AGRONOMY NEWS A research-based publication from the University of Maryland Extension Agronomy Team

extension.umd.edu

Web-Based Resistance Management Tools Kurt Vollmer, Weed Management Extension Specialist

University of Maryland

VOLUME 11, ISSUE 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Web-Based Resistance Management Tools

1

Corn Disease Update 2

Cover Crop Sign Up 3

Leasing Options for 2021 4

Scouting for Soybean Cyst Nematode

5

Crop Talk Webinar 6

COVID-19 Update From UME

7

July Insect Scouting Tips 8

EPA Guidance on Worker Training During COVID-19

9

Fungicide Considerations in Corn and Soybeans

9

Assessing Pastures for Fall Renovation

11

Poultry Litter Survey 12

Commodity Classic 12

Weather Outlook 13

Regional Crop Reports 15

The University of Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Offers Equal Access Programs

JULY 2020

If you attended the agronomy meetings this past winter, you heard me talk about the importance of using multiple strategies to mitigate herbicide resistance. Rotating and using multiple sites-of-action (SOA), is one strategy that helps prevent weeds and other pests from adapting to a single pesticide group. This can be challenging with so many products on the market. Take Action (https://iwilltakeaction.com) is a farmer-focused education platform designed to help farmers manage herbicide, fungicide and insect resistance. Several tools can be downloaded from this website to aid in your pest control decisions. Among these is an app (https://iwilltakeaction.com/app) that allows the user to

Quickly identify herbicide, fungicide or insecticide brands or active ingredient SOA numbers,

see a list of other SOA numbers to help diversify his or her weed control program,

and search the herbicide, fungicide or insecticide last used to prevent the use of similar SOAs

In addition, the GROW IWM website (https://growiwm.org) provides excellent information on how to use integrated weed management practices for herbicide resistant weeds.

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Corn Disease Update Alyssa Koehler, Extension Field Crops Pathologist

University of Delaware

As tasseling in corn approaches, now is a good time to scout fields to decide if a fungicide will be applied. When considering the economics of a fungicide application, it is important to know your potential for disease based on field history, environmental conditions, and hybrid selection.

Many of the foliar pathogens of corn can survive in residue, so corn-on-corn fields carry a higher potential for disease, especially if disease has been observed in previous years. Hybrids with higher resistance ratings may not need a fungicide. Resistant hybrids typically have smaller lesions and reduced spread of spores. In dryland fields, hot, dry weather will keep disease pressure low. Reports of foliar diseases have been minimal so far this season. Irrigated fields keep enough moisture to favor environments for disease and may see development of Grey Leaf Spot (GLS) or possibly Northern Corn Leaf Blight (NCLB).

GLS is one of our most common diseases of corn and usually begins on lower leaves as small, tan,

rectangular lesions with a yellow halo. When lesions are young, they can be difficult to distinguish from other common corn foliar diseases. As lesions mature, they become more diagnostic. At maturity, lesions are grey to tan in color, with a long rectangular shape (Figure 1); partially resistant hybrids can have more jagged margins than lesions on susceptible cultivars. Lesions often join

to form large necrotic areas under favorable environmental conditions.

Yield reductions are typically observed when lesions are present on the two leaves below the ear leaf or higher, so these are the leaves to pay close attention to when scouting. If over 50% of plants have lesions on 5% or more of this leaf surface, you may want to consider a fungicide application. If applying a fungicide, VT/R1 timing has shown the greatest chance of economic return.

Figure 1. Rectangular lesions of Grey Leaf Spot on corn.

Efficacy categories for table: NR=Not Recommended; P=Poor; F=Fair; G=Good; VG=Very Good; E=Excellent; NL=Not Labeled for use against this disease; U=Unknown efficacy or insufficient data to rank product

VOLUME 11, ISSUE 4 AGRONOMY NEWS: JULY 2020

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Time to Sign Up For The 2020/21 Cover Crop Program Sarah Everhart, Agriculture Law Legal Specialist

University of Maryland, Agriculture Law Education Initiative

This is not a substitute for legal advice. Reposted from the Ag Risk Management Blog

The Cover Crop Program is the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s largest and most popular cost-share program. During the 2017-2018 planting season, Maryland farmers planted 395,862 acres of cover crops statewide using $18.8 million in Maryland Agricultural Cost-Share (MACS). Due to COVID-19, the enrollment for the 2020-2021 Cover Crop Program will be conducted entirely by mail. Farmers who participated in last year’s cover crop program should have been mailed an application, instructions, and a return envelope. Completed applications must be mailed to the local soil conservation district and postmarked between July 1, 2020 and July 17, 2020.

