In one of the driest growing seasons in many years, crop concerns were many and varied during the past several months. Extension programs and farm calls were driven by these concerns. Lack of moisture and stressed crops, especially in the southern one-third of the county prompted questions of harvesting corn before pollination and cutting alfalfa that was flowering but had only 8 inches of growth. Many of these issues we had faced in previous drought years and those experiences proved beneficial in 2012. Insect pest outbreaks were the worst in recent memory: alfalfa weevil, black cut worms, variegated cut worms, potato leafhoppers, and spider mites all caused significant economic losses beyond those caused simply by lack of moisture.

In late July, a twilight meeting was held at the Ed Montsma farm and Lamartine town hall to discuss many of the drought-related issues. UW Extension crop specialists were on hand to discuss management strategies with growers and agribusiness personnel. Growers’ questions centered on how to evaluate corn for successful pollination and how to control spider mites in soybean fields. About 65 people attended the event.

UW-Extension entomologist, Eileen Cullen, discusses spider mite management with several area crop producers.