular cutting. An economic analysis was also conducted using data and variability associated with the application of the fungicide Headline. The variable costs such as the value of hay and the cost to apply fungicide were included in the analyses to calculate the probability of recovering the investment made when applying fungicide. Table 1 provides breakeven yields (tons/acre) needed at different hay prices and fungicide application cost scenarios. For example, if a fungicide application cost is $30 (fungicide plus custom applicator fee) and the hay is sold for $100 per ton of dry matter (TDM), then a 0.30 TDM/acre increase in yield is required when applying fungicide to pay for its application. Conclusions and recommendations In Wisconsin where alfalfa production is generally targeted toward dairy production, Headline fungicide application will often result in a slight increase in yield, but that increase might not be large enough to offset the cost of applying the product. Typically in a 30-day cutting interval, like that used in dairy production in Wisconsin, foliar diseases cause minimal damage. Coupled with the heightened risk of fungicide resistance development toward these modern fungicides, application of fungicide on alfalfa for dairy production is not recommended unless heavy disease pressure is observed (this will be a rare event). While most of the analysis presented here targeted Headline fungicide, testing with other fungicides yielded similar results.

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7 Green County DHIA Newsletter Green County DHIA, P.O. Box 400, Monroe, WI Bonnie Moser - Office Manager Field Technicians Office Phone May 2015 Sue Pudwill Jim Moser Diane Foulker Lisa Becherer Robert Cramer, Jr W3224 Norton Rd, Juda President Craig Tourdot W3872 Hwy 11-81, Monroe Vice Pres John Dieckhoff W2210 Pinnow Rd, Brodhead Sec/Treas Jeremy Mayer N3926 County Rd N, Monroe Director Andrew Houlberg N4991 Spoerry Rd, Monticello Director Stephanie Miranda W3120 Hwy KS, Juda Director Green County UW-Extension Office Justice Center th Street Monroe, Wisconsin Phone: Internet: green.uwex.edu COUNTY EXTENSION STAFF Mark Mayer, Dairy & Livestock Agent & Editor Victoria Solomon, Community Resource Development Educator Ellen Andrews, 4-H & Youth Development Educator Bridget Mouchon, Family Living Educator Jayne Butts, Extension Activity Assistant Amy Krass, Extension Activity Assistant Mark Mayer Dairy and Livestock Agent & Editor Green County The University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and educational programming, including Title IX and the ADA requirements. Please make requests for reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to educational programs as early as possible preceding the scheduled program, service or activity. If you need this material in an alternate format or other accommodations for access, please contact the UW-Extension Office at , voice or 711 for Wisconsin Relay.

8 Green County DHIA Newsletter UW-Extension Office Green County th Street Monroe, WI 53566