The 2020-2021 base payment is $40/acre and the base rate for aerial/aerial ground seeding is $45/acre. Farmers who aerial seed or aerial ground seed cover crops into standing corn on or before September 10,

2020 are eligible for a $10/acre incentive payment. There is also an available $10/acre early planting incentive for incorporated seed. If a farmer is able to wait until after May 1, 2021 to terminate cover crops, he/she may also be eligible for an extended season incentive payment of up to $10/acre. The maximum payment amount for the Program is $60.00/acre. Check out this chart for the 2020-2021 seeding rates and planting deadlines.

This year there are some key differences to the Program. To highlight a few, this year there are no incentive payments to plant rye. There is also only one early planting incentive in October (planting by October 10) rather than the two early planting incentives that were offered last year. Additionally, cover crops may be planted after corn, soybeans, sorghum, tobacco, vegetables, hemp, and millet.

In order to participate in the 2020-2021 Program, the applicant must be in good standing with MACS and

in compliance with Maryland's nutrient management regulations. A current Nutrient Management Plan Certification is also required and must be submitted with the application. For more information on the Program, check out this MDA webpage. Farmers who have questions or need assistance with their applications can contact their local soil conservation districts.

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Consider Flex Cash Lease for 2021, or Modified Fixed Cash Lease Paul Goeringer, Agriculture Law Legal Specialist

University of Maryland Extension

This is not a substitute for legal advice. Reposted from the Ag Risk Management Blog

As we move through 2020 and a potentially lower period of crop prices due to issues associated with the pandemic, many of you might be looking at renewing existing agricultural leases. While you might be utilizing fixed cash rental rates or crop-share rents, with projected low crop prices, now might be the time to consider using a flex-cash lease. Flex-cash leases are a rental agreement which work like a hybrid of the cash lease and state that the tenant will pay in proportion to either or both the price and yield level. This form of a lease might be better suited for producers who are working to handle low crop prices in their operations. At the same time, if you do not want to consider a flex cash lease, you might want to consider adding language to your fixed cash lease which could reduce the rental rate if prices stay low.

What is a Flex Cash Lease?

A flex-cash lease is similar to a fixed cash lease in that the landlord charges the tenant an amount per acre, but rent can fluctuate up or down depending on crop yield, market price, a combination of both, or any other method agreed to by the landlord and tenant. A flex-cash lease allows the landlord to gain when market prices or crop yields increase during the crop year. But in return for the possible increase in rental payments, a landlord also loses when market prices or crop yields decrease. Under a flex-cash lease, the tenant benefits from the possibility of lower rent payments during low-yield or low-priced years. The tenant also has to share gains, however, during high-yield or high-price years through higher rental payments. This publication by the University of Nebraska does an excellent job of laying out using a flex lease and calculating the changes in rent; click here.

How to Use a Flex-Cash Lease

To get a sense of how a flex-cash lease operates, let us look at an example. Farmer Green rents 100 acres of irrigated cropland from Landlord Burns with a flex-cash lease. The terms of the flex-cash lease set a base rent at $150/acre and flexed based on corn's price. On the first day of the lease, the local elevator's cash grain price is $4.00/bu, and when the rental payment is made later in the year, the cash grain price at the local

elevator is $4.25/bu. The rental rate would be $150 * (($4.25-$4.00)/$4.00)) or $150 * ($0.25/$4.00) or $150 * (0.0625) or $9.38/acre. The final rent payment would increase by $9.38/acre to be $159.38/acre or ($150 + $9.38) or $15,937.50 for the 100 acres. If the price when paying the rent is $3.38, the final rental payment would be $150/acre or $126.75/acre, depending on how the lease is structured. This is just one example of how a farm lease could be structured. You could also look at potentially utilizing gross revenues on the farmland, yield, or anything else the two parties could agree on.

In the second example, the rental rate could drop below the $150/acre if the price drops. This can be solved by setting a floor rental rate, such as $150/acre or another value. USDA requires that to be considered a "cash lease" and not a "crop share lease." A flex-cash lease without a floor could be considered a crop share lease. It would require splitting Farm Bill program payments and other USDA support program payments (such as Market Facilitation Program and Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payments) with the landlord. Looking at the example, the floor rental rate could be the $150/acre or another number that the landowner and the tenant agree on.

These are just some examples of how you can utilize a flex-cash lease. The University of Nebraska publication listed earlier is an excellent resource to start thinking about how to structure a flex-cash lease that works for you.

If you need help starting a flex-cash lease, the University of Maryland has a form flex-cash lease available here. Keep in mind, when we developed that form, we limited the flexing options, and as you are probably learning, the possibilities are broader than that. You can also add in your flex option, and you do not have to use the options listed.

In this time of considerable uncertainty, a flex-cash lease may provide an opportunity to manage risks that generally cannot be handled with a fixed cash lease or a crop-share lease. Work with your landlord to develop a flex-lease option that will work for both of you and account for this uncertainty. Make sure you are communicating with the landlord so they understand the current farm economy and why this form of leasing might be needed in 2020.

VOLUME 11, ISSUE 4 AGRONOMY NEWS: JULY 2020

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Scouting for Soybean Cyst Nematode Alyssa Koehler, Extension Field Crops Pathologist

University of Delaware

Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) consistently ranks as the most yield limiting pathogen of soybeans across the US, with average annual yield losses estimated over $1 billion dollars. SCN and other nematodes are often silent yield robbers, being present in the field without noticeable aboveground symptoms. If symptoms from SCN do occur, they can look similar to other production challenges like nutrient deficiency, soil compaction, drought stress, or other diseases. SCN can inhibit Rhizobium nodule formation, causing chlorosis or yellowing of soybeans in affected areas of the field. Due to the lack of consistent or obvious aboveground symptoms, it is very common for SCN to go unknown until severe infestation develops (Figure 1). Scouting soybean roots for SCN females in season and conducting fall soil samples are two ways to check your field for SCN. Yellow to white females can be found on roots from about six weeks after planting through the end of the season. While females on the roots confirm the presence of SCN, they do not provide information on the level of infestation. Soil samples are the best method to assess overall populations across the field. Soil sampling can be conducted at any time, but fall samples provide a good snapshot of end of season populations and can be collected when already out for routine fertility sampling. We will discuss the steps to

collect soil samples for SCN in an August article. Today I will introduce the steps to scout for SCN females on roots:

When to sample: Scouting for SCN females on roots can occur 6 weeks after planting up until 3-4 weeks before harvest. Digging plants earlier in the season is generally more effective because new roots surrounding the base of the plant are easier to dig and not as far down into the soil profile.

Where to sample: When scouting a field that has never been checked for SCN, you can target any areas

with yellowing or stunting, but it is also a good idea to include healthy looking plants since SCN can be present without any aboveground symptoms. Areas of the field that tend to be higher risk for SCN include: near a field entrance, areas that have been flooded, areas with pH greater than 7, areas where yield has historically been lower, areas where weed control is not as good.

How to sample: Using a shovel, dig 6 to 8 inches from the base of the plant to try to remove as much of the root system as possible. (Avoid tugging or pulling on the plant since you will leave much of the root system behind in the soil.) Gently shake off the soil and check the root system for white to light-yellow lemon-shaped adult SCN females (Figure 2). SCN females are much smaller than the nitrogen-fixing nodules (Figure 3, next page). A hand lens or magnifying glass can make looking for SCN females easier, especially when scouting in sandy soils where sand particles can resemble SCN females. Gently swirling roots in a bucket of water can help to remove soil particles without dislodging the females.

What to do next: If you find SCN females or suspect nematodes are present in the field, a soil test is the next step to estimate population density in the field. For many years, nematode populations were managed through a single source of resistance, PI88788. Over the past few decades, we have seen a break down in this resistance and nematodes are reproducing at far higher rates. When a resistant variety is providing effective control, there should only be 10 to 20 SCN females on

Figure 1. Soybeans with healthy looking foliage, but high levels of SCN in the soil.

A. Koehler, Univ. of Delaware

Figure 2. Soybean root system with SCN females indicated at

arrows.

A. Koehler, Univ. of Delaware

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the roots. When digging some of our SCN trial plots this week we had plants with 150+ SCN females. If high levels of SCN are present, rotation of crop and variety are the best steps to reduce populations. Corn and wheat are both non-host options. While the PI88788 resistance gene still accounts for over 95% of soybean acreage, there are new resistance genes coming out on the market. Seed treatments are another control option. We are currently screening multiple seed treatment products for efficacy in our region and will post those results as they become available later this year.

Figure 3. Soybean root system with nodulation

(left arrow) and SCN females (right arrow).

A. Koehler, Univ. of Delaware

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COVID-19 Update From UME University of Maryland Extension is Still in Your Community

As the community outreach arm of the University of Maryland, we have been serving Maryland’s neighborhoods and residents for over 100 years, and despite the recent changes, Extension remains committed to keeping our state strong and healthy.

As Maryland begins its implementation plan for returning to offices and research facilities, University of Maryland Extension personnel will be following the university, state and county guidelines to protect our most valuable resource -- the people and communities we work with throughout Maryland.

Currently, teleworking guidelines are still in place till July 20, 2020. UME employees will only return to their offices if county/city government is open. Administration is regularly assessing the situation to ensure the health and safety of all employees.

For the safety of our colleagues and clients, county personnel will follow university, state and county specific protocols to include wearing masks, symptom monitoring, and social distancing within office areas as well. For the safety of everyone, clients will be required to make appointments to meet with Extension faculty and staff.

Master Gardener and 4-H programming is cancelled through July 31, 2020. UME will begin to hold limited in-person programming of groups up to 10 people, including the Extension faculty member, in outdoor venues, while wearing masks and maintaining appropriate social distancing.

We are still available for assistance throughout this time and you may contact us by phone or email, and we are continuing programming through online and virtual formats. A full

list of events can be found at https://agnr.umd.edu/events/.

We recommend that you reach out to your county office directly for more information on local reopenings. Find your county office at https://extension.umd.edu/locations.

For more information on University of Maryland health and safety guidelines regarding coronavirus, go to https://umd.edu/virusinfo. Find news and information on University of Maryland Extension public programming at extension.umd.edu.

VOLUME 11, ISSUE 4 AGRONOMY NEWS: JULY 2020

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July Insect Scouting Tips Emily Zobel, Agriculture Agent Associate

University of Maryland Extension, Dorchester County

Soybean: The usual defoliators are starting to arrive, including bean leaf beetle, Japanese beetle, grasshoppers, and caterpillars. Control may be needed if there is 30% defoliation during the seedling and vegetative stages and 15% defoliation once plants start to bloom through pod fill.

Adult Dectes Stem borer will be emerging over the next several weeks. Chemical control is not recommended since it would require multiple applications to reduce larval infestations, which is not economical. If a high number of adults are found, harvesting that field as soon as it matures will reduce losses associated with lodged plants.

Fields that have an open canopy, drought-stressed, or have recently had an insecticide applied are at higher risk for corn earworm (CEW). CEW larva can feed on flowers without impacting yields because soybeans overproduce flowers. However, feeding during pod development can affect yield. An economic threshold calculator is available to assist with management decisions: https://soybeans.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/CEW-calculator-v0.006.html.

Field Corn: As corn ears begin to form, check for stink bugs. Stink bugs will gather around the edges of fields, so scouting should be done at least 15 rows in.

Thresholds are 1 stink bug per 4 plants when the ear is forming, and 1 stink bug per 2 plants from pollen shed to blister stage. Treatment is not recommended past the blister stage. Japanese beetles are minor defoliators and will clip corn silks, but control is not needed unless silks are cut back to less than ½ inch, and less than half the field has been pollinated.

Alfalfa: Once plants have hopper burn, there is no way to undo it, so continue scouting for leafhopper. Since infestations are highly variable, individual fields should be scouted. If you are planning on selling your hay for horse feed, check for blister beetle as well since they produce cantharidin, which causes skin blisters on humans and can make horses sick.

Sorghum: Sugarcane aphids were found on the Eastern Shore last year and typically show up in fields late July and August. Check underside of leaves for insects. Honeydew will turn leaves shiny and is an easy to see indicator that aphids are present. Sugarcane aphids are light yellow with black cornicles, antennae, and feet. Thresholds depend on plant growth stage; at boot to milk, thresholds are 50 aphids per leaf on 25 – 30% of plants. There is documented resistance to resistance to pyrethroids.

Want to stay up to date throughout the year and between Agronomy News postings?

Check out the Maryland Agronomy Blog. It is a searchable site that includes past and present articles. You can also subscribe to get emails when new information is posted.

http://blog.umd.edu/agronomynews/

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EPA Guidance on Pesticide Safety Training Requirements During COVID EPA press release

The Fungicide Conundrum When It’s Hot and Dry

Andrew Kness, Agriculture Agent University of Maryland Extension, Harford County

The Fungicide Conundrum When It’s Hot and Dry Andrew Kness, Agriculture Agent

University of Maryland Extension, Harford County

Agricultural workers and pesticide handlers directly support the nation’s agricultural production and food supply and EPA is committed to ensuring they are protected from workplace hazards.

EPA has released guidance regarding the annual pesticide safety training requirements outlined in the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) that offers flexibility during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The Agency is aware that COVID-19 may make it difficult for agricultural employers and handler employers to provide WPS pesticide safety training or hire agricultural workers and pesticide handlers who have been trained in the last 12 months, as required by the WPS.

In response, the guidance aims to inform agricultural employers and handler employers of flexibilities available under the WPS to allow continued protection for employees and agricultural production:

EPA encourages in-person training if workplace protections to maintain a healthy work environment

are able to be implemented. For example, an employer may be able to provide pesticide safety training outside, in smaller than usual groups with well-spaced participants.

Alternatively, WPS training can be presented remotely, provided all WPS training requirements are met.

The employer is ultimately responsible for ensuring the training meets all requirements outlined in the WPS. For example, the training must still be presented in a manner the trainees can understand, in an environment reasonably free from distractions, and cover the full training content using EPA-approved training materials.

Once the training ends, the employer must document successful completion under a qualified trainer.

To read the guidance in full and to learn more about EPA’s Worker Protection Standard, visit our webpage.

As corn and soybeans begin to enter reproductive growth stages, foliar fungal diseases can have a serious impact on yield if growing conditions favor their development. However, with the hot and dry weather, disease pressure is low and will remain low if these weather patterns persist. Weather patterns in the Mid-Atlantic can switch rapidly and in general, fungicides need to be applied as a protectant, so spray decisions need to be made before the onset of disease. Coupled with the fact that many new fungicides on the market today are promoted to help plants cope with stresses, such as drought and heat, can complicate the decision.

I like to remind folks that fungicides are designed to do one thing—and that is to manage fungal diseases; they do this job very well. Hundreds of university trials have demonstrated that the most likely yield response and economic return occurs when fungicides are applied at the correct time and used when disease pressure is high. When disease pressure is low, yield responses sometimes occur, but are far more

inconsistent than when disease is present.

There is also limited university data regarding fungicide utility to help plants manage drought stress. In the lab, strobilurin and triazole fungicides have been shown to regulate stomatal conductance and photosynthesis intensity in some corn hybrids, which improves the plants response to drought. However, when conducted at the field level, results are inconsistent and do not occur predictably. More research is needed to determine if fungicides can improve yields in drought conditions, and if so, when the application should be made. Existing studies indicate that the fungicide needs to be applied before drought stress occurs in order to stimulate the appropriate response in the plant; which again, makes spray decisions difficult without a crystal ball in hand to see into the future.

Another consideration, and perhaps the most important, is economics. While a fungicide application

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may provide some measurable differences in appearance and/or yield, is it enough to cover the application cost? Again, this is a tricky question to answer, but the body of research indicates that a single fungicide application in corn around VT-R1 and R1-R3 in soybean is the most likely to provide an economic return on investment when disease is present. In the absence of disease, the probability of an economic return is very low. Here are some additional factors that you should account for when considering a fungicide:

Crop history and tillage: Many fungal pathogens of corn and soybean are residue-borne. If growing corn-on-corn or soybeans after soybeans, those fields will be prone to higher disease risk. Conservation tillage fields are also at higher risk.

Irrigation: In dry years, fields that are overhead irrigated will be at higher risk of developing fungal diseases than dryland fields.

Disease progression: Scout your fields and see if and where fungal lesions are present on the plants. Many of the most important diseases of corn and soybean start low in the canopy and progress up the plant if environmental conditions are conducive (Fig. 1). For soybean it is critical to keep the top ⅓ of the plant clean of disease from flowering to pod fill; and for corn, it is critical to keep the ear leaf clean. If you notice fungal pathogens encroaching on these upper plant parts as they begin to flower and tassel, a fungicide application may be beneficial to protect yield.

Hybrid and variety resistance: Pay attention to your corn hybrid and soybean variety foliar disease ratings (resistance ratings are disease-specific); those that are more susceptible will have the

greatest chance of an economic return on investment to a fungicide application than resistant varieties. Planting resistant varieties and hybrids is one of the most effective disease management tools.

Resistance management: It is generally considered bad practice to spray a fungicide when disease potential is low, as you are exposing pathogens to unnecessary chemistry, and with each exposure you drive the population towards resisting that chemical. This is why it is important to rotate modes of action and use full label rates, as cut rates can accelerate the development of resistance. The Take Action website (https://iwilltakeaction.com/) can help you choose products with differing modes of action.

The take-home message is to realize that you have the greatest chance for an economic return on your investment with a fungicide application when disease actually develops. Applying a fungicide to help plants cope with drought stress will likely not help to a degree that covers the cost of the application; as replicated field trials have yielded inconsistent and unpredictable results.

Figure 1. Two economically significant diseases of corn and soybeans: grey leaf spot lesions on corn (left) and frogeye leaf spot lesions on soybean (right).

A. Kness, University of Maryland A. Kness, University of Maryland

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Assessing Pastures in Preparation for Fall Pasture Renovation Amanda Grev, Pasture and Forage Specialist

University of Maryland Extension

Russell Griffith

With the current warm temperatures it may feel like fall is still far away, but the end of summer will be here before we know it and now is the time to be thinking ahead about plans for pasture renovation this fall. Despite our best managerial efforts, many of our forage stands will eventually require some form of renovation. Whether we have simply let our fertility slip, lapsed a little in our harvest management, allowed some fields to become overgrazed, or some weeds have taken over and outcompeted the desirable forages, an unproductive pasture is often the result. Couple this with the severe drought and extreme wet conditions that Mother Nature has all too often thrown our way in recent years and we may find ourselves scratching our heads and wondering how we got here and what to do about it.

The first step is to recognize that poor forage stands are often a symptom of an underlying cause. More often than not, the major causes of poor pasture productivity include a lack of adequate fertilization and/or poor grazing or harvest management. If this is the case, keep in mind that if a stand is thin as a result of poor soil fertility or overgrazing, the problem will not correct itself just because you’ve added more seed. To achieve real success, these underlying issues will need to be corrected. If environmental conditions such as flooding or drought are at fault, we can work to overcome those by selecting species or varieties that will be more resilient to those conditions moving forward.

Along those lines, one other point of note is that renovation does not always require completely starting

over with a full reseeding. Renovation can also occur in the form of improvements in management, better fertilization and weed control, the addition of legumes into grass pastures, or overseeding into thinner areas.

When deciding whether or not renovation is needed, take some time to assess the current condition of your pastures. Are they performing as well as you would like? Has there been excess damage from environmental conditions? How well have you been managing the stand? Are there a lot of undesirable species or weeds present? In addition to asking yourself these questions, an objective assessment of the pasture stand can be helpful. One such assessment is the step-point method, which involves walking through each pasture in a random pattern and noting the forage species (or lack thereof) at various locations throughout the pasture (see specific steps below). Recording these observations allows you to objectively calculate the vegetative cover and percent desirable forages for a given field. In addition, take note of other key indicators such as forage diversity, plant vigor, presence of insect or disease damage, signs of erosion, or other observations as you walk.

If damage is light and there is a high proportion of desirable species and a low proportion of bare ground or undesirable weeds, then some rest, fertility, and weed control might be all you really need. If the damage is more moderate, perhaps frost seeding in some clovers or overseeding the worst areas would also help. If you have a low proportion of desirable species and a higher proportion of bare ground or undesirable weeds, you may want to consider terminating the existing stand

The Step-Point Method for Pasture Vegetative Cover Assessment

Step 1 Denote or mark a specific spot on the tip or edge of a shoe or boot.

Step 2 Based on the major species present in your pasture, determine which forage species to include as categories. As an example, you could include tall fescue, orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, white clover, red clover, other legume, other grass, undesirable species (weeds), and bare ground.

Step 3

Walk through the pasture in a random zig-zag pattern stretching from one end of the field to the other. Avoid walking near gates, waterers, laneways, or other heavily used areas. Every 10 to 20 steps (depending on pasture size), stop and take note of what is directly under the designated spot on your shoe. The spot will fall directly on top of a specific plant species, make a mark for or write down which forage species (or bare ground) is present based on your pre-determined categories.

Step 4 After recording 50-100 stops, add up the number of marks for each forage species or category and calculate the percentage of each species.

Step 5 Repeat the above steps for each pasture.

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Russell Griffith

and reestablishing the field with a suitable forage species based on your farm, your system, and your needs.

If you do decide to fully renovate, you have several options. The renovation process is a chance to upgrade your forage system and to capitalize on new and improved forage genetics. You may decide to do a rotation or two with an annual forage as a smother crop to help suppress weed populations, prevent soil erosion, build soil fertility, mitigate soil compaction, and provide a high quality forage source during the renovation process prior to planting the field back into a perennial stand. Either way, there are several steps you should follow to make sure the reseeding process goes smoothly, so start thinking ahead on some of the

necessary steps moving forward. Think about forage options that will work for you and look for good quality seed to purchase. If you don’t have a recent soil test, take some soil samples and begin correcting any soil pH or fertility deficiencies. If weeds are a problem, be sure to allow adequate time to achieve good weed control and still be able to plant in a timely manner. Recognize that in some situations a single herbicide application may not always be enough, and be mindful of any herbicide carryover that might affect seeding.

No matter how you decide to proceed, now is the time to be thinking ahead and making plans for this fall. Stay tuned next month for an overview of the key steps for optimum forage establishment and some common establishment mistakes to avoid.

Commodity Classic Registration Open

The Maryland Commodity Classic is going virtual! This program is free and open to all! Program will begin at 9:30 AM on July 23rd via Zoom. Registration is required to access the online meeting.

Agenda:

Grant-funded research spotlights

Addresses from MGPA and MSB Chairs

Video recognition of the 2020 MGPA scholarship recipients and Dr. Miller Achievement Award

Policy update from Brooke Appleton of the National Corn Growers Association

Trade update from Melissa Kessler of the U.S. Grains Council

Keynote: "Everything You Need to Know about the National Corn Yield Contest" with 2020 No-Till, Non-Irrigated Winner, Drew Haines of Middletown, MD.

Poultry Litter Survey

The Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. is working with several partners to consider the development of an online tool and/or mobile app that will help match those with chicken litter to sell to growers like you, that are looking for litter for grain crops and other alternative uses.

Please consider taking two minutes or less to complete a survey by Wednesday July 15th. Your input will help DPI understand potential uses of such a tool or mobile app.

Register Here

Take Survey Here

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Drought conditions are starting to develop in the region, with 13% of the state officially classified as “abnormally dry.” The trend of hot dry weather is predicted to extend into July with equal chances of above, below and normal rainfall with 50-60% chances of above normal temperatures.

WEATHER OUTLOOK

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The University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or national origin, marital status, genetic

information, or political affiliation, or gender identity and expression.

University of Maryland Agronomy Faculty Directory Darren Jarboe | jarboe@umd.edu | (301) 405-6935

University of Maryland Extension Agriculture and Food Systems Program Leader

County Agriculture Agents

Allegany Sherry Frick

sfrick@umd.edu | (301) 724-3320

Cecil Doris Behnke

dbehnke@umd.edu | (410) 996-5280

Queen Anne’s Jenny Rhodes

jrhodes@umd.edu | (410) 758-0166

Anne Arundel R. David Myers

myersrd@umd.edu | (410) 887-8090

Charles Alan Leslie

aleslie@umd.edu | (301) 539-3055

St. Mary's Ben Beale

bbeale@umd.edu | (301) 475-4484

Baltimore Erika Crowl

ecrowl@umd.edu | (410) 887-8090

Dorchester Emily Zobel

ezobel@umd.edu | (410) 228-8800

Somerset Sarah Hirsh

shirsh@umd.edu | (410) 651-1350

Baltimore City Neith Little

nglittle@umd.edu | (410) 856-1850

Frederick Kelly Nichols

kellyn@umd.edu | (301) 600-3577

Talbot Shannon Dill

sdill@umd.edu | (410) 822-1244

Caroline Jim Lewis

jlewis2@umd.edu | (410) 479-4030

Garrett Willie Lantz

wlantz@umd.edu | (301) 334-6960

Washington Jeff Semler

jsemler@umd.edu | (301) 791-1304

Carroll Bryan Butler

bbutlers@umd.edu | (410) 386-2760

Harford Andrew Kness

akness@umd.edu | (410) 638-3255

Wicomico Ginny Rozenkranz

rosnkrnz@umd.edu | (410) 749-6141

Carroll Peter Coffey

plcoffey@umd.edu | (410) 386-2760

Kent Nate Richards

nrichard@umd.edu | (410) 778-1661

Worcester Maegan Perdue

mperdue@umd.edu | (410) 651-1350

University of Maryland Extension Specialists

Nicole Fiorellino | nfiorell@umd.edu | (301) 405-6241 University of Maryland Agronomist

Amanda Grev | agrev@umd.edu | (301) 432-2767 University of Maryland Extension Pasture & Forage Specialist

Kelly Hamby | kahamby@umd.edu | (301) 314-1068 University of Maryland Entomologist

Kurt Vollmer | kvollmer@umd.edu | (410) 827-8056 University of Maryland Extension Weed Management Specialist

Dale Johnson | dmj@umd.edu | (301) 432-2767 University of Maryland Extension Farm Management Specialist

Paul Goeringer | lgoering@umd.edu | (301) 405-3541 University of Maryland Extension Legal Specialist

David Ruppert | druppert@umd.edu | (301) 405-1319 University of Maryland Nutrient Management Program Coordinator

Gurpal Toor | gstoor@umd.edu | (301) 405-1306 University of Maryland Nutrient Management Specialist

If you have any requests or suggestions for future articles, contact Andy Kness at: akness@umd.edu or (410) 638-3255.

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VOLUME 11, ISSUE 4 AGRONOMY NEWS: JULY 2020

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Dry weather has set in. Widely scattered thunderstorms

have now become coveted. Wheat harvest is in full swing and those fields are being rapidly planted into double crop soybeans. Third cutting alfalfa is underway as well. Hay will be short this year. Plans are being made to plant oats after corn silage for additional forage.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.

In some areas the corn appears to be starting to curl. Between the thunderstorms over

the past few days and the small change of thunderstorms predicted over the next few days, hopefully that will provide some relief (even if temporary) from the heat and humidity. Corn has certainly surpassed being "knee-high by the fourth of July". Wheat and barley harvest is underway. I have heard more reports of frost damage than Fusarium head blight damage. —Kelly Nichols, Frederick Co.

Rains have been very sporadic and isolated since the beginning of June. Soils are quite dry; corn and beans are feeling the effects of the heat and lack of moisture. Earliest planted corn fields are dealing with the dry conditions better than later planted fields, with some fields starting to tassel. Barley harvest is completed with highly variable yields due to frost damage. Wheat harvest is

nearly complete with mostly good yields, minimal frost damage, high test weight, and good quality. Early maturing varieties didn’t fare as well. Double crop soybeans are being planted as soon as the straw leaves the field. Disease pressure in corn and beans is very low with the dry weather.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.

Wheat harvest is all but finished. Yields were mostly 70-100 with test weights over 60 lbs/bu. The region has had a few dry spells, but most areas have been getting thunderstorms on and off. While I might not rate corn with record yield potential, it is still above average and looks good in most areas. There have been pockets of wind damage to corn including green snap, uprooting, leaning, and bent over. Full season soybeans are off to a good start with most fields reaching full canopy. Double crop soybeans have emerged and are also off to a good start. Hay (alfalfa and grass) yield and quality has been good. The pest of the year so far has been slugs. Up until 2 weeks ago, I was getting daily calls about slug damage to corn and beans.—Jim Lewis, Caroline Co.

Conditions are very dry. Soybean planting is not complete; however, we have reports of soybean unable to be planted due to dry conditions. Corn is also beginning to curl due to drought. Wheat harvest is underway.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.

Crops were moisture stressed until two days ago, when storms

brought from 3-6.5 inches of rain throughout most of the region. Rains were just in time for corn with earliest corn beginning to tassel and entering he critical pollination stage two weeks ago. Full season soybeans are off to a good start. Double crop beans are germinating well. Both needed the recent rains. Palmer amaranth has grown strides in the last two weeks, taking advantage of the hotter temperatures. Barley harvest is complete and wheat harvest as mostly complete. Wheat has been a mixed bag. Unfortunately much of the upland wheat had frost damage. Some farmers are reporting yields of frost damaged wheat in the 40-50 bushel range with isolated fields down to 10-20 bushels. Wheat that escaped cold injury is yielding well with very good quality. Frost damaged wheat with poor kernel development is also growing new tillers and the straw is very tough. Farmers have made some good second cutting hay in the last month. The week of very hot weather has set cool season grasses back for the summer. Tobacco is being topped with the first cutting expected to begin next week.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.

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VOLUME 11, ISSUE 4 AGRONOMY NEWS: JULY 2020

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Agronomy News is published by the University of Maryland Extension, Agriculture & Natural Resources Agronomy Impact Team.

Andrew Kness, Editor Agriculture Extension Agent

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